Desperately Seeking Solid Bms for Preschooler

Cheese or bananas usually work, but cheese is out for him. Get rid of the pull-ups and put him in REAL big boy pants. It'll be a mess for a while longer but he won't want to get his big boy pants messed up. Tell him they're just like Daddy's

Hi A.,
As a nutitionist, I can tell you that soft bowel movements are very healthy, if it's because of all of the soft fiber he's eating from fruits and vegetables. Hard bowel movements are actually a sign of an unbalanced, low fiber diet. Yes, that means most of us aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables. I know it's a pain to clean it up; I would just focus on getting him potty trained, so that you don't have to do the cleanup anymore.

Have they tested him for metals??? or done a lower GI???

Have you tried a reward system as far as the potty training goes??? There is a book about potty training in a day out on the market, a friend of mine used it and it worked wonders.

Just wondering.

A.,

You've been given some good advice about letting him share in some of the work it takes to deal with this problem. I also wanted to mention a friend of mine who's son had the same problem with loose stools several times a day (he was 4 or 5 years old at the time). It turned out he had chronic gall bladder problems. He had surgery to have his gall bladder removed. I don't want to scare you; it's probably something else given his diet and allergy issues, but just in case.

I would talk to his doctor about adding more fiber and meat (tuna fish, chicken) to his diet and avoid juice. The thing about most fruits and veggies is that they are readily digested and absorbed. Foods like bananas, avocados and sweet potatoes take more time to digest because of the fat and fiber content. My nephew has celiac (gluten intolerance) and lactose intolerance and his mom has learned to make bread, soup, cake, etc. using potato flour, rice flour and egg substitutions. There are a lot of good recipes out there for kids with these types of allergies. Let me know and I can give you her email address if you'd like to contact her. Hope this helps.

I would seriously try to find a good naturalpathic doctor...I've had amazing luck with the one I'm seeing for similar kinds of issues.

I also agree with Bobbie's post about the celiac test possibly being a false negative. The blood test for celiac disease is not always accurate. The only definitive answer would be with a biopsy of the small intestine. If doing the blood test, you should feed him gluten filled foods leading up to the test so that antibodies will have built up in his blood stream and you will get a more accurate test result.

I hope he doesn't have celiac disease. I was 18 months old when I was diagnosed with it at Texas Children's Hospital. I am now 30 years old and hate how difficult it is to manage with it.

Good luck and God Bless!

I can relate to BMs all over your child's legs & back, and what a pain it is to clean up!
May I suggest avoiding PullUps - they do NOT hold BMs, especially messy ones. Keep him in diapers until he either goes on the potty {may be an incentive if he likes the PullUps} or the BMs become more firm. That, or go cold turkey to underpants and have him clean them up as someone else suggested.
I know it may be embarrassing to have a 4 year old in diapers, but believe me it will save you some hassle and maybe even entice him to be a Big Boy and use the toilet.
Good luck!

A., buy a box of SUCCESS brand brown rice and try to introduce that to him. You can add cooked veggies that he likes to it to add a bit of flavor if he doesn't like it plain. It has some good fiber in it, and search the internet to add more foods high in fiber to his diet. I would not use OTC formulas on a 3 1/2 year old. Try to do it with a more balanced food diet. The rice should firm up his BM's. M. K

A little about me: I am the mother of 3 grown sons, 8 grandchildren and have had the opposite bowel problem most of my life. I sincerely hope you seek to find what his problem is, because there are so many other bowel diseases to addressed. Has he been checked for Crohns disease? I am caretaker for an elderly man that has that and he has dirrhea all the time.

When one of my children was balky about potty training, I sat him on the potty at about the time I thought he usually soiled his pants, sat down on the commode and read him a story. He got so absorbed in the story, that his body automatically did it's thing, and then I really gave him a big hooraw, good boy, hug, look, now your legs aren't all dirty, etc etc. It takes some diligence but he will finally learn that it is more comfortable to go potty. Good luck M. K

A.,

I know what I am about to tell you, you might say"oh no way" My husband came home about a month ago, from one of our clients home. He was talking with her asst, about potty training and how I was at my witts end with our daughter. He told me prepare yourself honey for what I am about to tell you but this lady was having the same problem as you are now and I was also. that her little boy very smart and she knew he knew when he had to go but would not tell her either, just as my 2 1/2 year old daughter. that the next day she told him no more diapers no more pull-ups all gone you are a big boy now and you are wearing under wear, and if you have a accident you are going to have to clean your pant out yourself, sure enough he poop in his pants she took him to the bathroom and and had him wash out is under wear, in two days he was potty trained and using the potty for pooping and peeing. So the next day i explained to my daughter no more diapers no more pull-ups you are a big girl now and you wear panties let her pick them out herself so she felt that she was a BIG GIRL. and sure enough the first accident we had I told her she was cleaning it out her self, she told me "no, that was my job" I explained to her no you had the accident so you are going to clean it yourself. with in 2 and half days my daughter was trained. I think it is they see how yucky it is and when they have to do it them self , it takes on a different meaning or they really understand it. I know it sounds gross but, you might want to give it a try. good luck K.

Since he likes fruit, try him on Guava. If you cannot get fresh guava, see if you can get frozen guava juice. Guava leaves are used to help this kind of situation in the Pacific islands.

Does your child have a play group? Perhaps being with other children in the stages of learning new toileting behavior will help.

Great that you are homeschooling. I have thought about that for when my kids are older. Can your some use any fiber products. I will look at the ingredients in the fiber product I offer through my home-based business b/c it is great in that it has good sources of soluable and insoluable fiber + probiotics.

Fiber will help to firm up stools for sure. If you want more info on fiber, I can send you info....email me.

Jaime Nguyen, RN, BSN
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I too have a really bright little boy and when he was 3 1/2 I sat him down on the couch and told him "Honey, mama doesn't have anymore money in the budget for diapers so you have a choice. You either go in the potty like a big boy or you can go in your pants. If you go in your pants then you'll get all wet/dirty and you will have to clean yourself up". Our first accident was 2 weeks after that talk.

When you eat lots of fruits and vegetables you will have looser stools than individuals who don't.

The advice about rice and bananas is right. This is what my ped. recommend for my kids whenever they had loose stool. The other thing she said is that I should limit the juice they drink. They should only drink apple juice when they are constipated and never drink any other kids of juice. Juice is a very concentrated form of the things in fruits and vegetables that create loose stool. After eliminating juice from their diets my son (5 years old) has lost the weight his doctor was concerned about and my daughter (1 year old) hasn't a loose stool since.

When the doctor tested your son for Celiac was your son eating wheat at the time? Had he been eating wheat regularly for the 3 months prior to the test? What kind of test was done? I read a lot about Celiac, and am a member of the Alamo Celiac Group. It sounds like your son is Celiac. You should talk to some of the folks who have Celiac. You can look at the Alamo Celiac website at www.alamoceliac.org. The chairperson in Austin is Ms. Frances K.. You will be surprised how many folks are misdiagnosed.

K.
A little about me: I am a 41 year old wife and mother of one 13-year-old son. I am Celiac, or gluten intolerant...I am not sure which.

This sounds like my son. What we found out was that he couldn't really hold it to get to the bathroom. I saw a Ped. Gastro doctor who put him on Immodium every morning to "slow things down". It worked wonders! Apparently you can take Immodium every day IF you are dealing with a motility problem and not some other problem, so it is important to see a doctor.

I would never, ever limit fruits and veggies for a kid. That is exactly what you want - a kid who eats right. Believe me, it will change as they get older and all they will want is junk food. Enjoy the good eater while it lasts.

There is hope for you. See a Gastro doctor.

J.
www.livetotalwellness.com

I always used bananas to soldify bm's for my kids. whenever they were loose, i gave bananas. whenever they were constipated, i used apple juice/applesauce. all natural and tasty too! he will think he is getting treats. hope this helps

Hi A.
Certain foods high in potasium may work
Bananas, etc.
Rice water- boil the water and drain it give him the water.
thats all that I can think of for know.

A.,
Does he eat bananas? how about rice? both are binding and may help. I would watch the leafy veggies as they will keep the stool to the watery side. How about sugar, does he eat much sugar as that can be a cause of the watery stool as well. Email me if you like and we can continue to talk and see if we can come up with ____@____.com

He reminds me of my son. I did everything I could think of and nothing seemed to work. We even (My husband and I) tried on a Saturday to watch him closely, and put him on the pot whenever is looked like he was going to go, then the phone rang I answered it, the door bell rang, Joe answered it and you guessed it James when in his pants. I laugh now, but it wasn't funnie at the time. He is 42 years old, and believe me he knows when to go to the bathroom. When he was little I thought he would be in diapers in gradeschool, but no he did learn. How.... he just did one day. Have patience with yourself, with all that he is alergic to it may take a while.
M.

Wow! You must have the patience of a god! I too have kids with food allergies and I have read many times that kids can be gluten intolerant and still have nasty reactions to gluten without testing positive for celiacs. With all that you already do, it may not be that big of a leap to remove gluten for a month and see if his stools firm up. My niece is three and half and she seems almost unable to hold her urine in her bladder (we have a family history of Celiacs). My son did not potty train either until he was 6, again it was like he could not physically hold it(but he also has autism). Even though they say Imodium is gentle and safe, it was not intened to take on a daily basis, but I understand that you have to choose what works for your family. If you haven't looked into celiacs disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) you might want to google it and get more information. Lastly, there is a good chance that your son will outgrow his food allergies or at least his bodies reaction will not be so severe. I always tell myself that "this too shall pass" and take it one day at a time. Good luck.

I wonder if you have seen a nutritionists? A vegetarian has to be conscious of getting the essential amino acids in the diet in order to get complete proteins. The combination of foods eaten at the same time determine whether or not this happens. Also some fruits are more likely to cause diarrhea. Bananas and apple juice thicken stools but apples and citrus juice loosen stools. Check the fiber content on all foods you eat and try a week of very low fiber foods. No oats or oatmeal, no high fiber fruits or vegetables. You might try a rice drink with cinnamon if he is not allergic to cinnamon, as well as some probiotic drinks. There are some probiotic drinks that do not contain dairy. He may not have the natural bacteria he needs to form solid stools. Good luck.
L.

Have you tried mashed up bananas? It worked for my kids. It might even worked not mashed up.

Hi A.!!! Well, first off, bless your heart~ I know how difficult/ frustrating it must be to feel there is no light at the end of the tunnel, especially, when the GI doctor seems to have NO answers either. I have some ideas that might help you with your first concern, that being what to feed your growing boy that is safe for his little body, which in turn causes the runny BM's!! I see you have two children, so this is not your first rodeo as mom, but isn't it is crazy how night and day they can be, and you feel like you are a first time mom again? ;) The second issue, pooping in the potty...that is a completely seperate issue from the first, let's fight one battle at a time..too much for baby, and too much for mom. I had the "whoa, noway am I gonna sit on their to do my business!!" child too, sometimes I wanted to just scream. Hang in there!!! All I can do is tell you what eventualy worked for my oldest child, who is almost 9!

First, I have a couple of questions if you don't mind me asking, and then I can give you my "two cents" dependant upon your answer. First, elaborate for me the "testing" that was done on your son for celiac, and secondly his food allergies. Also, what where his symptoms? Did you breast feed, if you used formula what kind, and tell me when the symptoms began, etc. Also, antibiotics? Any recently? What kind, if any is he on? I hope i get this to you soon enough this morning, I would like to help. I hope to hear from you soon!

Katie K-

If he is not allergic, the brat diet is good. Banana, rice, apple, tea. Drinking purifed water and to help with allergies clean pure air.i recomend nikken products. For more info try : www.mynikken.net/mharris
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WoW a child that actually LIKES fruits & veggies, that's a switch! Usually ppl hafta force a kid to like veggies & fruits. You might want to try an all natural herbal store or check into all natural substances that you can use. An herbalist usually knows what they're doing. What I'd do is look online for possible antidotes then look in the yellow pages to see if what you find is avail. locally. Good luck!

How about researching on the web foods that put diarrhea in check? Maybe adding these to the diet along with the veggies and fruits and other healthy stuff will help. I have been told from my kids ped that white rice works wonders and bananas. Maybe he has a food allergy to one of the healthy items? That may cause loose stool too. Try to rule out by giving one kind of fruit or veggier per day>

You may not like this advise, but it will work if he likes his fruits as much as you say. After your son has his next BM and makes a mess, take him to the bath tub and using only cold water (you do not want him to be comfortable) clean him up and have him help. He will not like this and that is want you want. Then while cleaning him just be honest and sincere and tell him that you do not like cleaning up his poo poo anymore that he is a big boy now and that he needs to go in the potty from now on, but it is his choice. Let him know that as long as he chooses to go in his pants then you choose not to let him have fruits. So he has all the control. He wants fruit, then the potty is the way to get it. Period. No matter haow much he cries, begs, or whines. When he asked for fruit just say, "did you poo poo in the potty today?" When he says, "no", then say, "well, son that is your answer to the fruit then." and walk away. My daughter lasted 4 days and we haven't had an accident since last november. At three they understand, and you just have to get them to want it as much as you. Good luck. Also, after he starts going on the potty, then give in and give him fruit until he choose not to use it again and then take it away etc. He will understand the direct link quick. Once he uses it all the time and you still want to stiffen up the poos, then try bananas they are constipating to most kids. hope this helps.

Go to the web site: seeds of deception. It will educate you about GMO's genetically modified organisms. The main crops in the US that are GMO are corn, soy, cotton, crooked neck squash and zucchini. They are thinking of onion, tomatoes and potatoes next as well as sugar beets. The GMO cause a thickening of the stomach and intestinal wall that decrease the absorption of nutrients and could be the cause of this condition and his food allergies. Also, try grinding some of your own wheat and making bread or muffins, the fresh whole grains may help bulk up his bowel movements. Wheat at the store will not do it, it will have to be fresh ground.

Have you tried going gluten free for a few months? I also thought celiac when I saw your post.

Also, to give you hope on the potty training front, my 3 1/2 year old also preferred pooping in his pullup, even though he was totally capable of going on the potty. It was extremely frustrating, since I knew he was mentally and physically capable of going on the potty.

With his input we found rewards (toys, games, outings, etc) that motivated him. We kept upping the ante so it required more effort to get the same prize. Now he is almost four and completely potty-trained.

Good luck!

My grandmother use to give us rice with bananas. She would make rice the typical mexican rice with tomato and after it was cooked she would slice bananas in it. Hope this works.

My dad has had celiac's for 14 years now and they retested him this year when he went to a new doctor and the test came back negative. He hasn't had wheat or gluten for 14 years and that's why the test came back negative. He actually had to consume something with wheat which made him sick but then he did get a positive test back. So if your son had already been off all wheat and gluten products for a week or two and then took the test, the test could be wrong.