Should I class loose/mushy poo as diarrhoea and keep DS home from preschool?

[daisydreamies]

hi! My DS (3, 4 next month) gets mushy poo fairly often. Is this the same as diarrhoea? I've been keeping him home every time he gets it (which is once every few weeks). He's not unwell when it happens, and it's a one (or two) time thing and his poos go back to normal. It does seem silly to keep him home for 2 days each time when it's probably not a bug (I've never caught it from him) and if it's just a him thing.

My daughter has allergies that cause digestive symptoms and had toddler diarrhea due to this we have only had to keep her off if she has loose poos and an increase in frequency or loose poos and others in her room have been off for the same thing. She also gets loose mucusy poos when she has a cold

If it is happening semi regularly it might be worth keeping a food/symptoms diary to see if there are any common causes and maybe having a read into toddler diarrhea.

I wouldn't, toddlers digestive systems are still maturing and they can be funny eaters- mine would devour 5 chicken legs for dinner one day and only carrots the next.

Maybe look at getting him some prebiotics though if it's happening that often or having a good look at his diet.

It's your choice if you think he needs the days at home and you enjoy them. Preschool isn't mandatory.

If he doesn’t have any other symptoms, it’s likely to be something dietary. There are certain foods that do this to me, but I’m definitely not ill. I think I would only keep him off if it was recurring during the day as, from a practical point of view, it might not be something he could deal with himself at preschool. But if it’s just a change in his poo during the time he normally has a bowel movement, and therefore just a once a day thing, I would send him in.

Diarrhoea is liquid so no I wouldn’t keep them home.

Just because your immune system is better developed and you aren’t catching bugs, doesn’t mean your son doesn't have one.

Have you googled toddler diarrhoea? It’s a normal condition for many toddlers. I’d recommend speaking to his GP because then he can have documentation confirming he isn’t to be excluded.