Toddler's bowels PLEASE HELP!!

[OhToBeASeahorse]

I feel a bit stuck.
My 2 year old poos 3 to 4, sometimes 5, times a day. Sometimes it is properly formed but most of the time it is soft. Not what I would call diarrhoea though. He also suffers from eczema (this started about March time, the nappies have been since birth really).

I've tried to do a food diary though I'm 36 weeks pregnant and shattered- I need to remember but honestly I cant see a pattern.

I'm so exhausted from wrestling him to change his nappy. I'm sick of shit. I had a pediatric consultant when he was tiny but she said he was fine. I went egg, dairy etc free when he was EBF, no difference at all.

I dont know if he will grow out of it or if he does have an intolerance. If he does who should I approach. My childminder has suggested alternative therapies.

I just feel lost by so much conflicting info. GP was a bit useless.

I just need someone to give me a plan

I've had a similar situation with my 2 year old. I changed DS milk to lactofree, which helped.

Has your DS had an allergy test done, to see if gluten/lactose/ egg etc could be the problem? Unfortunately even if the tests come back negative, it doesn't rule out an intolerance to a particular food, rather than an actual allergy.

It is hard but you need to get the GP to refer your DS to a gastroenterologist, 5 poos a day, as a regular thing is not normal, surely?

Thanks!

Well no, I dont think it's normal either but the GP said 'he eats a lot'. He has a good appetite but I dont think it would warrant that?!

He had trouble settling tonight and was really windy.

Thanks - I'll press my GP again.

Hi OP, which foods have you tried isolating from his diet so far?

Nothing yet because the NHS said not to without medical guidance. If I knock out say dairy, what do I replace it with? I dont want to cause nutritional issues...

Could it be toddlers’ diarrhoea?

www.nnuh.nhs.uk/publication/download/dietary-management-of-toddler-diarrhoea-10-1-9/

We think my son had this on and off from 9 months to 3.5. Horrible. I remember once he pooped though 6 outfits before 10am - he was absolutely fine as well, just constantly loose poops. I had to have stool samples done at the GP as nursery obviously didn’t want a child there like that as it could have been a bug - but there was never anything wrong with him. I can’t remember if it was a GP or HV who mentioned the toddlers’ diarrhoea but it seemed to match his symptoms.

I have looked at that before - another reason I've been nervous of randomly cutting stuff out, just in case it isnt an intolerance.

I'm so sick of shit. How am I going to manage 2 of them?

It really is awful isn’t it - I remember actually crying once because the house stunk and DS had no clean clothes left. My hands were so dry from all the hand washing, even drier than now! His nappies were unimaginable. With us it seemed to come and go - I think there were 2 or 3 times nursery (very understandably) asked me to collect him as he’d suddenly have several loose stools with undigested food (sorry if that’s gross to read), so I had to ask for samples done at the doctors, and I showed them that leaflet.

I really hope it eases for you soon, DS had one final bout of it at 3 and then it never came back.

I recently went lactose free milk with my 2. 5 yo daughter. She was fine but the last 4 months waking with tummy ache at night and very windy. She had trouble passing the wind and her tummy looked bloated. It has made such a difference to her she is sleeping every night and a very happy child now... I suggest taking it out for 2 weeks and see if it makes a difference then reintroduce it and see if problems return. This was the advice my gp gave us... She can't digest normal milk but seems fine with nature cheese as less lactose in it

That sounds quote similar tho I'm not sure he is in pain!

It's really getting me down

Could you try a probiotic? When I was talking to my health visitor about the opposite problem with DS (constipation) she mentioned her son takes a probiotic for his eczema. It's possible the two things are related.

DD does have mild allergies to egg and dairy. We are doing the ‘milk ladder’ which is a gradual increase in the proportion and cookedness of dairy in her diet. Whenever I up the dairy a notch she goes right back to doing 4/5 poos in a day and they are urgent and soft. She is older at 3 but she potty trained at just turned 2 and I have to say it is much easier dealing with these sorts of poos in the toilet than in a nappy (though potty training wasn't an easy journey as it took her a while to come to terms with pooing in the toilet).

If I were you, I’d try a fortnight no dairy and see if there’s a noticeable undoubtable improvement. If no charge then reintroduce the dairy and then go through the same process with egg.

Thanks everyone.

If I cut out dairy what should I replace it with?.he has full fat milk in the morning and evening, in his porridge or weetabix for breakfast, often cheese at lunch and usually yoghurt for pudding in the evening...

We use oatly oat milk to replace milk and either soya or coconut yoghurt. It's important that whatever replacement you use is fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

Don't use soya milk as a replacement drink as large quantities aren't great for young children.

Thanks

Sounds very like toddlers’ diarrhoea which my DC had. Like a pp settled around 3.5yrs but an absolute pain at times. We were able to get it confirmed by a paediatric consultant because he went for several months of staying roughly the same weight so GP referred us. DC was in pain in run up to a poo but we only knew that once he could speak better and tell us as he didn't writhe or anything. If it is toddlers’ diarrhoea there isn't much that can be done for it but you can find some suggestions for dietary changes online. I seem to remember avoiding sugar and sugary drinks, but also stuff about which types of bread are best, which fruits etc.

@OhToBeASeahorse I missed your mention of cheese for lunch.

I don't like the dairy replacement (vegan) cheeses as they seem very salty. Instead of trying to mimic cheese I just go for other options:

Sardines, avocado, butterbean pate, baked beans, humus, ham, soup etc.

Oatly creme fraiche is useful to have in the fridge. I use it to make the bean pate, to mix with tuna and little dollops of it actually make a good cheese sub on pizza.

How many weetabix does he have ? Personally at 2 my DS would have 1 weetabix plus some fruit. Toddlers can have too much fibre and assuming toddler diarrhoea is loose stool going around compacted then yes too much dry fibre could be causing constipation. Lots of fluid.

How 2 is he ? You would prob find potty training reduces the number of poos a day. Did for my DS.

Apple juice was the trigger for DS. Some processed food for toddlers can be sweetened with apple juice

He has 2 weetabix, 1 wouldnt nearly fill him up, but weetabix is only recent - normally he has porridge but we've been having building work done and I needed something quicker and easier. I dont think there is an impaction issue because, whilst he poos frequently, they are often big (sorry!). It's not like little amounts that are getting around an impaction.

No processed food really and he doesn't drink juice or squash. He does eat quite a bit of fruit but again I dont think it had made a difference!

I'd cut down from 2 weetabix, and try an instant porridge you can microwave for speed and easy to digest for little tummies. Tesco own brand instant oats is ok/ ready brek.