Baby Ate Bird Poop

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Baby Ate Bird Poop

The baby’s world is explored through their mouth. With their lips and tongues, they lick, chew, and swallow everything they can grasp in their tiny hands.

Naturally, the newborn would go for anything, even something that is not edible to put in their mouths. When we say anything, we mean it. Even if it’s bird poop. 

Because babies are babies, and the parents should expect unexpected things to happen. 

They explore their environment with their mouth and learn about new food by tasting it. Sometimes the foods they try are not so tasty, but this simply serves as a learning experience for them. 

During these first few months of exploration, babies may be interested in feeding themselves. They will put nearly everything in their mouths to taste what it is like. However, there are certain things that are not meant to be eaten.

Some parents choose to place items out of the reach of the baby because of safety concerns or just to avoid having anything within arm’s reach that belongs in the trash can. One such item can be eating sand or bird poop, which some consider not only unappealing but also possibly dangerous if ingested. 

For whatever reason, you don’t want your baby to experience anything that is unpleasant, even the slightest. 

Can a baby get sick from eating bird poop?

Yes, if your baby ate bird poop it can get sick. Babies can get salmonella poisoning. The baby might get sick even if they only put the bird poop in their mouths or near them.

The baby should not eat bird poop. The little one can be at risk of getting sick and might even need to go to the hospital in the situation of ingesting the feces.

Bird droppings are one of many possible sources of salmonella infections in people. Most times birds do not look or act sick when they have salmonella bacteria growing inside them that could make you sick.

This bacteria can cause symptoms like the child had food poisoning. Foods or other things contaminated with the bacteria when ingested, cause it to spread. 

What should you do if your child eats bird poop?

Baby Ate Bird Poop

Firstly, if you are not totally sure if the baby really ingested the feces, you can observe its health condition. On the other hand, if you are absolutely sure that the child has eaten the poop, the best thing you should do is take it to the hospital for examination.

You should be aware that the child may have a parasite infection as a result of ingesting the bird feces.

If you are an owner of a pet, like a dog or a cat, or even a bird, this could be a very familiar scenario.

Here are some things a parent or a caregiver should do in a situation if the baby ate bird poop.

  • Water should be given to the child.
  • Hands and face should be washed.
  • Keep an eye out on a child and symptoms that are alike to food poisoning.

There are several symptoms that can occur when the baby eats bird poop and they are pretty similar to food poisoning:

  • A stomach ache and diarrhea 
  • Mild fever 
  • Feeling nauseous 
  • Vomiting and trembling

If the symptoms do not subside or appear several weeks later contact your baby’s health provider.

At this point, you might be in a situation to give the baby’s stool sample, so the doctor can identify any potential organisms like parasites.

What disease does bird poop cause?

Baby Ate Bird Poop

As we mentioned before, if a baby ate bird poop there’s a chance of getting salmonella. Next to this one, there are also a few more diseases that can occur if a baby ingests bird poop. 

  1. Salmonella  – as mentioned above. It is a bacterial infection that can cause symptoms of food poisoning, like diarrhea. If you notice that your baby has eaten the bird poop or was near the bird feces take measures of precautions. Make sure to wash your baby’s face and hands nicely and give your baby lots of liquids. 
  1. Psittacosis  – this is an infectious disease that has another name and that’s parrot fever. But it can be transferred from other birds as well, by simply breathing in the dust contained in the dried bird poop or even mucus. This can be especially dangerous if your youngster has a poor immune system.
  2. Histoplasmosis – is a fungus caused by Histoplasma. Its habitat is in the soil, especially in areas with high concentrations of bird or bat excreta. This infection can range from mild to even life-threatening. It is typically spread when the spores are inhaled in the lungs after breathing them in the air. This usually happens during cleaning up or demolition projects. 

Summary

Unfortunately, sometimes babies eat things that aren’t good for them, like animal feces. So, if you are in a situation where your baby ate bird poop, don’t worry, there is a solution for this problem.

The parents are in disbelief when they see their baby chewing on a small handful of fresh bird droppings. They immediately rush the child to the doctor’s office fearing the worst. Parents are naturally concerned sick when finding out what their infant ate and how to treat it if necessary.

The first thing a parent should do is to wash the baby’s face and hands to prevent any possible and further harm. Make sure your baby is getting enough liquids and monitor the baby’s health condition. 

If you notice any changes, take your child to its pediatrician to give them proper care. If your baby didn’t ingest the feces and was only near it, there is a good possibility that nothing happened.

On the other hand, if the baby swallowed the poop, it should get an appropriate treatment provided by its doctor. 

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catherine

My name is Catherine. I'm a Mom and one of the avid writers working on HerScoop!