Not really an EC question, but a good group to ask

[adamom]

Is it "normal" to be able to identify your baby's last meal in his/her poop? With the notable exception of a definite egg allergy and a possible milk protein allergy, DD is a perfectly healthy 13-month-old. Ever since she started solids, however, undigested pieces of food (mostly vegetables) have routinely turned up in her poop. Whereas I assume this is normal, DH is convinced it's a sign of something sinister (low stomach acid, candida, leaky gut, etc.). Is it normal, or should I be concerned? I probably wouldn't have even noticed but for all the misses I end up cleaning off the floor.

[zoebird]

uhm, i can't speak for all of it, but yes. because my son oesn't alwaays chew thoroughly, we'll see things come out the other side that are clearly veggies, seeds, and such.

[HeatherB]

Moving to Toddlers...

[mum4vr]

13 months, eh?

Does she even have molars yet to really grind that food down fine? My DC did not at that age, so we often saw obvious "leftovers." (in fact, my ds1, now 17 yo, got his FIRST tooth at 13 mos! talk about a late bloomer)

Is she eating foods that are too hard for her to chew thoroughly w those baby teeth, maybe?

IME this is perfectly normal, but peace of mind is worth any cost. If either of you fear a significant health concern that cannot be easily explained (as above), then by all means seek a medical professional's opinion-- even if only to quell anxiety-- it is worth it NOT to be up nights fearing the worst.

blessings

[rightkindofme]

Uhm, if *I* don't totally chew my food it comes through whole. Given that at 13 months they don't have all their teeth yet it seems pretty normal to me.

[cheryllynn]

Here's my opinion, after 30 years of dealing with my own constipation issues.

If food comes out looking like it did when it went in, it did not provide any nutritional value at all and might as well not have been eaten.

For adults, we do need to chew our food to the degree our stomach can then take what is passed and then break it down further.

If children or adults are lacking in stomach acid or digestive enzymes, then food continues to be passed through the small and large intestines and pooped out.

For me and my 14 month old, I am keeping her on purees and mushed foods until I see evidence that her digestive system can handle bigger chunks of food.

I do add digestive enzymes to her purees as well as I think this also helps keep her stool soft and easy to move. She has 1 - 2 bm's per day and they are usually soft and formed.

Sometimes I add probiotics. Both the enzymes and probiotics are in capsules and I open up the capsule and sprinkle it on her food.

Currently my dd has only 2 bottom teeth, but if she had more and wasn't chewing enough, I'd still be doing this process so that I feel better about her body being able to extract nutrition from the food she eats.

[butterfly_mommy]

Yep normal. We start our digestion in our mouths with our molars and saliva and if there are no molars while then some things do not get fully digested.

I remember the first time DS had whole blueberries, his poo was full of empty blueberry skins.

As far as extracting nutrition yes foods that pass undigested are not fully utilized but it is still useful as fibre and experimentation with taste and texture.

DS has never had puréed foods and self fed whole foods starting at 7 mons. He also nursed on demand (and still does but it is only maybe 2-3 times a day now) so I never worried about his nutritional intake.

Now his poos hardly ever have recognizable chunks now that he has 8 molars!