Loose stool in one year old
March 6, 2015 6:22 AM Subscribe
Hi ask.mefi! You are not my doctor but right now my doctor is 3000 miles away and won't be open for another two hours. Ditto with my husbands he office to find out if our insurance will cover a quick walk in visit with someone else.
Tue-wed night Typechip (13 months old) had uncomfortable stomach cramps and lots of gas and loose stool - not watery but runny and yellow.
We thought it was due to Mac and cheese made with milk since he reacts badly to milk (but not cheese or yogurt) and cleaned him up and moved on.
He's had loose-ish stool since but no cramps or epic gas. This morning though another really messy diaper with lots of sticky liquidy yellow brown poo.
However he's eating well, happy and playful and chattering and has no fever or anything like that.
I plan to call is doctor once they open but in the meantime what can I do for the little guy?
My kids often get bouts of this, particularly at that age. I usually just kept and eye on it and if it went away in a couple days, didn't do much besides give him some food that tends to "bind things up" like peanut butter. As long as he's staying hydrated, drinking, happy, with no fever, you should be fine to just keep an eye on it.
posted by katers890 at 6:30 AM on March 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by katers890 at 6:30 AM on March 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
Keep him hydrated. That's probably the most important thing you can do while you're waiting for your doc.
posted by phunniemee at 6:30 AM on March 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 6:30 AM on March 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
Yellowish poo tends to mean a shorter amount of time spent in the digestive tract. Any little stomach bug or food sensitivity could cause this, so sure, call the doctor if it continues but don't panic.
Bananas are binding and bland (ie, shouldn't cause further irritation), so if you have any around, that would be a good thing for your little one to eat. If you don't have pedialyte on hand, apple juice or even Gatorade can help replenish fluids and electrolytes, whereas orange juice, for example, is acidic and likely more irritating.
On preview, what katers890 said. This happens. Hang in there!
posted by whoiam at 6:36 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Bananas are binding and bland (ie, shouldn't cause further irritation), so if you have any around, that would be a good thing for your little one to eat. If you don't have pedialyte on hand, apple juice or even Gatorade can help replenish fluids and electrolytes, whereas orange juice, for example, is acidic and likely more irritating.
On preview, what katers890 said. This happens. Hang in there!
posted by whoiam at 6:36 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Thirding that this is probably nothing to worry about - as long as he's happy, eating/drinking and otherwise healthy it should clear up. One thing you can do is smear on lots of diaper cream. I found loose, frequent poo would tend to cause diaper rash and it's much easier to prevent it than to have to deal with it later.
posted by pocams at 6:42 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by pocams at 6:42 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
I agree with others about hydration and binding foods, but if you are worried and don't want to wait 2 hours, check your insurance card or insurance online and see if they have a nurse's hotline. Sometimes they have 24 hour nurse advice available--my insurance, Anthem, does this and the number is on my insurance card. They might have more specific advice, and it might be comforting for you to have the advice from a nurse. Hope your little one is feeling better soon!
posted by shortyJBot at 6:49 AM on March 6, 2015
posted by shortyJBot at 6:49 AM on March 6, 2015
Pedialyte.
OxiClean for the clothes that hacectge yellow poo.
I'd probably call the nurse line either with your insurance or at your pediatrician's.
But sometimes kids get this. My daughter got this sort of bug when she was a toddler. She'd be playing, and then "plbbbttttt". Depth charge green foamy poo. It went on for a few days.
posted by leahwrenn at 9:15 AM on March 6, 2015
OxiClean for the clothes that hacectge yellow poo.
I'd probably call the nurse line either with your insurance or at your pediatrician's.
But sometimes kids get this. My daughter got this sort of bug when she was a toddler. She'd be playing, and then "plbbbttttt". Depth charge green foamy poo. It went on for a few days.
posted by leahwrenn at 9:15 AM on March 6, 2015
Push fluids, and don't worry too much as long as he's not ACTING sick. As long as they're not throwing everything up, running a fever, lethargic and sad, or croupy, the answer is almost always "push fluids and keep an eye on it."
Kids do get diarrhea/weird poop for a few days at a time, with alarming frequency, for indeterminate reasons. (Mine ALWAYS got it with teething, even though many doctors swear there is no connection between teething and loose stool. Supermarket cupcakes -- I assume the frosting -- was another reliable culprit. Other times, no idea.) Keep an eye, but don't freak out. Half water/half juice (or half water/half sprite) comes closer to the electrolyte balance of pedialyte than 100% juice. I just keep handing my kids sippy cups of that and they keep drinking it because oooooooooh sugar.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:32 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Kids do get diarrhea/weird poop for a few days at a time, with alarming frequency, for indeterminate reasons. (Mine ALWAYS got it with teething, even though many doctors swear there is no connection between teething and loose stool. Supermarket cupcakes -- I assume the frosting -- was another reliable culprit. Other times, no idea.) Keep an eye, but don't freak out. Half water/half juice (or half water/half sprite) comes closer to the electrolyte balance of pedialyte than 100% juice. I just keep handing my kids sippy cups of that and they keep drinking it because oooooooooh sugar.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:32 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Feel around in his mouth along the gums. You will probably find a tooth trying to come in. Messy diapers at that age are common when teething.
posted by myselfasme at 10:25 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by myselfasme at 10:25 AM on March 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Most pediatricians have an exchange you can call during off hours where you can talk to someone who can screen your issues and, at minimum, direct you to emergency treatment if needed. Call your pediatrician's office and listen to their entire off-hours message, there should be information there about contacting their exchange.
posted by slogger at 12:00 PM on March 6, 2015
posted by slogger at 12:00 PM on March 6, 2015
Mine ALWAYS got it with teething, even though many doctors swear there is no connection between teething and loose stool.
I find the same thing! Our doctor figured it was related to the salivation that goes along with the teething. Many kids will drool enough to soak bibs when teething, but mine instead swallows all the saliva and this contributes to the loose stools.
posted by pocams at 12:20 PM on March 6, 2015
I find the same thing! Our doctor figured it was related to the salivation that goes along with the teething. Many kids will drool enough to soak bibs when teething, but mine instead swallows all the saliva and this contributes to the loose stools.
posted by pocams at 12:20 PM on March 6, 2015
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posted by FritoKAL at 6:23 AM on March 6, 2015