OK moms - my kiddo is recently three and I think *finally* ready to start potty-training. Here's the kicker (or one of them, anyway) - he's always had loose stools. He drinks milk and water (no juice at all). He does eat some whole fruit - usually one small apple a day - and as many bananas as he wants, often 2/day. We load up on cheeses and he eats whole grain crackers, whole wheat bread, yogurt, whole wheat pasta, the usuals. No junk food. No "white" carbs. Very little sugar (equivalent of 3 cookies per week). He used to love vegetables, but lately if he eats a few bites of salad or a few carrot sticks daily we feel lucky.
Our pediatrician has tested samples of poop to make sure there isn't an underlying cause (none found). We've been told that some kids do actually "firm up" when they train because they hold it longer. Good to know, but it doesn't help us during this messy process. Last night I caught him assuming the position and I pounced - rushed him into the bathroom where we had success -- our first poop on the potty! hooray! -- and when he was done I stood him up to show him his success, and the poop had dissolved in the toilet bowl.
He has mild hypotonia (low muscle tone) that may or may not be playing into this dilemma. Anyone been here? Suggestions?
Thanks! ~ D.
Just one more potential allergy/food sensitivity to add here - dairy. I cut out drinking milk entirely and both of my kids now have much firmer stools. They still have cheese and some other diary products, but just cutting out glasses of milk reduced their intake by about 50% and it helped tremendously.
My daughter would go from constipation to diarreah and never seemed to have normal BMs. After an 8 day bout of diarreah, I had her tested for food allergies, and we discovered that she is allergic to wheat. You may want to have some testing done to make sure that it's not an allergy. I believe that celiac's disease (gluten/wheat allergy) can prevent the body from absorbing nutrients and I would think that it could also contribute to building muscle tone.
I would rule that out if I were you...
Best of Luck to you!
try digestive enzymes.
Unfortunately, I think you're doing just about everything you can. Other than an apple is extremely high in fiber and maybe needs more iron.
The BRAT diet usually firms things up pretty quickly, but instead of apples, try applesauce maybe? It's the skin that has the massive amounts of fiber.
Bananas
Rice
Applesauce
Toast
i don't necessarily have advice, but i can tell you that it will all work out. my son sounds exactly the same in terms of diet and stool firmness, or lack there of, and he has managed to become potty trained. i was worried for a while b/c his poops were often a "surprise" sort of diarrhea style. however he has managed just fine. yesterday he had his first poop accident in a couple months, but i think that is normal when training. it will be pretty messy and gross for awhile, but our 2 1/2 yr. old trained in about 2 mo. good luck.
I second the thought that it could be a potential food allergy or sensitivity. My son was the same way and we found out he has gluten/dairy sensitivities. You could try removing dairy for 1 week and see if anything changes. Good luck.
christine h's response made me realize that my celiac daughter's poops are no longer like mud since we've cut out the gluten. so obviously i would suggest cutting out wheat AND gluten and see if that helps. it probably sounds like a monumental task but there are good substitutes you can use:
http://udisglutenfree.com/products/4//udis_gluten_free_bread
tinkyada brown rice pasta
crackerbarrel crackers
most grocery stores are starting to carry gluten-free products but you'll find more variety at health food stores like whole foods.
good luck!
p.s. dairy could also be a culprit.
Pumpkin and winter squash can help soften or firm poop. Give that a try. I make it as a soup with butternut squash, apples, sweet potato, carrots, red pepper, onion, garlic, and some spices and both my kids gobble it (ages 3 and 1). They aren't picky eaters, but it's moderately sweet (with the apples and sweet potato, there's no sugar in it) and can be used as a pasta sauce if your son would prefer it that way.
Does he like tomato juice or tomato soup? You can also grind up All Bran or Fiber One cereal to a powder and add it to a lot of things (there's not much taste) including his occasional cookie or brownie.
I have this same issue with my boy, he is 2 1/2 but I think it is because he eats alot of fruit and veggies and whole grains so he gets plenty of fiber. What I don't understand is why it's a big deal? It makes toilet training easier IMO because you don't have to worry about him getting bored on the potty taking 5 min to poop. Other than clean up which is kinda gross when you use a little potty I don't see any real issue. So go for it! Potty train him the way he is and consider it a blessing that he won't have any trouble pooping.
