What causes diarrhoea in children?

Diarrhoea is defined as passing looser or more frequent stools than is normal. Whilst it is usually nothing to be too worried about, it can be very distressing and unpleasant for your little one until it passes. This can be anywhere between a few days to a week.

Diarrhoea in children can be a symptom of a number of different diseases, but a common infectious cause of diarrhoea is a bowel infection called gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis can be caused by a number of different things, including bacteria that are often picked up from contaminated food or a virus such as rotavirus or norovirus. Children can also get diarrhoea from parasites that live in contaminated water.