I'll even take the amateurs' educated guesses. :) This is a potty issue for one of my little darlings, so if you'd rather not, please don't read on.
Organique has a problem these many days, weeks. It is getting to the point where I'm quite worried. She is hardly digesting her food at all. Some days she has more 'dirty' diapers than not, and requires hosing-off in the bathtub to ready her for a clean diaper. What I rinse out of the diapers looks QUITE like what was in her bowl at mealtime. Bits of wilted lettuce, skins of refried pinto beans, bits of apple (and apple seeds), you name it, it's identifiable.
I have severely restricted her diet to 'good' things; plain yogurt and banana for breakfast, scrambled egg at lunchtime, plain rye crackers occasionally, grains and beans according to the phytate-reducing techniques of Nourishing Traditions, etc. I thought the pro-biotic action of yogurt (kefir sometimes, in smoothies) would help, but so far no real changes. Otherwise she seems fine; not sickly, or lethargic, or anything like that.
So, Wise Ones, do you have any recommendations? Any further ideas to try out?
3 comments:
Oh, I forgot to mention that we do give our daughter straight probiotics (mixed in water). We give her Baby Jarro-Dophilus, which was recommended by our pediatrician, but there's a wide variety available at our health food store so I'm sure you have several options, too. I don't know if it's helped much in her dirty diapers, but it seems to have improved her overall health and demeanor. I might also try fiber dense foods, like whole wheat bread and split peas and things. I know they're supposed to help with, um, regularity, but they also seem to help with digestion and absorbtion. But I am NOT a doctor or even well-versed in toddler nutrition, so what I say should be researched further before attempting.
Hmmm... I don't have much in the way of ideas about WHY that would happen, besides some lack in her diet or flora and fauna.
But, for general good digestive health, I've used a powdered acidopholus supplement (just eat it straight or mix it in something if she balks at it) which has always done well for my kiddos. Same as yogurt, but straight to the point and in larger, more regular doses than yogurt alone.
Another thing my midwife always recommended for better digestion was chewable papaya pills. They taste really good and were perfect for getting rid of heart burn during pregnancy. But when you read the bottle, they just help aid in digestion.
So you never know - both are harmless and mild. SO even if they don't solve the problem, they certainly won't hurt anything and might make a big difference.
Benny
Benny, thanks. I may try the papaya enzyme thing... I'm not sure if it has to do with enzymes (I'd think not, considering her diet), but it's definitely worth a try. I've been giving her kefir, in addition to the yogurt, but acidophilus might not be a bad idea either. Is acidophilus only one bacterium, or is it a combination?
She's improved *a bit* lately. A good portion of what she passes is looking like gritty mud, as opposed to food bits alone (she still has some of that as well).
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