2 Year Old Little Constipated

When my daughter was an infant she was having the same problem. I found what caused it was the formula it contained iron. When I finally changed it it got better. Sometimes things that cause that problem are in the food and we're not aware of it.

My nephew was badly constipated one weekend until they gave him mineral oil. He is 7 years old so I don't know if it is bad for a 2 year old but it worked really well for my nephew.

Give his more WATER. Milk constipates, just as cheese does. On a little yummy prune juice- it really does taste good. Sometimes oldfashioned remedies work the best.

A.

Hi S.,
I remember when my son was young and had that issue before. I found that giving him some apple juice helped to loosen his stool. Try to stay away from too much apple sauce, bananas, rice or things of that nature because it tends to bind them up. Hope this can help.

C.

I would definitely say cut down on the milk and any cheese products. does he eat a good amount of fruit? Maybe make sure he gets fruit juice a few times daily..at least for every 'glass' of milk he drinks.
One of the things we noticed with Tripp he eats a lot of freeze dried fruit..if he eats too much it will make him constipated..you wouldnt think so with fruit..but oddly enough it does.
Found that warm baths help as well to relax him..he'll have moments where he's strainign so hard..he's screaming in pain.

You can try a "natural" laxative remedy: Fletcher's tonic, will help your child to "go" in a couple hours, very gentle, available at Longs drug and natural pharmacies like Elephant. Prunes and lots of water, natural apple juice are good helpers also. Milk IS constipating.

usually constipation is too little fluids, try more water juice and fresh fruits

Try prune juice watered down (my son had the same problem) and lots and lots of water drinking!

You can try mineral oil mixed into juice, My daughter had problems also and will not eat anything green. My Dr. suggested Mineral oil since it has no taste and most gentle on the stomach. I would give her 1 tbsp. first in juice and wait one day before another dose. The oil can cause stain on undies and it is orange in color. Totally normal. However you should check with our Dr. before starting. Good Luck.

M.

Hi, S.,

Dairy tends towards constipation mainly because of the type of protein it contains. (For some people it is "loosening" because they are lactose [that's the sugar molecule, not the protein] intolerant mainly due to the fact that pasteurization kills all the good bacteria that digest it for us.)

Cutting out dairy (esp. as a trial), adding in lots of water, whole foods of whatever type (i.e. brown rice, fruits--but bananas are not so helpful, carrots, broccoli, whole grain breads, whatever) and actually letting them run around a bit will all make a big difference.

:) J.

I havn't experienced this w/ my child, but I do know that infant massage can definately help relieve the discomfort & encourage circulation for a bowel movement. It also really helps to soften it as well which will make it way easier to pass when it does happen.
You can either take him to someone who does infant massage, or just do it yourself. You just have to do clockwise circular strokes around the abdomen. Make sure you dont go the other direction as it will back him up even more! Spend a good amount of time in the lower left section as it is close to the "drain" & usually the area that gets clogged & causes constipation. Use a good amount of pressure, not too much of course, but you want to feel things move, so dont just glide on top off the skin.... try to effect deeper levels than that.
Fiber rich foods are also helpful. Of course lots of water. Hope this helps, good luck.

What keeps my son regular is switching between "Silk soy milk", and milk. Milk tends to get him constipated so I switch it up. Maybe a glass of soy milk a day. I also make sure to give him half apple juice and water through the day or another fruit juice such as grape. He also likes to drink a small cup of V8 which I mix with a little bit of V8 fusion so he can get his fruits and vegetables. He loves it! If all of the advice you've been getting isn't working then I would recommend getting the suppositories that you have to put in his rectum. You can get this at the pharmacist and they'll tell you how to apply it. The suppositories are very slippery once inserted so it works immediately. I haven't had to use it since my son was a few months old because of his diet. But if all else fails, the suppositories should work. Hope this helps.

I would try high fiber foods - and a lot of them - to soften up his stool. Raspberries, lentils, beans, and dried figs and prunes have tons of fiber per serving. Also remember lots of water to help things along. I've found that if my son is having this problem, I just give him beans and the dried fruit for the next couple of meals and things get a lot better fast. Maybe ask the doc, too, if you can add FiberSure to his water. It's a tasteless fiber supplement and an easy way to give him some extra help. Good luck!

My daughter was so constapated that she would not for for 3-4 days I started giving her benafiber 1 tsp 1 time a day and it has resolved the problem. Try it It worked for me. Hope this helped Krissy

Hi- My son had serious constipation when he was an infant and toddler. I never gave him bananas! and not much dairy, but lots of other fruit especially in the mornings. And I mixed 50% water/juice(fresh), so he could get more fluids. Vitamins require more fluids in the system, it makes sense to me that it would cause constipation. I never gave my son vitamins, just once in a while a vitamin C. He is four now and doesn't have the issue any longer. Thankfully. Blessings.

Looks like you got some great input. Our GI doctor recommends Miralax since it stays in the colon and does not cross the membrane barrier. It is the pooped out without any harm to the colon. Do not use magnesium citrate unless your doctor recommends it. Too much use is harmful. We have only used when the doctor told us to. Prunes, prune juice and pear juice were also recommended by out pediatrician. Good luck.

S., try giving him prune juice, or dry prunes, also cut his dairy out for now until he gets better, my granddaughter has the same problem she is 4 years old. Hope that helps the little guy, that is so painful!

Hi S., I have been through these with my kids when they were still toddlers. Don't stop his vitamins, if he gets constipated again, there are baby/toddler's prune juice by the baby food section in every grocery. Or, mashed bananas. Let him drink the juice regularly and everything will be alright.

Dmari

I'm not exactly sure if I could really help you, but I could share a personal experience. When I was 2 I did not poop for nine days. Then when I did, i damaged something in my lower abdomen and now I can't hold it in for very long, when i have to go #2 I have to go, I can't wait. So if you find out whats wrong with your son, make sure to get taken care of it quickly and don't let him end up like me. Best of luck!

My mother in law swears by the "P" fruits to aleviate constipation. Peaches, pears, plums, pineapple, prunes...I just had my second child and had the same problem toward the end of my pregnancy. It seemed to work for me.

If he's having a hard time he may not get enough fiber. You could increase his fiber and water. If you think he needs more immediate relief you could give him some of the baby juice (the apple/prune mix seems to work well and tastes good). Prune juice or even plain prunes if your son will eat them are great. My 4-year-old loves to eat the prunes, they are sickenly sweet so they are great for the little taste buds! Prunes are a great gentle way to ease constipation (that is why old people eat them). Good luck!

My best recommendation is ensure your son is getting water. Dehydration is the #1 cause of hard stool. Be sure he is eating plenty of fruits and veggies too, as fiber is equally important...even for little ones.
Hope this helps,
B.

I have an 8 month old that has had major constipation issues since I put her on formula. I've tried several different things, and while your son is no longer on formula I hope these may help.

We give her Flax Seed Oil in a bottle every day. I saw it as a tip on askdrsears.com. I told my doctor about it and she said that "if Dr. Sears says it's ok, then it's ok." Our situation was much more severe, she would go 4 or 5 days without going and when she did it was total drama. It was horrible. We did everything we could thru her diet and it would help for a day or two then go back. Now she is getting Miralax once a day and that has made the biggest difference.

Hope this helps.

Try a little prune juice, or mix some baby-food prunes into something that he likes (oatmeal, applesauce) and see if that helps the consistency of the poop. The fact that he's going at all is a good sign. Too bad it's painful for him. I've got a son (younger than your son) who had constipation for a while. The prune juice/prunes did the trick. Also, easing up on the dairy, such as cheese and yogurt, and rice helps too. Good luck.

Dear S. J

If he will eat it, try those quaker oatmeal packets, those clean out my 18 mo old real quick. We alternate those with eggs for breakfasts. Another thing, stinky poop but it works, my family loves salmon and so does the 18 mo old. he eats what we eat for the most part and he scarfs fish, orange roughie, halibut, tuna and LOVES salmon. we average fish once a week. The next day his 9am poop has cleared his colon and is STINKY!!! But he is cleared out. For constipated days, a warm play bath helps relax their little colons. Hope this helps!

My daughter was regularly constipated from about 2 months old until 8 months when I told my Dr. about it and she prescribed a gentle kind of laxative (kind of like Miralax) and once you find out the best amount to give it seems to make going #2 a whole lot easier on them. Too much and they could get diarhea. She was a total breastfed baby until 6 months when I started her on solids and continued to breastfeed until 11 months so I'm not sure diet really was the issue. I think it's just her funny little system. She was always able to go but it did come out like hard little rocks. Good luck!

When my 20 month old is constipated I make sure he gets plenty of water. He also loves applesauce. The best cure I have found is Bran Flax Muffins. I make them often because they are healthy and he loves them. They taste best refrigerated. I usually freeze some also to save them for later. This recipe is on the back of Bob's Red Mill Flax Meal. Hope this helps.

Bran Flax Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 cup Flaxseed Meal
3/4 cup Oat Bran Cereal
1 cup Brown Sugar (I subst. mango or strawberry fruit spread sweetened with grape juice concentrate then reduce the milk from 3/4 to 1/3 cup)
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Carrots
2 peeled and shredded Apples
1 cup Raisins
1 cup chopped Nuts (optional)
3/4 cup Milk
2 beaten Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Mix together flour, Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins (if desired) and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. DO NOT OVER MIX. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Yield: 15 medium muffins

Notes:
You can also use 1 1/2 cups Unbleached White Flour in place of the Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.

For a twist on this great recipe- try substituting 3/4 cup Hazelnut Meal in place of the Oat Bran.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
One muffin contains Calories 220, Calories from Fat 80, Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 0.5g, Cholesterol 30mg, Sodium 310mg, Carbohydrates 34g, Dietary Fiber 5g, Sugar 21g, Protein 6g.

S.,

My son is 17, and went through this, too. Try apples, or applesauce. Perhaps apple slices & peanut butter? I've found Celery sticks & peanut butter, and carrot sticks & ranch dressing in little Warner Brother's packages in the produce department at Raley's and WinCo. They look kind of like the crackers & cheese w/the little plastic red stick.

Hope this helps.

~ G.

Hello, I hope this finds you well. My 2 year old daughter goes through the same struggles every once in a while. I made sure I added fiber to her diet and the episodes subsided drastically. The fortunate thing is that the fiber I added to her diet was in cereal form. The name of the cereal is "Cracklin' Oat Bran". My daughter loves it! It is slightly sweetened and perfect for those little hands. The box is small and pretty pricey, however if you use it for your son exclusively, as a dry handful in the morning with his regular breakfast, the box should last a while. I hope this helps!

Dear S., I've just discovered this sight and am also a CV Mother. I'm an Ayurvedic Practitioner and I specialize in digestive issues. Your son, from an Ayurvedic perspective is Vata vitiated. His digestive system is cold and dry. Actually whole organic milk (Strauss) is the best, but the only way to drink it with this condition is warmed. Also, incorporate ghee into his diet as much as possible. Ghee is clarified butter and is very nourishing to the digestive track. Increase his water consumption and decrease sodas, juice drinks and any other processed foods and drinks. My 7 yr old is a very picky eater and I struggle with her diet daily. I have found though, that simple is better: rice, organic products, whole grain breads, fresh juices, and warm grains and soups have all worked for me with her. Good Luck! Sincerely, G. E

Milk actually causes loose bowels - not constipation - so I would let him drink more.

Try to give him one prune or plum a day. If not - at least one serving of fruit per meal not including bananas.

Bananas and rice cause constipation.

Cow's milk made my son constipated, and it also made him a picky eater. He just wanted white stuff like potato chips, mashed potatos, white bread. Once i got him off dairy, his appetite improved a lot, and so did his behaviors. (he's mildly autistic)

My daughter has had a lot of problems with constipation. Fruit juice, fruit, esp dried fruit will soften stool. One exception to the fruit is bananas. My daughter's doctor said the potassium in bananas can cause constipation.

My daughter had the same problem. I gave her straight apple juice, a couple cups of it and it made her go, then I looked at and changed a few things in her diet.

I don't know if you have also have tried plum juice. My daughter goes through that and she is going to be 3 yrs old. You should be able to find it in the juice section for digestion. If you want you can put some water into it when you pure some of the juice in his cup. It really does work. Just give it to him maybe twice a day... one at night and then sometime during the day. It does help and when she does #2, she is not in pain for it too. So you may want to use that with anything else you are doing. I hope it works!

Hi S. - Is this the first time he's been constipated like that? If it's basic constipation I'm sure you already know he needs to drink more water and get more fiber in his diet. Of course you could also put some flaxseed oil in/on his food. I wonder what kind of vitamins you were giving him and for how long? Obviously you wanted to supplement his diet with these vitamins, but even better is to try to get him to eat whole food (fruits, vegetables, grains). Having three boys myself, I know that's extremely difficult and that's why they eat Juice Plus gummies every day. It's not a synthetic vitamin, but the actual 7 fruits, 7 vegetables and 2 grains in chewable form (far more effective than a vitamin). It tends to make people regular in addition to improving immune function and reducing disease risk. If you're interested check the website and feel free to contact me: http://www.juiceplus.com/+cc42230. Good luck!

Try to get him to drink as much water as he can, or watered down apple juice. I also give my 20 month old a few prunes every once in awhile. She likes them - this week it helped too much though :0) I hope that helps!

I wouldn't change up too many things at once, since that way, if he DOES end up having more regular bowel movements, you won't know what did the trick.

Dairy is KEY for growing kids, so if you're willing, and the Dr said it's okay, I'd say to add that back in. Unless you're giving your son TONS of dairy, it shouldn't be the culprit. If you end up omitting dairy, make sure he's getting plenty of calcium and Vit D from other sources.

Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are great sources of fiber to keep people "regular". This link from BabyCenter.com has more info you may find helpful:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_constipation_11419.bc?page=2&...

Hope he's doing better.

M.

My son has been constipated for years. Long story but he won't go without a doctor prescribed laxative called Kristaloose. (No taste, mixes in cold liquids). It has been our salvation. Before that he had to have a Barrium Enema (at 3.4 months) to determine if there was any physical blockage. (There wasn't). At 1 1/2 his pediatrician put him on Miralax (commonly used powder laxative) but the effects of that wore off after a year 1/2. Then he was on Milk of Magnesia (cherry) for a year (that was not fun) and then finally Kristaloose. Before any of the above (and of course you'd talk to your pediatrician), try prune juice (I use to mix it with his orange juice). Papaya has also been recommended and/or the papaya seeds boiled, strained to get the seeds out, then given in liquid form.

Hope this helps. My son used to have bowl movements as hard as tocks and as big as a small hardball. It was torture to watch him push these out. He could hold a bm for days and still would if I don't ask him every single day to go to the bathroom.

My 2 year old had the same problem. She was holding it in b/c she was scared of the pain. This caused stomach aches and a lot of straining to keep it in. The only thing that worked for me was to add two heaping teaspoons of Benefiber to her juice in the morning and putting a few spoonfuls throughout the day in other foods. It is invisible, tasteless and doesn't clump. The most important thing is making #2 a non-painful experience. My Dr. says just keep adding the fiber until you get a "soft serve ice cream" consistancy...gross I know but picture is clear, right? :) We have a handle on the problem but it something we still think about daily. Good luck!!

There are so many things that could cause this that it is really hard to figure it out and could take along time. My daughter had the same problem and the doctor told us to give her Milk of Magnesia everyday. It fixed the problem and she eventually grew out of it. She's 15 now with no problems, I think her body is just better able to digest food.

Best of Luck

Hi S.,
My daughter has had the same problems, although it sounds like for a much longer time. I would just try to keep her away from constipators like breads, milk (1 cup a day only), soy, bananas... and give her lots and lots of liquids. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. If you can get him to eat things like prunes, that might help him too.
Good luck to you!

My son was extremely picky at that age too. I had to give him prune juice. He didn't like it, but it was really effective.

Hi,
Sounds like you may have already tried these but my little 12 mo old loves to eat organic raisins, cranberries, cherries, etc. When I see him starting to head toward firmer poop, I offer him a handful of those treats. Good luck. R.

Poor little guy. Try prune juice/apple juice. Also, put some Karo Syrup in his milk (dr suggestion). That helps my infant go, it might help your boy too! Good Luck.

You are going to laugh at this but what worked for my daughter was cut corn with dinner every night (petite sweet frozen corn-cooked of course). We tried higher fiber foods but they didn't work. I just figured this out on my own. It can't hurt to try.

I give my on slightly warmed apple juice - 4 oz. not dilluted. Usually works in a few minutes.
My son gets a little backed up - I think he gets so busy playing he forgets to drink, I ty to remind him now and keep an eye on how much he's drinking. Try lower fat milk & check to see if the vitamins have iron. Iron can really back them up.
Soy formula really constipated my son when he was a baby so I avoid soy milk too just in case.
Exercise is good too.

Hi S.,
Try more high fiber foods. Have him eat oatmeal for breakfast. Since he is a picky eater, you can puree high fiber veggies and bake them in muffins or place in spaghetti sauce. Also, more fruit. For the fruit, you can make smoothies:blend frozen fruit with his milk.
He needs to have More water!!! Put a bit of prune juice in his water.
And lastly, try Yoplait Plus(YO+) Yogurt. It has really regulated my daughters BM.
GL!

You need to add Magnesium Citrate to his diet as well as a bit of Xylitol and vitamin C...This three together has heloped my two ASD Boys with cronic constipation...do this 2 to 3 times a day in some juice!!!And SOY make it worse STOP because it has MSG for it is a GMO product, that can cause seizures...You are better off with Almond or rice milk...NO SOY unles it specifies in the ingredients that it is NON GMO SOY!!!! Love, G.. :0)

Hello S.,

I have yet to have this problem with my one year old; however, one time I gave him a baby food jar of pureed prunes (Safeway's Organic "O" line or Earth's Best Prunes and Oatmeal, I can't remember which) and he just kept going and going - not alarmingly so, but, more regular than usual. I don't know if a 2 year would like to eat such a thing, but,it might be worth a try. Hope this helps!

A friend of mine has a child with the same problem, thanks for your post, I will share your results with her too.

I am a mom and also a physician and my 6 yo son has always had problems with constipation and in fact in the past was even on medication. Hopefully your son's constipation is just temporary and is related to something he ate. The iron in his vitamins could also be causing it especially if he just started the vitamins. Anyway, the 3 key things that help are
1) fiber in the form of fruits and veggies - dried fruits of any type are particularly great laxatives and you might be able to sell dried prunes to him as "giant raisins!"
2) water water water (white grape juice can also be helpful because it contains sorbitol)
3) physical activity
Things that are particularly constipating include dairy products, cooked carrots, applesauce, bananas and chocolate.
Best of luck - I sympathize!

Hello S. ,

I have gone through the same thing with my 9 years old . when she was 2.5 years old she got constipated a lot .

the milk was part of it she was very picky with her food as well and still until now . so we started getting her orange juice from the Jamba juice every day we will go there and she loves Oranges juice until now so we used to put fiber in it without her knowing for sure .

and it worked wonderfully .

as for Soy milk i think it add on the problems . Ask ur Dr when u go there but i know that when me or the kids or my hubby or even my mom drinks it we end up having hard time with constipation.

good luck and wish u the best.

A..