Your toddler’s body is growing and changing, so her stool often changes frequently as well. Looking at her waste may not be fun, but it’s an easy way to keep track of what’s going on inside her. Stool that varies in color and texture is generally not a sign of anything dangerous to her health, but you must call her doctor anytime she seems to be in pain or shows any other symptoms of illness.
Diarrhea
If your toddler suddenly begins passing frequent, watery stools, he’s likely experiencing diarrhea. Diarrhea can be caused by a number of things. He may have a viral or bacterial infection, or he may have drunk too much fruit juice or milk. Give him water to drink and call the doctor if he begins vomiting repeatedly or has a fever. His body may also be adjusting to the addition of new foods to his diet -- if he has frequent diarrhea that doesn’t occur for any discernible reason, this may be the cause and he’ll eventually outgrow it.
Constipation
Constipation in a toddler is generally the result of one of two things: her diet or the beginning of toilet training. If her stools are hard and dry and she passes them less frequently than normal, give her more water and add high-fiber foods like fresh fruits, vegetables and whole wheat bread into her diet. If you’ve recently begun working on potty training, she may be holding in her stool out of fear and anxiety. She may not be ready to potty-train yet, so take a break for a few weeks. Call the doctor if her constipation lasts longer than a week or is accompanied by vomiting or fever.
Blood
While spotting blood in your child’s stool is alarming, it’s not always the sign of a problem in toddlers. There may be a bit of blood in his stool if he’s recovering from a bout of constipation. If it occurs whenever he eats dairy products, it may be a sign that he’s lactose intolerant and shouldn’t be fed any milk products. However, even if he seems perfectly healthy, it’s always wise to call his doctor whenever you see blood in his diaper or in the toilet.
Strange Color
Bowel movements that come out in a strange color can actually be the byproducts of a healthful diet. If your toddler’s stool is a different color than brown or yellow – say, red, green or orange – it’s likely the result of her eating fruits and vegetables in these colors. Colorful stool should only occur right after she’s eaten a meal including colorful foods. If her stool is bright green when all she’s eaten is mashed potatoes, call the pediatrician.
