Diarrhea Only at Daycare??

It's possible that he is stressed about going. I get diarrhea when I get stressed about a certain situation or I am going to a new place. I am not suggesting that something is going on, it just may be because he is away from family. It's a tough situation. Good luck.

Hmmm..that seems kind of weird. Maybe it is a nervous tummy. Or too much juice. Talk to the daycare staff right away about this situation. Maybe they can try water for a few weeks--tell them not to give him juice and see if that's it. If it's not..maybe it's just his nerves.

Hi L. - I believe it is one of two things:

1. Stress associated with day care - and that is perfectly normal and may even be his reflection of your stress. Start associating day care with all good things....be all excited that he going to see his friends and the caregivers - make sure they make a fuss over him when he gets there; if its an emotional response he could get over it that way. Also, the excitement of being with the other kids, even if he loves it, can get his little system going. I bet it will calm down eventually. Another thing to do to help him like daycare is not to "grab and run" at the end of the day - take some time to explore the toys, friends and other things with him shows that day care is not a place to be running away from - its a great experience and something to look forward to!
2. Something he takes only to day care with him or something day care is feeding him; I am thinking water - does day care fill his water bottle or add water to something he is fed? Their water may be different from what he is used to. They may also wash his pacifier or bottle with some soap he is reacting to.

At his age, he should not be experiencing stress from going to day care - he does not really get separation anxiety till about 18 months or so, so he may be feeling your stress and that is what he is reacting to. Even if it kills you (believe me, I remember), keep smiling and keep him distracted when you head out the door - make a game out of waving bye bye and have a little routine for bye bye that makes him giggle. Remember that you placed him there because you believe it is safe and happy - and if you don't start looking for somewhere else!!

Finally, let me tell you what you are in for.....I thought those day care separation days were over till my daughter started COLLEGE this past Fall - and its brutal because by then the kids are SO ANXIOUS to get rid of the parents (they literally stand there and say "WHEN are you LEAVING??" - sniff, sniff) and the parents are SO SCARED....it's pretty funny! But, give it two or three weeks, and the kids are really happy to head home for a weekend or the holidays - they find out they miss you!! After a year (almost) my daughter has also traveled TO SPAIN (wait till you feel nervous for an entire 10 DAYS - that's how we get gray hairs!) and shown me that I did a pretty darn good job raising her.....and it feels good!!

Final advice.....all things pass....but they seem so difficult while you are going through them (this from the woman whose child BIT for a whole year - the other day care families thought something HAD to be going on at our house - and there wasn't!!!) just when you think you are through something there will be another challenge...trust your instincts....you DO know best....and, save for college, the time just goes by toooooo quickly to get it together later....even a tiny bit now will help A LOT later!

Hi L. -

Is it really diarrhea or perhaps the daycare teachers are not changing your son as often as they should....and they are calling diarrhea. He may be sitting a lot - hence the greater chance for things to leak out the sides. Also - it may sound silly - are they putting his diaper on snug enough? I only say this because I needed to give my in laws a tutorial on how to put on a diaper. It always seemed my kids would have accidents when they were with the grandparents - none (or very few) after our diaper tutorial :)

There are a few things that come to mind L..

First, do they give him juice all day long? That would do it.
Is it diarrhea, or one very messy diaper? Diarrhea is very loose watery stools multiple times.
Are you supplying the diapers, or do they? If they supply the diapers, they might be too small causing blow outs.
How often do they change him? Does he have diaper rash by the end of day care days? My kids center changes every 2 hours.

I would ask them more questions about as you said what are they feeding him, how much does he drink, esp juice...

Is he otherwide happy when you pick him up? If there are other signs that he is unhappy, maybe stress would be a concern and you could revisit his care situation. I would have to think if he is otherwise happy and healthy when you pick him up then it is a fluke. Can't hurt to dig deeper into his day there though. good Luck.

Hi L.. My first thought was what other mothers have mentioned, that it could be that he's drinking more juice or maybe eating more fruit at day care and that's causing loose stools. I had asked our pediatrician about it because my son was having loose stools--almost diarrhea--regularly. The ped said the sugar from fruit and juice will cause it and when I started limiting my son to only four ounces of juice a day his poops went back to normal. But when my husband watches my son for a day while I'm away I notice the soft poop comes back, so I know he let him drink juice all day! I hope you find a solution to your problem!

L.:

Do you mix your son's formula at home with purified water? If he is used to purified/distilled water, and he is getting tap water mixed with juice or formula, his digestive system might just be going through a lot more than it should. Good luck.

I would just double check what they are giving him to eat or drink. My kids got the worst diarreah from too much juice and fruit snacks.

Also, it could be just nerves from being dropped off.

And not that you want to think this, but are they getting to the diaper before it leaks - what I mean to ask is this: is it diarreah that came out or just normal 7 month old poop that leaked out of the sides of the diaper because he sat in it for a while?

I would ask the day care what they think diarrhea is first. Maybe he is having a normal bm and they think it's diarrhea. If thats not the case I would definatley check to see if they are giving something other than what you want him to have, such as certain foods or juices. In my case my kids can't have pears on a regular basis, I give it to them when they are constipated it cleans them right out. I would guess that it is entirely possible for a 7 month old to get nervous, maybe a little seperation anxiety. I would try to rule one thing out at a time, then hopefully you can figure it out. Hope it gets better.
C.

I second all of the comments on breastfed stools and on the water in the formula. If it doesn't have "sick baby smell" and is truly diarreha then it is prob. something he is being fed. Also, this is really a small thing, but our old daycare used to call anything that blew out diarreha. Make sure the teachers are using their finger to pop all of the elastic around his legs out. My son's old daycare teachers didn't know to do that and it caused blow outs.
H.

Is he breastfed? My daughter's first daycare was not familiar with the differnce between breastfed babies' BMs and formula fed babies'
Breast-fed babies' BMs are always looser. I regularly got the diarhea comment - which was frustrating b/c it would keep her out of daycare for 24 hours. It took a lot of education by me and the pediatrician to teach them the difference.
good luck-

The only thing I can think of- is they are giving him juice possibly?? Or, they are waiting a while before they change him and it's coming out the diaper.

Very strange, though......

My daughter always had this problem when she stayed at her grandparents. We finally figured it was the water--they have a strong softener on their water. We went to bottled when she was visiting, and no problems since....

I would say it is the stress of being away from his comfort, you. You could ask your ped doctor. Just reassure him the best you can and tell him how much you love him. Always smile and leave happy. Good luck, hope it gets better.

First thing I would think of is are they giving him anything else to drink other than what you say. Sometimes at my sons daycare they will give him whatever juice they have that day. And its usually not what we get, I'm real particular about only getting juices with no added sugar and its always watered down. There are times when i pick him up that he has something different in his cup because he drank a lot that day. at first he was getting diarrhea b/c his body wasn't used to straight sugary juice. The other option is that he is eating something else. I would ask them in a way that you sound concerned and not accusing them of not following your routine, given you are comfortable with the daycare. Just say, I've noticed that he is only having problems the days he is here and I'm concerned he may have an allergy that i want to note. Could you just write down or make note of the things he is eating and drinking while he is here. If you feel that they may be likely not to say that they are giving him something different then say that you took him to the doctor and he/she said that it is necessary to log his intakes to catch a possible allergy. My son had a mild allergy to cranberry juice about that same age and it was really hard to narrow down, finally we realized that any time he had any sort of cranberry or mixed cranberry he got diarrhea. We stop it cold turkey for about 6-8 month and tried it again and now he is fine. Sometimes those mild allergies can be controlled with the cold turkey approach. Good luck, and I'm sure its an easy solution, I wouldn't think it would be nerves at his age. You would see other signs like really upset about going and maybe appetite loss and stuff if he really didn't like it there. Jennifer

Hi L.,
That is too bad about your little boy. I worked in daycare for about 17 years until 1 year ago. I would suggest a few things. If you don't already I would not let the daycare feed him any food other than the food you pack or use the water (if the bottles are not already mixed up). You never know if when the staff is snacking if they are sharing with the children. Also, may I suggest maybe having them keep a food and drink log of what your baby is eating if the center provides the meals and drink. I have never heard of a baby being so nervous that they get diarrhea but maybe there is a first for everything. I know from experience that all children react differently to daycare and especially the ones who are parttime take a lot longer to adjust. Your son is still little and if he started when he was younger he should be adjusted. I would even have grandma keep a long too. It could be something that she gives that comes out the next day. I am unsure of the schedule but the that might be a possibility.
Good Luck
J.

He could have a nervous tummy with all the extra stimulation. Or- could they be giving juice?

It could be a number of things that have been already mentioned. My one niece can't have more then one glass of applejuice for this that reason. Does he seem like he is happy to go there and when you pick him up. Stress could be doing it. Does the daycare offer "treats" seperate from what you pack? Depending on staffing and diligence it could be the lack of regular diaper changing too. Do you know of any other parents having the same problems with this? If so, it could be the cleaning products being used on the toys. I know not everyone uses the same products.

I'd ask about the above things. If it's just your little one having this issue I'd dig deeper & see what his pediatrician has to say.