13-Month-old with 4-5 Dirty Diapers Daily?

Hi K. - If your intuition is telling you something is wrong, why not listen to it? A visit to the doc might give you peace of mind or some needed bit of information.

If you go, they will probably ask you things like if she's had a fever or if she has been ill. They should note the color, consistency, timing of her stools as well as any new foods, etc. They will check her height and weight to make sure she is on her normal growth curve. You could also keep a food diary for your daughter as well a "poop diary" to see if you notice any trends, ie: worse after dairy or wheat. You might also check her feet or hands for anything unusual ie: ringworm. If the area around her anus is red or if she has diaper rash, you can mention that as well.

If her stools are very loose and liquidy like diarrhea, be sure to supplement with plenty of fluids including pedialyte or 1/2 strength gatorade. Unless your daughters stools are frothy, green, or white, she probably is not experiencing an absorbtion problem that could affect her growth.

Best of luck to you and your family!

If your system is working correctly you will poop everytime you eat a meal. Most people don't, but this is the way nature intended. You're daughter is very healthy and is doing great. I wouldn't worry a bit :-)

I would take her to the doctor. My daughter had a similar occurance lasst month (she's 20 months). As it turns out we had to take a stool sample down to the hopspital and found out she had a rare intestinal infection caused by being on antibiotics too much (another story entirely). The short end is that we avoided a trip to the hospital, and one thing I am supposed to watch for is frequent bowl movements...now, I'm not saying that your daughters condition is that serious, but if you're at all uncomfortable with what's going on, take her in. You know her best of all, you're the mom, and what you do is important. Besides, what do you have to loose from taking her in, a co-pay? If you think you should take her in, trust that God-given motherly instinct and go right ahead!

My sister read thsi book about how people poop all around the world. In tribes that eat all plants and animals in the back country, they poop after every meal. In our country, we all eat so much cooked and processed food that we take longer to get it through our system. Unless it smells lie there is a problem or infections, it should be okay from what I have heard. Good luck!

You have a perfectly healthy baby. That's how it should be one meal in one meal out. She is blessed to have such good boewls. Both of my kiddos are the same way.

It probably is a growth spurt. At this age allowing them healthy choices whenever they are hungry teaches them to listen to their bodies and eat for hunger not boredom or emotion - those are habits that develop later - like 3. If her appetite never fluctuates you may want to see a doctor.

I could always tell when they were going through a growth spurt, they ate more and slept better. My oldest would start getting a bit rounder in the face and belly, then one day he'd wake up and be taller and slimmer. (Its actually true that kids do grow over night).

I would question that 6-12 hours is fast, you may want to talk to a nutritionist about that.

It is actually not healthy for anyone to have only one bowel movement per day. We all should be having at least 3, it means she has a good metabolism.

what is she eating? Bananas and apple juice both make my daughter poop like crazy.

In my non-expert opinion --- your daughter is fine. Every child is different. Some children have a bowel movement only once a day regularly --- some it's several times a day --- and some it's not even every day. As far as whether she is eating healthy --- 3 meals and 3 snacks is good. Balanced diet with fruits, vegies, grains, dairy, and protein. Try to have fresh food instead of processed food. Make sure she gets H2O also. Make sure she's getting exercise. Sounds like things are going well and you have nothing to worry about.

It doesn’t hurt to make a quick phone call to the doctor but I can tell you what mine has told me as well as the Ped for my son. My husband laughed at me that I “go” so much so I asked my doctor at my last physical and to my surprise I am the “normal” one! In the US our diets are so messed up that it has become normal to have only one bowel movement in a day and there is no reason to worry if you go days without one. But the truth is that if you eat a proper balanced diet with health sources of fiber and such you should typically go after each meal! It proves the colon is working as it should! So I would not worry, if anything congrats on feeding her healthy meals!

I'd mention it to the doctor, to rule anything out, but this, too, can be normal.

I had a daughter who's only poop style was diarrhea, and it was also several times per day, up through age three when she embraced the potty. For her, this was normal. And she's extremely healthy.

So good luck, and enjoy that little girl! When she's a little older and obsessed with princesses, take her to Dave's Bridal and watch the ladies try on wedding dresses. It only takes five minutes or so, and she'll love it.

Some kids are just big poopers. My son sometimes poops that many times a day--seems to go in phases...he went ALL THE TIME when he was younger--like every diaper. He seems to have slowed down some. I wouldn't worry about it, unless it is diahrea, or if she is not growing properly.

when I had my dd I freaked the other way round, she stopped pooping--only once a week. I'm the 3 of 13 kids so I grew up around babies and they pooped every time they had a dirty diaper (not quite but...still) lots of pooping. 4-5 a day seems normal. All kids are different. I agree with other posters here that if they aren't super runny like diareah (SP?) your baby is fine. Always if you have quesitions yeah, ask a doctor, it is always better to be safe than sorry. From my non medical experience though I would guess your baby is just fine. Oh, and my dd...she was fine too...appearantly that can be a normal poop schedule as well.

I would think that as long as the stools aren't loose or smell like there is a problem, she should be fine. You might call the doctor and see what they think, but she sounds fine. With having a lot of intake, it does have to go somewhere, so it's not too surprising with her having upped her food. Is she happy? If so, don't worry too much. I think the probiotics are great, as would be yogurt. GL Enjoy your sweetie!