STUPID QUESTION ALERT!!! how often should a 15 month old poo?

[REIDmylips]

My ds is 15 months old and is having a really hard time with his bowel movements. HE frequently cries when having a poo. Sometimes he can have 4 in a day, then he can go 2 days with out going at all. He was hystercal this weekend. Wouldnt stop crying for almost an hour after doing a tiny poo.

I am confused as to whether he has created a 'cry when poo' habit, he is constipated or it actually hurts when he poos. He doesnt appear to have nappy rash etc. He eats plenty of fruit and veg and I am stuck and dont know what to do.

Any ideas anyone?

anyone?

The diagnosis of constipation comes more with the consistency of the bowel motion rather than its frequency. If anyone passes a hard small dry stool they are classed as constipated. Anything from 3 motions a day, to one only every 3 days is classed as normal (if I remember correctly from my days working on a gastro ward)
Have you had your LO checked for an anal fissure, which is a small split in the skin lining the anus. This can be caused by an episode of constipation, and causes pain when bowels are opened. The treatment is normally medicine to soften the stool so the fissure can heal by itself.

haven't had him checked out because i wasn't entirely sure what the doctor would be able to 'do' iykwim.

Will ask dh to take him to the doc on friday, just to make sure.

Make sure he is getting enough water - if you are dehydrated it can be hard to have a BM (bowel motion). If he is not keen on water, you could give very dilute juice or tea or water down his milk (so as not to fill him up on too much milk and then have him refuse meals). (Although must add here that fruit contains a lot of water, so don't stress too much over this).

Also, the amount your DS poos will bear some correlation to the intake. When my DS is eating well, he could s* for Britain!! Other times he passes one tiny stool at day.

Occasionally mine has cried hysterically when passing a poo - I thought there might be a link between what he had been eating - e.g. apple, which is quite acidic, can make poo sting a bit.

HTH

ds drinks lots of water (iI am probably a bit ott when it comes to making sure he has enough to drink tbh) so i am pretty sure that isn't an issue.
He is also a pretty good eater. He has 3 good sized meals a day with fruit snacks in between. I have been adding allbran to his weetabix/porrige etc that he has for breakfast and he has the ocassional prunes, but they dont seem to make a difference.

Hmmm. Well I know you have to be careful not to give toddlers & very young children too much fibre, as it 'fills up' the gut, at a time when they are growing and need to take on lots of energy. (Some HVs even advise not giving wholemeal bread, so I think allbran might be overdoing it. However, am no expert, someone more qualified than I might be along with better info!).

If your DS has hard, painful poos over a length of time (2 weeks +) then maybe it would be worth taking him to your GP and asking for a check up in that area, but bear in mind that the consistency of their poos can change depending on what they've eaten, how hydrated they are, if they are teething/ill and so on. A poo could be more painful when your little one is teething simply because his wee is more acidic, which then reacts with any faeces in the nappy to cause nappy rash. If this situation has only been going on for a week or two, are you prepared to sit it out and see whether it improves on its own?

our paediatrician said anywhere between 5 times a day and once every four days is normal!

DS had a terrible problem of constipation at the same age - obviously painful and crying. I used to give him two small cups of apricot juice (the nectar you can find in glass jars). Always sorted the problem. Agree be careful of twoo much hard fibre (vs
3.luble fibre)

does his poo seem hard and impacted? If so it is probably painful to pass and go down the apricot or prune juice route. If its soft then maybe a different problem.