Does your child had a BM every day?

[WCM]

Yes? what are they eating?


I know having a bowel mov't every day is healthy. But no matter what my kids eat they do not, and it's consuming my thoughts!

So tell me, if your kids do, and what are they eating? Thanks!

[amcal]

My kids are 7 and 8 so I don't really monitor their bowel movements any more but, they do go regularly. They eat a ton of fruit, lots of veggies - any grain they have is whole grain. They love popcorn.

I wouldn't worry about it at all unless they were having constipation issues.

[WCM]

That's just it, they are. Younger 2 can go DAYS without and then *try* throughout the day until they painful expell hardness. And then the cycle repeats.

But they both eat nothing but raw fruit, raw veg, whole grains, beans, water, full fat organic yogurt, lots of exercise, etc . . but not a lot of fats. I've been reading up on this alot lately, because this is 'normal' for my younger ones, and what I'm reading is countering the whole fruit/veg/whole grains thing. It actually makes sense, but I need more. So I'm asking others about their kids diets. I fear my two are headed straight for IBS or other bowel issues, because this is NOT healthy.

[amcal]

I think every body is different. I'm familiar with what you're talking about - the fiber myth. But, I know for me, high fat, lower fiber does not equal a healthy gut/bowel. It doesn't work for my kids either.

But, at their age, I don't worry about fat at all. We eat lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains and liberal fat.

Maybe try increasing their fat and see if that helps?

Also, I do know when my now 8 yo was about 4, she had chronic consitpation. Dr. thought her system was just slow to mature. He put her on miralax - 1/4 cap full daily. It immediately created large, soft, formed stools - every day. She was on it for several months and then we weaned her off and she's never had a problem again.

[Sayward]

I don't know about kids, but for me personally when I eat low-fat I get backed up, and when I eat high-fat I have perfect BMs. I say give them kids more fat! *they need fat for development and nutrient absorption, anyway)

[velochic]

Dd (8) is regular and has a good balance of fat in her diet. She does eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and almost no processed food. I do think that processed food will back you up... although it doesn't sound to be an issue with your kids, just putting that out there for others who might read this. Dd's fats are from what I cook with (olive oil mostly and to a lesser extent lard and butter) and avocados. We eat a lot of avocados here. Some fat comes from dairy, but I try to limit her cheese for the very reason your talking about here.

[mamadelbosque]

Yes they do... we eat a good bit of veggies & fruits & lots of whole grains (bread, pasta, cereals, etc), as well as lots of dairy (especially cheese, but yogurt, milk, cream cheese etc too), eggs & butter - and I cook in cast iron and thus use a good bit of fats fairly constantly. We've never had constipation issues.

[Llyra]

DD2 and DS do. I think they go twice a day most days. DD1 when she's doing well is an every second day kid. But she has psychological issue with her poo, and often goes a lot less often, but not for physical reasons.

My kids eat a lot of fats, animal foods, vegetables, and fruits, some legumes, and almost no grains. They eat sugar only occasionally, and only drink one small cup of juice a day.

I think reducing dietary fat too much has a lot to do with constipation.

[SubliminalDarkness]

I can't say with absolute certainty about DS1, but it's pretty frequent, at least daily. And with DS2, it's several a day.

[kjbrown92]

magnesium can help too (we use magnesium glycinate)
for my DS it was a sign of food intolerance and he didn't have the right mix of bacteria in his gut (found this by a Genova stool test). Do they have any other issues or is it just the constipation?

[Alyantavid]

Like clockwork.

We eat mostly whole foods and use plenty of fat. I'd push fluids for bowel issues and make sure they get a decent amount of fat.

[Amila]

I don't know, my kids are 2 and 4 and they BOTH poop like 4 times a day, to the point of annoyance, lol. I think it is genetic though because my husband and in-laws are like this. You don't want to go in my bathroom after a family get together with them, trust me.

My kids eat lots of fruits and veggies and other stuff too- mostly healthy but we aren't crazy strict about it. Lots of berries.

But my in-laws eat terribly so I think maybe some just poop more than others.

[WCM]

Thanks all. I knew it was a topic that some may not reply to.

It's the fats. Both young ones do not like meat, or eggs, which are 2 ways the rest of us slather on the fats. I made them custard last night and those 2 did not like it. I have whip cream to put on berries and plan to make ice cream this week. The only way they sem to eat fats is in treats, which is not the diet I want to push.

I eat tons of avocoadoes, they only will if they're ON somehing starchy, which defeats the whole purpose.

I can try a fatty veggie dip . . .

Any more get-fat-in-them ideas? I think fats at this age are so important, but e also lead an unschooling lifestyle, you choose what you eat and no one forces you to eat stuff you don't want to.


So funny, my eldest LIVES on fats. Ate a jar of mayo once as a toddler (I was unaware at the time!)

[fruitfulmomma]

The older two, not unless I supp them with mag and then I had to remove gluten from one of their diets and the other would probably do better off of it as well.

Personally, I didn't until I removed gluten from my diet a couple of years ago when my youngest two were reacting to it with skin rashes. I was/am breastfeeding both of them and had to go gf myself or otherwise I would never had thought to do that. The changes I saw in myself were enough to convince me that this is a lifelong thing for me.

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by WCM

Any more get-fat-in-them ideas? I think fats at this age are so important, but e also lead an unschooling lifestyle, you choose what you eat and no one forces you to eat stuff you don't want to.

One thing you can do is to butter everything. Especially if you can get good quality organic butter-- the really bright yellow kind.

Use more fat in your cooking-- like if you're sauteeing something, or baking something, use more fat than you would normally. I make muffins, for example, and double the amount of butter used. Use whole dairy products, too. You can make whipped cream without sugar, and that's something kids think is a treat, even though it's perfectly healthy for them.

Fruit smoothies can have a lot of fat in them, too, and they're nice this time of year. Use full-fat yogurt, and add a hearty amount of coconut oil, some fruit, and some crushed ice (wrap it in a towel and whack it with a hammer to crush it, if your blender won't crush it).

My kids like to dip breadsticks in saucer-fulls of olive oil.