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The causes of neonatal diarrhea can be categorized into three major types: intra-intestinal infection, extra-intestinal infection, and non-infectious diarrhea. Intra-intestinal infection primarily occurs in artificially or mixed-fed newborns, often due to unclean feeding utensils leading to ingestion of pathogens. The most severe type is neonatal epidemic diarrhea, which frequently occurs in neonatal wards of hospitals. The bacteria are transmitted from the mother's birth canal to the newborn and then spread by healthcare workers' hands. This disease has a short incubation period and severe symptoms, initially anorexia, vomiting, and abdominal distension, followed by yellow-green watery diarrhea with a gurgling sound, a pungent odor, and up to 10 bowel movements per day, quickly leading to dehydration symptoms. Other pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium, rotavirus, and adenovirus can also cause neonatal diarrhea, with severe cases often posing a life-threatening risk. Extra-intestinal infection is mainly caused by the effects of pathogenic toxins or underdeveloped nervous system, leading to digestive system dysfunction and increased intestinal motility, resulting in diarrhea. This type of diarrhea generally lacks mucus, pus, or a pungent odor and occurs less frequently. During pneumonia or sepsis in newborns, bacteria may sometimes penetrate the intestinal wall from extra-intestinal or blood sources, causing enteritis. Non-infectious diarrhea is often due to improper feeding, leading to poor absorption, increased bowel movements, and undigested milk clumps or egg-like, watery stools. This type of diarrhea typically lacks mucus or a pungent odor and usually resolves on its own once the underlying cause is addressed. The first two types of diarrhea should be treated by a hospital. Before hospitalization, small, frequent doses of boiled sugar saline can be administered to prevent dehydration.What are the symptoms of neonatal diarrhea? Mild diarrhea may involve fewer than 10 bowel movements per day, with yellow-green stools containing small amounts of mucus, a sour odor, and an egg-like or thin paste consistency, with no obvious dehydration symptoms (sunken fontanelle or eye sockets). Severe cases are often caused by intra-intestinal infection, with up to 10–20 or more yellow-green watery stools containing mucus, accompanied by vomiting and fever, prominent dehydration symptoms (pale complexion, weak crying, lethargy, rapid weight loss, and decreased urine output), and quickly leading to severe symptoms such as water and electrolyte imbalance and acidosis. Once diarrhea is detected, regardless of its severity, immediate hospital treatment is essential—do not delay.