solids chunky poop, suggestions?

[SunflowerRae]

INFO: My baby is 9 months old, still BF AM/PM, I am a working mom.

We just started giving her solid food as she is really interested and reaching for it, still predominately BF, it has been about 2 months since her first solid... I do not give her "breakfast, lunch, and dinner" on solids, it is only occasionally when we are eating something appropriate for her I will give her some, she loves it and asks for more, and she lets me know when she does not want anymore as well. 

Q: Her poop is undigested, chunks of carrot, green bean, etc... (which is a hassle for cloth diaper washing!) Should I get a "food mill" or buy baby food, if you buy baby food what brands do you like? Any suggestions? THANKS!! 

[AdinaL]

It does sound like she is having some trouble digesting stuff.  I might try using a food mill and seeing how it goes.  I would also probably stick with easily digested stuff for a while.  

I did do jarred baby food from time to time.  My daughter loved some of it.  I can't remember what kind we did, but it was organic. LOL

[1love4ever]

DD had chunks for a long time as well.  I think its just their immature digestive systems.  Has she been on any antibiotics?  Any meds but abx in particular can interfere with digestion and really just mess up a persons whole system.  If shes been on them I'd give her probiotics for kids by Garden of Life.  If not I wouldnt worry about it as it seems normal to me and from other moms i've talked to its pretty normal.

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by AdinaL 

It does sound like she is having some trouble digesting stuff.  I might try using a food mill and seeing how it goes.  I would also probably stick with easily digested stuff for a while.  

I did do jarred baby food from time to time.  My daughter loved some of it.  I can't remember what kind we did, but it was organic. LOL

Really?  Have you done baby led solids?  I think it is totally normal for them to have chunks of food in their poop for a long time -- they don't/can't really chew the food very well with the teeth they have.  Can you imagine chewing without molars?

I don't think grinding it up will make your child digest better -- you just won't get chunks coming out because chunks aren't going in.  My ds is 2 and I still get chunks of certain things -- mushrooms, wild rice, the skin from sweet corn kernels, etc.  I just think he doesn't chew them very well, and yeah, his digestive system probably isn't totally mature yet.

I think allowing them to eat real food with the family has benefits that outweigh easier diaper-washing, but that's a decision you have to make for your family.

[cristeen]

That sounds totally normal.  My DS still will sometimes have chunks, and he's 2.  There are some foods that are just harder to digest than others, and under a year, food is just for practice, they don't digest it.  As she gets older, you'll start seeing less and less chunks.  But even I still have chunks sometimes if I eat something indigestible (like corn on the cob). 

We never did baby food at all.  We went straight to finger foods.  The chunky poo is just the price you pay for that.  If it really bothers you, you can get a food mill, but that's just creating more work for yourself, and delaying the point when the babe learns to feed themselves. 

You're at the point where you need to start pre-cleaning your dipes somehow.  We went with a diaper sprayer, some people scrape or dunk.  Whatever works for you.  But it's no longer going to be the simple matter it was when she was EBF. 

[SundayCrepes]

We did elimination communication so my babies started holding their poops until I could get them to the toilet. My son did this at 9 weeks and my daughter at 11 weeks. So much easier than pooping in their pants.

We also did baby led solids. Just let them eat what's on your plate (within reason.) Here's some good info. http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/babyledweaning.htm

My daughter did the chunks. Pediatrician said it's normal. My daughter also had diarrhea 4 times a day. Specialist said she'd outgrow it. Diagnosed her with "Toddler Diarrhea." I did internet research and wondered if it was food sensitivities. Our pediatrician agreed to my request for blood allergy tests. They showed cane sugar, of all things, as a possible problem. That and other stuff. Test wasn't totally accurate as we needed to eliminate other foods as well. Anyway, through proper diet the diarrhea stopped. It's almost 4 months now and I get so excited over a solid poop. I don't know if any of this is related to you, but if you have more issues than just chunks, consider if it could be food issues.

[1love4ever]

Originally Posted by SundayCrepes 

We did elimination communication so my babies started holding their poops until I could get them to the toilet. My son did this at 9 weeks and my daughter at 11 weeks. So much easier than pooping in their pants.

How did you do that?
 

[SundayCrepes]

Originally Posted by 1love4ever 

How did you do that?

Here's what I wrote when my son was 14 months. So you know, at 19 months he would go to the bathroom whenever we suggested it, if he had to go. At 25 months he told us every time he had to pee, and he went. By 27 months he was refusing to pee anywhere except his pants. However, he was totally potty trained by 30 months.

It is best to start EC before 4 months, though there are tricks to starting later.

The EC process: 

1. Make the cueing sound (typically "pssss") whenever your baby pees or poops. They quickly associate the sound with the action. 

2. Watch your baby for any signs they need to go. Not all babies will give cues. Sometimes you have to go by intuition. In our case, we've gone by timing. We've been at this for over a year and only timing has been successful for us. (Although yesterday, 5 days shy of 14 months, he actually used the hand signal 4 times to indicate he had to pee or poop! Today hasn't been so good, though. Typical up and downs of toddler learning.) 

3. If you think your baby has to go, take them to the potty place and make the cueing sound. The potty place could be a bowl, an infant potty, the toilet, or the backyard flowers. If they have to go, they will. If it's not time, you try again later. 

4. Relax. Don't plan on 100% success. This is not about "potty training." This is about taking care of your infant's needs in a healthful, economical, environmentally friendly way while you are also teaching them about their bodies. 

One of the chief criticisms of this technique is that the parents do all the work. Of course they do. These are babies. They are incapable of taking off clothing, undoing diapers, wiping themselves, etc. Parents do all the work in standard American potty training. But they do it for a lot longer than people who EC. My son isn't even 14 months and he signed to me that he needed to poop. He went in the toilet and I used 1 wipe to clean him up. Yes, I did all the work, but he's the one who initiated it. I'd say he will be totally independent years before most of his peers. Also, he's never had a diaper rash and I doubt if he'll ever get one. 

Here are some good resources:

http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/

http://www.amazon.com/Infant-Potty-Training-Primeval-Adapted/dp/1888580305/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324015373&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Potty-Whispering-Gentle-Infant-Training/dp/B000NJWANI/ref=pd_sim_b_5