Frequent Bowel Movement

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Frequent Bowel Movement

My ten month baby has frequent bowel movements: 5-6 times per day. He has no fever and appears happy. Is this normal?

I am afraid he is not gaining any weight because of the frequency in the bowel movement. Could that be the case?

Find answers and comments to this question below.

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Baby Help Line Response:

Hi,

Actually 5-6 bowel movements per day in such an "old" baby does not seem completely right, at least not if it is a sudden change compared to his usual bowel movement habits. Are the stools hard or too soft?

If he is not ill and the stools are very soft or semi-liquid, as you say, the most common reason that I know of is too much fiber in the foods.

Is he getting whole-grain bread, cereal or some other fiber rich foods? In such case, cut down completely on those foods, and your are likely to see an improvement within days.

If the poop is very hard and therefor frequent, he is of course more likely to be somewhat constipated and instead more fiber rich foods will help him.

Other reasons for his frequent bowel movements could be some food intolerance. Think back to when it started and see if you can find a connection with the introduction of some type of food. Then try excluding it from his diet and see if it helps.

Babies can also sometimes have frequent bowel movements while teething, because they drool a lot and swallow the salivia, which works as a mild laxative for them. (For more baby teething symptoms, read this article.)

If nothing helps, you might want to contact his health care provider, to rule out any bacteria or similar.

Good luck,

Paula

The information provided on this site is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care professional regarding any medical condition or treatment. Nothing contained on this site is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment.

Comments for
Frequent Bowel Movement

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Mar 03, 2009

18 month poops 4 to 6 times a day
by: Anonymous

i'm a nanny for a 18 month boy. he poops 4 to 6 times a day and they are never hard...always soft. not to mention the smell and the amount is huge. i was wondering if this is normal. i'm worried about him.

Mar 04, 2009

Food or fiber...
by: Baby Help Line

Hi Nanny,

I think the same goes for an 18 months old baby as teh 10 months old baby above. Such frequent bowel movements may be due to too much fiber or some food intolerance; for example lactose.

Have you discussed this with the baby's parents? Maybe it would be wise to try to change the diet slightly and see if you get any positive effects.

If the baby's weight gain is poor, then it might be wise to discuss the situation with a pediatrician to see if any testing is needed to rule out for example hypersensitivity to gluten.

Good luck,

Paula

Aug 22, 2010

One Year Old Pooping 4x a day!
by: Chelsea

Ahhhh! I've been having this same problem w/my still breast-fed (3X per day) 12 month old. Gluten/milk allergies run in my family so that struck a cord with me and I may need to cut back on them.

Here's the thing...I'm an inexperienced mom/cook and I tend to fall back on easy foods. Since he eats A TON (seriously, its unreal!), mainly fruits and veggies aren't cutting it. I need some filler foods. So I added organic whole grain brown rice. (Gluten free, right?) It has 2g fiber per 1/4 cup which is about what he will eat in a serving. Is that a lot?

My sons main diet consists of fruit (His favorites are mango cantaloupe, bananas & grapes), veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, corn), scrambled eggs, brown rice, cheerios (possible culpret?), and gerber or other snacks.

So my question is, if I take brown rice and cheerios out, what can I add in as healthy fillers? It's hard to think of anything if I'm not going to be adding any other whole grains or cheeses (dairy)...he loves potatoes but aren't those high in fiber also?

Thanks!!

Chelsea

Aug 25, 2010

Frequent Baby pooh
by: Anonymous

Hi all,

I have a 5.5 months old baby girl. She is having 40 to 50ml of breast milk everyday. Her mum only produces that amount of breast milk daily. So my baby is supplement with formula milk.

Prior to 21 August 2010, she passed motion one or twice a day. However, after 21 August 2010, she pass motion each formula feed. She still drinks 50ml Breast milk per day.

She got no fever, no sign of dehydration and happy.

My baby poop is usually a mustardy yellow color, grainy in texture and quite runny and it still remains the same.

Is this normal for my baby to pass motion 6 to 8 times per day after each feed?

Thanks.

Aug 27, 2010

Suddenly pooping after every feeding
by: Baby Help Line (Paula)

Hi Anonymous,

Since your baby's bowel movements changed so drastically on a specific date (August 21st), there might be something not completely right here. Have you changed her diet at all? Or could she be ill; a cold or a stomach bug?

If you have changed her diet, try changing it back and see if her bowel movements go back to normal again. If you haven't changed anything or if she continues to poop after every feeding, I suggest you bring it up with her doctor or health nurse.

Warm wishes,

Paula

Sep 07, 2010

Frequent bowel movement 15 months old
by: Cristina

Hello,
I seem to experience a similar issue as the other moms above. My 15 months old son has frequent bowel moments - from 4 to 7 a day.
They are never watery.
There is quite a bit of not-digested food in his bowels, like green peas, corn, pieces of carrot, grapes etc. Is that normal?
Also, the frequency of his bowels worries me : is this normal? Is he getting all the nutriments he needs from his food, if it goes through his system that fast?

His diet it quite varied and everything is home-made.
I give him 5 spoons of baby-cereal in the morning with some banana, then at lunch rice with vegetables and a bit of chicken or some other meat, fruits and some cottage cheese and at dinner similar to lunch but different veggies and different meat and some cheddar or yogourt and fruits.
He drinks about 4 bottles of 5 ounces of milk a day and some water. (I don't offer him any juices at all)
He has a healthy appetite and i wonder if his bowels are not simply due to his food intake... but it seem odd that they are so frequent.
I have to constantly run after him to change him, as he gets diaper-rash easily too.
Should I be worried?

What can I change in his diet?

Remove the milk - to test if he's not lactose intolerant? But replace it with WHAT? He loves milk and all milk products (cheese, yogourt etc).
Remove rice/pasta to test if he's gluten intolerant? But replace it with what that can be a good filler?

Any pointer would be GREATLY welcome !!!
Thank you so much for your help !

Jan 11, 2011

my almost two year old daughter
by: Anonymous

My little girl has had soft bowel movements every 5-6 times a day, she has had the her immune shots just last month and she has also been sick within last month and finally getting over it now,is it still normal or do I need to change her diet or do I need to talk to her doctor?

Feb 09, 2011

lactose intolerant...
by: Paula (Baby Help Line)

To the mom with a 2 year old,

Since your daughter has been ill, she might very well benefit from you taking away all dairy products (except full-fat, plain yogurt) for a while.

It is quite common that children become temporarily lactose intolerant after illness. It will pass, but might pass faster if you take away dairy for a couple of weeks.

Hope this helps,

Paula

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