My question is about a boy that I watch 4 days a week who is 17 months old. Ever since he was around one, his belly is hugely distended. I have three kids of my own and have been around toddlers my whole life, and I have never such a big belly. Not the normal little baby potbelly. He is very skinny everywhere else and his belly isn't "chubby" it's more like a ripe melon. I've pushed gently around under his rib cage, and there isn't a hard mass that I can feel, it just doesn't seem right. I mentioned it to his dad before his 15 month check up. Later, the dad said everything was fine, but didn't mention if specifically mentioned anything to the ped. His belly interferes with his walking where he has to walk with his legs out to the side and after he eats, (he eats a lot) his balance is thrown off even more and he stumbles frequently. Has anyone out there had a similar experience? Was everything normal or was something wrong?
Have you ever watch Feed The Children---the kids there have extended bellies. Two reasons they are full of worms and they don't have enough to eat. Are the parents un-able to feed the child??? Are they really taking him to see the doctor? Doesn't sound right to me. Is he clean and are his clothing fairly nice??? What about his teeth???? I would look into it more.
Good Luck
I would strongly suggest he be checked for Celiac disease. That is exactly how my daughter looked until she was diagnosed. It is where people are unable to eat anything w/ wheat, barley, malt, or oats. If eaten, those things damage the intestines and cause the stomach to swell. The ped can check for it w/ blood test. As soon as we eliminated those things from her diet, her stomach went down and she started growing. It is a life altering treatment but you get used to it and makes a huge difference in their life.
I have no answer, but I share your question! My granddaughter has had an abnormal belly since infancy, and no one seems to have an answer. I tried a pediatric endocrinologist, whose answer was to put her on a diet. I am very frustrated trying to find answers. Surely these aren't the only two kids on the planet with this condition.
How are his bowels? Is he frequently constipated? If it were my little guy I would look into it further.
HI, this didn't happen to me personally but to a nurse at my doctors office. She was telling me the same thing about her little girl. Her pediatrician and a few other doctors were saying it was nothing. She finally went to another doctor, I don't know who, and the baby had a cancerous tumor. She was treated and she is fine now. but she was little like this little guy and she was thinking the same things that you are...."this isn't a normal little childs belly."
I believe the doctor that finally made the diagnosis was here in medina. I am sorry, I don't have a name to give you.
I am with you...I would be very concerned.
sounds like malnutrition. the round belly may be from fluid build up, ascites, when there is not enough intake. how does he eat for you when you care for him? it would be interesting to see what other responses you get today or the next few days. something in your assessment is alerting you to a problem. keep open communication with the parent and show that you care about the toddler. K. G.
My neice had a potbelly also. Hers was from not having regular bowel movements. When my brother took her to the doctor for being constipated, the doctor told him she had an extended belly from her colon being inlarged. Once they got her going to the bathroom regularly her belly shrunk down. Now it is normal sized.
I know there are a lot of possibilities to explain the tummy thing, and it could be nothing, but thought I'd share about my daughter. I'll make it a short version, but she had the poochy tummy that just didn't seem to go away starting around 18 mos. After many tests, endoscopy, and ultrasounds not finding anything, we did a liver biopsy due to her liver looking a bit enlarged. She has Glycogen Storage Disease, or GSD. While her tummy was the only "symptom" we saw, it was tremendous to have a diagnosis, because it is effecting the way she responds to illnesses, etc now and is very important to know to understand how to treat her under what are usually normal circumstances. Anyway - being persistent to resolve the concern may be necessary - sometimes it is a simple answer, sometimes you just have to keep pushing and digging. Good luck!
Hi M.,
This is from the Univ. of Maryland Medical website - I hope it helps:
Question:
Is there any reason to worry about a child's potbelly?
Answer:
It is generally normal for toddlers to have potbellies. By the time a child reaches school age, the potbelly usually disappears and their bodies seem more proportionate.
The belly should feel soft and not tender. There is nothing to worry about unless a potbelly is accompanied by other symptoms (such as abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, or short stature), or if it appears suddenly swollen. Medical conditions causing an enlarged liver or spleen can be serious and must be ruled out by your doctor.
I subscribe to several baby newsletters, and this was addressed a couple months ago, but, unfortunately I don't specifically remember the source. Many toddlers have potbellies because abdominal muscles don't fully develop until they are about 3 yrs. old. My daughter's DR confirmed this. kaitlin has one, and I check regularly for rigidity or discomfort, and she has none. She's 22 months, so we'll continue to watch to see if something else develops.
What kind of bowel habits does he have? If he is "stopped up" and yet otherwise is very skinny, this could be a BIG reason. I just experienced having a child who lives w/ her mother and gets practically NO fluids, very little, if any...fruits and vegetables and NO exercise. She told me over the weekend she couldn't remember when she pooped and her belly hurt.
I gave her strawberries a couple of times, Mirilax, oranges, water, walked to the park and played with her, etc. From Friday night until Sunday at 2:30, the child (6 years old and about 48 pounds) pooped NINE, YES, I said NINE times. At LEAST 3-4 FEET of feces came out of her over the weekend. She clogged up my toilet FOUR times in one day! I couldn't be mad at her. It wasn't her fault. I was just glad she was getting rid of all the toxins. Her energy level increased EVERY single time she pooped. Imagine that!
She told me she had been to the nurse's office on Thursday because her belly hurt because she knew she hadn't pooped. I could NOT BELIEVE all that was coming out of her. It was so bad that at one point she told me she didn't have to push when she peed. I told her she wasn't supposed to push when she had to pee. She didn't even KNOW that! I realized she was so backed up that her enlarged bowels had been pushing on her urethra as well as God only knows what other organs.
Anyway.......might want to find out.
this sounds like a bowel peroration and you need to ask your own ped about this.this si something his own parents should be worried about it sounds like they are not.take some pics and go talk to the ped of your choice.soon
