Non pooping issue

I have had so many kids in the past 3 years with non pooping issues or constipation. The dr's say as long as they go every three days don't worry. I have one child who goes every 3-5 days . The Mom feels a smear is good until the real poop comes ;). So now she says no banana or cheese. They are two important food groups at my house and the other kids love it. I'm wondering how you handle not giving that child the same as everyone else, or do you change it so no one gets banana or cheese for the rest length of time dcg is off these?

If mom asked to restrict banana and cheese then I would but just for that child. No reason why your other kids need to be restricted.

I have had 2 kids in my care who would get different food from the others. One got no dairy and the other one was sent his food from home for similar food issues but it was more extreme. Never did it cause a problem. If another child asked why xxx had such and such while they had so and so, I would just explain that xx couldn't have what we were eating and so he/she had different food. I think it was a good thing because it taught them all that we don't always get what our friend has and that is okay.

If mom doesn't want him to have banana and cheese than I wouldn't give it to him but I would continue to give it to the others.

I'm not convinced skipping out on only banana and cheese will make a difference here though! Start serving prunes and items that will get things moving, increase his water and fibre intake. Beans, beans, beans!!

Will the child being restricted care/notice if you don't serve him cheese and banana? If he's happy enough with a substitute then just restrict him.

My daughter (19months) is dairy intolerant (severely so). She is a foody and eats like a champ and she would seriously notice if she wasn't getting something. I just have a non-dairy variant of what ever I serve so no one really notices. She always gets a yellow cup so I can keep track of the rice milk to ensure she didn't find the wrong cup with real milk. She has soy yogurt instead of regular yogurt.

While there is a notable difference in the taste, look and smell of her 'fake' foods she doesn't care as she is happily scarfing down her yogurt.

At some point she'll have to learn that sometimes you just don't get the same...and it'll take some getting used to but right now I can give a substitute that keeps her happy.

All my baking and meals are made dairy free and I just add dairy items to the other child's serving when dishing out food so they still meet that food groups needs.

It is a common misconception that bananas constipate people. In reality, bananas actually help your body maintain regular bowl function.

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Originally Posted by JennJubie

It is a common misconception that bananas constipate people. In reality, bananas actually help your body maintain regular bowl function.

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Pretty sure I recently read the same about cheese. It doesn't constipate but everyone thinks it does. But I can't remember where I read it so not sure what the truth is. Either way unless the child's diet consisted of a great quantity of the two foods I don't know it would make a huge difference!

My 2 younger boys love grapes and grape tomatoes. It gets them going big time! I had to start restricting them because both mom's were feeding them at home as well and we had some raw bums around here and tons of diapers in a day.

I have had a girl who got diarrhea every time we ate banana's so not sure if I believe that they constipate kids.

I think the thing to bare in mind is that it is way more complicated than bananas and/or dairy or any other food group being responsible for frequency of bowel movements.

Dairy has a tendency to effect gut flora and generally results in either constipation or loose bm's if the digestive system isn't functioning optimally. Usually there is a food group in serious deficiency elsewhere in the diet. Contrary to belief, dairy is not the best source of calcium. Per calorie there is far more calcium found in green leafy vegetables than in dairy but we are brainwashed by the media and obviously it is the social norm that milk be the main nutrient source for babies and growing children. It seems that dairy is fast growing in this decade as the new intolerance, at least in my experience. It is a high inflammatory food which is what results in poor gut health as well as other things. It is a huge irritant to many people unbeknownst to them. I have had about half a dozen kids in the last couple of years that have some form of intolerance resulting in insane diarrhea, or currently ridiculous constipation. The only way to be sure is through elimination and then reintroduction which is generally when I pull the parents and they say, "oh yeah grandma gave...or we went out for dinner..." It isn't that the dairy causes one or the other religiously, but that if overall gut health is poor because of to much of some food groups, not enough of others and to much processed foods, then dairy products will increase reactions like this in some people, children and adults. Some people also may just have a sensitivity to it. I do not give any dairy substitutes as there are much healthier ways to get those nutrients into the body and the alternatives are subpar at best and usually are seriously lacking in nutrients for young children. I currently don't serve any dairy to any of the kids. I do not supply milk due to waste. Parent's wanting their kids to have milk supply their own. Kids who have skin sensitivities will also generally have a dairy intolerance I have found. Dairy intolerance is also varied and complicated and is different from one person to another. Some have lactose intolerance, some have sensitivity, some have casein issues which largely go missed and others have an intolerance to the protein. I have also cared for a child with a serious allergy to dairy requiring epipens. When I have a child in my care who has inconsistent bm's I always recommend eliminating dairy all together including formula for a 2 week period. Obviously it's the parents choice but I give them some literature and let them do their own research. Every time a parent has followed through with this in my experience the problem has resolved. BM's should be daily and contrary to belief should not stink to high heaven. I have a child right now who 8am on the dot does a huge loose movement full of undigested food and it requires all extractor fans to go on instantly and doors and windows to be open its that bad. It is horrific. Mom is on board but I suspect dad doesn't pay much attention and that is what is causing this, but this kid also has patchy facial skin too so it's screaming dairy issue to me. Mum knows that I will absolutely not entertain toilet training until his BM's are formed and I have recommended a food journal to see if there are any patterns. I have also cut my fresh fruit by 50% as the sugar can increase frequency and loosen. Now lots of veggies. I've done extensive research on this including attending numerous workshops and seminars with healthcare professionals reinforcing this information with fact time and time again. As for banana's, I tend to cut them out when a child is suffering constipation as I know when I give them to a child with diarrhea, they have always helped bung them up.

To get a child moving, remove all white grain products from their diet. Add flax to everything and serve ancient grains as they require more digestion and are fantastic at moving things through. Look into dietary fibre as it may be that there is a back up that just needs to move everything along. Processed foods full of salt, sugar and fat are only going to make it worse too. Try and see if the parents will pass a journal back and forth between you all so you can all see what this child is eating when and with whom and then possibly figure out where changes can be made. It's not about pointing figures and laying blame, but the wellbeing of the child.

Brightsparks do you mind if I private message you about this? My 19month old was diagnosed with milk protein intolerance at about 4months of age...I cut out all milk in my diet (breastfeeding) and all symptoms went away unless I slipped up. I'd love to see if you might have some info from your research and seminars to pass on to me!!

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

Brightsparks do you mind if I private message you about this? My 19month old was diagnosed with milk protein intolerance at about 4months of age...I cut out all milk in my diet (breastfeeding) and all symptoms went away unless I slipped up. I'd love to see if you might have some info from your research and seminars to pass on to me!!

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Sure that is fine. I have a dairy protein intolerance which has been confirmed through elimination and blood work and it's devastating as I LOVE cheese. I am my own worst enemy lol I just don't complain to anyone about it as it's all my own doing. <<<Not a great role model! A spoon full of yogurt has me writhing in pain on the floor when I don't have any kind of tolerance built up. You know like when you have a bit regularly and you live in a constant state of discomfort but you are used to it, but then when it is totally out of your system and you take a small amount in, it hits you like a ton of bricks!

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

Brightsparks do you mind if I private message you about this? My 19month old was diagnosed with milk protein intolerance at about 4months of age...I cut out all milk in my diet (breastfeeding) and all symptoms went away unless I slipped up. I'd love to see if you might have some info from your research and seminars to pass on to me!!

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Went through the same thing with my younger daughter, we went dairy free for over a year while I was breastfeeding. She is 2.5 years old now and has outgrown it is to a certain extent and is able to have small amounts of dairy a day - usually a piece of cheese. I still don't give either of my girls cows milk as they both have intolerances. My youngest gets diarrhea/eczema (milk protein intolerance) and my oldest gets constipated. I did all my own research on it too, as my family doctor was useless. She called it lactose intolerance when it was really milk protein intolerance. I myself also have dairy intolerance which was really bad when I was a child, and it was really bad after I started introducing dairy again after I finished breastfeeding. But I have built up my tolerance again and can eat it in moderation.

its very dificult problem, need fix it!