Toddler Poop Question-- probably TMI!

[neferiah]

Hi, Ladies! I need 2nd opinions (and 3rd, and 4th....etc.) My older child is 7, so I can't remember exactly what is "normal" in the poop department.

My fifteen month old son poops on average 2-3 times a day, sometimes more. He is an extremely greedy eater, we actually have to cut him off at times because his body can't hold any more food. He will eat until his belly puffs out. Foodwise, he's on goat milk, as he has allergy issues with soy and cow milk, and I weaned him from breastmilk totally about 3 weeks ago. We eat A LOT of fruit, which I'm thinking could have to do with how often he poos. Each time he goes, he cries like it is hurting, but he's definitely not constipated. There is a large volume of VERY stinky poo involved each time.


So the question is, Is this normal? My MIL, of course, offers her 2 cents and says we need to have him checked out for a GI disorder. He has no other symptoms of ill health.. stays very well hydrated, very active, very happy.

Help please! TIA!

[sapphire_chan]

Yes, I'd have him checked out. Occasional diarrhea is reasonable, but having it every day like that makes me think he's sensitive to something else in his diet. If you hadn't already eliminated dairy, I would've said it sounds like he's got a dairy allergy.

It sounds like he's not absorbing all he should be from his food. Hence the overeating as well as the multiple huge poops.

As for the pain in pooping, cut out citrus and strawberries for awhile and see if that helps. Sounds like he's having burny poop.

ETA: I'd also go ask in Health and Healing.

[New_Natural_Mom]

Normal poop shouldn't be stinky. Get him checked out.

[Llyra]

There is a harmless condition that some children this age experience, called toddler diarrhea, which is really doctor-speak for "harmless diarrhea we can't explain." But it can only be diagnosed by ruling out all other causes. Me, I think I'd have it checked out, just to be sure. Mostly because of the enormous appetite, and the smell, rather than the frequency-- all my kids were multiple-time-a-day poopers at that age.

My DD2 used to at that age do frequent enormous smelly poops that caused her discomfort. After awhile, we managed to triangulate back to a cause-- turns out she just can't tolerate blueberries, and it was blueberry season, and we were eating a TON of them.

I don't know. It sounds like you're concerned, and I hear some things that would probably concern me too, so I say that it's probably a good idea to speak to a good health care provider.

[neferiah]

Thanks for your responses. We do eat a lot of citrus, so I'll eliminate that for a while, and make an appointment to get him checked out too.