My Day is Crap. Literally.

This is a story of poo. Lots and lots of poo.

Let’s great real for a minute. For many of us parents, our day is crap. Literally.

In fact, I recently took inventory of my day… Our toddler had pooped three times; our dog had pooped twice; and I scooped the litter box after our two cats. Some quick math shows that I was knee-deep in poop 6 times in one day.  {These are not to mention the trips to the restroom I myself had made.}

And of course, my wife and I seem to constantly talk about our little one’s bowel movements too. The quantity, frequency, color, and consistency… And we are always having to explain that poo and pee go in the potty too.

Sound familiar? Friends, you aren’t alone.

Remember the first time changing your little one’s diaper and being greeted by the sticky tar-filled Pamper? Oh hi, meconium. Then, as the little one gets breast milk and/or formula,  stools become orangey-brown and pasty. We quickly realize that poops come in all shapes and sizes. We all remember our little one’s first major blow-out in public. We remember squinting our eyes and tilting our heads to get a better look at the contents of a diaper. We remember wiping bums.

Poo, my fellow parents, is very interesting {to more than just toddlers} and can tell us a lot about the health and well-being of our children. We can learn a lot about our bodies and our children’s bodies from the waste it produces. Poo is no laughing matter. From the time our little ones are born, we monitor their intake and output, examine the consistency and color, snap photos to send to the pediatrician, and Google for comparison.

Our little one’s bowel movements can tell us if they are constipated and need more fiber {if hard and in pieces}, if there is something wrong with their GI tract {if black or red}, or if they might have lots of gas {if floating}. The color of your little one’s poop correlates with what they ate. So if they have dark stool, consider what they ate that might be causing this {blueberries, beets, sweet potatoes, etc}. This awesome infographic from Cleveland Clinic Children’s is a good resource to have on your desktop for reference.

For me, that newborn is now a two-year-old who has become very intrigued with her bodily functions. She often asks to see her masterpieces. We have our arsenal of bathroom books for when the time comes to learn how to use the potty. As a very inquisitive toddler, she understands that the dog goes to the bathroom outside and the cats use the litter box. And she wants to help. She has become quite fond of “helping” to pick up after our dog when we go for walks, and she is particularly proud of carrying the poop bag home and putting it in the trash.

So there you have it.  Poop.  In a blog post.  And if you’re a mom or dad, you probably have your fair share of poop stories too.  Let’s hear it in the comments below…