Digestion Issue with My Almost 3 Year Old?

My nephew had an issue similiar to this at age 3-4 but not quite as bad. My SIL cut out all foods with food dyes (like red dye #5 or whatever it is called) and simply started buying more organic foods where available - cereals, meat, milk, etc. For him that was enough. You might want to start there and see if that helps.

I've had similar issues myself with my own son when he was that age. Here are somethings that you may want to consider:

**Probiotics to help balance out the bad flora and good flora in your sons intestinal track.

**Cutting out dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) completely from your son's diet for at least 2 weeks. Also check labels on the foods that you are giving your son, such as bread and pasta sauce, to see if it says anything like "lactose" or "casein" which are basically dairy. You can give him goat milk products instead (more easily digested than cow's milk) or opt for almond milk, hemp milk or rice milk products.

**Cutting out wheat products from your childs diet completely for a 4-week trial period. A lot more kids now days have food intolerance issues with wheat (gluten) and diary. If a child has a gluten intollerance issue, then it can cause digestive issues to the point where consuming this ingredient can harm the digestive track.

**Try giving your child Nordic Naturals 3-6-9 Jr. (split open the capsule and add to apple sauce) supplement twice a day. Omega 3 is like the talisman for good health for everyone. It helps your body in so many ways but it also helps heal your digestive track and keep it healthy but it takes about 6-months to see the full effects of it when you have issues like dirrhea and constiptation (the two issues go hand sometimes). I specify the Nordic Naturals brand because my son and I have been taking it for years and I know that it is really pure and mercury-free (very important!).

**If you can, take your son to go see a Osteopath (OD). They are doctors who specialize in whole body care and wellness instead of treating isolated symptoms on an as needed basis. You may get some better info and support if you go that route.

Hope this helps. Best of luck to you and your son.

Have you tried cutting out dairy? That's the most common cause of perpetual diarrhea... lactose intolerance.

Some kids who are only mildly intolerant can have cheese, yogurt, anything dairy that has enzymes added to it... but not straight milk. Others can't have anything dairy.

have you had him checked for celiac disease? that sounds exactly like it! its a genetic disorder and my husband and both my children have it. Its basically an extreme allergy to gluten, which is in wheat, oats, barely, malt, etc. It erodes away the cilia in the intestines and makes it basically impossible to regulate the bowels. it either causes extremely loose stools (in the case of my husband and son) or very extreme constipation (in the case of my daughter). they can check it with a simple blood test.

I'd go the route of glueten sensitivity or start the probiotics. You can give Good Belly juice-also able to be frozen for popsicles this summer. Good Belly juice is a prebiotic. You want a probiotic with 20 billiion active cultures with about 7 different types of cultures. Good Belly juice does this, plus their website usually has $1 off coupons.

I know this question is from months ago, but I think I just stumbled upon wise advice. It is a FREE replay of an interview with Donna Gates, who wrote "The Body Ecology Diet."
http://www.theawareshow.com/connect/gates/

I recommend the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.
Also, If he's been on antibiotics at any point, that could have killed off his good bacteria. Probiotics may help a lot. Good yogurt has lots, but sometimes you need more. A wide variety is available at many health food stores. Additionally, in the book, you'll learn how to prepare foods in an old-fashioned way that preserve and actually increase the probiotics in our food. Best wishes!

i would give your child probiotics and take him off of dairy for 3 weeks and see if that does it.

If it were my child, I'd really question the advice of your pediatrician. You're certainly doing the right thing by talking to them about it, but the advice not to refer onto a GI specialist if this has been a continual problem for a few years seems a little lax to me.

There's really no harm in the meats, cheese, carbs, but if you're not supplementing with a multivitamin to replace what you're losing in the fruits/vegetables, it doesn't seem like a practical approach.

I understand the cheese (usually known to help bind stools), but it's dairy, so I don't understand the yogurt part of their recommendation. The fruits/vegetable are to remove fiber from the diet to help bind the stools as well.

I'd think that the pediatrician would also be looking at food allergies or even IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) as possible causes. But, then again, if his development is on track, the assumption may be that there is no medical reason other than this is how his intestines/colon process foods and eliminate them.

You could also ask to see a Registered Dietician (verify insurance coverage) to see if the diet you're providing is healthy and could possibly lead to issues down the road.

Good luck.