I need advice about the little boy I care for. He just turned two last week and I think he has a digestive problem. I change his poop diapers about 4-6 times a day. He is in my care from 8am - 5:30pm He is a big eater but so is my grandbaby and I only get one poopy diaper from her a day and she lives with me. Can you let me know if this is normal? I have to cake desitin on him every diaper change because he is a very fair red head boy who gets severe diaper rash if not changed every couple of hours. He sometimes shakes when he gets his diaper changed when he has a rash or redness. I forgot to mention that he is also a thumb sucker. He does this all day not just at nap time. I keep a daily sheet on him and the other children in my care and his sheet is always totally full on the poop side everyday. Please help
Hi R.,
you di dnot mention how old the child is and if he receives breast milk or formula. Barring any other symptoms, however, this sounds perfectly normal. One thing I'd watch out for (only if he is over a year old and eating solids well) is if he has diarrhea after every meal. If it is solid BMs then he just has an active digestive system which moves frequently. This is not abnormal at all.
I agree if he is having solid poop than he is fine. However the diaper rash is an issue. Changing him more frequently doesnt seem to be helpful because it sounds like you are changing him plenty of times during the day. You might want to consider suggesting or starting him on potty training if he seems ready. If not then I would suggest the parents bring it up to their doctor or pursue other diaper rash ointments/ treatments.
You may want to try straight vasoline. My kids diaper rash/irritation actually gets worse if I use anything else. My Daughter, she is almost 2, poops about 3 times a day sometimes more and she eats like an adult. She will usually eat as much food as myself with snacks thrown in.
You may want to look at what he is eating at day care and if his poop is really runny you may want to consider adding some marshmallows as snacks. My peditrician recomended it for my son when he was 2 (he's almost 3 now) and it really firmed up his poop and took the diaper changing down alot. He was a 4-6 times a day pooper and after 1/2 a cup of marshmallows as a morning snack it went down to 2-3 times a day.
Hope this helps
R.
My two year also has quite frequent bowel movements. It isn't just about how much they are eating, but what they are eating and in total how their digestion works. It would be interesting to know if he was breastfed and that is widely believed to build a better "gut".
If he otherwise appears to be a normal two year old and isn't having trouble gaining weight...it shouldn't be of concern. You might, however, (if you don't already) consider doing a simple "daily" sheet for this child. It gives good information to the parents and they can determine if something abnormal needs to be addressed.
Two hours is the standard of care for most daycares in terms of diapers changes...but, of course, dirty diapers should be attended to immediately.
