If the child cannot suck, it is best to squeeze out the breast-milk and feed it to the child with a clean cup. If the child is being fed on milk powder solutions or cow's milk, more liquid should be given by adding twice the usual amount of clean water to the child's normal feed. A child with diarrhoea needs food. It is often said that a child with diarrhoea should not be given any food or drink while the diarrhoea lasts. This advice is wrong.
Food can help to stop the diarrhoea.
Also, diarrhoea can lead to serious malnutrition unless parents make a special effort to keep feeding the child during and after the illness. A child with diarrhoea usually has less appetite, so feeding may be difficult at first. But the child should be tempted to eat frequently, by offering small amounts of his or her favourite foods. Add one or two teaspoonfuls of oil to cereal and vegetable mixes if possible. Foods should be freshly prepared and given to the child five or six times a day.