Diarrhoea: What it is and what to do about it.

If your child’s poo is frequently watery and loose, he or she is likely suffering from Diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea occurs when the lower intestine stops doing its job of removing water from food waste.  This is usually due to an infection, such as gastroenteritis or food poisoning.

What to do?

In most cases, the body takes care of diarrhoea on its own. If your child is experiencing diarrhoea, it’s important to keep them well-hydrated, as the body’s ability to absorb and use water is diminished. Oral rehydration drinks (available in pharmacies) can help replace lost salts and minerals.

Swapping fatty or sweet foods for starchy foods (such as rice, banana and bread) can help relieve symptoms.

Diarrhoea is also highly infectious. If your child has diarrhoea, it is important to wash your hands thoroughly and often while looking after them, and before eating food.

What about babies?

Diarrhoea can be very dangerous for babies, because they are much more vulnerable to becoming dehydrated. If your baby has diarrhoea, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

For more information, see the RCH Gastroenteritis Fact Sheet.

 

Constipation: signs your child is constipated and what to do about it

It’s normal to visit the toilet from 3 times per day to 3 times per week. Any less than three visits and we’re in constipation territory—especially if it’s a significant effort (indicated by children audibly straining on the loo).

Constipation is very common—around one third of children will experience it. Other signs include children complaining of a sore stomach, and feeling less hungry than usual.

Younger children, who cannot communicate as easily, still have ways of letting us know something isn’t quite right.

“Infants will typically demonstrate back arching and stiffening of their legs,” says Dr George Alex, RCH Gastroenterologist.

“Toddlers often rise on their toes and rock back and forth while squeezing their buttocks together, and some sit in the corner and just cross their legs tightly,” he says.

So what should you do if you think your child may be constipated?

As mentioned in previous posts, a healthy intake of dietary fibre and plenty of water go a long way to maintaining a healthy digestive system. However, these may not always fix constipation. Natural laxatives such as prunes and prune juice can be effective; if not, pharmaceutical laxatives may be appropriate.

For more information about which laxatives are appropriate for your child, read the RCH Constipation Fact Sheet.

If you believe your infant is constipated, you should consult a general practitioner or maternal and child health nurse.

Constipation is rarely dangerous. However, if it occurs very early in an infant’s life (such as in the first month) or is associated with poor growth and vomiting, you should consult a general practitioner, who will investigate before referring to us at the RCH or other health providers, if necessary.

 

What should your poo look like?

Poo is a lot like a diamond—it comes from a dark cavern and sometimes takes a lot of effort to remove.  Another thing in common with diamonds—the Diamond Rating system (aka ‘The Four C’s) can come in handy in rating the quality of both.

So: Is your (or your child’s) poo good enough to propose with?

Colour

Diamonds: white is best. The yellower the tinge, the less you ought to pay.

Poo: classic ‘poo brown’ represents a healthy bowel movement. Any other colour and you should contact a doctor. If bright red blood is present on toilet paper, this may be caused by small tears in the rectum. However, if the stool itself contains blood, this can be a more serious sign of internal bleeding, and a doctor should be contacted.

Carat (or volume)

Diamonds: This is the easy one. The higher the figure, the lighter your wallet should feel.

Poo: The volume of poo will likely depend on the frequency of bowel movements. Anywhere from 3 times per day to 3 times per week is normal, and will result in a normal volume of stool.

(It’s important to note, however, that breastfed babies play by their own rules. It’s normal for them to pass soft stools from 7 times per day to once per week. Bottle-fed babies are more likely to fill their nappies at least every 2-3 days.)

Cut (or shape)

Diamonds: For diamonds, cut/shape is a matter of preference. Princess, Sapphire, Square—whatever you like best, whatever complements your ring finger.

Poo: Healthy poo should be firm, moist and passed without difficulty. Loose, watery stool can indicate a bowel infection (diarrhoea), and a hard and dense stool is a sign of constipation.

Clarity

Diamonds: Ideally, a diamond will be free of small black marks called occlusions, which devalue the stone.

Poo: Ideally, all foods eaten will be fully digested by the time they are turned into waste products. If anything remains, it isn’t being properly digested and should probably be removed from your child’s diet.

 

 

 

Most Fibrous Foods

If you plan on keeping your child’s digestive system healthy and happy, fibre will be a factor. Interestingly, the human body can’t actually process fibre—it passes through us relatively unchanged. Nevertheless, it plays an essential role in bowel health and is vital in preventing conditions such as constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and even some forms of cancer.

If you find your child taking too few trips to the toilet, an extra daily helping of fibre may be just what the doctor ordered. It’s recommended that young children consume 18g of fibre per day, and early adolescents should be consuming around 20g per day.
Here are some of the most fibrous, kid-friendly foods to help maintain your child’s healthy digestion.

Raspberries

1 cup = 8g of fibre

Avocado:

Half an avocado: 6.7g of fibre

Whole wheat pasta:

1 cup (cooked): 6g of fibre

Almonds:

30g: 4.5g of fibre

Apple (with skin)

1 apple: 3g of fibre
Banana:

1 Banana: 3.2g of fibre

Wholemeal bread

1 slice = 2.5g of fibre

Ok, we weren’t completely honest with the kid-friendly part, but Brussels sprouts and broccoli are great sources of fibre, and shouldn’t be overlooked (if possible). If you manage to get your little one happily munching these, we want your secret.

Brussels sprouts

1 cup: 4.1g of fibre

Broccoli:

1 cup: 5.1 grams of fibre

 

What is The Bowel Movement?

We’re serious about health here at the RCH. If it helps our community’s children, we won’t turn our noses up at any subject. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce The Bowel Movement: a mini health info campaign.

For five days, we’re covering the ins-and-outs of all things poo. We’re flush with facts that are too good to waste, so if you’re ready to learn a thing or two, pull up a stool and join the Movement.