Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Pediatric Health and Diseases Specialist Dr. Fatma Tülin Şimşek underlined that during this period, the mother should consume at least one liter more fluid than before. Stating that the mother may prefer buttermilk, cold stewed fruit, and freshly squeezed fruit juices in addition to water, Dr. Şimşek explained that in this way, the fluid intake of both the mother and the baby can be increased.

What Should Be the Diet of Young Children?

Dr. Tülin Şimşek listed the issues to be considered in the nutrition of little children as follows…

• When going to the beach or poolside with young children, instead of taking foods with a high glycemic index such as junk food crackers and biscuits, snacks prepared from brown bread such as toast, fruit salad, cucumber, tomato, buttermilk, freshly squeezed fruit juices, and nuts should be preferred.
• Children whose appetite decreases in hot weather should be fed three main and three snacks a day in order to replace the calories they lose while playing and swimming.
• Food should be healthy; there should be no fried, ketchup, or mayonnaise products.
• At lunch, one serving (palm-sized) chicken, 3-4 meatballs of meat, as well as juicy vegetable dishes, low-fat pasta, rice pilaf, yogurt, and salad can be preferred.
• For growth and development, it should be ensured that at least one serving of milk and dairy products per day is consumed in support of increased vitamin D synthesis.

What to Do in Case of Diarrhea in Children During Summer?

Regardless of how much attention is paid, diarrhea is one of the most common pediatric diseases in the summer. Tülin Şimşek gave the following information: “In summer, foods can deteriorate in a short time in the heat and cause diarrhea. Especially with foods such as dairy products, ice cream, cake cream, meat, and chicken, diarrhea possibility increases in summer. Not always with food poisoning, sometimes called tourist diarrhea, germ-induced diarrhea can also be seen due to transfer from one place to another. "

Underlining that summer diarrhea should not be feared unless the fluid loss is high, Dr. Tülin Şimşek explained the following about what to pay attention to when faced with such a situation: “If the gut flora is corrected with potatoes, bananas, rice porridge, yogurt, soup, buttermilk, and prebiotics, it will get better in a maximum of 48 hours.  If the stool is foamy, foul-smelling, green, and slimy, if it is bloody, the intestinal antiseptic recommended by applying it to the nearest health institution or the drugs deemed appropriate by your doctor should be used. In this process, it is not a correct method to try to stop diarrhea by stopping bowel movements.  Because if bowel movements are stopped, the microbes cannot be excreted with feces and continue to spread their toxins. If there is usually no loss of heavy fluid and salt, giving prebiotics, and consuming diarrhea foods such as potato boiling, bananas, rice, and yogurt makes diarrhea get better within a day or two. If the child vomits continuously, cannot eat, becomes exhausted and does not communicate with parents, or constantly cries, you should be consulted the nearest health center."