Diet High in Fiber for Constipation

My grandson is the same way, and one thing i found that helps him is those dried prunes that are flavored, those sunsweet ones or try chocolate milk with that new fiber mix that is clear and tasteless or what ever she likes to drink.
Give it to her in the morning if she is potty trained .
or you can give it to her at night if she is still in diapers, like before bedtime. it will most likely work before morning in most cases,

I know apples and apple juice always help me when I need to move things along. They help my daughter too. You are right you don't want to make her dependent on chemical stimulants that you can by over the counter because the body will eventually not respond to those and then what will you do. How about some herbal remedies. why not go to whole foods and ask what tea is good for constipation. You could just tell her that if she doesn't eat what you put infront of her (carrots, broccoli, zuchini, etc.) she will keep being sick. Try to make her understand you are just trying to help her get better! best of luck to you!!!

My case is a little different, because my daughter is 6 months old. I was giving her jar food, and she was always constipated. until I started to do the baby food myself. I noticed that now she goes 2 times per day. Happens that the fiber doesn't go away even though you blend it. Why don't you try some home-made applesauce.
Good luck!

I have three children, two of which had or have problems with constipation. I had those problems too when I was young. My youngest is 3 and we are still working on his constipation. I can tell what we've tried that works. Of course you want to try to increase the fiber in their foods. All you can do is try everything until you find something they like. My son doesn't like his veggies very well so we give him whatever fruit he will eat. Pears are GREAT for constipation. Also, his pediatrician told me to buy some Benefiber. It is an over the counter fiber supplement. It's a powder that I mix into his milk or juice and he doesn't even know it's in there. Benefiber is better than metamucil or other brands because it doesn't get all clumpy and stick to the bottom of your drink. We also do one tablespoon of dark Karo syrup every day. This works as a natural laxative by pulling fluid into the stool from outside the intestines. It works great and he thinks he is getting a treat because it is 'syrup'. I guess you could serve it on your toddler's pancakes too. I do both of these remedies and it works great. Most juices work well too like apple and especially pear or white grape juice. My son will only drink apple though. Also, make sure she is getting plenty of water. This is tough sometimes with my son because he likes milk, which makes his constipation worse. So I usually put a little Benefiber in each glass that he has. Well, hope this helps, and good luck!!

These are guaranteed to do the trick! Kids LOVE them because they taste so good and they are super high in fiber. You can even make them up and freeze them, if you like. Then, just thaw as you need them. They are also very good made with chocolate chips instead of butterscotch.

Butterscotch Fiber One Cookies (photo on website)

From: www.halfmysize.com
Servings - 9

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Fiber One cereal
2 Tbsp. reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter and butterscotch chips. Microwave for 30 seconds; stir mixture and microwave for 30 more seconds, if necessary for mixture to melt. Stir in cereal. Drop cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate until firm. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: 9 cookies

Nutrition Information:
104 Cal., 5.1 g. fat, 4.9 g. fiber

That would be my suggestion also, to buy the flavorless fiber powder and mix it in with foods she likes. I hope you find something that works for her! =D

Hi, my name is J. and I am a mother of a 3-1/2 month old boy. My son is extremely constipated and for a month or so I was using glycerin suppositories which didn't help much. I went to my doctor for more ideas and he suggested warm water and brown carro syrup. It works like a charm! You don't even need to add the carro syrup - just giving your child warm water should help move things along. I suggest making the water as warm as you can so she can tolerate it. I hope this helps. :)

My daughter is 21 months and has the same problem. My doctor told me to feed her plain yogurt or yogurt with little sugars every other day. He also recomended that she drink 8 oz of water a day. He said this will help her without having to use fiber supplements. So far she is doing well and she loves to eat yogurt.

my son has been constipated since he left diapers. the doctors put him on a medication called lactulose. it is, what i was told, sugar. your child will drink a small amount everyday and it will help keep her regulated. now keep in mind that by being contantly cnostapated she has stretched her colon out so she will be on this for a while, so it can shrink. my son was on his for about a year. but it did help. good luck!

Ask your doctor for a powder latative you can add to her drinks. My son was prescribed one and he says that you can't even taste it. It really helped him. I'm not sure of the name, I will look later and let you know what it is called. Good Luck!

Whole wheat noodles most of the time be undetected if sauce is on it especially egg noodles in some sort of all in one cassarole. Or oatmeal with some sort of chocolate syrup or tootsie roll or something sweet she likes, but she has to see you putting it in. My kids are picky when I let them be picky. Sometimes all it takes is telling them ( like our parents use to do to us which we Hated) you can't get up till you eat it or something strict like that. Of course there will be a few they refuse to eat. But surprisingly they will eat most if they are forced to.

My son had the same problem when he was small. My Dr. told me to give him mineral oil in a drink,(juice etc) the oil has to be kept in the fridge so it is also cold. It is tasteless so he didn't seem to mind. The suppositories are so unpleasant... There are also some Gummy Vitamins at the health food store which also help and easy to take.

Hope this helps

Try something milder tasting, like summer squash in the sauce - or carrots, or a dissolving fiber supplement.. You might also try either whole wheat pasta or Barilla plus - which is very very near indistinguishable from "spaghetti". Ginger Ale has worked wonders for my toddler - who has no fiber or drinking issues, but apparently has slow bowels. GA works like grape juice or milk of magnesia, by pulling water back into the intestines.

BTW, no amount of fiber will help if your child is even remotely dehydrated - a lot of fiber, in the absence of liquid, can actually cause constipation by slowing things down and drying things out.

there is a fiber supplement out there that is tasteless and you can mix it in any drink or food... check the fiber/laxative aisle at heb. i don't know if it's okay for a 2 year old, but i'd try it and/or ask your doctor about it.
http://www.benefiber.com/products/index.shtml?benefiberPo...
this link is for benefiber and it says to ask a doctor for under age 6. hope this helps!!

My first son had this problem and our doc had him drink extra juice. We even had a powder, I believe it was called glycolax that we could put in juice or milk and it helped when things were really bad. Hope this helps!

you could try subtle things like switching to wheat bread for her sandwiches, or using whole grain pasta for her mac and cheese (kraft makes it and calls it supermac) or whole grain spaghetti. use brown rice instead of white...little things that she probably won't object to may make life a little easier.

good luck.

Have you tried adding Benefiber or Fibersure to her food and drink? We have to do that with my 2 1/2 year old a lot to help with her consitpation issues. It doesn't alter the taste at all and mixes in water clear. Also I have found that a glass of juice a day really helps keep my little girl "regular"

Hello, R. G well my name is M. and let me tell you this would happen to my little girl when she was 2 also but there was this one thing we would give her in a drink of water it's called KARO it's something like sweet syrup it would help trust me dont ask the doctors if its ok cause they wont approve ...lol but try it , it worked for me.. Hope your little one feels better..
signed,
M. R

Hello, my name is T. and my daughter is 3 years old and she suffered from the same thing and her pediatrician send her "polyethglycol 350 nf powder" and is really good, i used to mix it with two teaspoons in orange juice every morning and it helped her to have a bowel movement since then. After one month of using it (therapy)every day now she does not need to have this to go potty, Thank God.
This medicine is not addictive, it will only help her to have a bowel movement. Ask your pediatrician and if he keeps telling you the same thing about her diet change him, sometimes our bodies need a litte help to do what they supposed to do.Thats what i did with the first pediatrician my daughter had, but now she is happy and no more tears or stomach pain.

This may not work for you, but I thought it was worth suggesting and you can determine if it will work with your daughter. I used to crush up, almost to a powder, Fiber One cereal and add it to my daughters breakfast if it was something that the power could be mixed in with. Now granted, if I put too much, she could tell and would not eat it, but most of the time just have a little bit helped.

I don't know what it is called, but I have seen a commercial that advertizes a fiber you can drop a spoonfull or so into whatever you are making that is supposed to be almost tasteless. I have looked this one up you can get from a grocery store. Hope this helps. One watered down applejuice a day tends to help too. www.fibersure.com

My daughter has similar issues. Some of my (and her) favorite high fiber foods are; refried beans, Quaker breakfast cookies, and Gardenburgers.

Have you tried fruits? Apple juice? Not sure if you can do this with a 2 year old but what about mixing metamucil in whatever she will drink or eat...???? Just a thought.
Good luck!

They have that flavorless powder I think, that you could ask your doctor if that would be ok for her to take in her food. Just sprinkle some into her spaghetti sauce or even ice cream an she should eat it and be none the wiser. Other than that, that is actually all I can think of. I am so sorry I couldn't be of much help. :(

does she like smoothies? if so, make some fresh fruit smoothies (fruit, ice, blend). heck, you can even add broccoli and leafy greens. :)

Have you tried the fiber flakes that you can mix into just about anything, I can't remember who makes it but it is right next to the fiber pills at the grocery store, it is in a tall green container.

White bread and white rice can both cause constipation in those who are easily susceptible. I recommend switching to 100% Whole Wheat bread (Nature's Own is great) and brown rice. I did this with my oldest, and he hated it at first, but after only a few months, I let him try some white rice and he nearly revolted! He said it had "no flavor". Besides eliminating a possible source of the constipation, this will also add some fiber. It's more nutritious, too!

You may also consider whole wheat for spaghetti, macaroni, waffles, baked goods, and even breakfast cereal. Anywhere your daughter is getting refined flour is a possible source of constipation, and is no doubt adding to the problem.

Picky eaters *will* eat before they starve. Trust me ;)

Good luck!

Wheat germ, which you can sprinkle on lots of stuff, like yogurt. Also whole grain bread...you can get white whole wheat believe it or not, if she doesn't like brown. Vegetable lasagna.

Dear R.,
My little sister who is 13 has the same problem and is also a very picky eater. My mom mixes a fiber supplement in her food (i think benefiber is the one she uses)and she never knows it is there. There are many fiber supplements that have no flavor that you can add to food. Another solution is to check the labels on cereal many are high in fiber. If your daughter likes one keep some on hand as a snack. Push as many fruits and vegetables (avoid bananas they can make constipation worse) and fruit juices. With my children I have found some creative ways to get them to eat veggies. For raw veggies they seem to eat them better if I give them ranch dressing to dip them in. With cooked veggies I have noticed if I add a little garlic powder and sugar when I cook them they eat them better. They also have many fruit dips also. I hope this helps good luck.
A.

You might try wheat germ. I hide it in so many things I cook and even my husband doesn't notice it. You can sprinkle a little in everything she eats and the cumulative effect should help. I put it in meat loaf, anything I bake, spagetti or anything with a sauce really. You would be amazed at what all you can hide it in. It's also a great source of folic acid.

Hi R.,
You have my sympathy. My daughter is 12 and suffers from cronic constipation. We took her to a specialist. He put her on that "High Fiber" diet. He also prescribed Miralax (available over the counter now I think). All of which tasted bad and I couldn't get her to eat or drink. Finally I started to look for things that had high fiber content. What we found was that Ensure and Pediasure w/fiber worked.(They taste better than most fiber supliments and you have a varity) But you have to find the ones that say WITH FIBER. Another high fiber drink--SLIM FAST. I know that it is so suppose to be a weight lose product. But when you read the ingredient label, it has more fiber than just about anything else. We let my daughter have a can with her meal. Insted of giving it as a meal. It helped her gain a little weight. We also try to keep her away from dairy products, put this just isn't realistic in our family. She will actually eat stuff if I put cheese on it. And if I can get her to eat anything it is a miracle.
Something else you need to worry about is that cronic constipation effects other body parts. We actually went to see my daughters Gastroentologist because her Urologist said that there was a connection to her kidney problems and her bowel problems. Anytime that "waste" is kept in the body too long it turns into "poison" for lack of a better word. My daughter would become impacted, especially when she was your daughter's age. When she did have a bowel movement it hurt and often bleed. And it also had a VERY fowl odor. The odor concerned her doctors. It was a sign that she was impacted. A good thing to releave this is an enema. We give my daughter one that is just simply milk and malassas heated and mixed together. It is more natural than over the counter stuff and works almost instantly. Just let it cool to room temp and put it in a enema bag. Actually when my daughter was younger we used the old containers from over the counter stuff. Sounds sever but just a little helps.
Sorry to babble so much but I hope it helps. P.S. we also found fiber cookies in the pharmacy. They are cinnamon and sugar flavored. But you can still taste the fiber.