Back ground: Appropriate medical care seeking behavior could prevent a significant number ofrnchild deaths and complications due to acute diarrhoeal illnesses. This study aims to determinernfactors affecting initiations of early care seeking behavior /HSB/ of mothers /care takers/ towardsrnacute diarrhoeal illnesses, thereby improving child health.rnObjective: To determine the factors affecting initiation of early care seeking behavior amongrnmothers and care takers of under five children having acute diarrhea attending IMNCI clinic.rnMethod: A quantitative /cross-sectional/ and qualitative institutional based survey was conductedrnto assess the factors affecting initiation of early care seeking behavior of mothers /care takers/rntowards acute diarrhea at the selected health centers of Addis Ababa. Sample size is 333. Therncollected data was cleaned and checked for completeness, then was entered, compiled andrnanalyzed using SPSS version 16.00 for further analysis.rnResults: Out of 333 respondents identified for the study 100% (n=333) were responded for therninterview. From the total of 100% (n=333) respondents 59.2% (n=197) of them were not seekrnany care. The mean time for seeking care was 2.45 days. Majority of the respondents have nornany information about danger signs.rnConclusions and Recommendations: The findings enhance our understanding of the factors thatrninfluence treatment-seeking behavior of the mother/care-givers in cases of childhood diarrhoea.rnThe caregivers, especially the mothers need to be educated about the importance of seekingrnappropriate and timely treatment.rnMost of the factors that negatively affect decision to seek treatment are addressable by creatingrncommunity awareness and health systems strengthening