Messy Poop

Updated on February 02, 2009
J.H. asks from Bellingham, MA
18 answers

Warning: this might be gross. My daughter is 15 months and has had very messy, diarrhea-like poop for over a week. It makes her bottom very red, and escapes her diapers regularly. This is not normal for her, and I am wondering if people have suggestions on how to bind her a little? She is eating like a bottomless pit lately, and drinking a lot too. She is not sick and otherwise seems totally fine.

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B.C.

answers from Boston on

Try the Brat Diet (Banana's, Rice, Applesauce, Dry Toast) for a few days and see if that helps. May want to call the doctor if you don't see any improvement.

I had to put my son on the Brat diet numerous times and it worked. His poops after being sick, having a stomach bug, teething, etc. would be loose for a quite some time so we would always do the Brat diet per the doctor and it worked.

Good Luck.

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

Rice, bananas, applesauce. Over and over again. No diary or "p" fruits - prunes, pears, aPricots, etc. It just sometimes take a while to sort out their little systems, for whatever reason it got messed up.

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D.D.

answers from Springfield on

oh the joys of little ones :) By any chance is she teething? I have experienced many kiddos that have continuous diahrrea while teething due to the excess salivia that they are swallowing. Have you tried giving her foods that are more binding, such as cheese? No new foods, milk, etc that might be the culprit? If she is seeming fine otherwise, I think the biggest concern a physician may have is ensuring that she is not getting dehydrated. I think a call to her pedi would be a good idea just to be on the safe side, but likely it is nothing more serious than a stomach bug.

As far as containing the mess...perhaps try putting some pullups or rubber undies over her diaper for the time being. You can also go to a surgical supply store and pick up the disposable mats (chucks they often call them) to place under her while sleeping if she is soiling the bed linens.

For your sake and hers, I hope she starts feeling better soon!

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L.P.

answers from Boston on

You've gotten some great advice, so I won't repeat any of that here. I will just say that, in addition to milk and juice, we discovered the hard way that gluten is a very common problem for kids that all-too-often is overlooked.

My son appeared to be health and thriving at that age, too. He was big for his age and energetic and rarely sick. But somewhere between 15 and 20 months as he ate more and more solids, his stools changed. At first I thought it was a stomach bug, but as the diarrhea persisted I began to realize it was something else. It was runny, slimy, full of undigested or partially-digested food, and really smelly. It resembled what a friend of mine had described with her son before they discovered that *he* was gluten intolerant.

Long-story-short, we discovered that not only does my son have Celiac Disease (genetic gluten intolerance)but so does my husband, my other 2 children have the gene although at least one of them hasn't shown signs of developing the disease yet, and my father may also have it. In fact, estimates now are that 20% of people may in fact be Celiac, even though the numbers of diagnosed aren't that high simply because it is hugely under-diagnosed and many doctors don't recognize it when they see it.

So, if the diarrhea doesn't resolve itself within another week or so, I would recommend trying a gluten-free diet for a couple of weeks. Clinical tests for the disease are unreliable in children under 5, so the best way to determine gluten sensitivity is to do a trial of avoidance. In a child that young, you should see a rapid recovery if it's an issue. All my son's symptoms resolved within the first week and he was like a new kid. In fact, issues we didn't think were related also resolved, such as a fussy temperament, sleep disturbances we'd thought were teeth, a slight speech delay, and flatulence. His eating habits also improved.

If you decide to try this but feel overwhelmed or don't know where to start, feel free to email me. It's SO MUCH EAASIER than I thought it would be: and this from someone who now has an entirely gluten-free family!

Best of luck!

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E.M.

answers from Boston on

J.,

She may b teething considering she still has her appetite. My son just got over his 8 day diahrea spell and 3 lb weight loss as a result. He had a stomach buh that's going aroumd. U should take her to the pedi to make sure. Could b her molars r coming in?! I would stick to the brat diet and give her pedialyte and stay away from juices if u can. Also water dilutes their systems of the salts they need to help the dihrea and heal the bowel. Good luck. I hope she feels better soon.

E.

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R.K.

answers from Springfield on

The brat diet until you can get her to your ped. bananas, rice, applesauce and toast stay away from apple juice and other fruit juices they tend to make diarrhea worse. If her bottom is really bad no wipes just use a mild soap like dove and water for those poopy diapers and let her air dry and by diaperless as much as possible. Perhaps she is teething my son got like this everytime he had a tooth coming in.

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K.I.

answers from Lewiston on

Hello there,

i have a question no one has touched on. You say she is drinking alot? What is she drinking? If she is drinking alot of juice, especially apple juice it is very acidic and will cause runny poop that burns her poor little bottom. If this is the case just cut way back on the juice 1 bottle a day that is diluted. Then make sure she is changed imediately and let her go but naked for a little bit to air her poor fanny out.. It will heel up in no time.. Cheese will help to bind her up a bit. The lack of juice will really help..

If the juice is not the case i would just put a call into the doc and see what he/she says. Pedialite is great and the brat diet that others have said is great way to get things back to normal if it isnt the juice..

Best of luck.. Just give her lots of loving..

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M.H.

answers from Springfield on

Bananas.,.
and talk to your Pediatrician!

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S.S.

answers from Boston on

Is she teething? My son's poop always changed when he was teething.

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A.M.

answers from Boston on

Is she teathing? My daughter used to get diarrhea when she was getting new teath.

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R.B.

answers from Boston on

I would have her tested for salmonella poisoning. This happened to my little boy when he was young and we have no idea how he got it. Call your doctor!

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C.L.

answers from Hartford on

We're moms - nothing is gross for us right?!

Anyway, first call the dr - because she's had it for so long.

Go with the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce & toast) that helps everyone.

Get a really good diaper rash cream - like Boudreaux's (sp?) Butt Paste - that should help protect her little bum. Your ped should have samples of it or another really good cream.

C.

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L.L.

answers from Portland on

Diarrhea dehydrates small children and can be dangerous.
Because she has had it for a week I think a call to doctor would not be amiss here, ASAP.
Also, when you change her diaper slather her skin with some sort of protective cream to help deter the rash.
You can get a super cream at a medical supply store, one commonly used in nursing homes on the elderly.
Do make sure she has available more than she wants of liquids. Water is best...the dehydration thing is to be concerned about for sure.
If this is from teething ( well may be as she shows no other signs of illness) Oatmeal is very effective in slowing and stopping diarrhea.
In severe cases I used to make oatmeal starch. Boil the oatmeal down using a quart of water, until you get the pure oatmeal starch. Then mix up a box of jello, with the sugar for nutritional values, and mix it with the starch you have sieved from the oatmeal.
She can take it from a bottle with a large hole cut in the nipple or a sippy cup.

Best wishes
Grandmother Lowell

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J.P.

answers from Portland on

Sounds like she's having really acidic poo poos. Definitely call your pediatrician and ask what they think.

My daughter would get that if she was drinking a lot of fruit juices or eating tomato-based foods. Banana's work great to help with binding her back up...The BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast) is great at helping sore tummies and diarrhea and bind things up.

Another thought: Have you changed her milk lately? Sometimes a change in dairy consumption, or changing from more to less breast milk (with more cow milk instead) can really do a nasty number to young tummies...I'd stay away from dairy for a little bit and see what's going on, if your doctor thinks that may be a problem. Yogurt helped my daughter's milk issues which caused her sore bottom/loose BM's. Good Luck!

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T.C.

answers from Barnstable on

Sounds like an allergic reaction or maybe a new mineral... When we moved for the summer my daughter and husband went thru the same sounding thing, for us it turned out to be the water. Since no one had lived in the house we moved to and the water had sat in the pipes there was a build up of some mineral or metal that made them get the runs.
I dont know what your situation is but I would look for some recent change and allow 4 days without it to see if thats the problem.
Otherwise, Bananas are a binder ar you could try the BRAT diet. Bananas, rice, apple sauce and toast.
Good luck, T.

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G.B.

answers from Boston on

It's a little weird since the same thing works for the reverse problem but she needs fiber. Applesauce, bannana, cheerios, high fiber bread, etc. Most fruits will make it worse but apples and bananna work well. I went through this with my son a few months ago and this is what our doctor told us. Plus constantly push liquids for the dehydration. After a few days of all that fiber it got less diarrhea-like and in about a week it was back to normal. As a result his diaper rash was horrible.
Triple paste was a life saver I just kept applying it as thick as I could until it healed. Good Luck!

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T.B.

answers from Boston on

Hi J.,
I am the mom of 2 teenagers and have worked in a daycare center with infants and preschoolers, so I have seen this before. You need to take your bay to the doctor. It could be an infection or maybe a food allergy. If it is not taken care of soon, her skin will become raw and it will be very painful every time she messes her diaper. In the mean time, try Pedialyte to keep her hydrated, as dairy products will aggravate the problem.

Good luck!

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E.M.

answers from Boston on

You have gotten some great advice, so I won't repeat - other than to say that when my daughter had some tummy issues, after they resolved, I gave her probiotics (they are the good bacteria that you find in yogurt and other fermented dairy products). since I am allergic to dairy, I take my probiotics as a powder (or you can use a capsule and just open it up and pour the powder from the capsule into liquid or over her food) - I mix my powder with a little water - tastes fine to me and my dd!

Lots of good bacteria in the tummy can sometimes help with preventing diarrhea and for restoring balance in the gut.

Since she is actively having dirrhea, I wouldn't give her any dairy, but when this episode is resolved, either try regular doses of yogurt (assuming she isn't allergic to dairy) or give the acidopholus powder.

Good Luck!
E.

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