Here's what Malaysian mums know about their child's poop
Your child’s poop is one of the indicators of your child’s digestive health. We checked to see how good Malaysian mums are at decoding their child’s poop!
Poop is not the most pleasant thing to talk about, yet when it comes to our children, we mums are obsessed about it – the frequency, the colour, the texture and yes, even the smell!
All of us want to know if our child is “pooping right” and if everything is normal, or should we be worried about his or her digestive health. Given the degree of attention we give to our children's bowel movements, we should all be certified "Poop Experts", shouldn't we?
We decide to put our Malaysian Mums to the test and ask them a series of questions about their child's poop and digestive health through various polls and quizzes. And mummies you will be proud to know that most mums scored really well.
However, there were a couple of questions that leave them a little bit stumped.
How well do you know your child's poop? Why not take our quiz here before looking at the results.
Click to find out
of mums reported that the child struggles to poop & complains of pain and/or suffers from hard stools
of mums are aware that the normal poo is sausage-shaped, smooth and soft2
9 out of 10
mums are aware that prebiotic can help soften stools & promote good bowel movement in children3
Parents should be concerned if their child goes longer than
Perceived that milk dilution can help reduce hard stools
This compromises the nutritional value of the milk5
9 out of 10 mothers agreed
that Mamil® has improved their child's bowel movement.*
* Survey conducted by Home Tester Club between 29/7/16 to 04/11/16. 386 mothers have received and have tested Mamil Learning Step 3.
Mums worry about their child's digestive health
Through our survey we have found that 100% of mums begin to worry if their child has hard stools. They are right, alarm bells should go off if your child is complaining of this issue.
Hard stool is one of the symptoms of poor digestive health and in extreme cases, could negatively impact your child's overall well-being1. In fact, majority of mums agreed that poor bowel movements can affect their child's emotions negatively, leading to crying and fear of passing stools.
While mums acknowledge the fact that hard stool is a worrying symptom, 80% of them reported that their child does suffer from hard stools and complain of pains, showing that most do not have a solution to this problem.
What mums got right
Many mums are familiar with the concept of "heatiness", especially in children's bodies and nearly 70% believe that heatiness can cause hard stools.
Through our quizzes and polls, it is shown that mums can identify the normal poop types. Majority of them are aware that a normal stool is sausage-shaped, smooth and soft, and that stool that passes in separate hard lumps is a sign of hard stool2.
We are also surprised to note that there is a high awareness on the positive impacts of prebiotics on bowel movements. A significant majority of the mums (well over 90%) are aware that prebiotics can help in softening stool and help promote good bowel movement in children3.
What mums got wrong
63% of the mums believe that their child needs to poop every single day. However, according to experts it is normal for kids not to poop every day, and that parents should be concerned if their child goes longer than 3 days without passing a bowel movement4.
We also discovered that some mums continue to believe that diluting milk with water helps to reduce hard stools. Experts suggest that this is not the right thing to do as it compromises the nutritional value of the milk5. What they suggest Instead, is to choose a formula that has the right ingredients to help prevent hard stools and help promote good intestinal environment.
If you want to know more about your child’s digestive health and causes and treatments for hard stools, click here.
Sources
References:
1Benninga MA, Voskuijl WP, Akkerhuis GW, et al. Colonic transit times and behaviour profiles in children with defecation disorders. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2004;89:13-16.
2Lewis S, Heaton K. Stool Form Scale as a Useful Guide to Intestinal Transit Time. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. 1997;32(9):920-924.
3Moro G, Minoli I, Mosca M et al. Dosage-Related Bifidogenic Effects of Galacto- and Fructooligosaccharides in Formula-Fed Term Infants. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 2002;34(3):291-295.
4Xinias I, Mavroudi A. Constipation in Childhood. An update on evaluation and management. Hippokratia. 2015;19(1):11-19.
5Constipation in children - NICE CKS. (2010) Available at: https://cks.nice.org.uk/constipation-in-children.
You may also be interested in
The day my child cried and how it changed me
When your child screams in pain because of hard stools, it changes the way you think about their nutrition and well-being.
Read MoreWhy does my child get hard stools?
Did you know that if a child passes motion for less than 3 times a week it could be a sign of hard stool?
Read MoreLearn how to recognize and treat inconsistent poo
Did you know your child's bowel movements can affect their overall well-being
Watch VideoAbsorb The Greatness Of The World
Learn how good gut health leads to good overall growth.
Discover now