Runny Poop Problem!

[spchildcare]

I have been so aggravated this year by a little boy I keep who is almost 2. He is the son of an aquaintance and old co-worker (when I worked out of daycare business) and we still have many mutual friends. He has had runny poops since the first day he came. He poops through a pair of pants at LEAST once a week. There was a day where his poops were so bad that he pooped through both spares his mom sent AND a pair of my own son's pants bc I didn't have anything else to put him in!! I have confronted the mom many times about the health and sanitation issues it poses for the other children (not to mention this is happening in MY HOUSE and it is GROSS!!) and asked her not to send as much fruit/apple juice (she would send 10 oz full strength and always a ton of fruit) and maybe consider a diaper cover to keep the poops in. Well she stopped sending as much fruit for a while and his poops actually formed up. Now the runny ones are back again, so I'm pretty sure she is loading him up in the mornings/nights.

My question is....what to do?? I am re-writing my contract and need some ideas of things I can enforce. I obviously can't help what she is feeding him at home, but I have to deal with the consequences here. He is a sweet kid and I don't want to get rid of him, but I am fed up with the poops!!!

[DBug]

That is a nasty problem to deal with, not to mention unsanitary and costly. But this is one of the reasons I provide all meals and snacks (except for formula & baby food under age 1). Why not specify in your contract that all of your children will be eating what you provide, instead of giving the option for parents to send in food with their child? That way you can control the amount of juice and fruit this little guy is getting at your house. I serve diluted apple juice at am snack, and any other time they get milk or water. Really, they don't need the concentrated sugar, especially not while they're at my house ;-) You could also try making sure he gets a little extra fiber while at your house too.

[laundryduchess@yahoo.com]

I wouldnt give him any juice or fruit if he had runny stools. Period I dont care what they sent. Id tell her that until he quit having sick poops, he wouldnt be getting any juice or fruit while in my care.

[misol]

The problem is that even if he doesn't get it while in your care, the mom will still give it to him while at home. By the time whatever he ate runs through him he's in your care again. I have a mom now who sends dcb with prunes at least twice a week. His stools are normally soft (he is breastfed) and there is absolutely no reason this kid needs prunes. I have been unsuccessful at trying to time the feeding so that he has the runny poop at home. I think he saves it up just for me

[kitkat]

DD is 17 months and recently started on Milk of Magnesia for constipation issues. Our pediatrician told me they want the poops to be like a banana...formed, but soft enough to squish together. Sorry for the detail, but perhaps telling mom that might help. DD just blew through an outfit today, so I can totally sympathize with you. DCB isn't on Milk of Mag or Miralax, is he?

I would tell mom that the runny poop has to stop and if it doesn't, then you may have to terminate care and re-explain the whole sanitation part. Or you could ask her for a doctor's note stating that his poop isn't illness related. That would at least prompt a call to the doctor and maybe they'll tell her that his poop shouldn't be that runny. If you provide meals and mom sends extra food and juice, I would skip what she sends and give him stuff like bananas or cheese to make it not so loose.

[momofboys]

I'd try fruits/foods that are bulkier & that don't cause looseness of stools. Bananas are good for helping firm up BMs. . . . . also cheese. I would not try to give fiber rich foods if possible b/c they will contribute to looser stools. Fiber-rich foods (broccoli/strawberries/peaches/grapes/pears/prunes/raisins) should be avoided. I'd definitely ask the mom for a note from the pediatrician documenting he problem. Is it possible the child has a food senitivity or allergy? A friend of mine's 3 year old used to have problems with chronic diarehha but when they found out he needed to have a gluten-free diet & changed his diet dramatically the diarehha reduced significantly.

[momofboys]

Originally Posted by kitkat

DD is 17 months and recently started on Milk of Magnesia for constipation issues. Our pediatrician told me they want the poops to be like a banana...formed, but soft enough to squish together. Sorry for the detail, but perhaps telling mom that might help. DD just blew through an outfit today, so I can totally sympathize with you. DCB isn't on Milk of Mag or Miralax, is he?

I would tell mom that the runny poop has to stop and if it doesn't, then you may have to terminate care and re-explain the whole sanitation part. Or you could ask her for a doctor's note stating that his poop isn't illness related. That would at least prompt a call to the doctor and maybe they'll tell her that his poop shouldn't be that runny. If you provide meals and mom sends extra food and juice, I would skip what she sends and give him stuff like bananas or cheese to make it not so loose.

We were thinking so alike, lol!

[Daycare Mommy]

I've had 2 children in my care that have had this issue.

Child #1 - Runny poop turned out to be from too much juice. Cut down juice to 1 diluted 50/50 cup per day. The rest was milk and water. Encouraged bananas, cheese, peanut butter until his tummy got back to normal.

Child #2 - Runny poop again. This child did lots of juice and fruit too. Tried the above changes and it got worse! Turned out to be a lactose intolerance. Cut out all dairy and gave bananas and peanut butter in the beginning. Diluted juice and fruit the whole time as well and got his tummy back to normal too.

Whatever you do don't ignore it and just live with it. That's what I did for a long time thinking that was just the way these kids are. It's NOT normal! You need to talk to the parents too. I'd make it clear if they will not work with you to make diet changes as needed to get this under control they need to go. It's just plain unsanitary to have a child in a daycare setting doing this.

[Persephone]

We had a child like this at the daycare Center I worked at. He'd have loose poop in his diaper at every diaper change, which was at least ever 2 1/2 - 3 hours. If not more in between. And it smelled so bad.

He sucked down juice like crazy! So we knew this had to be the problem.


I say try talking to the mom again. I agree with adding more bananas and cheese to his diet. If you think it's not working out because of the BMs, then let the mom know that something needs to be done now.

[momma2girls]

OMG!!! I had a 2 yr. old boy that pooped 2-3 times a day, and let me tell you it stunk so bad, and it was awful!!! I told the Mom to cut out his juices and koolaid? Can you believe it Koolaid in his sippee cup. She took him to the DR. I wrote a note to the DR.(which I don't know if she ever gave it to him) he said it was just teething!!!! OMG!!!!! She said she cut out the juices, it was better, about down to once a day. Let me tell you I had 3 bedrooms done in our basment, and I could smell it thru the furnace ducts up to my laundry room, when he did this. It was always during nap times!!! I opened my basement door, and YUCK!!!! SOmetimes it got all over the pack and play, etc. it was disgusting!!! I should have made her buy a new pack and play for me!!!! Then I ended up moving- I told the Mom I couldn't keep doing this. I had to spray and try to clean the pack and play everyday if not 2-3 times a day. We tried to tie a sheet to it, so it wouldn't get all over everything, hopefully just on the sheet. That didn't work, he would get that off, he would be under the pad, etc........After moving, I often wondered how he was doing.

[Daycare Mommy]

After seeing it happen once I really wonder how many of these are related to lactose intolerance or other food sensitivities? Too much juice is bad, but that's not always the culprit.

[momma2girls]

Originally Posted by Daycare Mommy

After seeing it happen once I really wonder how many of these are related to lactose intolerance or other food sensitivities? Too much juice is bad, but that's not always the culprit.

I did mention Lactose intolerant to her as well. It did seem to get better though, by cutting out the juices/koolaid. If I would have had him any longer, I would have had the Dr. check him out for this as well. It wasn't just teething!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How ridiculous!!!

[Daycare Mommy]

Originally Posted by Iowa daycare

I did mention Lactose intolerant to her as well. It did seem to get better though, by cutting out the juices/koolaid. If I would have had him any longer, I would have had the Dr. check him out for this as well. It wasn't just teething!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How ridiculous!!!

Yeah ours got a little better too after cutting back the juice & fruit until we upped the milk. Then it was a constant poopy nightmare! lol It never ceases to amaze me what a low priority their children's health and comfort are for some of these parents.