Loose motions can make your baby really sick, that’s why it’s crucial to cure it ASAP! Learn why should one use banana in loose motion for infants here.
Babies have a weak immune system, and they can often suffer from infections until they reach a certain age. Breast Milk boosts immunity in babies, and breastfed babies also have fewer chances of picking up infections that can come from unclean bottles or other feeding devices.
Loose stool is a common ailment that babies suffer from. The stools can be watery, foul-smelling, and often passed, sometimes right after a feed. Babies lose fluids and salts from their bodies when they suffer from loose motions and quickly become dehydrated, which is very dangerous.
Causes of Loose Motions
- Loose motions in your baby are most commonly the result of viral or bacterial infections.
- Rotavirus is the most common cause of loose motions in children below two years of age.
- Parasites like Giardia and pinworms can also cause loose motions in your baby.
- An allergy to milk or other foods like nuts or eggs can also cause loose motions in babies.
- If you are breastfeeding your baby, then keep a check on the foods you consume. Coffee, aerated drinks, and some herbal teas which you may consume may cause loose motions in your baby.
- Antibiotics prescribed to treat a medical condition can kill good bacteria in the gut and interfere with the digestive process. This can also cause loose stools.
- Crawling babies are prone to put their unclean hands in their mouths, leading to infections and loose motions.
- When your baby is teething, there is constant irritation in his gums. This will cause them to put either their fingers or anything into their mouth for comfort. This often causes bacterial infections as germs on the hands through touching surfaces can enter the body via mouth and lead to bouts of loose motions.
Banana in Loose Motion for Infants
1. Rich in Potassium
Along with other salts, babies lose potassium too when they ail from loose motions. A loss of potassium can even cause fatigue. Bananas are infamous for their potassium content and a puree of banana can restore the correct levels of potassium in your baby.
2. Easily Digestible
In addition to potassium, bananas contain zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A and B6. Furthermore, bananas are easily digestible and gentle on your baby’s stomach.
3. Regulates Bowel Movement
Bananas have fiber, which adds bulk to your baby’s stools and regularises bowel movement.
4. Firms Up the Stool
They also contain resistant starch, which absorbs water and salt in the intestine, thus firming up the stool.
5. Healthy Gut
Bananas come under the prebiotic foods list, which makes them effective nourishers of healthy gut bacteria.
6. Babies like Bananas
It helps that most babies like the taste of bananas, and as it is available throughout the year. This makes it inexpensive and feasible to use a banana in loose motions for infants.
These qualities make the banana a sufficient remedy to cure loose motions and keep your baby nourished when they are unwell.
Other Home Remedies to Cure Loose Motions in Infants
1. Oral Rehydration Solution
Oral Rehydration Solution is an effective cure for loose motions. It also protects your baby from dehydration. It helps replenish the salts and fluids and maintains the electrolyte balance too.
2. Ginger
Ginger helps in good digestion. Grate half an inch of ginger and mix it with honey and a pinch of cumin and cinnamon powders. Feed a teaspoon of this mix thrice a day to stop the loose motions. If you live in hot and humid areas, reduce the dosage to just 1.5 teaspoons throughout the day.
3. Puffed Rice
You can soak a small quantity of puffed rice in a glass of water for 20 minutes. Strain the rice and feed the water to your baby. This will help stop the loose motions and is effective and safe even for newborn infants.
4. Starchy Foods
Starchy foods like rice cereal or mashed potatoes can also help stop loose motions.
5. Apples
Apples contain pectin, which helps firm up your baby’s stools. Stew and puree an apple and feed it to your baby to stop loose motions and provide nourishment as well.
6. BRAT Diet
A BRAT diet that is an abbreviation for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast form a significant and bland diet that helps bulk up stools.
7. Buttermilk and Yogurt
Buttermilk and natural yogurt contain probiotics that promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Feed a teaspoon of buttermilk or yogurt thrice or five times a day at regular intervals to bring their digestion back to normal.
8. Coconut Water
Coconut water is both soothing and nourishing for your baby. Try feeding coconut water in small amounts twice or thrice a day to your baby.
When to seek medical help?
If your baby’s diarrhea is accompanied by any of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Decreased urination
- Inability to feed or drink
- Blood in the stools
- Tummy aches
- Restlessness
- Inelastic skin
- Dry mouth
- A swollen abdomen
- If your baby passes watery stools more than ten times in 24 hours.
Under any of these circumstances, don’t wait for homemade remedies to act up, instead, seek medical help instantly. Otherwise, you all know the effective and potent effect of banana in loose motion for infants. Feed a banana to your baby and cure the loose motions with a natural home remedy!
