5 yr old stool issues

[Heatherw]

Hi there,

My husband and I started a whole 30 in February (long story short, he finished, I got the flu and didn't). Since then we have been eating a modified whole foods diet. Veggies, fruits, meat, nuts, occasional rice and quality dairy in small amounts (raw cheese, grassfed butter, etc). Since March we have been slowly weaning the kids off sugar and processed foods. I had still been buying them small loaves of good quality bread for sandwiches but I stopped that a few weeks ago and have been making them 'plates' of a variety of whole foods they love for lunches, instead.

So, the issue - my 5 yr old daughter's stool has gotten really soft and she has been having accidents on a near daily basis. It seems the problem is that she used to hold it because she would get so wrapped up in whatever she was doing, she didn't want to stop to go to the bathroom. I think this is pretty normal. But now that her stool is so soft, I believe the sensation is lesser/different, plus she isn't able to hold it back like she used to. So she's having accidents of varying magnitude and always seems surprised by them. And they are horrible, horrible, horrible to clean up. She can't manage it herself so we've been doing this together.

I was at the pediatricians office a few days ago for her brother's well check and asked her about this, and she really didn't have any suggestions for me. She really couldn't get past the fact that she isn't having any grains in her diet, she feels pretty strongly that grains are a necessary component of a healthy diet but when I asked her why, she basically came around in a circle and admitted that with her current, balanced diet she really should be getting all the nutrients she needs.

The only idea I have is to make sure she gets more starchy carbs but she doesn't like sweet potatoes (I know! crazy!). Ideas please?! Thank you!

[Tom Denham]

Maybe parsnips, carrots, beets, turnips, rutabagas, plantains, or winter squash to give her more starchy carbs.

[Robin Strathdee]

And some insoluble fiber from veggies to give her some bulk

[MrsStick]

I've had this problem myself before. Suddenly - I had to go, and it was soft. I upped my protein (not my fat) and veggie intake. Protein in larger quantities can constipate you, so I turned to that, and fiber filled it out again.

Back to normal in less than a week here!

[claire33]

My kids have this problem sometimes.  They have fructose malabsorption.  If they eat too much fruit, particularly apples or pears their stools are very soft.  Also onions and garlic can be a problem too.  Maybe try cutting her fruit back a little and no dried fruit at all.