Rabbit Turds

Probiotics made for children (and babies) and one teaspoon flax seed oil a day will do the trick. The probiotics will help to stabilize the good bacteria in his gut. The flax seed oil will soften his stools, plus it's loaded with Omega 3s. If his stools are still small and hard, slowly increase the flax seed oil until his stools are normal and he is having at least one movement a day. I think you'll find "The Scoop on Poop" helpful:
http://www.babybites.info/2009/04/27/constipation-kids/
Also, he definitely needs more veggies in his diet.

that's dehydration--not uncommon in the summer months. Give him a cup (straw or sippy) that's always full of juice or milk. Let him carry it around and drink it whenever he wants.

2 words: Prune juice!

Babies love it and it works like a charm. Start off with 4 ounces or so and if he hasn't had a good bowel movement in 8 hours, give him 4 ounces more. Also, try using whole grain pasta. Blueberries also seem to work wonders for my little guy, but be prepared for blue poop!

I'm thinking more fiber and more fluids. One thing to consider is, is he eating any whole grains? I don't think the puff snacks contain much fiber, and if he's eating white bread toast and white flour mac and other pasta, there is barely any there either. Adding more produce would really help, too. When my kids were that age, I made sure they had fruit at breakfast, fruit and a vegetable at lunch and vegetable at dinner. I would buy no-salt-added canned veggies, as they are soft enough for a toddler and can be eaten with fingers. If he doesn't already eat whole grain bread, he's young enough he would probably switch easily enough. Some mom's want to wait until they're older, thinking they will only eat white, but if they are exposed to whole grains early on, that is what they know, and they will eat it. Apple juice will help with softening stools, too. I did water my kids' down by about a third, and limited it to 2 servings a day because of the sugar, but the juice itself plus the additional liquid in his diet can both make a difference. Good luck to you!

I agree that it would be good to add more fruits and veggies to his diet!! They're so important for digestion and nutrience!! The puff snacks don't have much in them, and are fine every once in a while, but add a fruit, veggie or whole grain (toast, cracker) if you're giving it to him for snack. Also cutting back on milk will help your son eat more of what's needed to have a balanced diet. I gave my sons water only for snack and milk with the three main meals (and early morning/before bed time) Yogurt is wonderful too, to help keep him "regular"! Try prune juice and avoid bananas if he seems constipated. Also, ask your pediatrician for some diet suggestions. Good luck!

He has a ton of dairy in his diet. This can cause constipation. Add more fruits and veggies as well as some juice- prune or apple works best.

more veggies, and fruit, and replace the "puff snack" (whatever that is) with some whole wheat crackers/toast/etc - and what has always worked for my daughter is yogurt everyday with some applesauce and ground flaxseed stirred in (a heeping teaspoon).

Is he drinking water? Sounds like maybe he's just dehydrated, and since he's not getting a lot of fruit/veggies with high water content either, that might be the issue. Try giving him a sippy cup with water in between meals....

It does sound like he could use some more fruit and veggies, based on his typical diet (he ought to be getting at least one or the other with every meal AND snacks) - fruit is good to mix into baby cereal or for them to eat on their own (blueberries, strawberries, bananas, raspberries, prunes, etc). You can mush it up or just give him small pieces to feed himself. My son loved prunes! Peas and corn are good - there's no reason not to try green beans, avocado, broccoli, carrots (cooked), zucchini/squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes - anything with a dark color (green or orange) is great for him. Most of those suggestions are also available bagged and frozen (i.e. - cheap!). This is the time to get him used to those kinds of tastes so that he'll continue to eat them as he grows....

P.s. - he really does not need juice at this point, unless you absolutely can't get him to eat any fruit or veggies. It's typically just a lot of unnecessary sugar and will fill him up rather than leaving room for the healthy stuff. If he's REALLY constipated, go for prune juice (don't assume he won't like it if you don't - kids this age are typically really open to most foods!)

I think you're on the right track with more fiber...my kids drink "Shrek Juice". It's basically a smoothie made with a sweet fruit and greens (spinach, swiss chard, kale, brocolli,etc.) I know this sounds nutty, but my kids love them and it was the only way I could get veggies into them when they were very young. At first, just blend a very ripe banana or peach, and add a handfull of baby spinach (i use all organic). It might be helpful if your child doesn't see you do this! Any, present it as "Shrek Juice" and that usually does the trick. After they are in the habit of drinking these, you can begin to add more and different veggies and fruits.

Also, avocado is a great way to get things a little more soft.

Good luck!

My son is 29 months, and has had chronic constipation problems from the beginning. We also keep on top of with whole wheat breads and pasta and yogurt.

Also, you may want to make sure that he's getting raw fruit, and not cooked baby food fruit. I found that once my son was old enough for raw fruits, it made a big difference from cooked. And this time of year, peaches and plums and watermelon work great. And my son loves beans, so I make him baked beans and mild black bean soup, and mix beans into casseroles. (Yes, it can make him a bit gassy in the process, but does wonders for clearing him out.)

Also, since your son is drinking plenty of milk, you may want to switch a few ounces of it to watered-down prune or pear juice. (My son likes prunes, as no one has told him that he's not supposed to yet ;-). You can also mix chopped prunes into their cereal.

try just adding yogurt

Hello Y.,
When stool look like that - next stage is constipation.
I am 100 % sure that he is just dehydrated. He has a lot of carbohydrates in his diet, and it is very difficult at this age to control his water intake. Find some easy to drink bottle and leave it around so that he can easily reach it and get it any time he wants.
You also can encourage him to drink more if you take turns and drink together from it or you get another one for you and play with him.
It is very common problem at this age.
Don't give him juices, just simple water.
Make sure that water is not very mineralized, close to distilled.
N.

I fill a sippie cup with milk, one with 100% juice and half water, and one with only water for my 18 month old son. I offer water all day long--it's on the edge of the counter always. The milk and juice I offer AFTER his meals to "fill in the cracks". He drinks pretty much all of it each day. Feed your son real fruit (cantelope and honeydew are so yummy right now--just cut up in little bite size pieces and he'll love it)! Strawberries, grapes (cut in half), ripe pears, and blueberries are also some of my son's favorites. Bananas are great too, but only once every other day or so. Definitely need more real veges too -- cooked: squash, green beans, cauliflower, and carrots are also some of my son's favorites. He also loves whole wheat toast and pasta occasionally. Real yogurt with active cultures really helps too -- I make smoothies with the plain kind -- add 1 C Yogurt, 1/2 C Milk, 1 frozen banana (after they are too soft to eat I peel and freeze them), and 4 frozen strawberries is my kids favorite. Carnation instant breakfast is also an option if he is a picky eater.

Best wishes! D.

Cheese, pasta, and milk will bind your kid up pretty quick. It looks like he needs some more veggies and fruit (not including bananas they will bind him up too). Try to incorporate veggies and fruit in every meal or at snack time and the problem should correct pretty quickly. Also, you did not mention water or juice, this is an added bonus too.

Good luck!

I would echo what has already been mentioned, but also add that at this point you can cut way down on his milk intake. Half of what he's getitng now is plenty for a one year old. Also go a few days with him eating the same things as the rest of the family. He's old enough to be eating a regular table food diet. It should make your life easier and presumably solve the problem.

HI Y.,
That's alot of "binding" foods. But you have hit the nail on the head: More fiber. I don't see "greens" listed anywhere in his diet. Dairy is a binder, pasta is a binder, corn is undigestable (luv it though! :0)Try creamed spinach. Salad is great, find a dressing he loves and go with it. Does he like sushi? The seaweed is great for his needs. Even seaweed salad. Starting now will keep him from hating these foods later also. Blueberries are a great snack instead of all of the starches he's eating. Great antioxidants! Take care, G

Hi Y. - The recommended amount of water for a toddler is 1.5 oz per pound of body weight. So if your son weighs 20 lbs, he needs 30oz of water per day.

Even though he is drinking 30oz of milk, it doesnt all count toward his daily water requirement because it also has protein and fat content. Try adding in 10-12 oz of plain water or watered-down juice during the day and see if that helps.

You might also consider giving your son a pharmaceutical grade Omega 3 oil that has been purified. It's easy to give by squeezing a capsule into a serving of flavorful food.

Hope things normalize soon!

Hi Y.,
Our children should be eating somewhere between 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies each day, check out fruitsandveggiesmorematters.com. So it just might be there are to many carbs in the diet and you may need to add more fruits and veggies. It a perfect time to mold those young taste buds to like fruits and veggies! :) There's also Juice Plus to help get fruits an dveggies in your kids, check out denverjuiceplus.com.

I hope that helps! :)
L.