18 month old lose for 2 weeks know

Question

my son who will be 18 months on the 17th has had lose bm's every time he goes for 2 weeks know and i called the doctor they told me to cut back on juice and to add more fiber into his diet.

what foods have fiber in them or what can i do to add more fiber into his diet and if he wont drink water what else can i give him. he drinks about 16oz of milk a day

Answer 1

I agree with the above poster.  I would call the doctor back and see if they will do a culture.  Two weeks is a long time for loose bowels.  

If he is drinking milk, then you could give him some pedialyte to help keep him hydrated.  My son would get dehydrated when he had upset stomach.  I wouldn't do Koolaid b/c of the sugar.  Some people recommend Gatorade but I'd ask the doctor about that.  My son only drinks water, juice (maybe a cup per day) and milk.  He's 21 months old.  

As far as the fiber, I don't understand why they would want to do that either.  Basically, when my son has upset stomach -- no juice and I give him bananas and applesauce to help calm his stomach down.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You can try whole grain breads and brown rice for fiber but I also find that bananas make my daughter constipated so maybe they'd firm up your son's loose bm's.  

Answer 3

Cheerios, triscuits, high fiber breads, and things of that nature.The fiber will bulk up the BM. Have you tried diluting the juice and weaning  him off? Just dilute it a little more each day until it is flavored water, and don't give in to crying if he doesn't like it right away. Given no other option he will give in and get used to it.

This is an explanation as to why the doc would suggest more fiber. I am not saying he has IBS.

Soluble Fiber Foods ~ the Basis of the IBS Diet

Why is soluble fiber so special? Because unlike any other food category, it soothes and regulates the digestive tract, stabilizes the intestinal contractions resulting from the gastrocolic reflex, and normalizes bowel function from either extreme. That's right – soluble fiber prevents and relieves BOTH diarrhea and constipation. Nothing else in the world will do this for you.

How is this possible? The "soluble" in soluble fiber means that it dissolves in water (though it is not digested). This allows it to absorb excess liquid in the colon, preventing diarrhea by forming a thick gel and adding a great deal of bulk as it passes intact through the gut. This gel (as opposed to a watery liquid) also keeps the GI muscles stretched gently around a full colon, giving those muscles something to easily "grip" during peristaltic contractions, thus preventing the rapid transit time and explosive bowel movements of diarrhea as well.

As a general rule, the grain and cereal foods at the top of this list make the safest, easiest, and most versatile soluble fiber foundations for your meals and snacks.[1]

Rice

Pasta and noodles

Oatmeal

Barley

Fresh white breads such as French or sourdough (NOT whole wheat or whole grain)*

Rice cereals

Flour tortillas

Soy

Quinoa

Corn meal

Potatoes

Carrots

Yams

Sweet potatoes

Turnips

Rutabagas

Parsnips

Beets

Squash and pumpkins

Mushrooms

Chestnuts

Avocados (though they do have some fat)

Bananas

Applesauce

Mangoes

Papayas (also digestive aids that relieve gas and indigestion)

*Please choose a baked-daily, high quality, preservative-free brand. White bread does not mean Wonder.

Answer 4

You may want to have stool culture done to make sure there are no bacterial infections in the bowl but I thought Fiber made you poo more.  

Answer 5

Check the ingredients on the food label, and the nutrition fact for fiber content. there are cereals that are high in fiber, check them out.

As a child I also had loose bowels, and going off milk completely,helped somewhat, talk to your child's. Dr. about that option.

try Pedialyte Ices if he won't take water. it is very important that he stays hydrated. and if he won't take the ices, then, you'll just have to give him pedialyte juice like you'd feed him medicine.

If you are currently giving him apple juice (even diluted!!) then cut that juice out totally, as I've read an article ages ago in my pediatrician's office which said that apple juice in particular is a source of causing loose bowels.

check the google (or Yahoo) search for veggies that are high in fiber content.

Good Luck

Answer 6

Umm first of all find a different doctor. Don't be afraid of getting a second or third opinion. Your son's health may be at risk.

Second although fibre is very important in your diet increasing the fibre intake at this time will most probably make the problem worse.

Third juice should be an occasional(and diluted with water) beverage for a young child for many reasons. He seems to be having an appropriate amount of milk for his age. I think they're supposed to drink about 500ml a day at this age. Anymore would probably cause them to lose their appetite as milk is very filling.

I would continue to encourage him to drink water. Have you tried offering him water at different temperatures? Also you could try colouring the water with a small amount of squeezed/crushed fresh or defrosted raspberries, blueberries, cherries etc. My grandma cooks small batches of compote (sugarfree) with all these different berries for my daughter. Some of the ways I use that compote are: a) I occasionally put a small amount into my daughters water; b) I put the cooked berries as a topping on her natural youghurt or open cream cheese sandwich. You could also try offering him diluted mild herbal teas like camomile or peppermint (sugarfree) to encourage him to try new and milder tasting beverages. You could then dilute them more and more until eventually he's drinking water.

I hope this helps.

I would take him to a good doctor for a proper check up though. Loose bowel movements for 2 weeks in a row is definitely not a sign of great health, especially for an 18 month old. Good luck.