So I'm really eager to get started on potty training next week with my 2.5 yr old son, but the biggest reason I have hesitated this long is the bowel movement issue. It's also the reason I stopped cloth diapering him at 2 yrs. I just couldn't stand the loose bowel movements. It's terrible cleaning him off with a disposable - how in the world am I supposed to do this with underwear??
Does any one have any suggestions for healthy ways to firm up him bowel movements? I took him to the Dr. about this issue 6 mths ago, ran a bunch of tests, no parasites or anything. Doesn't show any signs of lactose intolerance. He isn't "constipated", at least by my understanding - doesn't take him very long to produce a BM, doesn't seem in pain or discomfort.
He almost never has juice - like maybe a sip of dad's OJ now & then, but never his own glass or anything. He loves yogurt, at least several times a week. He eats steamed veggies several times a week, no problem. Loves his apples & bananas as well. He eats whole wheat bread.
Can I give a toddler something like Benefiber in small doses? I just can't think of what to change in his diet that would firm things up for him! Any suggestions??
Bananas, bananas & more bananas. Also limiting his apple intake. Incredible difference! There are still times it's fairly loose, but more times than not things are a lot firmer. He eats at least 1 banana a day, sometimes more if his dad or I are having one as well - he'll share one of ours. Now he's getting maybe 2 apples a week whereas before he was eating nearly an apple a day. And yes, they are firmer when he's going in underpants, but the potty training has slowed a bit so we're back in diapers for now - still better, though. Thanks for the great suggestions!
bananas, rice, apples are all good for firming up bowel movements. That sounds like a tough issue-I hope you get some great advice!
You know, once he starts pooping in the potty, his bowel movements will seem much less "loose" as they wont be smashed against his bum by his diaper/pull up. Even if you change him immediately after he poops in his diaper, there is still a limited amount of space for all that stuff to go in the diaper itself, so it squashes all up and looses any "shape" it may have had in his body.
Do NOT give him fiber - it will only make his stool MORE loose, and if he already has loose BM's, its important not to make his "output" more than what is going into his body. Like the poster above suggested, things like rice, bananas, and other starchy foods might firm up the poop: however, this might just be how his body makes poop! Many children have serious constipation problems which can cause terrible pooping trauma, bleeding, rectal tears, etc but you don;t have to worry about that in your little guy! As long as anything medical has been ruled out, I would just take it as it comes.
Look at it this way - you won't necessarily have to teach him to push out his poop during potty training, which can sometimes be a hard concept to teach to a toddler. You'll just have to take more time teaching him how to recognize that he needs to poop BEFORE it actually exits his body.
V.,
Have you tried a really good multivitamin for your son? NOT the typical "buy at target full of sugar and lord know waht else kind"...but a really good vitamine like:
https://flirtwithhealth.mychoices.biz/Retail/Products.asp...
check this out because if he is poopin liquid stools daily he is loosing the nutrients he is injesting from his healthy diet!!! Maybe getting the good stuff back into him may help....worth the try especially if it helps!!
Good Luck!!
BTW if that link did not work you can go to www.flirtwithhealth.com go to vitamins/suppliments then to children...I talk their double x and my kids take their multitarts and chewable fruits n veggies (mine dont eat real healthy so this is my way of getting the fruit n veggies into them!!)
Jamie
V.,
If the doctors aren't finding anything wrong perhaps it is his diet.
According to your description of the types of foods he eats they all seem to be "soft" foods. Perhaps giving him more cheeses, crackers, potatoes, etc (ie add a little more starch to his diet) may help stiffen him up a bit.
Good Luck!!
CM
Hi Vicky,
Sounds like he might be allergic to something he is eating. Ever eat something and all of a sudden you have a BM that is kinda soft.. well same for him. Why not try this, take the apple out of diet for one week and if no improvement or no change, next take the banana.. then next the wheat bread.. see IF by taking something away , it makes a difference and then slowly re-introduce the foods.
I think it's the wheat bread and that your chld may have a gluten intolerance. many children can't tolerate the gluten and it will manifest itself in different ways such as in loose stools. It's worth looking into and if the loose stools continue, why not take him to an allergy specialist.
good luck to you!!
:)
Good luck to you
Gosh Vicky,
It sounds like he has a great diet.
I know that adding lactobaccillus can help with the runs. We add it to yogurt. I have a daughter that has constant bowel issues. I think she might be allergic to wheat or dairy. Gluten might be a factor, not sure. look up celiac's.
I found two lovely things recently that we eat/take now. One is Fulvic acid, and the other is chia seed. Do a search on the web, you'll be AMAZED at what these can deliver for your family. I get my chia seed from nutsonline.com and my fulvic locally.
kind regards,
Gail
Hi V.,
I just wanted to let you know, my 5 year old has the same problem and has since he was the same age as your son. He has also been checked for parasites and allergies, everything came back negative. For the most part it hasn't been an issue. He has been potty trained since right around his 3rd birthday and for the most part is able to make it to the bathroom in time, even when it is really loose. The biggest issue we have had is that he frequently has what we in our house call "wet farts". It is usually just a streak, occasionally a little more. I would encourage your child to sit even when peeing since my son has on more than one occasion not felt like he was going to poop and stood up to pee, then accidentally pooped just a little bit on the floor. We tell him to sit down to pee and he does most of the time, but this has been the biggest issue. If you figure out what in his diet is causing this, please let me know. We have tried just about everything. Your son's diet sounds so similar to my son's. We never give him juice, he eats really healthy for a 5 yr old (especially compared to my friends' kids.) We even tried giving him a daily probiotic. Nothing has worked for us. We go back to the doctor again this month. I will bring it up yet again, but since all the allergy tests came back negative, they haven't been very helpful. I think the next step for us is doing an elimination diet, I just find that so hard to do.
I don't know a lot about loose stool, as my daughter has been constipated most of her life. Since my daughters stools have always been really hard and traumatic to pass I can tell you what has made that problem worse for her, which may help firm up your son's poop. Cheese is a big one, bananas, apples, milk. I'm drawing a blank on the foods we never fed her because she was always so backed up. Melons really loosened her up, because of the extra water, as do blue berries and zucchini and squash. You do NOT want to give her a fiber supplement, those are for constipation and will cause diarrhea.
How soft are his stools? Are they runny? My guess is (and this is a guess) that once you start potty training him they will firm up. Because it's a new thing, he will hold them longer and that will cause them to firm up. Do you know if he just has to go (like diarrhea) or if he has control over it? Also, the other post about the poop in the diaper is a good point too. I remember a co-working saying how strange it was to look in the toilet after her daughters first poop. You always see them all smashed up and there it was, just like a grown up poop =O)
Allergies could be an issues as well, although I don't know anything about that. Have you noticed if he butt hole is red after a poop? I had read that that is a sign of an allergic reaction.
Best of luck,
C.
