What's Up With Your Kid's Poop? We're Here to Answer

- One of the first gifts you get as a parent is when you open that diaper and you realize the type of stuff you're gonna be dealing with.

We're talking about poop.

- Poop is a glorious substance.

- Glorious?

- Glorious!

(cheerful music) - Okay, so how worried should I be if my kid is not going to the bathroom enough?

- Honestly, you have to know your baby or your child's normal.

Some kids go two to three times a day, others go two to times a week.

As long as the stools are still well-formed and your child isn't having trouble passing them, it's usually not a problem.

But if there's a deviation from your child's normal or if you have any questions, ask your doctor.

- So if that's true, why did I have to keep track of every poop and every pee for what seemed like months?

- Well, we definitely ask you to track all the excrement in the newborn period while babies are developing, or if there's a special situation.

In the newborn period, a breastfed baby can actually stool with every single feed, and then after about a month, because they digest and absorb breast milk so well, that'll drop down to maybe once every few days, even a week, whereas formula-fed babies may actually stool with every feed for a longer period of time.

- All right, here's one.

Why is it that we can hold onto poop better than pee?

- Well, think about the differences in where pee and poop are being held.

- No.

- Different containers for pee and poop.

If you try not to pee, a little bit might leak out.

Your rectum can actually stretch.

If you decide not to poop, this thing will stretch and accommodate the stool and become like a poop reservoir.

- That's a fun visual.

- There's one more thing I have to mention.

- Oh my God, is it about poop?

I can't wait.

- The anorectal angle.

- Did you pull that out of your butt?

- No, but it represents something in all of our butts.

So the anorectal angle, as you can see, usually sits at about 90 degrees, and it makes it really hard for poop to leave your body, which is the point, it holds it in.

But when it's time to go number two and you strain, you actually might straighten this angle enough to get the poop to evacuate, making it easier to drop down into the toilet.

This is why when children are potty training, it helps to bring their knees up, making it easier for them to go number two.

- I hear a lot about laxatives.

Like, what are the differences in laxatives?

- There's so many types, and it can be overwhelming.

Basically, laxatives are broken down into different groups about how they add more water or make stools easier to pass.

You have osmotic laxatives, which basically draw more fluid into the stool.

Then you have bulk-forming agents, like metamucil, which add fiber, which are easier to pass.

Then you have stimulant laxatives, which basically make your intestines contract more.

You have lubricant laxatives, which literally line the walls of the gut so that water doesn't leave.

Laxatives might seem harmless and like a quick fix, but they can be dangerous, especially for young children.

So never give a laxative to a child unless it's recommended by a doctor.

And don't go overboard with the laxatives.

You want to use the smallest dose necessary to treat the constipation while reducing any potential risks.

And for children three and younger, try using a different kind of laxative, like nature's laxative, fruit.

Think plums, pears, pineapple, papaya, or prunes.

If you have any questions, call your doctor.

- So, a friend of mine has a teenager who's been complaining about pain in her bowels, bloating, constipation.

What's going on?

- This is a tough one, and I feel for your friend's teenager, 'cause it's not comfortable.

But this teenager should really talk to a doctor, 'cause these symptoms could be part of a dozen different conditions.

It could be something as simple as a dietary intolerance, it could be an acute or chronic illness.

It could even be a medication side effect, it all depends.

- Why does poop smell funkier when your kids are sick?

- Poop usually always smells not the best, but when kids are sick, it can smell especially weird.

In some cases, kids with a bacterial infection can actually produce more gas that smells like sulfur, and to us that can be like rotten eggs, super funky.

In other conditions, kids that have malabsorption or bad absorption of foods they eat, they might wind up passing extra gas, fat, undigested food and other nutrients which smell really weird in stool.

So if your kid's poop smells like rotten eggs, really funky, or just plain different, talk to your doctor.

I've never had more trouble blowing up a balloon in my entire life.

What on Earth is wrong with this balloon?

All right, I got this.

(fanfare music)