There’s something you need to know about dietitians.
We are kind of obsessed with bowel movements. We don’t get grossed out, say, discussing their texture over a meal. I remember during my internship having an instructor drilling us about “how are his bowel movements?” “Formed, liquid or hard?” We have been trained to see what comes out of the body as a sign of how well the body is working. Period.
This means that you have something in common with dietitians because I believe once someone becomes a parent, they too, become more tuned in to bodily functions. Like it or not!
That brings me to one ongoing challenge in my house — keeping Little D’s, who is now 4, bowels moving.
Bowel movements through the years
When both my kids started on solids they went through transient constipation. It freaked me out with Big A but with Little D I expected it and both were short-lived and not a big deal. A key difference between both my kids at age 4, though, is that Big A has always eaten a wide variety of fruit but Little D doesn’t. He eats some fruits and veggies but they are clearly not his preferred foods.
In fact, this boy doesn’t like super sweet foods and drinks. That means no juice, sweet fruits like strawberries or oranges and no sweet candy. But he does love rich desserts that contain chocolate and peanut butter and he absolutely loves cookies and ice cream. He is his father’s son.
What typically happens when he skips over fruits and veggies is he starts to have pebbly poos. This is very dissatisfying to watch as a dietitian and a parent. In fact, it breaks my heart to know that he sits on the toilet for a good amount of time only to see small pieces there.
Fiber, fluid, and movement
While hard stools can be the result of other factors like stress and holding it, there are generally three food and activity behaviors that can affect it. Fiber, undigested through the GI tract, helps keep food moving. Without enough fluid intake, too much water ends up being reabsorbed in the large intestine causing the stools to harden. And regular activity helps keeps things moving too.
Little D drinks a ton of water and is one active boy so the culprit is fiber. He doesn’t have chronic constipation, which would be hard stools for more than 2 weeks. It’s just, I know he can do better.
Project Poo
The last thing I want to do is nag my boy to eat fruits and vegetables (although I have planted the seed about the connection). So it’s all about presenting them in a variety of ways.
You may have heard that there are two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and adds bulk to stool (keeping them soft). Insoluble doesn’t dissolve in water and has more of that laxative effect. Sources of soluble include oats, oat bran, lentils, apple, and oranges. Insoluble fiber includes whole grains, wheat bran, nuts, carrots, dark greens, grapes, and raisins. Most fiber-rich foods contain a combination of both fibers. For more, see this WebMD post.
Little D actually gets some good sources of fiber. He eats whole grains, beans, and nuts. One of the first things I did was add some high fiber twigs (wheat bran) to his cereal that he eats about three times a week.
Another is to only offer fruit at certain snack times. He loves apples with peanut butter so that maybe his snack in the afternoon if it’s been a low fruit day. He also loves my homemade trail mix and is a big raisin fan. I also add fruits and veggies to muffins with some added flaxseed meal. I offer raw veggies before dinner sometimes, which is a time my kids seem to go crazy begging for more!
But my secret weapon, when all else fails, is a smoothie. I add peanut butter, greens, flaxseed meal, frozen blueberries and pear with milk and ice. He loves these smoothies.
After all my work, I admittedly prefer to see the outcome. But the day after my biggest project yet, I was busy doing something so my husband helped my son in the bathroom. I was heading back there when I heard the dreaded flush.
I look at my husband and said, “I wanted to see…”
And he replied, “The log of your labor?”
I said yes and laughed. My husband promised me it was a good one. Since then, I’ve become more relaxed, as I don’t want to give my son a complex.
How about you? Any challenges in this area? Don’t worry, you won’t gross me out.
- Try one of Maryann’s books, all sold on Amazon:
From Picky to Powerful: The Mindset, Strategy, and Know-How You Need to Empower Your Picky Eater
The Family Dinner Solution: How to Create a Rotation of Dinners Meals Your Family Will Love
CONSTIPATION! It is the bain of my existence. My poor daughter, 10 years old, is constantly constipated. It has always been a problem, so mush so that her bowels get impacted and she will even wet herself because of the pressure. We try very hard to encourage all of the above that you mentioned and take about “taking the garbage” out regularly. I hadn’t thought about smoothies though, maybe I can sneak in some extra fiber that way. It is so sad to see a child (bluntly) pooping their pants because they are so backed up 🙁
Thanks for your comment Kat. Sorry to hear you daughter is having a hard time. Another thing that might be able to help chronic constipation is a probiotic. I discuss more about that here http://www.maryannjacobsen.com/2011/07/kids-nutrition-part-4-is-your-childs-gut-healthy/
My daughter who is now 6, likes to tell the story of how she poo-ed on daddy. When they were babies, they always picked him to have accidents on ; ) He is much less grossed out than he used to be!
Also I knew my husband (who is a step dad to our oldest of three) was a real parent when he knew the difference btwn the smells of our children’s BMs. HA, my life revolves around poop
You have no idea how many times I have thought of writing you about this! I have followed your blog for about three years now and I love it! I have commented very few times. My kids are 6 and 5. The 6 year old loves all things carbohydrate, hates all things fruit, and, of course, has problems with constipation. I have struggled with how to not force food on her but still maintain good bowel movements. She will not drink much juice and hates smoothies. 🙁 I use flaxseed in her oatmeal and push prunes. We have had many conversations as I try to gently persuade her to make good decisions regarding food but it hasn’t helped much. Thank you for these suggestions, though, and most of all, the encouragment that I am not alone!
Thanks Cristi. I used to think all kids liked fruit until I had my son. It’s always good to know that other parents are experiencing similar things. Does your daughter like peanut butter? you could try smoothies adding peanut butter (even chocolate) that aren’t that sweet. That what hooked little D. Hang in there. She’s at that age where they start opening up more and more!
So wonderful – and timely – to read this post. We are just getting over an episode with my daughter, 5. I unfortunately missed some of the early signs so we did having a couple of accidents before I realized the underlying issue. But we were able to resolve things fairly quickly. It just made me realize that I need to be a bit more diligent about offering certain foods and making sure she’s drinking enough water throughout the day. Great ideas here. (And I’m looking forward to Fearless Feeding just around the corner!)
Thanks Amy! As they get older it does become more difficult because you can’t always see what is going on. Little D still wants our help but I don’t always know with my 6 year old. I just know she eats more fruits and veggies then him!
Well, since you brought this up, I’ll ask. My son, who just turned three, has kind of an opposite issue, and I’ve wondered if it is a problem. He usually has loose stools. Not diarrhea, per se, just not very solid, definitely not a log. While he currently isn’t eating the wide variety of foods presented to him, he does eat lots of yogurt (plain, no additives, lowest sugar I can find) and tons of fruit, especially blueberries. Should I be concerned about this or can I scratch this issue off my list of worries?
Veronica,
There is something called Toddler’s diarrhea which is when young children have loose stools but no other problems such as food intolerance, decreased appetite or poor growth. Most children will outgrow it by school age. Too much juice can make it worse. It doesn’t sound problematic but if you are worried, ask your doctor. Here’s more info http://iuhealth.org/riley/gastroenterology/diseases-conditions/toddlers-diarrhea/
So, since you’ve brought it up, I’ll inquire. My two-year-old kid has the polar opposite problem, and I’ve been wondering if it’s a problem. His stools are frequently loose.
Loose stools at that age are often the result of juice. If it’s not that you might want to look into food allergies.