My third child was the only one of my four who went through a period of
infrequent bowel movements as an infant. From about three months to about
five months he would have a (very large, very loose) bowel movement once a
week. However, he has never had a problem with constipation (he's now 19)
and it is my second child who has the significant food allergies, not this
one. I know this is just one child, but I do think that this pattern can be
normal for some children and I would hate to see mothers feeling upset and
anxious and trying to find a solution for it! To say that it must be a
problem because you can change the stooling pattern isn't logical, in my
opinion. There are many things you can change by manipulating diet or giving
medications - for example, you could make a child pee more often by giving
them a diuretic or giving them Coke to drink. Doesn't mean their original
pattern of urination was a problem.

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario

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