Digestive Issues

Updated on August 19, 2007
M.S. asks from Trenton, NJ
8 answers

Hello all. My 10 month old seems to be having a hard time with frequent loose stools I breastfeed him 4-5 times a day and he gets rice cereal in the morning with lunch (babyfood I make) , dinner (baby food I make) and a snack in the afternoon ( yogurt and water). In between his feeding he has up to 4 loose bowel movements a day during the day at daycare. His pediatrician says he is fine as do other moms of the children that he interacts with daily at daycare. Has anyone else experienced this with their child? Needless to say his daycare teacher is tired of cleaning him and they believe that I am not doing anything for his issue. He has been tested for allergies and avoid all of the foods that he is allergic to. Help!

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C.K.

answers from New York on

Hi M.!

First, I want to congratulate you for breastfeeding your son for 10 months, that is awesome! I breastfed Dylan for 13 months, he always had frequent, loose stools I just think that comes with Breastfeeding. Once he weaned to whole milk, they became formed.

Does he like bananas and cheese? If you're concerned, I would try to increase some of the more "binding" foods but otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it, I'm sure it will change when he weans. GL!

C.
WAHM to Joe (6), Tyler (4) and Dylan (1)
Experience Arbonne & work from home!
http://party4fun.myarbonne.com

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J.A.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi Maria,

I think your son is fine. I breastfed my children and they all had loose stools. Is it like water or is there some consistency to it? If it's like water I would be concerned, if not don't worry. Here's another question - did he just start eating the homemade baby food and yogurt? My daughter couldn't tolerate the Yo Baby yogurt. That made her have watery stools. I stopped the yogurt and she was fine. She doesn't have any food allergies either. If you give him the Yo Baby brand stop for a little bit and see if that's what it is. If it doesn't seem to bother him and he doesn't have a fever or anything and your doc says he's fine, he's fine.

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D.R.

answers from New York on

hi M., breastfed babies have looser stools, its normal. are they loose/ mustardy? thats how they should be, less so once they are on solids but the breastmilk will still keep things loose. (dairy usually will also, maybe reduce the dairy?) only if theyre really watery i would be concerned. has he always been like this or is it new? if this is how he has always been, which i assume he has, and he doesnt seem to be uncomfortable, very gassy, diaper rash, etc, and the doc says he is fine, then i wouldnt worry, it sounds like you are doing a great job. what kind of food do you make? if you want to firm things up maybe vary the diet a bit, add some oatmeal? more whole grains like brown rice, millet, etc. theres a book, it think its called super baby food, if thats not the title i can find out, i gave it back to my sister but i can ask her if you want. they have lots of recipies using a lot of whole grains, rice, etc, very healthy and easy. i would assume that the staff at the daycare probably dont have a lot of babies that are strictly breastfed, so maybe theyre just not used to it and it seems less normal to them, when in fact it is very normal. it really sounds like you are working hard to do the best for him, keep up the good work, and dont let them make you feel like something is wrong if your instinct and your doctor tell you he is fine. they are probably just concerned for him, and yes, tired of cleaning it up. they are working hard too, if you love them and trust them, just reassure them that he is fine, make sure they have ample supplies, wipes, diapers, changes of clothes, whatever, and thank them sincerely for their concern and extra effort, and maybe get them a little extra something to show your appreciation. take care, D.

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D.K.

answers from New York on

I don't think that there is a problem at all....Breastfed babies have looser stool than formula fed babies, and you are giving him un processed food that you make along with yogurt. Nothing in his diet sounds like it would give him hard stool, so it should be loose. You can try switching from rice cereal to oatmeal and see if that firms it up at all, but I would say it sounds normal. Both of my girls were like that...

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J.L.

answers from New York on

Hi M.!
Don't sweat it... if your doctor isn't concerned, then that's probably your child's norm.

I don't know if this helps, but I breastfeed also, and her stool has ALWAYS been loose. My Dr. says it's because of the breastmilk. Also, when ever I feed her yogurt, I know I'm in for a horrid diaper. (The only thing worse is prunes!) It's also very liquidy & STINKY when I feed her my homemade food. Although she likes it, it doesn't seem to come out the other end in a nice little package. :)

If it were me.. I'd lighten up on the yogurt and add a bunch more cereal for awhile.

Hope that helped,
J.

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S.T.

answers from Philadelphia on

I would think a little loose stool is okay. I am a nurse and also have a 21 month old who from the day she was born has had chronic constipation. We have tried several different meds to correct it. It is hard to find the middle. I would think the loose stools are fine. We consider diarrhhea to be actual "water" with minimal stool. So it sounds like your baby is doing great. www.livegreeneasy.com

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Q.F.

answers from New York on

hi, it seems from what everyone's saying that alot has to do with the breastmilk. a couple months ago my daughter had the same problem (but not from the milk, it was from meat my MIL gave her that she didn't cook enough for her lil tummy). her dr. said to put her on nothing but rice and water. now i tried that for about 1 day...she freaked not being allowed to have her milk (which was still formula at the time). so i spoke to a few ppl i know who are or work with nurses. they said for me to put her on the BRAT or BRATY diet, bananas, rice apples (juice and/or sauce is great), toast, and yogurt (if she could handle it). i put her on that diet, started with the yo baby yogurt, and it kinda helped, but not too well. i started giving her regular yogurt (i prefer axelrod brand) and just about any fruit she likes, just to get her to eat it. i'll be honest, taking the advice of my friends worked MUCH better then what her dr. wanted me to do. i think it was the toast (lightly toasted) and bananas that helped the most (she didn't like the rice that much...i had to give her soup with rice in it to get her to eat the rice lol). good luck, i hope that this helps.

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A.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

My first thought is yogurt. At 10 months, his digestive system just might not be able to handle it yet. Maybe try avoiding yogurt, and anything else dairy, for at least 3 to 4 days and see if the b.m's change. This doesn't mean he is allergic to the dairy, it is just so much harder for their little tummies to digest. I have breastfed all my children as well, and I know the older two had trouble when I tried to introduce yogurt (haven't tried it yet with the 9 month old). Even though breastmilk does cause looser stool, when they begin eating more solids usually kids are prone to constipation rather than diarhea(spelling?). Good luck!

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