Not Diarrhea but Soft Stool

My daughter had what was called "toddler's diarrhea". It would sometimes just be mushy and then changed later to diarrhea. It started when she was about 2 yrs old and lasted until she was around 4! It was tough during the pottytraining time! I cut out milk and used a soy product for a while - she did outgrow it like the doctor said she would - Thank God!

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my friend is a dietition (sp?). she explained that your stools should be soft like soft serve icecream (sorry for that visual). it should not be hard, pebbels, round, long and hard, but it should be soft and actually bendable in the toilet. if it is watery then that isnt good either. it acutally sounds like she is having healthy stools. i cannot remember how many times a day she should be going. call the pedi nurse if it makes you feel better.

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How old is she?
I wouldn't worry about it. She is not going often like diarrhea. So you don't have to worry about dehydration. Be thankful it's soft and not too hard. This is a good thing. It could be something she has begun to eat or drink that's different. It could be the stomach bug that is going around and your daughter is only mildly affected. But, unless it's extreme either way, I wouldn't worry about it.

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My daughter (23 mos) had the same thing for about a week so I called the nurse line with her Pediatrician's office and they said as long as there was no fever to just cut out all dairy for 24 hrs and feed her a high carb diet until her stool was normal. It took another week to be back to normal.
I do want to mention that my daughter never had any red around her anus like sometimes happens with diarrhea. They may have suggested something different if she did.
Good luck!

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Hi C.,

It could be a lil stomach virus. Most of the time, these are not serious but when the odor is extremely foul, you may want to take her to her Pediatrician.

I don't know your daughters age but try giving her a spoon of Pedialyte every 15 mins. I say by the spoon according to her age. If you give it to her in a bottle, don't give her too much because the taste is not so pleasant and you want her to keep taking it. You don't want her to fight against it. Also, try using a medicine dropper, that can help in small doses.

This has always helped for my children.

Thanks

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That is totally normal. My kids have had lots of those. It's actually preferred to a hard formed one, and you'll notice the more fruit and vegetable they eat the softer they are, which is how they are supposed to be. Most of america is so constipated it all comes out hard.

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As others have said, in the absence of other symptoms, then it certainly doesn't warrant a trip to the doctor. Since it isn't even diarrhea, it is likely a normal reaction to something she ate or drank...ir simply her digestive system maturing (if she is very young).

Unexplained diarrhea is always cause to be worried in a young baby (<6 months), but less of a worry in an older child that is eating or drinking well and acting normally.

If you feel as though it needs correction, avoid juices and P fruits (prunes, peaches, pears) for a few days and add some things from the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) to her diet.

If she had chocolate at Halloween, that could cause a laxative effect.

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If there are no other signs of illness, has she had much fruit, sugar or juice since it started? If so, cut all of that out for a few days. Also, feed her bananas, rice, cheese, bread (things that slow down the digestive process).

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If she is not running a fever, eating well and playing pretty normal, there is nothing the doc can do. And you risk is picking up something really nasty from the office.

Maybe she is eating a lot of fiber right now? Maybe more active than usual?
Digestive changes occur often in kids. If no cramping, pain, or fever, all is probably OK.

p>s> loose stools, from what I've read are much better to have than hard stools, for many reasons.

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I have three sons and they have experienced this at some time or other. My oldest is 15 now and still has this happens sometimes, usually when he is feeling under a lot of stress. I have mentioned this to the pediatrician at a regular check up and was told either to not worry about it or to call the office if it lasts more than N days.

Before taking her to the doctor (don't want to expose her to people there at the clinic who might bring in a flu virus!), give your doctor's office a call. With my pediatrician I can talk to his nurse and ask if this is a symptom she would warrant bringing your daughter in. Sometimes the nurse would give me a call back after posing the question directly to the pediatrician. Doing that has saved me quite a few co-pays!

As long as your daughter is drinking, peeing, and acting healthy, there probably is not a reason to pop those anti-diarrhea medicines. You don't mention if your daughter is a baby, toddler, or older than 5 yrs old. Often you will find that the anti-diarrhea medication doesn't list a dose for children under the age of 12 or age of 6.

Keep up the fluids and good luck!
D.

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Like Kathryn stated, this is actually normal! It should take no more time and effort to have a bowel movement then it does to urinate. The stool should be soft, but formed. When you have to push hard (strain) and the stool is hard, or formed of little balls, this is actually constipation! Also, a bowel movement should occur after every meal, just like little babies have. It's only after we start introducing processed foods (and fast foods) that our systems start to back up. You will probably notice that she has more energy then normal, now, too! We eat a mostly organic diet, and we all have 2-3 soft stools a day. I only worry if the stool is watery, and in pieces, or hard, and in pieces.

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