Bowel habits of healthy Australian children aged 0-2 years.
OBJECTIVE
To define the bowel habits of healthy Australian children aged up to 2 years.


METHODS
One hundred and forty children were recruited in six age categories with a minimum of 20 children per category. Data on bowel habit was recorded by parents daily for 1 week.


RESULTS
Stool frequency decreased with age. Ninety-five per cent of infants 0-14 days passed more than two stools per day compared with 21% at age 13-24 months. Breastfed infants passed more frequent and looser stools than children fed infant formula and solids and also showed a wider variation in frequency.


CONCLUSIONS
Mean stool frequency decreased with age as did the variation. This is a combined effect of age and feed type. These data can be used as a guide to the bowel habit of healthy Australian children.
Tham
E B
EB
South Australian Paediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.
Nathan
R
R
Davidson
G P
GP
Moore
D J
DJ
D001315:Australia; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003672:Defecation / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet; D004068:Digestive System Physiological Phenomena; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012016:Reference Values