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.







Baby Help Line Response:

Hi there!

Actually 5-6 bowel movements per day in such an "old" baby does not seem completely right. 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.

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

Good luck!

/Paula


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