eating poo

I would think the bacteria in it - and there would be loads - would multiply very quickly once it is out. Yuk!

I don't believe it is very common in young kids.

Is he hungry? (seriously)

If it is her own poo then it is the same E-coli as she already has in her intestine, so not introducing any new ones. It is spreading the bacteria aroiund from one person to another which passes on disease.

I'd say it is unpleasant but not to get in a flap about it. It is a common habit of small children. Just make sure she is not left with a full nappy long enough to get at it.

"Normal microbiota

E. coli normally colonizes an infant's gastrointestinal tract within 40 hours of birth, arriving with food or water or with the individuals handling the child. In the bowel, it adheres to the mucus of the large intestine. It is the primary facultative anaerobe of the human gastrointestinal tract. (Facultative anaerobes are organisms that can grow in either the presence or absence of oxygen.) As long as these bacteria do not acquire genetic elements encoding for virulence factors, they remain benign commensals.

Therapeutic use

Nonpathogenic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 also known as Mutaflor and Escherichia coli O83:K24:H31 (known as Colinfant[) are used as a probiotic agents in medicine, mainly for the treatment of various gastroenterological diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease." Wikipedia

When I was a childminder, a little boy in my care used his potty then turned to me and said 'can't eat it, no?'. Apparently he had tried at home and had been told not to!

I do think this might be harmful after all its full of E Coli- a word with a Health Visitor might be a good idea.

We found DD1 eating goat's poo when we were at a farm park - she's nearly 40 now!

I was a nursery nurse in an earlier life when children were given a fold up bed after lunch so they could rest for half an hour. Once when I was seeing to a little girl she looked like her mouth was full of maltesers - well you know what that meant? I hooked them out and no harm done.

Yuk! Really? Didn't the flavour put them off!? Well, we do wash our hands after going to the toilet for a reason!