2 year old with diarrhoea...what should I do about food?

[MotherMerryHenry]

I know how to deal with tummy bugs in adults - don't eat for 24 hours, avoid dairy, flush it out by drinking loads of water, etc etc etc. But I can't imagine that my poor 2 yr old DS will survive a day with no food.

All the advice I can find on the web says just feed them normally but perhaps give them easily digestible veg, but that will mean that you keep on feeding the bugs, right? What would you do? Have you discovered any foods that help kill off the bugs?

Lots of fluids and also you must feed them.
Rememeber that unlike an adult, little children cannot control blood sugars as efficiently so they do need to eat
I would absolutely disagree with the notion that you are "feeding the bugs",
You need to give fluids and food and wait till it passes.

Thanks, deany. Good point about blood sugars.

I am reliably informed that it is true that eating through a stomach bug gives the bugs stuff to eat off and so it prolongs their life. Which is why if you manage to starve yourself for 24 hours you'll get over it more quickly. I think I'll wait until DS is somewhat older before I try that one!

Some doctors sometimes advise not to eat, but that's (I think) an old fashion view. Nowadays, I think the advice is to give blend food, and avoid dairy, sugary or fatty food. Bread sticks, toasts, some apple puree.

As for me, what I do if DSs have the runs, I stop giving them milk (when they were younger, I'd give them soya milk for a couple of days, which they loved!!). No food like baked beans, or sweetcorn, or grapes, oranges. Bananas are good I think. pasta with mild sauce.

but if you eat, it helps the passage of the digested food and bugs through the system and maintains a more even blood sugar which in turn gives you some reserve and encourages your immunity.
I still dont see how it helps to starve the bugs.
Little ones who are NOT off food should be given fooed to eat, and lots of fluids.

Yes, I think I've made it clear that I'm not talking about starving little children. When adults and older children (teens, really) have stomach bugs they should only drink fluids as they are sufficient to help flush the system. I've discovered recently that cola, black tea and lemon juice can create inhospitable conditions for bugs, so they're good choices. But food definitely does feed the bugs and so prolongs the illness.

Blueberry - we have soya already! Great!

Not convinced about the 'old-fashioned view' thing - every time DH or I have refused to starve ourselves with a tummy bug, it's lasted much longer than the occasions when we do starve ourselves.

Yes I think the health advice about this has changed recently as it was found in some study or other that feeding a child with diarrhoea did not necessarily prolong the bug

I personally do starve dd a bit though if she is ill and I don't worry about it as long as she is sipping fluids every 15 mins (fluids can be rehydration powders from chemist or flat coke or Lucozade so it is possible to prevent dramatic fall in blood sugar levels by adminstering drinks)

I'm NOT an expert/health professional but I personally rely on dd to let me know when she is ready to eat again (but perhaps 2 yrs old a bit young for this ... not sure)

I think dc usually know themselves anyway - at which point I offer crackers or tiny portions of plain white rice moving on to plain pasta, then carrots and lean chicken or white fish, then bananas

and if they can tolerate all of above, back to normal again

Yes I meant that it's the advice from the NHS which has changed. They used to say no food for 24 hours (my mother in law told me that) but now on NHS website they say to give them food if they want it, obviously. I know that my DS1, as soon as he is ill with anything at all, he stops eating almost completely.

Its just that if we stopped feeding every patient who had the squits where i work there would be uproar!
We continue to feed them. This is because of the points that i have made re reserves and immunity and recovery.

My Mum is a paedaetrician and when I was young I was given bananas if I had diarreah and oranges if constipated.