6mo with diahorrea, hot forehead and tired. Should I be concerned?

[hackneybird]

My 6mo DS has had diahorrea for about two days now, with nasty nappy rash that has developed along with it. He has had two bad nights sleep and also a snuffly nose.

Today he has been VERY grizzly and out of sorts, which is most out of character for him. I wasn't overly concerned, as I thought that it must all be teething/general mild cold related, but he has slept more than normal today, has had very red eyes all the time and now I have noticed that he has a warm forehead, although his cheeks are cool.

He also seems very very unhappy in himself and cannot be settled. I don't know whether this is all quite standard stuff and that in time he will get over what seems like teething or a tummy bug, or if I should take him to A&E. I don't want to waste their time.

He started solids a couple of weeks ago so perhaps this is a reaction to something he has eaten?

What temp does he have and how long has he gone without milk?

You are never wasting anyone's time if your child is ill. It is normal for a child to sleep more when poorly.

I don't have a thermometer (am visiting mum for weekend) so I don't know temp.

He is bf in day and FF at night, and has been feeding just fine. He last had a BF feed at 4.15 and a pot of veg puree at 5pm (which he ate). After he ate he cried and farted and passed another runny poo, now he is asleep.

A bit of a temp etc is pretty normal with a nasty bug. With diahorrea the main thing is to make sure he is getting plenty of fluids. Is he bf or ff? If bf then just feed as much as possible as it is the best thing for him but if ff you may want to ask your gp for some advice as I believe it is often suggested to dilute the feeds to make them easier on the tummy but please do NOT take my word for that and ask your gp. Make sure you are still getting wet nappies form him and check for signs of dehydration (dry mouth, sunken fontanel). If you are concerned then don't hesitate to take him to out of hours as diahorrea can be serious with littlies due to speed of dehydration.

Thanks all for your advice. I ended up taking DS to A&E - he got hotter and was screaming unconsolably, and refused to feed. It really scared me.

Of course by the time we got there he was much calmer! The doc confirmed his temperature and said he probably had a gastrointestinal virus and to just keep giving him calpol and keep up his fluids.

He is still v. unhappy but I guess I just have to wait it out don't I.....it's just hard seeing him crying and writhing in pain.