Lately I have been a bit worried about my 6 year old daughter possibly being constipated. When she has a bowel movement, it usually looks like "nuggets". My daughter has been going like this since she was in diapers. I never really thought much about it because she never complains of being in pain or the stool being too hard to pass. I just figured that this is just how she is. But lately I have been concerned because I recently saw something called the Bristoll Stool Chart which shows normal and abnormal bowel movements and the "nuggets" are not consididered "normal". The chart also explains that the nuggets are hard to pass, which they do not seem to be in my daughter's case. I recently started to change her diet slightly in hopes that that will help. Has anyone ever experienced this with their young children? Are the nuggets "normal? I will see how her bowel movements are during the weekend and take it from there, but I just wanted to see if any other mommies out there have experienced the same thing. TIA
don't look for problems.
there's 'normal' and there's 'normal for her.' if she's not in discomfort and there are no issues, then this is just normal for her.
nothing wrong with making a diet more healthy, or upping her water intake, but there's no need for everything about her to be 'normal' according to vague standards that don't take into consideration individuals.
khairete
S.
This is why I can't stand the word "nugget," especially in reference to chicken.
Not normal. Common, but not normal.
More water, more fresh fruit & veggies.
Pear juice, white grape juice, or mix those with prune juice.
Add some fiber and more water to her diet, you can also give her some probiotics. I wouldn't go overboard or give laxatives if she is not in pain and has a BM at least once a day.
Nuggets are not normal. It is a sign of constipation.
Try to have your daughter increase her water intake to avoid the nuggets. Movement -- physical activity and exercise -- also helps with constipation. Since she's an older child and is not complaining, I would continue to give her healthy foods that are considered constipating in moderation (bananas, avocados, dairy, etc.).
I agree what is normal for one person is not necessarily for the next. If she was straining or you saw red (blood from straining) or mucous then I'd be concerned more. Sounds like she just needs to up her water and fibre. You can google that or ask your doctor.
It's actually color that can tell you more if it's greenish and not formed into stools then food going through system too quickly and nutrients not getting absorbed. If it's opposite then if it's really dark almost black it's in there too long. So as long we it's normal color and you can soften it up a bit sure she's ok. Try the few modifications to diet mentioned below.
It might be normal for her.
You can try to have her drink more water and eat more fiber (prunes, prune juice, veggies, etc) but if she's not having any problems - well, if it ain't broke then don't try to fix it.
I'd consider looking at more medical web sites than just one.
If you have concerns, discuss it with your pediatrician.
I'm going to disagree a bit with some of the posts here. Yes, there are individual habits and so on. Yes, you have to increase her water and her fiber. Yes, color is important. But a hard (even if it's not "too hard to pass"), nugget-type stool is not ideal. Just because she's not complaining doesn't mean anything - she may not know this is a problem. It should be softer and more S-shaped. So her stools are, in part, a reflection of her diet.
You can't tell from whether someone is straining or going every day whether there is something going on inside. She may well have the start of that dreaded layer of "sludge" lining the colon walls that is so common in American diets. A piece of fruit or a bowl of fiber cereal isn't enough to undo that.
I work in food science and I have to tell you that even people who think they eat enough fruit and vegetables just don't get what they need. We've got to have soluble and insoluble fiber in the same diet, and most people don't get that. In fact, most fiber products don't contain it. So while I agree that giving a child (or anyone) laxatives over a period of time is a bad idea, I would urge you to consider a better alternative for her. There are patented children's supplements with no warning labels and with the FDA Good Manufacturing Practices certification. I would steer away from products sold in supermarkets especially after the recent legal actions against places like Whole Foods and GNC for selling products that aren't properly labeled or manufactured, and which often don't even contain what the labels said they do.
Give her an enema lay her down and feel her tummy.
I don't know why, but my children have struggled with a similar problem. My ped recommended an appropriate dose of Miralax mixed with Gatorade. It has been a few weeks but, as he said, the body needs to retrain itself as to what a normal BM is like. I am currently at the point where I am reducing the dose. He was having major stomach pain prior to this.
It's good that it's not hurting her but I would be concerned too if my kid constantly pooped out nuggets. Try giving her kiwis and prunes and LOTS of water and see if that makes a difference. More fruits and veggies in general are good too. I would also ask her pediatrician.
Does she eat a lot of cheese? If so cut back...
If it's just nuggets, then yes, she is constipated. I just went through a long drawn-out constipation thing with my GD. The doctor said that until it's soft enough for you to have something on the toilet paper when you wipe, you are constipated. She may not be complaining because her bowel has probably stretched so she doesn't feel it, but it's probably there.
Put her on a high fiber diet and within a couple of days, she should start having more normal poops. The doctor said to look for foods where the first ingredient is whole something - whole wheat, whole grain, whole something. My GD ate whole wheat bread, drank lots of water, ate salads and also had "extra" lettuce on her sandwiches, whole grain cereal, and again lots and lots of water. Didn't take long for her to get cleaned out and stay that way.
Our doc gave our granddaughter a prescription of Mirilax. We can give it to her one time per day up to 4 days in a row. If she has a BM we stop. This is to prevent her from having to have surgery to remove blockages.
