Baby Diarrhea Oral Rehydration Solution
Oral rehydration solution has a specific balance of water, glucose, and electrolytes designed to replace diarrhea losses. Ask a clinician which ready-to-use or correctly mixed commercial product fits your baby and how much to offer after losses.
Summary
Follow the label and clinician plan exactly; never concentrate or over-dilute a packet, split powder by eye, or make a home recipe. Offer small measured amounts slowly with an age-appropriate cup, spoon, or syringe only as instructed, while continuing breast milk or formula unless told otherwise. If the baby cannot drink, repeatedly vomits, has reduced urine, worsening lethargy, or severe signs, oral attempts must not delay assessment.
Use oral rehydration solution precisely
A commercial oral rehydration solution has a specific glucose-electrolyte balance. Ask which product, amount, timing, and feeding plan fit the baby's age, weight, stool losses, vomiting, and medical history. Follow label mixing instructions exactly and never divide a powder packet by eye, concentrate it, over-dilute it, or copy an online recipe. If instructed, offer small measured amounts slowly with an age-appropriate cup, spoon, or oral syringe. Oral rehydration supports mild to moderate losses but must not delay assessment when the baby cannot drink or is worsening.
Continue milk feeds safely
Continue breast milk and formula mixed at the exact package ratio unless a clinician gives another plan. Offer breast milk more often. If advised and tolerated, smaller frequent formula feeds can be easier than a large feed. Never add extra water, reduce formula powder, or replace milk with juice, soda, sports drinks, tea, or a homemade mixture. Restrictive diets and improvised fluids can worsen hydration or provide too little nutrition.
Avoid common unsafe substitutions
Plain water does not replace the salts and calories lost in diarrhea and can be unsafe in young infants. Fruit juice, soda, sports drinks, and many homemade drinks have inappropriate sugar or electrolyte concentrations and may worsen stool losses. Do not use antidiarrheal medicine, antibiotics, probiotics, zinc, herbal products, or leftover prescriptions without a clinician's direction for this baby. Do not stop breastfeeding because of diarrhea. Wash hands carefully after diaper changes and clean feeding equipment safely, but never postpone urgent care to complete household cleaning.
Recognize prompt-call and emergency signs
Contact a clinician promptly for reduced urine, dry mouth, few tears, sunken eyes or soft spot, repeated vomiting, blood in stool, green or bloody vomit, severe pain, a young infant with fever, feeding decline, or rapidly worsening diarrhea. Call emergency services for difficulty waking, severe lethargy, inability to drink, blue or gray color, severe breathing trouble, seizures, collapse, or signs of shock. Do not force fluid into a drowsy baby or wait for another diaper.