Poop Problems!

I have 7 children and when one gets the poops the rest seem to also. It usually is wierd colors and all with things going right through them. My husband and I hardly ever get whatever it is that they are passing around. I would not worry too much unless it becomes a cronic problem. The diaper rash if it does not go away could be a yeast infection. I have a daughter who was prone to them. It needs special medication.

This may not help much, but when my daughter was 18 mos, I took her to the doc for 6 months of diarrhea. I had tried Brat diet and no milk products and everything else. They took her blood and it turned out she wasn't allergic to anything. He said it was called "childhood diarrhea", which means unexplained strange poops, and that it would go away around age 2 1/2. It did go away around 26 months. He said it was fairly common and runs in the family, but my second never had those problems. Good luck!

My 3 year old boy had green poop for almost over a week. My mom is a nurse and I asked her if I should take him in. She said no just give extra water. They are just fighting off a virus.

I agree with others, my son (3yrs) gets really weird poop when he eats certain things... like black poop when he eats oreos, a really strange green poop when he eats asparagus, etc. I wouldn't worry too much unless the diarrea is dehydrating them. Pediatyle has prevented many doctor visits for my 3yr old. For the diaper rash... if none of the other things suggested works, go the pharmacy counter and ask for Resinol. (pronounced rez-in-ol) It's a pink paste for rashes. It's spendy up front, about $6 for what looks like a tiny amount. But not much is needed, and was the only thing that worked for my sons diaper rashes. (A pharmacist suggested it.) Hope that helps!!!

Anytime my 2 yr old son would teeth, he wouldn't want to eat anything but fruit, so that is all the daycare provider would feed him. She is also his grandma, and he would actually poop out chuncks of fruit in a grayish green diarrea. Because of the acid in the fruit and the diarrea he would have the worst rash.

I would make sure to give them plenty of water to make sure they stay hydrated, and just watch it. If they are having other problems like fever or not sleeping, then I would call the doctor again.

My kids had weird poop about a month ago--light green/yellow and soft-serve consistency (TMI?). It lasted about two weeks. I think it was a virus, because there was a little barfing that went along with it the first day. Weird, though--they each threw up only once. Anyway, we stuck to the BRATY diet--Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast, Yogurt. It really helps, slows things down--I could see a difference almost right away. Get some kind of sourdough or light grained toast--don't go for anything whole grain that might have a lot of fiber. And get low sugar yogurt, as too much sugar can make the runs worse. And keep them hydrated! If they won't drink enough, make popsicles out of Pedialyte. It's a good trick. As far as your son's dark poops, has he had blueberries or blackberries? THat always makes my kids poops dark and weird.

P.S. I don't think I've ever written the word "poop" so many times in one paragraph!

My niece recently had something very similar for about 3 weeks straight. Her poop was characterized as slimy and loose. She was going upwards of 5 times per day and got a horrible diaper rash from it. The doctor took a couple of stool samples and tested her for giardia but everything came back negative. She was going to go to a GI specialist but then one day it mysteriously cleared up. No one in the household including her older brother got it. Perhaps it is just a strange virus going around. She did loose a lot of weight, so you may want to go into the doctor just to make sure it isn't something more - they also tested her for gluten allergy, but that also came back negative.

call your doctor. Usually his nurse can answer your question over the phone at no cost to you.

>beige/yellow poop
food allergies give my kids this type of diarrhea
common allergies: dairy/peanuts/oats/soy/tomatoes/strawberries

prolonged exposure to foods your allergic to can lead to eczema. watch for itchy, dry, or reddish skin esp behind the knees, in elbow and ankle joints.

Hi E.,
Trust me, I know all about poop problems. I defintely think for your youngest (16 mo. old) the teething is a huge factor in the poop area. My son, almost 2 now, ALWAYS gets a nasty diaper rash when he be teething with pretty runny/diarrhea type poops. It usually goes away within a week or so. As for your son, I wouldn't worry too much about his dark colored poops as long as it doesn't seem like true diarrhea. I've spoken to our pediatrician about this very thing and she said that kid's poops change all the time....consistentcy, shape, color, etc.

Having some experience in the medical feild, It all depends on a variety of things...have they ever pooped like this before? Do either of them have a fever? Is their stool firm? Or is their stool very loose (diahrrea)? How long has this been going on? Do either of them have abdominal tenderness? For your 16 month old-did you introduce formula or cow milk into the diet? Any nasuea or vomiting in either of them? Are they irritable, extremely fussy and clingy?

Another thought... most bugs that affect the stomach are viruses. Which basically means their is no medicine that your kids could take to make the bug go away-so you would just have to wait it out. If they are both expereiencing diahrrea the most important thing you can do is to make sure they stay hydrated. You can have them drink pedialyte. besides fluids, pedialyte has electrolytes (mostly Sodium and Potassium) that are essential for our health.

One note on your son with the dark balck poop. If you notice he becomes dizzy, or passes out I suggest taking him to your nearest ER. Really dark poop (black and tarry looking) is indicative of an ulcer in the upper GI. By the time the red blood goes through the entire GI tract it gets processed and turns black. If your son has been on NSAIDS such as tylenol, and Ibuprofen for a long long time (like months to a year-everyday-continually) he is at risk for stomach ulcers.

My main advice is if YOU DO NOT FEEL LIKE THEY ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER, I wouldn't take them to the doctor. There is no point in wasting insurance and a co-pay on someone to tell you that your kids are okay, or that there is nothing he can do because it is a stomach virus.

Sorry this was so long! I hope it helps. Good luck with the weird looking poop!

I agree with the others that you're probably okay. My son (4) gets those weird greenish poops every so often. It's got to be related to diet. I like the comment about bluseberries because those are one of my son's favorites. Usually these things are short lived. Gentle Naturals Eczema Cream is also great for irritation rashes, but not true diaper rash.

My two kids recently got over illnesses that involved green diarrhea. Maybe it's going around. My baby's diarrhea lasted 2 weeks. I also was told to give them the BRAT diet.

I'm a daycare provider and I have seen every color there is in stools. Unless you see blood in the stool don't worry to much about it. Diarrea and bowl movemetns are the way the body gets rid of waste and bacteria. Just make sure everyone is washing their hands after going the bathroom.

A.

Teething always caused my kids diarrea even if the Dr did not agree on that one. Both of mine went through that big time. Also are you giving them vitamins or supplements? I know if I up the Vitamin C with my kids it causes runny stools and frequent stools. For the diaper rash try a equal mix of maalox and aqua phor, mix it up, warm slightly in the microwave to get it mix together then cool it off, you can store it in a bottle too. THIS IS AWESOME AND WORKS WONDERS!! The maalox takes the burn out of the poops and the aquaphor protects the skin. Check out everything they are eating, too many berries, too many grapes and so on can cause discoloration and different stools. Try giving them more cheese then normal, make sure they are eating bananas (to gain back the potassium) and eating more solid like foods that have fiber in it, apples and whole grains. I also give my kids to probotics drinkable yogurts if their tummies are messed up. If they have a fever and If it doesn't stop I would call the Dr.

A thought that came to my mind was those friut roll ups. Have they been eating those? I know those friut treats and rollups if you eat very many can really effect the color of poop. I have seen that in my nephews. They used to eat those like crazy and their poop always looked bad when they had those to eat. That was the only thing I could think of.

Hang in there! Drs usually won't help you even if it is a virus until it has been several days of consistant issues. Just keep in mind, that no matter how much they are pooing to keep them well hydrated. Water or milk is the best bet with the runs. A lot of juices seem to cause other issues with their tummies when they are having these type of issues. Also cheese usually help get them to a more normal pooh state. hope this helps, push fluids though. The worst is to let them get dehydrated! Good Luck!!

My 17 months old has always had a kind of diarrea - he pooped about 5 times a day, sometimes more, it was very very soft (not black though), he had terrible diaper rash. I stopped giving him fruit juices (he would drink a lot, I used to dilute it with water), he gets only tea or water. It's helping, now he poops only once a day and it's normal consistency.

E.,

Go online and check out clay. It has been used for medicinal purposes for centries and is truly amazing. I use it internally and externally and I don't travel without it. Go to www.redmondclay.com. It's also good for diaper rash and is a super facial mask for you!
J.

the child with the dark poop may be lacking a vitamin or to you may be getting to much iron.
Good luck

First of all watch for a fever and how they are acting? Old blood can look dark like that. Then, what have they been eating? There are so many things that can give poop a wierd color. Including licorice. As far a diet, I was told to start my kids on the BRAT diet. It's stands for bananas, rice, apples, toast. Fruit juice can give them runny stools also. But always check other symptoms first, like the fever, lack of energy, etc. Good luck!

E.,
My kids always had yukky poop when they were on antibiotics. It smelled worse than usual and usually diarrea. I was changing diapers a whole lot more. If they are not sick, is there anything different in their diet. It has to do with something they ate or drank

strange mushy, loose poops and diaper rash are typically from a reaction to food. The reaction can be an allergy or a sesitivity. You may want to consider keeping a food diary for a week if it continues. If it continues know that your traditional allergist does not test for sensativities. And don't let your doctor prescribe any cortisone creams for diaper rashes. They are totally unneccessary and do not get to the root of the problem.

A child's poop is definitely something to keep an eye on as it can be an indicator of what's going on in his or her little body. Not sure what is going on with your son, but I know my daughter had a random bout of loose stools about a year ago... turned out she had a slight ear infection. The drainage from the infection had been trickling down into her tummy and was causing the poop problem. A few drops of Kyolic aged garlic extract in her hurting ear for a couple of days and she was right back to normal. Garlic is an amazing natural antibiotic -- if you don't know exactly what is wrong just give you son a small dosage by mouth three times a day for a few days and see if his poop doesn't start returning to normal. He could also benefit from a probiotic supplement -- Jarrow makes a great powder for babies and small kids that stirs into liquid unnoticed and there are other chewable versions that taste yummy for older kids. Somtimes eating yogurt isn't enough. Good luck!