Potty Training and Constipation: 3 year-old with constipation

I tried to read the previous posts but couldn't get thru all of them. When my now 1 yr old was 3 months she was constipated and the pediatrician said to use dark Karo syrup. It worked great and without any side effects! At that time, she was taking 1 tsp. w/ every 8oz of liquid. It works gradually, so you won't see anything right away.

My 5 yr old has always had constipation issues and we have found that giving him Kid's Benefiber helps a lot. It comes in a powder form that is colorless, tasteless & orderless so he doesn't know it's there. You can put it into this water or juice or food. Be careful and read the label! Too much can give him the opposite effect! Good luck & I hope this helps!

D. L.

Hi. I had the same problem with 2 yr old. One word-Miralax. Works great and Dr. approved for young ones. He said he's been giving it to his own since the child was one yr. old! Good luck.

Hello,
It may be helpful to try Pedialyte, which should help with the constipation.

My daughter recently got so constipated it hurt to sit down so as a quick fix we used an ez-lax glycerin suppository which works like a charm (actually within 5-10 mins!!). That is just a quick fix not something to do on a regular basis but obviously push the fibers, even probiotics that would help the intestines. Good luck. I know exactly what that is like!!

My Pediatrician recommends a little Miralax in their milk. It's very gentle. I think you can get it over the counter now but we got a prescription for it. Less dairy, no bananas. Try to give him beans, edamame, corn.

If he's really in pain ask the pharmacist if there's a suppository you can give him at his age. They should be able to help.

Good luck!

Miralax is an over the counter product now that pediatrician's recommend for constipation. It is a powder that mixes in juice, Kool Aid, anything liquid.

I have a 4 year old and have dealt with severe constipation for over 2 years. I put Benefiber dissolvable powder in his milk faithfully every single morning for breakfast. It keeps his stools quite a bit softer so he doesn't have to struggle as hard to go to the bathroom. This is coming after being on Myralax for over a year. You can now buy that over the counter in generic form--glycolax I believe it is called. If your son is recently potty trained this is VERY normal and will be something you will have to stay on top of on a daily basis....those two items we used helped tremendously! Good Luck!

Try giving him prune juice or let him eat raisins that will help with the constipation. Since he likes apple juice you might have to mix that in with the prune juice.
You can also try massaging his stomach in a downward motion (that might help). You can also try letting him eat greens or drink the juice from the greens. These are things that help me with my 4 year old

PRUNES. My son actually loves them, and they definitely do the trick.

Also, we make plain old fashioned oat meal for breakfast and mix in fruit with that, as well.

Good luck! Expect it's going to hurt at first, which may cause him to try to hold it in. Maybe a few "potty prizes" are in order to help him get through (we used the one dollar matchbox type cars from Osco for potty training).

T.

M.,
When my children were in the midst of potty training, we frequently battled with constipation. I mixed apple juice with prune juice in a 50/50 mix and gave that to them to drink. The apple juice cut the overwhelming prune juice taste and made it more tolerable for them to drink.

It might just work with your 3yo since he already likes apple juice.

My three year old son has had problems with constipation since he was one. The pediatrician prescribed Miralax (which is now availble OTC) and we give it to him on and off. There is no long term harm. We mix half a capful in his drink daily, but usually if we don't give it to him until we see the signs of constipation he is miserable for a couple of days. It does not work immediately.

My 2 year old was like that for a while, but I found out that she was being constipated because I was potty training her and she was scared to make a bowel movement. Anyway, I went to the store and brought her some Pedialax. You can find that at stores i.e. Walgreens, Target etc. You can mix that with his apple juice and it will help him move his bowels.

I always have luck giving my son yogurt covered raisins. He thinks they are a treat and they seem to work the way I want them too. I bring them with when we travel since constipation usually hits when we are not at home. Best.

I make smoothies and incorporate a baby food jar of prunes. It never fails, even with my very picky daughter!

prunes and metamucil wafers. there is prune baby food and it is great for this purpose.

1. If your child is eating cereal, you can try adding a little prune juice to it.. Try bran cereal, and fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber. Broccoli or beans get for constipation.
2. Reduce constipating foods. constipating foods include rice, milk, cheese, apples and carrots.
3. Check out this ipeople web questions: http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpnutrition/0,,47vb,00.html

S.

My son is only 5 months old, but has had (probably genetic) constipation since birth. We used to give him light corn syrup (Karo brand) in his bottle, but now he's starting to eat cereal and we've been giving him prunes which work wonders. Sounds like your little guy isn't into fruits, but maybe try mixing the syrup into his apple juice? Not sure the exact quantity, maybe check with your pediatrician, we used to give 2 tsp in a 5 oz bottle to our son.

Good luck!

There are a few books on the market right now about sneaking fruit or veg purees into foods that are family friendly (ie, mac and cheese, french toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc), and last winter (while I was pregnant with our first), I tested a handful of the recipes on my fairly picky husband, who loved them. I think it's important that you also continue to work on getting your little guy to eat fruits and veggies on their own, but while you're dealing with this problem, you might give one of these books a try. One is "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld.

Good luck!

I didn't read thru all of the replies, so someone may have mentioned this already...
4 foods to stay away from when constipated:
B - Bananas
R - Rice
A - Apples
T - Toast (bread)
That's the "BRAT" diet for kids with diarreah.
You mentioned your son only likes apple juice. If he's having problems with constipation, you may have to avoid juice altogether, or water it down half & half for a while.
Good luck!

Will he drink warm water? This always works for my son (age 6)who also has this problem. A nurse told me this idea after I had my second son via c-section and I was having problems eliminating. HTH

My daughter-in-law gave her 3 year old prunes. She calls them big raisens and they worked. She don't give him lots!

My daughter was constipated also. Her doctor reccomended nectar juices (pear, mango, peach, etc.) They sell these all over the place. At first I diluted them, and it didn't really help. Just determine what is the right amount for your son.

My son got constipated as part of potty training and when he started school. We used Mirolax--i tablespoon per day for about three days and then a teaspoon after that. Our doctor recommended it and then I found out two friends also use this for their kids. There is no risk and can be used as long as the kid needs it.

Does he like popcorn? That might help
Good luck.
Barb

Whole Foods sells gummy fiber bear supplements in the vitamin area and they help my daughter tremendously.

I was told by several older ladies to try giving a spoon full of Kario white corn syrup. It is a natural way to resolve the problem and worked well for my kids. But there was one time my son became what they called 'impacted' and the doctor had to remove the waste at the office because he was so backed up. good luck

Maybe try an apple-prune juice mix ... or mix it with the prune juice yourself. It's natural and works wonders!

M.,

My son went through the same problem for almost a year. The dr put him on Miralax (at the time was by perscription only) it is now OTC. It worked like a dream and is non-habit forming. The only thing don't just give it and stop after he goes, you need to transisition off of it slowly. Otherwise, he will stop up again only worse! My son suffered terrible for like a said just about a year! I feel for him. Good luck!

I have a friend from church that tried chiropractic to help with her 4 year old's constipation. She now swears by it. After listening to her success, I started taking my daughter to her doctor. His number is ###-###-####. It's worth a shot!

Hey M. - a few tricks that have worked with my daughter: 1) Make hot Chamomile tea and put a touch of sugar or honey it it. Let it cool in the fridge first before giving it to her but try to keep it lukewarm. 2) Try prunes and prune juice - works wonders! Even if you have to buy the baby food prunes and mix it with something else to get her to eat it. 3) Call your doctor! That's not a good sign that she's been constipated that long. My daughter ended up with a stomach flu bug and that was her first sick symptom. Either that, or maybe your little one needs a change in his diet - the doctor can help you with that. Best of Luck!

My three year old son LOVES this stuff called Kid-E-Reg. It tastes like licorice (both my kids love it but my 5 year old daughter doesn't need it as much)and works very gently since it is herbal and not medicine.

It is manufactured by Dr. Christopher and there are several websites that carry the product.

I make sure to give it to him pretty regularly so that he goes once or twice a day.

Also, for myself, I use Magnesium tablets from any health food store. Works very quickly for me.

Good luck!

I am going thru the same thing with my 3-year-old son. My peditrician recommended 3/4 tbsp of Miralex nightly. She also told me it can take a while for it to regulate-its been three weeks for me. I also was told Mineral oil works as well. Have you tried to give your son white grape juice? It also makes you poop. Good luck!

My pediatrician ok'd this...when I was having the same problem with my then 3 year old boy. Add metamucil or any of those colorless, tasteless, powders to whatever they drink. It works. I just cut the doseage down.

Good luck!
M.

hi M.,
I 'm a mom of 3y old too. I know it's hard to change their eating habits. I read most of the answers already given, since I have the same problem sometimes. I agree that you should try visiting your ped, but I try to avoid laxatives. I carry with me glycerin suppositories for emergency, especially when traveling. I would recommend some prunes, dried, juice or puree. But I also have something else that works. I make soups with legumes, especially lentils (they don't give gas like beans) and keep them in small containers in freezer. I give her some every 2-3 days, sometimes as side dish, others as main course, mixed in salads etc. You can make them a little thicker if he doesn't like soups just like my little girl. And of course this could be an easy dish for the whole family. I hope this can work for your kid.

Well apple juice will keep him from going. Can you try prune juice, can you mix it with a little bit of water and try that. My sister kids have had issues with constipation and the doctor told her to give them a little mineral oil. That did seem to help. I hope some of this will help you, I know that it is extremely uncomfortable for them.

Use Miralax-it works great-the cap on the bottle fill only 1/4 full & mix with milk - I use it for my grandson-try once a day- if that doesn't work talk to doctor-

Hi M., try Fletcher's Castoria. It's a laxative for children. You can buy it at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS...it's been around for years and IT WORKS! The taste itsn't too bad, but you'll definitely see your little one more comforted the next day. I keep a bottle in my medicince cabinet for my 6 and 3 year old. Give 1-2 tsps 1 to 2 times per day. Bottle says "relieves occational constipation and generally cuases bowel movement in 6-12 hours." Good luck...I know it will help :)

I am so sorry to hear your son is constipated! We have a lot of that at my house (both of my children). I have always been against dried fruits (raisins, crasins, plums and blueberries) but the doctors kept suggesting it ... Finally I tried it and it actually seems to be helping a lot. The kids normally love those, so good luck!

My daughter had that problem when she was younger (she is now 7). She would then hold it in because it was painful to go after being constipated so long. The doctor recommended to first try more fruits, vegetables and water, that way your child does not get dependent on a laxative or anything. But my daughter also had a problem with dairy products and I switched her to soy milk. Increasing the vegetables, fruit and water helped her.

Try some pear juice (while difficult to find in stores, my daughter's doctor recommended this)or giving him plums to eat.