by Dixie
(DALLAS, TX)
My 1 year old baby boy has stools that are huge and hard. Sometimes 3″ in diameter, and very hard. I heard that this is a symptom of sexual abuse/ anal penetration. Is this true? What would cause his poop to be this large and hard? Worried. Thanks
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Baby Help Line:
Signs Of Sexual Abuse In Baby Boys
You seem to be very worried. Suspecting sexual abuse for your baby must be torture!
I am not an expert on child abuse and if you have reasons to believe that your baby is being abused, you need to contact a doctor! You should be aware though, that Doctors are required to report suspected to abuse, so if hard stools is your only concern adn there are no other signs of abuse or suspicisions towards someone, then focus on softening the stools first. You can read more about the most common signs of sexual abuse in children here.
Regarding the stools; hard, large stools is a sign of constipation. Constipation is common in babies and is usually due to something they eat. Have your baby’s diet changed in some way before his stools became hard? If you stopped breastfeeding or added more solid foods or cow’s milk to his diet, that is a likely cause of his constipation. You can find symptoms and treatments of constipation in babies here.
Also try including lots of fruits that soften stools in his diet, such as prunes, pears, kiwi or juices of these. Avoid dairy products, bananas, blue berries and carrots for a while and see if it makes a difference. If it doesn’t help, you may want to discuss the matter with your son’s health nurse or doctor regardless of the abuse question.
But again, since child abuse is a very serious question, so if you do suspect it for other reasons as well, you really have to act immediately!
I wish you good luck!
Paula
More On Sexual Abuse Of Babies
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Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
