Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Toddler Diarrhea Syndrome

My two year old daughter has been diagnosed by her pediatrician with Toddler Diarrhea Syndrome when I got a second opinion the physician (not a pediatrician) said he had never heard of it.  Chrones disease runs in my family as well as other stomach disorders and I am wondering what my next step is.  I don't want to put my daughter to be put through any unnecessary testing but with all the diarrhea she does have she has to be very uncomfortable.  Her childcare teacher who has been doing her job for many years has even said she has never had a child have such loose bowl movements every single day at least twice.  Please help.

Laura Root
6 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
My 2 1/2 year old has also just been diagnosed with this and I've done a lot of research to find out what I'm dealing with. It seems that apart from the obvious discomforts and inconveniences caused by the diarrhea, this is not a serious medical condition and usually clears up by age 3 1/2. However some cases can last until age 5-6. I have been told to cut out juice. Also look at if your child is having enough fat in their diet. Although a low fat diet is good for adults, reducing the risk of heart disease etc, it is not good for children, who need 35-40% fat in their diet ie whole milk, full fat yogurts. Do not worry about 'malabsorption' as this is not an issue with Toddlers Diarrhea Syndrome. Some believe it to be more of a problem with diet rather than an actual medical condition.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My 2 year old has also had chronic diarrhea for 4 months. We have already seen his pediatrician numerous times and been transferred to a gatroenterologist at our local Childrens hospital. They completed an endoscopy and colonoscopy and still have not found the cause of his diarrhea. One suspect that they r still looking into is his pancreatic enzyme levels. Theses enzymes help aid stomach acids in the digestion and absorbtion of fats and nutrients. If this isn't the cause then I don't know what we will do next but his diarrhea has severely affected his growth. He has not gained any weight for 10 months and started losing weight recently. I will say he was uncomfortable after his scopes were done and I was a nervous wreck but after a few hours of being home he was up playing again like nothing was wrong. So they really weren't that bad for him and if they help get him better then they were worth it. So if anyone has an ideas that could help me it would be appreciated and I hope any of our story helps the mother with the two year old also suffering from diarrhea.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Eating disorders in toddlers was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
my son (16 mo.) has also had constint diarrhea and we have been to the doctor severl times and up countless nights with stomach pain and diarrhea.  Through the alergee Dr. we know he is alergic to milk and when we went to the gi Dr. she had said to stop giving him foods or drinks that contained fructose.  We did that right away and with in 48hr. he did not have diarrhea, we went from about 6 diapers with diarrhea to only 1 diaper with a normal stool and sleep at night.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I agree with everything Wilson said. How long has your toddler had this diarrhea? Here are some questions & ideas as food for thought: Ask your doc and a pediatric gastro doc about these questions:

1) What do YOU think happened that started the diarrhea?

  a) Has the child been on ANTI-BIOTICS, or any other medications, ever? One side effect of anti-biotics, and other medications, can be diarrhea. To correct this side effect, try a child's form of BIFIDO-BACTERIA (RELATED TO ACIDOPHILUS), mixed with clean water. Take in-between anti-biotic doses, and even after finishing up any antibiotics. These "beneficial bacteria" are called "pro-biotics", and often need to be eaten to "re-populate" them into the large intestine, because antibiotics kill off these beneficial bacteria.

  b) Be sure the water that the child drinks has NO WATER SOFTENERS in it. Avoid distilled water. "Hard" water, containing good minerals is better than "soft" water. Distilled water is "soft" water. Avoid water that has chlorine & fluoride. Consider a solid carbon filter if necessary, on the faucet, like a "Culligan's" filter. (Avoid filters that contain Silver, which is a toxic heavy metal.)

  c) If the water your child drinks has been treated in a water treatment plant, find out if too much "treatment" chemicals are getting in that water, and/or if some micro-organisms might have gotten in, like GIARDIA, and some other types, that may have caused an INTESTINAL INFECTION of PARASITES, OR OTHER TYPE OF INFECTION. [Did the child drink questionable water while on a trip somewhere away from your home, ever?]

  d) Might pesticide "runoff" be getting into your water supply?

  e) Avoid all artificial ingredients, including artificial sweetners such as NUTRASWEET (also called EQUAL & ASPARTAME). Avoid SORBITOL, MANNITOL, etc. which are artificial sweeteners that cause diarrhea. READ LABELS CAREFULLY. Don't let the child eat or drink any ingredients that you can't pronounce or don't know what they are!

  f) Carefully (as Wilson suggested) examine EVERYTHING that your child is eating and drinking. As he said, consider FOOD ALLERGIES. Also, is your child maybe being infected by other children? or by other caretakers??? Does your child ever NOT have diarrhea?

  g)Is the color &/or odor &/or texture &/or amount of the diarrhea stool unusual? Tell your docs! Ask what this means.

  h) Did the diarrhea start right after a particular VACCINATION/immunization shot? Some children have "adverse" (bad) reactions to vaccinations.

  i) Might the child have LACTOSE INTOLERANCE? If so, either avoid milk products, or try lactase enzyme("lactaid" brand is popular) along with the milk, IF your doc says this is OK for your child.

  j) As Wilson said, consider Celiac Disease, which is an intolerance to GLUTEN. If the child has this, avoid anything that has the following gluten sources in it: AVOID: Wheat, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat. Look up Celiac Disease in children, on the internet, and ask your doc about it. (If the child has Celiac Disease, lactose intolerance is often present too.)

  k) Look up Crohn's Disease in children, on the internet. See what gentle natural treatments there are, if your child has this.

2) Go to a health food store, read in books, and ask people who work there and shoppers, about what gentle, non-harmful remedies helped their children that had or have what your child has. This means you may need to get your child diagnosed.

3) Constant diarrhea is harmful to your child's health, for many reasons, including "malabsorption". Is your child taking child-type vitamins, etc.? Has the stool been tested for many different causes of diarrhea? Do find a good pediatric gastroenterologist with good bedside manner, who is patient, thorough, and kind, and who will examine your child, and who will not give up, and who wants to get to the bottom of what is going on with your child, as soon as possible!

I hope others, including parents, will share their ideas with you, and I hope your child feels better soon! Good for you, for working on curing your child's problem(s)!!!

Concerned lady,  ***@****    and  website, http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm no doctor, but it seems one thing you could try is experimenting with some changes in your daughter's diet. Are there alot of dairy products or sugar in her diet now? You might also try eliminating wheat, which would obviously be one of the culprits if she has celiac disease. I've even read medical reports that link onset of Crohn's symptoms with ingestion of wheat.

Aside from that she should probably be under the care of a pediatric gastroenterologist. A few (potentially)uncomfortable tests NOW could save her alot of suffering in the many years she has ahead of her.

Good luck to you.
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Digestive Disorders / Gastroenterology Forum

Popular Resources
Learn which OTC medications can help relieve your digestive troubles.
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
Discover common causes of and remedies for heartburn.
This common yet mysterious bowel condition plagues millions of Americans
Don't get burned again. Banish nighttime heartburn with these quick tips
Get answers to your top questions about this pervasive digestive problem