Advice on Constipation

My daughter was like that at some point - it was just her body adapting to the new foods she was being intrduced to and learning how to process it all.... so to keep her regular I would give her apple prune juice every other day - sometimes a full jar and others 1/2 of one.... just depended upon what she needed to flush out with. She is 4 now and last week we wnt through it again.... another thought though might be Fletchers Root Beer flavor liquid laxative for kids.... depends upon weight and so forth though

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp15050_332828_sespider/fletche...

We do Miralax daily. My son needs less and less, but still needs it. It helps if I really try to hydrate him throughout the day. But it's hard. (no pun intended) Try sneaking prune juice into his drinks into popsicles. My son loves applesauce with the honey-flavored wheatgerm on top....Hang in there.

Hi K.. My son also has battles with constipation. I give him some drops I found at a health food store. The brand name is Newton Homeopathics for kids, for constipation. They are light tasting and you only use 3 drops per dosing. So easy and no side effects. Hope this helps.

Allison suggests...
Foods that start with "P". Prunes, pears, pineapple, etc...

Prune juice worked for my boss's kid.

Since your child is so young, he may need you to scrape the raw apple with a spoon for him to be able to eat it. Not the peel. Applesauce does not work the same. Once apples have been cooked, the enzymes are changed and don't have the same affect. Prunes, spinach, sweet potatos are all good for constipation. HTH

Definately the "p"s as another said. Raisins, grapes, & apples often work as well. My cousin used Kerns pear necter for her daughter up to 5 yo.
Make sure he's gettting plenty of fluids as well.

Watermelon...it is full of water, which is always helpful in these situations...my 2 year was in severe pain a couple of months ago, and I put a bowl of watermelon in front of her, she ate it all and shortly after did finally go:) Crazy, who woulda thought...t

My niece has a steady problem like this. They give her one prune everyday at lunch and it seems to help.

Prune juice diluted with a little water (or apple juice) usually helps. My girls both drank a ton of milk and so this was constantly an issue.

We didn't have that too bad with our sone but at times I fed him prunes on the prune baby food with either cereal or pain. That seemed to work. Also, pears and apples sometimes did the trick also.

Hi, K.,
I give my toddler four ounces of the gerber prune/apple juice each day, and she regularly goes twice a day.

Hang in there! Good luck, E.

K., everyone has great advice, but the one thing no one has mentioned is straight water. Most mothers give too much juice and milk, which is so easy to do with a 1 year old b/c most children don't want to drink it. Absolutely watch the diet (especially dairy- cheese being a huge culprit). I am so sorry for you because I had the exact same problem. We did the Mirilax as well, the problem being that it relieves the problem immediately, but does not solve the underlying problem as to why your child's bowels aren't functioning properly to begin with. Good luck and God bless

Pear juice or prune juice daily or every other day. You can mix it half and half with apple juice for taste (like 2oz/2oz). If he needs it daily or every other day will be trial and error (how runny his stool is). You can also give Mylanta. It should help mostly with gas - but also can help with constipation. But, if you can relieve the constipation the other way - the gas should ease up. You can also buy the juice premixed in the baby aisle.

Make sure your boy is getting water, the most natural flusher, daily.

Yougurt! 1-2 cups a day, and he will stay regular..

My son is easily constipated as well. One banana and he gets a rock hard poo! We were perscribed lactulose. It helps a lot. I also give him flax seed oil in his food (its tasteless for the most part). It has helped "grease" things up a bit too. Good luck!

I have no advice for you... Sorry, however know that you are not alone. My son has the same problem. I have him on Myralx every other day. The doctor said it is not habit forming so I can use it as long as I need to. Not really the answer I was hoping for... We also focus on a high fiber diet, but no bananas, they are binding. Please let us know if you hear of any good advice.

PEAR Juice - my daughter LOVED it and has as much fiber as Prune ... give it a try - she thought it was a 'treat' when I gave it to her! Come in a can like coke, found in the canned fruit aisle at the grocery. GOOD LUCK!

My daughter had the same problem. Our doctor told us to give her Mineral oil. There is a specific kind that has a decent flavor it is called Kondremul Lubricant Laxative. We purchased it at a pharmacy in Memorial City Profession Bldg. It helped to soften the stool so it would come out without hurting too bad. We had to use it a few times but it really helped out a lot. You don't have to have a prescription to get it but not all pharmacies will carry it. You would need to ask the pharmacist how much to give your child. Hope this helps.

K.,

I have a 9 year old boy that has had to have prunes since he was old enough to have food. If he doesn't get his prunes every other day then he gets clogged up and then his attitude goes down hill. As long as we give him prunes though he is ok. We found that as a baby it made all the difference with his temprament. He was much happier and we did not have to give meds. We do not like to give meds if we can take care of the problem naturally. Gerber prunes were the ones he liked best. And, now that he is older he gets the bite size pitted ones. He is doing very well in school and has no problems to speak of in that regard.

You might give that a try for a couple of weeks and see if that helps. Good luck and hang in there.

S.

I put a little (one teaspoon)corn syrup in the bottle or sippy cup every morning, and that helped.

Up the prunes! Water also should help. Our son is about 9 months and just got over some constipation. We were giving him a table spoon or two in his bottle of light corn surp! (directions from our pedi). I did read in super baby foods not to do this or give them honey because of a bacteria that adults can easily fight but babys havent developed yet. So try it with caution or ask your pedi if that would still work for a one yr old. Sorry your little guy is having tummy problems! God bless.

all the advise you got works well and helps to get over the present constipation. But the constipation comes from something. If you write down for a week what your son is eating every day you will learn why he is constipated. Maybe you like show the list to your doctor and decide to change some of his diet. Cut out all the sweets and white flour. Avoid convenience food like the gold fish or cookies etc.. Fruits, vegetables instead works wonders.

I would suggest visiting www.herbdoc.com
They have an herbal supplement (Intestinal Formula #3) for children that helps with all things related to digestion and the bowels. Both of my sons had constipation issues. For the oldest it was quite severe (going maybe 2 weeks between BMs). This formula worked wonders for both of them, after having tried everything else. It strengthened and toned their intestinal muscles such that neither of them no longer need the formula. My family and I have been using many of their products for awhile now and have been very impressed with our results. Good luck!

I do not have the problem with constipation, but my little boy had a terrible problem with gas until he was a little over a year. My doctor told me that Mylicon does not always work for them once the gas is in their tummy. It only helps with upper gas or to prevent it from getting to their tummy. It never did anything for me so I just watched his diet and suffered until I found these colic tablets... http://www.amazon.com/Colic-Tablets-125-tablets-Hylands/d...
They are all natural and seem to work wonders. Also, my son loves them so if he is crying in pain he calms down as soon as he sees the tablets. I used teething tablets with both my children, but had no idea colic tablets existed...Might be worth a try for you.

Did your doctor talk to you about giving your baby a natural fiber substance like apple juice or prune juice. That should help him with his constipation.

You don't mention her diet. Is she getting plenty of vegetable fiber? Has something new recently been added to her diet? Has she been tested for lactose intolerance or any of the common food allergies? I'm sure the P foods have been recommended - Pears, Peaches, Prunes, etc. If she's a big apple or banana fan, those can actually stop her up, so those foods need to be consumed in moderation.

Yep. I agree with the others: Prunes. If he is still eating cereal, mix pureed prunes into that. He should also be old enough for a real prune. Cut it into a size he can handle and let him go to town. Our girl tends to lean toward the constipated side, so we always have prunes on hand.

Because you mention the severe gas, I would try to eliminate certain foods to see if one of those is causing the gas reaction. He might be allergic/intolerant of something he is eating.