What's normal for 2-3yo poo? Not sure to try PTing DS with poss toddler diarrhoea,

[LongTailedTit]

DS will be three in a couple of months and is in nappies full time. Most of his friends are in varying stages of potty training, several completely out of day nappies, but their mums are distinctly un-keen to discuss their poo consistency so I'm a bit unsure as to what's normal at his age!

Our doc reckons he has 'toddler diarrhoea' as he never seem to know when poos are coming and they are generally liquid (ranging from peanut butter at best to acid-water-with-bits at worst). He doesn't even do a 'poo face' anymore, or pause, so I genuinely do think they just arrive unannounced. Also they don't come at regular times, and will sometimes burn his skin if left on for more than a minute.
Has had tests and no allergies or bugs, so apparently we just have to wait for him to outgrow it.

He's an all-or-nothing kind of boy, eg just started walking one day (didn't want help), and likes big changes not increments, so I was thinking it'd be best to wait until he chooses to stop nappies, then go cold-turkey.
We tried potty training last summer just after he turned 2, but the poos obv meant this didn't work.

He's happy to do pees on the potty or toilet if asked, and will often ask to do a 'toilet wee' before bed.
However he's become a poo denier, and will always say no if I ask him if he's pooed in his nappy.

Should I try to potty train him anyway once he's 3/over the summer, or should we just wait til he starts producing firm poos? I feel we should wait, but wonder if DS is somehow taking me for a ride poo-wise and I just can't see it. How can I make him learn when a poo's coming??

Also, DC2 is due soon and I'm wondering if it's insanity to try potty training him while I'm BFing a newborn over the summer, or if we should just wait until DS1 is totally ready and gives up nappies himself. Does that even happen?

[OddFrog]

He sounds just like my DS. I could've written your post. I suggest you just wait it out. Unless there is a particular need for him to be nappy free? My DS self weaned, walked almost overnight, he took his nappy off one summer day and went to the toilet. I realise we've been lucky, but he was 3.5 at the time and I was beginning to worry about potty training. I couldn't have let him go nappy free as the poos were as you describe. The smallest accident would have made an unholy mess!

DS had toddler diarrhoea too and he has grown out of it, one 4.5 and has 'normal' solid poos. Have you looked at his diet? We found that any kind of citrus caused the acid poo and subsequent nappy rash. Anything with high sugar, fruit sugars and also anything 'sugar-free' containing aspartame caused awful nappys.

Against my better judgement, full fat everything, white bread, fat and carbs with every meal worked well. Little cubes of cheese for snacks. We went down that road when his bottom was raw and he firmed up for a few days. Our GP recommended it. Hope you get over this hurdle, it will most likely improve as his digestion matures and water is re absorbed in the gut. (Sorry for the essay!)

[OddFrog]

*one = he's now

Also, my DS could not tell when he needed to go. There was no warning and little sensation until his skin felt stingy.

[LongTailedTit]

Thank you for replying OddFrog! Sounds like our DSs could be twins!
He goes to preschool a couple of mornings a week and they'd like him potty trained or at least in pull-ups, but now that I've mentioned the toddler diarrhoea they're fine with him staying in nappies a bit longer than usual.

I've completely cut out clear apple juice, that def sets him off, but cloudy seems ok in small v dilute quantities.
Other 'banned' foods for DS are blueberries, orange juice, and any more than a few occasional segments of citrus.
Rarely has stuff with artificial sweeteners, but I haven't tried limiting natural/refined sugars - will try and see.

My DS lives mainly on air, tiny appetite, so I was loathe to do an exclusion diet to really narrow the culprits down. He eats v similarly to your DS now.

We're lucky that his skin is amazing and heals before the next nappy change in most cases, but sometimes he does stealth poos so I don't find out for ages and by then he's burnt. :(

He did about three firm poos in 2012, one of course on the day that we had his hospital appt/blood tests investigating the diarrhoea!

[LongTailedTit]

Doh! meant 2013.

[LongTailedTit]

Also meant to add, he eats a fair amount of 'binding' foods like eggs and bananas, I dread to think how acidy he'd be if he didn't like them.

[itiswhatitiswhatitis]

Ds2 had toddler diarrhoea and we managed to potty train him successfully at 3. I think he was dry by 2 weeks but poo's took about a month.

Not that it's relevant but I'll never forget how much we laughed the first time he did a stand up wee and whilst peeing he farted and followed through on the floor! Anyway my advice would be to buy a lot of really cheap pants as a lot of the time we had to cut ds out of pants that he had poo'd in as it was so runny.

[OddFrog]

Ah, the stealth poos. Not nice. If it's any consolation, my DS eats everything these days and his skin is fine. I think it's really just a waiting game. Glad nursery are understanding, we needed a GP letter to confirm he wasn't contagious as our nursery policy was not to bring them until 48 hours after any diahorrea.... He'd never have been in!

[4oclockwakeup]

my ds is EXACTLY the same. His poos are usually on the less solid side and he is a fruit lover which doesn't help. He is 2yrs 8 m and is really keen to wear his pants. He will wee on the potty if he is taken there but is in complete poo denial. he won't go on the potty for them and sneaks off to do them in his nappy and gets a bit upset and there is quite often some overspill. I am just inviting him to use the potty throughout the day for wees which he seems happy with. he is wearing pull ups so he can pull them down but if he was wearing pants its just too messy to deal with when out and about. I figure at some point soon he will be happy to poo on the potty or loo...