3.5 Years Old Having Bad Constipation-help!!

next time you choose to giver her a laxitive, try miralax. Talk to the doctor or pharmacist about dosage. My pediatrician recommended this for my son who had become so constipated that he actually was pooping blood :(

Fiber food that promotes healthy elimination

Fresh fruit (pears, apples, avocados, citris, banana, plums, peaches, cherries, berries, etc)

Prunes and or raisens...go easy on the prunes.

Steel cut oats (my son loves these, he calls it hot raisens because I put raisens and cinnamon in when I cook it)

Vegetables. Especially the leafy green variety.

Cucumbers are good too.

Continue to have her drink plenty of fluids.

When my son wasn't too in to a food, I would often say "mmm, eat that up...it helps you poop!" and he would usually dive in.

Best of luck to you.

Blue berries, prunes (juice also), oranges. Don't give any bananas, these are for when they have the runs. Lots of water. Hopfully she feels beter.

The new PlumSmart prune juices are tasty. Pears, plums, peaches, apricts are all helpful in getting things moving. You could add chia seeds or ground flaxseed to some yogurt. Grinding up spinach and mixing it in stuff also adds insoluable fiber and bulk.

Avoid too much bread/crackers, applesauce (whole apples with skin are fine), bananas, etc.

My 5 year old daughter has the problem. My cousin is a pediatrician and he says Miralax. I use this on some occasions but I have had to alter her diet also!
She drinks soy milk which she loves ( chocolate and vanilla), graham crackers, animal crackers, fresh fruits, no caffeine, lots of water, applesauce with fiber, fiber one bars, cereal with high fiber and low sugar (kix, chex, frosted flakes, raisen bran, etc), pudding, etc. I bought the book "eat this not that, for kids" It has helped a lot and she knows what she can't have and what she can. She will tell her teacher at school or friend's moms. LOL

I alsi bought some fiber gummies- by Pedialax. It is a gummy bear vitamin with fiber in it and she thinks it's candy and she can have 3 a day! this helps ALOT!

Good luck!

We've used flax oil w/ great success. We just mix it in w/ choc. milk. Also, grapes seem to help, too. Those single-pack prunes are great, and actually taste really good, too!

Prunes or prune juice should do the trick, hopefully your little one will like the taste.

I'd recommend cutting all the caffeine, dairy, and meat out of her diet for 2-3 days at the least and focusing on her fiber and fluid intake. Meat and dairy are the hardest foods to digest and caffeine can interfere with absorption. If you're concerned about her protein intake you can give her beans, oatmeal, and other such foods that are none animal derived and/or dairy sources of protein. Children should generally have 1-1/2 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight. Put emphasis on foods that contain water, like fruits, veggies, soups, etc. Movement can also aid in the elimination process, so if she's laying around a lot, have her get up and at least walk a little through out the day to stimulate her digestive system. Laxatives are harsh in my opinion. I'd recommend using a stool softener instead. Since it's been over a week I'd schedule and appointment with your physician. I hope she's feeling better soon ~Chell

My son was born with an issue with his colon that causes chronic constipation. We really have to stay on top of things and make sure he goes regularly. You've received some great nutrition advice. Flax oil has been helpful as well as prune juice or mixing the baby food prunes into his food. Miralax will help to soften things and is not habit forming. It's true you only want to use other laxatives for a short period of time. We use ones that are senna based (senna is a plant). Definitely avoid the BRAT diet that's recommended for diarrhea (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). We do brown rice, apples w/ the skin and whole grain toast, because they have good fiber.

Good luck!
M.

Try giving her ground flax seeds or flax seed oil. It really works and is natural.

G.

Lots of water and fresh blueberries.

Hi K.,

Try giving her a teaspoon of castor oil. It works like a charm, even on babies and won't cause cramping.

My daughter has been constipated fairly regularly since she was very young. We give her Miralax (half the adult dose) in either cranberry juice (since she also has reoccurring UTI/bladder infections) or hot chocolate. It seems to mix quicker in the hot chocolate but it even mixes in water. She calls it her pooping medicine and knows that if she doesn't drink it, she has to get the medicine that goes in your bottom (an enema). Your doctor can give you a prescription even though it is over the counter and that should help out with the cost since it is still pretty expensive if you have to give it to her daily. Ours comes in a very large container and lasts 2-3 months depending on how often I need to increase her dose. The pediatrician said that Miralax is not habit forming and can be used for the rest of her life if she needs it. They also suggested giving her a milk and molasses enema? but we just used the one for kids.

We love prunes, plums, pears, and fresh soy beans in our house. I try to have a veggie and a fruit at every meal to regulate my family. You might want to look at her dairy intake, that can sometimes block little ones up. Also look at some of the breads out there, Orowheat makes a double fiber bread that tastes great - my daughter likes it with pumpkin butter spread.
Also lots of fluids help.

My mom gave me a fennel seed "tea" when I was a constipated toddler. I have used the same with my son.

Fennel seed can be purchased from any grocery store with a stock of herbs/spices. To make the tea, just boil water, steep the fennel for five minutes (fennel is very sweet - almost like a licorice) and strain and store in the fridge. It can be served straight or diluted, depending on your daughters taste for it.

Another trick is to pick her up, have her put her knees on your stomach/chest and hold her while she bears down. I know it sounds weird but It is said this position alligns the colon and the rectum making it easier to pass large stools.

Hope it makes sense the way I typed the info and I hope it helps.

when my daughter had a problem we noticed that her dairy intake was higher than usual and made sure to give her only non fat milk and far less dairy for a little while. I hope that she feels better soon!

My son had this problem and I took him to the doc, she suggested having him try to go more often through out the day. Even if he said he didn't have to go I was supposed to have him sit and at least try several times a day. It did actually work. It was hurting him to go because he was holding it for so long. The other thing I tried was an herbal tea called "smooth move". I know, funny name. There was a child dosage amount and it worked like a charm.

Good luck

PRUNE JUICE!!!! works everytime!

try blueberries. Blueberries is draino for my kids.

Prune juice.... can be mixed in with milk.
Whole apple juice
Pear juice
water
DO NOT give her laxatives... it is habit forming.... not recommended for long term use. Only a couple of days.

Take her to the Doctor.

Stay away from, if possible, "binding" foods. Dairy, bananas etc.

Massage her tummy, in a circular pattern...

Have you tried Aloe juice? As an adult, it's the only thing that has ever worked for me, and I was a severe case! It is completely natural and totally safe for kids, even babies. My kids drink it daily, they love the strawberry kiwi flavor. Check it out here and let me know if you have any questions. Since you are not too far from me, I can also place the order for you to avoid the shipping cost.
www.marketamerica.com/autumnlugo enter aloe in the search or you will also see it in the top ten list on the right side of the home page