Constipation - Goshen, IN

I have not had personal experience but somebody once told me to use prune apple juice... give them a glass a day and it should help them... I don't know if it works for all kids but it worked for theirs....Good luck :)

Both of my children experienced this when they were younger, I found that white grape juice works great. I know what you mean by picky eaters I have 4 of them now and my husband is one of them. Try the juice hope that works for you.

My 3 year old daughter has the same problem with being scared of going because it hurts. She has seen a specialist and he comfirmed with the pediatrican. They have prescribed Miralax powder (Glycolax is the generic brand) which is odorless, colorless, and dissolves in juice, water, anything but don't put it in milk. It's a once a day thing that you put in 6-8oz of fluid. I'm new to this group hopefully there is a way to contact me if you have anymore questions.

My 16 month old stays constipated it seems. I have been giving him lots and lots of water which as really helped. What I do when it gets really bad though is mix prune juice with apple juice. My son will eat and drink anything and will drink prune juice straight but I didn't want to do that to him. Just try mixing prune juice in with his drinks and maybe talk to his doctor about a fiber supplement. Good Luck!!!

A. T,
My 2 year old daughter has they same problem as well and when she has to go she tells us I have to poopy and will not go b/c she is scared as well. Our family doctor told us to try child suppositories or try Kids laxative which really helps and they have the laxative in rootbeer flavor which she really likes the taste of it and will take it. This helped out alot for us but then he did tell us if she seems to have the problem constantly then she needs to be seen. Since the doses of them she has not actually had anymore promblems having to go and is not scared to go as well. I hope this was some help to you and you can get the stuff at Walmart too and goodluck too. T. :)

My doctor prescribed MiraLax powder for my daughter. You mix it in a drink once a day (juice, water, anything but milk). It has NO taste. If you don't tell them they won't know they are even drinking it. It has really helped with my daugther how has had chronic constipation for 9 years (basically since birth). She has been on it for 2 months now with good improvement. In another month we can try to start weaning her off, but was told that she may need to be on a small dose for years depending if the constipation starts to come back when the dose becomes less frequent.

Hi!
I just wanted to throw out some other information to the parents reading about constipation.
Around the age of one, my son started having problems with constipation. After it got to the point of it seeming to be like delivering a child when he would poop (yes, I would have to help the poop come out) we went to the GI doctor.
We were told that he was a "poop hoarder". That he was afraid to poop, and would try to hold it in. Now, he was just over one year old. So we started on the Miralax. Fast forward 3 1/2 years, and we had slowed down and eventually stopped the Miralax b/c he was pooping on his own. 2-3 times a week, only, and they were adult sized, but he WAS pooping. Everyone thought that was normal for him..
Last month, he ended up in the hospital for 6 days with an Ileus. His bowels had all but stopped working. There were several theories as to why, but #1 on the list was that he'd had a GI virus (which I question b/c he's thrown up only twice and had 1 round of diarheea a week apart), and that is what caused the Ileus, with there being an "underlying" GI history of constipation. He is now back on the Miralax and Reglan to correct this Ileus, which we've been told could take months to resolve itself.
We are NOW in the works of testing for Hirschsprung's Disease.
And I want parents who are being told that their child/infant is just holding on to their poop because they are "afraid" to be aware of this disease. Kids don't poop for a reason, it either hurts or they can't. Hirschsprung's Disease is basically where there are nerve endings missing in segments of the intestines. Either long segments, where the natural movement of the intestines does not occur, or short segment, affecting the sphincter that open and close near the exit point of the poop. There's much more to add to the description of Hirschsprung's, so please look it up for yourself. I just don't want anyone else to live with this constipation/holding it sort of thing without all the information out there. It's horrible to watch your kid scream and cry when they have to poop. Please share your thoughts on this, or if anyone else has ever had a diagnosis of Hirschsprung's, I would like to hear about it.
B.

Hey A.,
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I am a Juice Plus distributor, and I only am dropping you this email because I want to help. I am not out to sell a product; I want to share with you a "whole food" supplement that has truly benefited our whole family.

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The great thing about Juice Plus is it is backed by soooooo much research; it is phenomenal research that no other vitamin or supplement has. I heard about it two years ago from Dr. Sears. He came through Louisville to give talk about family nutrition. I loved it! It really is like adding an extra 4-5 servings of fruit and veggies to your diet. It sounds like Juice Plus would be great for your son.

Let me know if you have questions, or feel free to call me about it at: ###-###-####.
Good luck!

E.

We had the same issues with our now ten year old daughter. She would go potty on the toilet but was scared to death about pooping. She would hold it and hold it until she was backed up beyond belief and we thought she would end up having an impaction. I would find her hiding behind things holding it with all her might and her underpants were ALWAYS stained from her always holding it. It was one of the most frustrating stages we have been through with any of our 4 kids. I would beg and plead with her and offer her treats for going, but nothing worked. Her doctor told us she was just a very stubborn, strong willed child. *which STILL holds true* We would end up giving her a suppository if it had gone on too long. The store sells baby glycerin suppositories that are very very small and won't hurt a bit. As soon as she would get into a warm bath everything would break loose. (Yep, that was a real mess but at least it was in the bathtub)I finally got her to tell me that she was scared about it hurting. I don't know if that was ALL of it, but eventually after she opened up about why it scared her she started going on her own. It's extremely frustrating,I know! Hang in there!! It won't last forever. From what I understand after talking with LOTS of other parents, this is really common.

Ask the doctor for a liquid form of the medicine he is on. Or even a different kind. But if you would like to stay away from the drugs, try giving him high fiber foods. Pears and apples are great for fiber and most kids like them. Even fruit juices can cause the poo to flow a little loose. Avoid bananas and cheese/dairy products. They cause constipation. My son is only 16 months old. He has battled with constipation on and off since he was 3 months old. He really likes the vanilla with fiber Pediasure. Introducing new foods can also change his bowl movements, but not always the way you want it to. My doctor also suggested, if no poo for 3 days, to do a baby supository. I have yet to go that extreme, but they are over the counter. So load up on the fiber and fluids. Also, for the fruits, organic is best. Non organic is loaded with pesticides. If you can't avoid them, then choose one fruit at a time. Each fruit has a different pesticied and it is unknown the effect of mixing them. Good luck. It can be very frustrating when you know they hurt but don't know what to do for them.

My daughter did what you described once. She got where she didn't want to use the bathroom to have a bowel movement. I bought a baby laxative that is a liquid suppository. It is like a little enema. It wasn't messy. This provided almost immediate relief for her. She wasn't thrilled about Mommy putting that in her bottom, but I just explained that it would help her tummy and make her feel better. She actually hasn't had any problem with holding it since then. You can find them at any drugstore or pharmacy section of any store. The one I used was a Fleet brand and was located near the adult laxative section.

My two year old son has a lot of constipation problems and we've found that giving him cranberry juice or dilluted prune juice helps. I don't know if this will help since every kid is different but I hope it will. We also give him a little warmer than normal bath to help in case it hurts! Best of luck, hope this helps! I've also heard that Cairo (sp) syrup mixed in juice helps but I've never actually tried it!

i found this stuff at walmart call little tummies...it's all natural; made with vegetable oil and is chocolate flavored. just give him dosage on the bottle and he should ba able to go with in 24 hours. i used it for my daughter when she was only like 6 months old...her ped said it was fine.

A.,

The best thing I have found that works within a day, is lots of apple juice. It always works on my 3 yr old and I use applesauce for my 5 mo. old twins when they are constipated. Hope this helps.

L.

Well aren't you lucky! We went through this. My daughter has anxieties about diarrhea and the pain of constipation. She would not poop for anything! She would just lay on the couch and cry her tummy hurt. So I called her ped and they said to go and get supositories (I don't know if I spelled that right), just give her one and only one.

I gave that thing to my daughter and she jumped up and said I gotta go poop!! She started to fall habit again, but I told her if she didn't go number two we would have to take the medicine again. She was hesistant, but eventually went. I like this method because it took care of the problem once and for all. Hope you find a solution. If you don't like any of these ideas just see what your ped thinks is best. If you haven't already. I wish you luck! (I find it ridiculous that even on here people are trying to sell mommies stuff!)

Flax oil is good, as is adding FiberSure to food/drinks. Also, apple and prune juice are natural laxatives, so you could give him a glass of juice a day to help keep him regular. If you want fiber in a more kid-friendly way, (and I'm only on my first kid who is four months, so I'm not sure exactly what all your son is eating yet) granola bars are tasty and a good way to get a lot of fiber. Quaker Oats has some low/no sugar added ones that are actually very good... and oatmeal would do it too, which he should definitely be able to eat.

Put the stool softener in his drink when he's not looking.

My daughter had trouble going when she was 6-8 months old. The pedatrician suggested Karo syrup. It worked great and kept her regular. We just put 1 tsp in her morning bottle and that was it. Now that yours is 2, you could probably put it in a cup of juice or something.

A.,

Here is what Dr Sears recommends. It is a healthier alternative to a prescription or OTC stool softener.

"Flax oil is a favorite. A healthy alternative to mineral oil is flax oil, which not only has laxative properties, but is a valuable source of omega 3 fats as well. (Although you may hear that mineral oil is a good oil to relieve constipation, because it is a mixture of hydrocarbons dried from petroleum products, I have never been convinced of its safety. And, unlike flax oil, it certainly has no nutritional benefits.) Unlike mineral oil, which slides through the intestines, possibly taking vitamins with it, flax oil is a nutrient that facilitates absorption of the vitamins.

Dosage of flax oil:
Infants: one teaspoon a day
Toddlers: two teaspoons a day
Children and adults: one tablespoon a day"

This page has several great suggestions. Good luck.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t081100.asp

My one year son had really bad constipation and was always struggling to poop and the only remedy worked was Toddlers magic tea.

There is a stool softener that comes in a powder form that is oderless, colorless and tasteless. I mix it in with some juice and my son doesn't even know it's there. I had to get it from the pharmacist, ask your doctor for a script to get it. I can't remember the name of it. Also, apple juice is great, if kids wont eat alot of fruits and veggies. They still can get fiber in the apple juice or apple sauce to help the digestive tract move along.
God Bless <>< J.

I've started using Fibersure in drinks and while cooking. It has zero taste (I even drink it in bottled water and can't taste it) and I asked the doc and he said I could give it to my 2 year-old, but to ease off if she starts having diarrhea. Fiber is exceptionally good for preventing certain types of cancer, so why not get extra while you can.

I also cook with ground flax seeds. I mix them in with chili and spaghetti and on homemade pizzas. Little to no taste and lots of fiber.