My 10 month old has had loose stools or diarrhea for about 5 weeks now. I took her to the Dr. last week and they had us take away formula for the weekend and put her on the BRAT diet. That stopped the 'flow' for a couple of days. We added the formula (Target brand) back and then began introducing foods again. And then the loose stools came back. She is not getting any juice. She eats a good balance of foods. I can't pinpoint what it might be. She is a great eater and doesn't seem too fussy by the situation. She does not seem to be cramping and is sleeping fine. I am so tired of changing these gross diapers - and she must be miserable too. When she was weighed, she had not gained any weight in 1 month. The Dr. did not seem too concerned. Any ideas on how to stop this cycle? Has anyone been through something similar?
Thanks!
I would have her tested for Celiac Disease or Cystic Fibrosis as well as food allergies. I believe my daughter's chronic diarrhea at that age was due to a milk allergy which I didn't discover for many more years.
Have you considered adding probiotics? It will help improve and give her a good boost in the good bacteria that lies in the digestive system.
You can read more here on the article I just posted this week about probiotics on the Chicago Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...
FloraBaby by Renew Life is a wonderful brand at www.smartbomb.com I've been giving them to my dd since she was 4wks old in cycles. Excellent to give during bouts of loose stools.
I would also question the formula and change it.
J. W. MPH
Maternal and Child Wellness Educator
Chicago Examiner Family Health Expert
If everything you try fails, look up "Toddler's Diarrhea." I was in the same boat as you are and my son still has loose stools. It's been about 5-6 months. I changed his diet, my diet (I was still nursing until he was 19 months), diapers (b/c he had a horrible rash that accompanied the poop), tried cloth diapers and EVERY rash cream OTC and prescription strength. Also, had stool cultures done and all came back negative. Finally I found this diagnosis on the internet. The next appt I had with my Dr, he said this is exactly what it was. Unfortunately there's nothing that can be done to cure it. It just kind of runs it's course. It stinks, I know!!! Anyway, I hope everything works out for your little one. Good luck and GOd Bless. Have a Happy Easter!!!
My children are grown up & now I have Grandchildren so my advice ia what I did for my children and it has worked for the grands too. We always gave our children yogurt if they had loose stools that didn't seem to go away on its own. The purpose is to replace the good bacteria that helps prevent loose stools. My kids Dr. suggested this and it worked great,in a couple of days. My kids tended to get loose stools after antibiotic treatment or after a sinus problem(sounds wierd now but thats the way it happened).Call your physician if you have concerns-I just know this worked for us.
I had a similar problem with my son. The formula was too rich for him. I thinned it with water and added instant baby rice cereal. Your doctor wasn't concerned because she had gained weight. So, the doctor did not fear dehydration.
You can also try scraping an apple (no peel).Give a couple of teaspoons, this releases pectin from the apple a great way to solidify stools naturally. Applesauce or crushed apples do not give the same result. It has to be scraped.
Hope this helps you, too.
Have you tried a different brand of formula? I know the big brand cost more but if it is the formula doing it, you would be better off. A friend's baby spit up until he was 8 months and his mom switched to Good Start. it got much better after that. You could go back to the BRAT diet for a bit and then add the different formula. Then you'll be able to see if maybe adding the formula back is what is causing the problem.
Is she teething? My kids always had bad, loose, gross diapers when they were teething. The worst ones were when they were cutting their canines and molars. I would stock up on diaper cream and change them frequently. Once the teeth were in, it would get better--until the next teething cycle.
Hi C., your daughter sounds like she may have food allergies. You should have her tested-usually it's dairy or wheat/glutten. Good Luck! Maria ____@____.com
Yes, I went through this with my daughter when she was just a month or 2 older than your daughter. We finally identified it as a gluten sensitivity. Gluten is contained in wheat, barley, rye, and oats (because most of the oats in the US are contaminated with gluten). Although ANY food could be the culperit, common food sensitivities include egg, corn, wheat/gluten, cows milk/dairy, soy, apple, chocolate, and legumes (such as peas, lentils, or peanuts).
The way we found it in my daughter was by removing somthing from her diet for a week and then adding it back in and noting any changes. Since your daughter improved when she was eating only bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, yet got worse when you added her formula back in, I would start with something in the formula- possibly dairy or corn.
Get help if it continues or gets suddenly worse. If you're in the area, I would be happy to work with you. I've helped a lot of kiddos with these kinds of symptoms. www.trilliumchiro.com
She could possibly be lactose intolerant. Check with you doctor and see if you could change her formula to soy based for a while. Also if she is still having loose stools make sure to keep her hydrated, give her pedialyte. I hope this advice help and good luck.
Go back to BRAT. Try Goodstart. If it doesn't improve, ask your doc about the hypo-allergenic formulas. Probiotics are also a good idea. Unfortunately a certain percent of kids have looser stools; my son did. They got progressively more solid, but weren't really solid for some time. But it still is a good idea to rule out allergies and sensitivities as other moms suggested.
ps There is absolutely NO reason to think your child has cystic fibrosis based on the symptoms you have described here.
Did the doctor suggest trying a different formula, perhaps one of the "gentle" kinds?
I agree that probiotics are a great thing to try as well. They made a huge difference for my daughter.
