Toddler Toddler Constipation

often kids do drink juice we use to have to watch how much apple juice my grandson got because it gave him diahrea. how long has the witholding been going on and the behavoir with the wiping could something have happened at the preschool.good luck
Paula

Stick with the miralax. It's not addicting in any way. I didn't stick with it as my son's doctor recommended when he was 3, and he still has pooping issues (he's 7 now.) His colon stretched out and he lost some ability to feel when he needs to go. It was a major control issue with him.

My daughter suffers from it and because of dairy and we have used Miralax since she was 3 and she is now 9. Her Dr gave it to us as an RX before it was over the counter. We used it everyday but a half dose for 3 months till she was regular and then we were able to back off it. Miralax work differently than most from what I was told by her DR so I would use it but you need to use it for at least a week or two to get things working correctly again. Since she is small I would just do like a tablespoon or two a day for a week and see if that helps then back it to every other day then maybe every third day. I hope this helps we have had this issue for years and whenever my daughter has to much dairy it becomes a problem.

Hi A.,

To get my toddler to drink more water, I started making him chamomile tea with a dash of lemon and honey. I serve it lukewarm and he'll often drink the whole 8-10 oz cup in one sitting. He'll also drink warm water after refusing cold water. And I've made him dilutated lemonade. Even though I think these beverages don't taste great (all of them too diluted for MY taste), they're enough 'different' in taste than plain cold water for him. I hope this helps your little one.

Best of luck! ~ D.

Hi there! I had a similar problem with my oldest daughter; it started when she was about 2 1/2 years old. It was a sporadic problem at first, but then increased in frequency so when she was 3 our pediatrician asked us to try Miralax every day for 2 whole months. She reassured us that it was not habit-forming, so we tried it. It got everything working just fine, without her being afraid of painful poops, and then we potty trained her. Since then, (she's 5 now), we've only had to use the Miralax every once in a while - maybe once every 3 or 4 months if I'm not watching how much cheese she's eating. Good luck!

A.,
I am wondering if the fruits and bread is too much for her system. I dont know when you feed either to her, but have you heard about food combining? She also might be gluten intollerant in which case, her digestive tract is not able to process the bread or absorb the nutrients. Also with fruit, depending on which fruit can be too much sugar or acidity like citrus and could cause acid reflux.

Take a tablespoon of fennel seed and a dried bayleaf boil them in water and cool pour through a sieve and add sugar if want give to child it is natural and will help.

A.- There is nothing wrong with being on Miralax until she is totally having soft poops (or benefiber or anything else along those lines).
It will help your daughter. We mix it (the girl I nanny also has constipation issues)with 1/2 water 1/2 juice in the morning and she drinks it every day. She can't taste it, and calls it her "poop juice". She knows her poops hurt and that the juice helps her.
Also, I am pretty sure you are not supposed to put the fiber stuff in Milk. I know that it is expressly written on "sarah's" perscription that we are not supposed to.
Find a doctor. You do not want her to tear or get hemorroids because she can't go to the bathroom

My niece suffered from constipation for years, she just didn't poop. Her mom started grinding a 1/2 a tablet of all natural Herb Lax and sprinkling it on her applesauce or cerial and she has never had the problem since. If she goes a day without a bowel movement she gets a little herblax. It is made of the senna leaf. You can read more about it here
http://www.shaklee.net/beyondorganic/product/20144

While there on the right side menu check out optifora, a prebiotic. We recently sent some to our daughter because her baby boy (2 yrs) was having bowel problems and the doctors wanted to put him on medication. She gave him one pearl and said he was better the very next day.

Hi A.,

I had a lot of problems with my daughter when she was younger (she is now 10, almost 11) and constipation can be no joke. With her, I linked it to not enough water and too much cheese as well, but I never really considered it to be serious. Once when she was 5, she hadn't gone for 4 days and was miserable. She was crying and obviously in a lot of pain. I ended up taking her to the ER, and she had to have an enema done. This was very traumatizing for her, and ultimately stopped the constipation cycle. Now, she reads the labels of all of the packaged foods and drinks she eats and is careful not to overdue cheese and drinks lots of water. I guess my advice to you would be to try and encourage more water drinking, and possibly cut cheese out altogether for a short time to see if this eliminates the issue. You could also try asking expert advice from a dietitian who may have better options as well. One thing I used to also have my daughter do is drink a tiny bit of prune juice if she was feeling severely constipated. I wish you luck!
J.

Miralax is not like other laxatives. It does not in anyway make her body dependent on it and is not bad in any way. My daughter has always had issues with constipation since she was 6 months old and started on food. Her doctor prescribed Miralax for a couple years.
For short term natural remedies, try adding corn syrup to her juice or applesauce and giving it to her as part of a meal.

I would try the following:

-Children's Probiotic. Probiotics are the healthy organisms that live in our intestines and help break down and process foods. Everyone has them naturally but because Americans take antobiotics so often to rid ourselves of bad bacterias that cause illness, the good bacteria also get wiped out in that process, often leaving us deficient. Then doctors prescribe laxitives instead of probiotics, treating the symptom not the cause of the digestive problem. Probiotics are found in small amounts in yogurt. But if your child has a deficiency I'd get a bottle of the high-content stuff, from your health food store refrigerated vitamin section, and store it in your refrigerator. I even mix probiotics into my dog's food when she is having bowel problems.

-flax seed oil (also high in Omega 3) mixed into her food so she can't taste it, such as whole grain oatmeal with honey or maple syrup to mask; alternate mix into mash potatoes. Doesn't taste that bad, similar to veggie oil but not appetizing on it's own. You can get this at Whole Foods or a health food store in the refrigerated vitamin aisle. Alternately, stores like Safeway, Whole Foods and Trader Joes sell "high fiber toaster waffles with Omega 3 and/or Flax." This will help too. Your child will never know she is taking a supplement.

-Newman's Own brand prunes are delicious. They taste more like fresh plums than prunes. I buy them at New Seasons Organic Supermarket but Whole Foods has a similar brand of dried plums that are pretty good too.

-Fruit like sliced pineapple, in large quantities, or grapes will get her going. Fruits with skins or pulp have insoluble fiber. Potatoes with peels on work well too. If you served her french fries without skins removed that counts, as does baked potato or baked sweet potatoes.

-Finally, oils are important! General rule is the more expensive the oil the better it is for your skin, brain function, lung function and bowel movements. Read the labels and look for 3 things: 1) cold-pressed oil - this means the oil was cold pressed, processed without heavy heat or chemicals that take all of the essential nutrients out of them. Heat processing is cheaper so many companies use it. Pay more for your oil and get the cold-pressed stuff. 2) Mono-unsaturated fat. This is found in foods like Olives, Peanuts, Avocados. So olive oil and peanut oil are great sources. Peanut oil is amazing on french fries, FYI. 3) Poly-unsaturated fat. This is found in Canola Oil, Walnut Oil, or any of the "S" oils- Sesame, Safflower, Sunflower. Your body desperately needs mono and poly unsaturated fats. These are the good fats that work with amino acids to build protein blocks. Without them you don't function well, but most Americans eat high-heat processed vegetable oils and miss out altogether. You can mix in a little bit of olive oil, sunflower oil with your favorite salad dressings or top things like rice or pasta with the oils too. When you are frying an egg or a burger try using a healthy mono or polyunsaturaed oil rather than butter or unhealthy, generic vegetable oils or even name brands such as Wesson that are processed using heat. Butter is very high in saturated fat, which everyone needs a little bit of but in excess becomes cellulite and clogged arteries. Good luck!

You need to take her the dr, soon. If you're using a suppository to move things along, it won't be habit forming, it just moves things beyond her control. Make sure she's getting enough physical activity. Take her for a long walk. Moving also impacts the bowel's activity. But it's important to have her examined. There might be an obstruction that's impeding the bowel movements and causing pain. She may have a low tolerance for pain as well.

Take good care!

My daughter has the same problems that you are describing that your daughter is having. She would go many days without going poop and we were getting really worried, she would scream and cry that it hurt also. We finally took her to the doctor and she was so backed up that they first put her on Magnesium Citrate to make her go, she took that for 2 days. Now we use Miralax and have been very successful on that now since March. Our doctor told us that they can withhold their poop, and over time their stools are so hard that it is really painful to pass, and then it can get so bad that they actually have leakage. My daughter would get into that painful cycle where she would finally pass some stool and it would hurt so she would hold it in for another few days. The doctor told us that it can take up to a year for there bodies to heal enough that they can tell they have to use the restroom. When my daughter was first on Miralax, she didn't even realize she was going poop till we would wipe, but now she is back to telling us she has to go. Another thing is that we schedule poop time and she sits on the potty at that time regardless if she has to go or not. Also our doctor told us to limit her milk and dairy to only 2 cups a day and increase her fiber( plums, cracklin oat bran). When she was finally able to go she had been so backed up that she actually lost 2pounds and she started eating normally again, she hadn't been hungry because there was so much poop in her. I would definitely take your daughter to the doctor to get all this taken care of before it gets any worse. Hope all this helps.

M.

Hi A.,
I totally understand what you are going through. My son took it too the extreme and we went through MANY many different things to try to get him to go. We took him to the doctors because he hadn't pooped in a week! This is what our docotor had us do...we set up a poop chart and everyday he pooped he got a sticker at the end of the week if he had at least 4 stickers he got to go to McDonalds (you have to figure out what they really like so that they want to do it).... then every day he drank a small glass of chocolate milk (because that's what he likes and it worked best, we did try juice and others but this worked the best for him to drink it all) with mineral oil in it at night about an hour before he went to bed. You have to mix it up good and it is a little oily looking but if you put it in a sippy cup or a cup with a lid they can't see that and it doesn't have any taste at all. Now it wasn't a full cup because you want them to drink it fast so it doesn't seperate. We used about 1/4 cup choco milk. At first I had to put in 1/4 cup of mineral oil with it because my son was so backed. But just start with 2 tablespoons. It does not give them "runny" poop (which is what miralax did to my son) and just makes the poop slick so that it comes out easier. It says to not take it right before meals so that it goes through the system better and gets to where it needs to go to help. It takes a few days to work, then if you keep it regular it works and after awhile you can just take them off it because it has become more comfortable for them and the aren't afraid to poop any more. It took us about 3 months, but it worked and now my son only gets mineral oil when he gets constipated. My doctor said one of the reason this works but takes awhile is because they have to get over the fear of the hurt of it coming out and get use to it just being a regular part of going potty.

Good Luck!

A.,

So sorry your little one is going through this. Being constipated hurts and is no fun. She absolutely needs more water. Mix it with her favorite juice, offer it in a cup or bottle, but definitely get it into her. Getting good amounts of fiber in a diet is great for digestive help but you need the water to help move it out.
My son went through a phase at about a year of age where he would not drink his water. He would just throw his sippy cup onto the ground. He kept getting constipated after that. I tried to give him water myself but he wouldn't take it. Finally I had to syringe it into him and he had a whole day of constant poo-ing (6 times that day! Poor little guy was really backed up.).
Don't believe some literature and doctors that tell you a week without a poo is normal. If your child is eating solid foods each day, then she should be pooping each day or a few times a day.
I encourage you to do what you can to give her water. If she had surgery and needed medicine but wouldn't take the medicine, you'd find a way to give her that medicine, right? Because she needs it. Well, right now she is hurting and needs water. Do you drink a good amount of water? Maybe if she sees you drinking it and with her she would do it too.
Here's hoping your little one feels better soon and kudos to you for asking for help. That's the mark of a great mom. :)

I have struggled with the issue of constipation with my toddler for over a year. Recently I changed doctors to go to the local "poop specialist" and this is what he said. Completely cut out juice and cheese (yes!) Apple juice is the worst offender which can be diaretic in some children but constipating in others. Cheese is completely unneccesary as the kids should be drinking milk and water only and therefore won't need to get calicum other ways (I still feed him yogurt) and cheese is very constipating. He put us on a regimin of Miralax which he says is completely fine and goes straight through the kids with no side effects. All it is is a stool softener so it is not a true "laxative"...He had us start with 1/2 capful 2 times a day and when he still wasn't going every day we increased it to 1 capful 2 times a day. You must find ways to push the water..make it as fun as possible...maybe experiment with ice cubes, fun cups, a piece of fruit in it, popsicles etc. Even after all of this our little guy still wasn't going every day but it was very watery and it was easier for him to go...things seems to be better now and we've cut back on the miralax but there seems to be no concern with keeping him on a low dose for the foreseeable future. We even had an X-ray to make sure there were no obstructions in his bowels. I can't speak as to the potty training issue as our guy is not yet potty trained but he was definitely holding it on purpose and this seemed to help. I do cheat on the cheese and juice issue sometimes but it really helped to go cold turkey for a while and see the results improve. Good luck!

Hi A.,

My daughter Olivia went throught the exact same thing! Her poop would be so hard she would hold it in for days. When she did finally go, it was a very scary size! She loves carbs and cheese! So hard to get her to drink liquids.

Her doc recommended Miralax and I was a bit relunctant b/c i was also afraid she would be dependant on it. I started on her benefiber and saw no results. So, i gave in and tried Miralax. Miralax takes a few days to work, but it works like magic. I mix it in with her milk and it seems to be no problem.

Talk to your doctor or if you have concerns.

Good Luck!

Hydration really is probably the issue for her since it sounds like she eats a very balanced diet. One thing we do with our daughter is give her a small portion of food to feed herself. She'll eat that and ask for more. We ask her to have a drink of water, cow milk, juice, etc. while we get her more to eat. She's 22 months and eats more than many elementary kids we know even though she's below average weight. She's never been constipated and always seems to be well hydrated. We keep a sippy cup of water in her play area at all times and always take one with us in the car so that it's available. We make sure she sees us drink fluids so she sees it as a normal part of life.

We had this problem with oeur first son from the time he was 6 months old (he is now 5). We have to give him a prescription version of Miralax (which is cheaper than the other the counter, but same thing). We usually find that if he has been having problems for a few days, we give him a dose of it and it works. The dr tells us to use it daily but we find that if we use a little bit daily then they are too soft and we have the opposite problem. They do say that you have to play with it a little to find the right dose. I have a friend that has the same problem and it works for her as well.

Another two things that can cause constipation, in addition to not drinking is, lack of fiber, and a lack of digestive enzymes. Make sure she eats salads - preferably with either a vinegrette or lemon-based dressing, preferably home-made (store-bought tends to have too many chemicals and sugar). Salad dressing is easy to make. Olive oil, lemon (1/2 and 1/2) or olive oil and vinegar) and add a little salt to taste, voila, done with no artificial ingredients. You can also add basil, or dill - whatever suits your tastes. Raw foods have enzymes and helps for the digestion nothing else does.

Fresh pineapple also has a lot of good enzymes for the body. You can also try this and see if it helps. Vinegar is VERY good at getting you unstopped.

Make sure the foods you give aren't constipating - except for a glass of milk at each mealtime - NO other dairy. NO cheese, NO rice, NO bananas, etc. If your daughter doesn't like prune juice you can offer her (100%) apricot or pear juice once or twice a day. When you have a choice of fiber or grains, go with water-soluble fibers every time (i.e., oatmeal or barley instead of wheat). When it's warmer out, offer her popsicles made of 100% juice, or fruit smoothies (made with soy milk to add extra nutrition without the binding qualities of regular milk).

Definitely talk to your new doctor about this issue. Glycerin suppositories ALWAYS work, but they should be a last resort, not a daily requirement.

Some of those wipes are extremely stingy. Toilet papers are better unless you try wipes out on yourself first.

I would use the natural method to cure constipation--prunes, raisins, and lots of liquids. Mother always knew best.

If you think this is attention getting behavior, back off, get one of those small toilets you can put on the floor, and let her take care of it herself.

Three things you can't make your toddle do--eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom...sigh.

My daughter has had constipation problems since she was a baby. When she was old enough, we started giving her juice that began with a P (Pear, Papaya, Peach,we use the Knudsen 100% pure juice) per doctors instructions. We cut each cup in half with water. I noticed after starting potty training that she wasnt pooping as often and I would give her a few cups of straight up juice (no water added) to help move things along. I am still doing that and it seems to be working. She is now 4, fully potty trained and has no more issues about pain, withholding and goes at least once every 3 days. I figure if she isnt complaining of a stomach ache and is eating well, all is working fine.

I get the sense that her tummy does work overtime and I am almost certain she has a food allergy, just havent figured out what it is yet. We are working on that now. B

But as she has grown, things have normalized out and we are giving her less juice and more water during the day.

good luck to you.

Hi A.,

First of all, let me say that I sympathize with you both as a mother and as a person who after the birth of my first was a sufferer myself! It is so frustrating!

My daughter too suffers (20 months). One thing I've done that has changed her eating habits completely is allowing only 15-18 oz of milk or juice a day. Foods that I give her regularly are papaya (squirt lime juice on it and slightly sweeten it with sugar), mango, raisins, high fiber crackers, whole wheat pastas and bread. I find that when I'm on my game with her diet she does fine. If I slip and she doesn't go for one day, then it's papaya and mango for breakfast! Usually by lunch she'll have a very, very soft BM. One thing to consider, is she getting blocked by a large mass that she can't pass (once she DOES go, check the toilet). Sounds gross, but I'd even fish it out with gloves on and see what it consists of (hard, dry, large or just regular). If it's hard, dry and large than you know that it's more physical than behavioral. For my daughter, small little pellets are a not a good sign and also a sign that she's needing more fiber because she is on her way to getting blocked. We also do 2 T a day of mineral oil which just adds a little lubricant so that it's easier for her to push it out (and doesn't make her poo too loose).

As far as you telling her that it's her body and she needs to get it out. I suffered so badly after the birth of my first that I ended up in the ER. I cried and cried from the pain and it HONESTLY hurt worse for me than childbirth (I did have good drugs during childbirth!). I asked the doctor if this has ever happened before and he told me that I'd be surprised at how many people go to the ER for constipation. You need to take her seriously. Real constipation HURTS badly!!!

Good luck!!!

Miralax is not a laxative. It keeps moisture in the bowel. Use it every day, perhaps twice a day until her stools are soft.

My grandson was constipated and the doctor prescribed Miralax. I don't remember how often to give it in a 24 hour time span. Follow the directions on the package until you see the doctor.

You can also use a glycerin suppository when she has the urge to poop but can't. You can find them on the shelf at a pharmacy.

Stop all dairy and increase the amount of fruits that she eats. Prunes, plums are especially good. You can buy dried prunes and cook them by heating them in water on the stove. Stir Benefiber into her cereal or any other food that is soupy enough to absorb it every day.

I also suggest that you stop using the wipes. Since she is constipated her anus most likely has tears that may be too small to see. The stuff on the wipes sting. Use a water dampened soft cloth and just dab. Do not wipe. Flannel is an example. Don't use wash cloths. They are rough. We didn't even try to wipe my grandson. Having a difficult time pooping was enough without forcing him to allow wiping.

Actually you don't need to wipe her if her stool is hard. There will be no residue to wipe off.

Having her take a warm bath everyday may help her muscles to relax and will also clean the anal area if you are concerned about that. No need to use soap everyday and definately do not use a bubble bath product.

When you say you don't stay with her but you can hear screams. Why do you think her screams are a bid for attention? It sounds to me that she is screaming because it hurts to poop. My grandson was visiting his aunt when he was screaming and could not get his poop out. She called an ambulance because she couldn't reach his mother or me and didn't know what else to do. The EMT removed the poop with a gloved finger. My grandson also screamed at pre-school. Constipation hurts! Not only while it's coming out but also when it's been in there for too long.

I suggest you stay with her even if you know her screaming is a bid for attention. I doubt very much that it's a bid for attention for attention's sake given your descriptions. A child this age needs the parent's attention. When a bid for attention is negative she is still showing you that she needs your attention. If you stay in the bathroom from the beginning she wouldn't need to scream to get your attention. She already has it. Then you will know that she is in pain when she screams.

Make going to the bathroom a pleasant experience. Sit down. In my bathroom I have a stool to sit on. In my daughter's bathroom I sit on the edge of the tub. You can play silly games, read, make funny faces, whatever you're comfortable doing and that she will pay attention to. This will help to take her mind off the pooping process which in time may help her to stop withholding. Remain calm and cheerful as well as sympathetic. Once the poop starts to exit, you could say, I know baby it really hurts. Squeeze my hand.

In summary, give her Miralax everyday, stop all dairy products, put Benefiber into all of her soupy foods such as cereal, encourage her to drink water, use a glycerin suppository when you realize the poop is too hard to come out.

Re: ways to get her to drink water. You drink water with her. Make it into a game. Who can get their glass empty first? Add some fruit juice to the water. It doesn't have to be half juice and half water to give the water some flavor. You can use less juice.

If this doesn't improve the constipation within a couple of weeks take her to the doctor. There can be physiological as well as emotional causes for constipation.

Yes, you are giving her a good diet but do you know if the foods you are giving her are the ones that will help her have soft stools? A doctor can help you with that. We had a list of several things to not feed my grandson as well as a list of several things to feed him.

You don't need to find the perfect doctor first. If you don't like the one you go to first then try a different one.

I changed insurance companies a couple of years ago. I was told to make a get acquainted appointment right away and if I wanted a different doctor within the system I could have another get acquainted appointment. One doesn't have to wait until one needs medical attention to do this. You do have a medical need but the appointment is still a get acquainted one.

I found a wonderful dentist by asking MamaSource members for recommendations. You could do that to find a pediatrician if you're unsure about the one you've researched.

If you don't have insurance, you can take her to a county clinic. When my daughter was in school she took her daughter to a Multnomah County Clinic and was satisfied.

Your daughter's constipation is a pain for you as well as her. It is difficult to stick around to see your child in pain when you don't know what to do to help her. Just your sympathetic presence is a help. I can feel your frustration. I've felt inept, helpless and frustrated many times over the years while raising my daughter and helping with my grandchildren. I've now had enough experience to know that eventually I will find a solution. You've done good to ask us at MamaSource.

Was she breast-fed or formula fed as an infant? Chronic constipation is usually a result of being formula-fed and stays with a child for life. All the people that I know personally with constipation issues were formula fed. Your intestines don't establish the right micro-organisms to properly digest food..

The answer is to give her TONS of foods that contain pro-biotics. Foods such as yogurt and fermented vegetables. There are also pro-biotic suppliments for children now. I recommend giving her a high dose of these for a while until things get back on track in her body. This can take up to a year or more (maybe the rest of her life). You should also have her avoid all cheese and white starch (flour, rice, etc). Lots of fruit, 100% juice, yogurt, veggies, flax seeds and other high fiber foods will help as well. If you don't get this under control now she'll likely fight it her whole life.

Miralax might treat the symptoms, but it won't cure the problem.

Good luck

my son had this problem, it was an ongoing issue from he was about 10 months old til he was about 3 1/2.

His dr recommended NOT using prescription meds because you can become dependent on it.
we used suppositories when we HAD to. (they have childrens Fleet suppositories)
Dr said to add about a tablespoon of dark carro syrup to a cup of milk (we called this special milk - it tastes like molasses in in, sweet stuff!) and it was really bad for him, we ended up doing exlax for a while, and that with the "special milk" and the occasional suppository, we were able to overcome it!!

I would like to mention, that all the drs and nurses I have talked to said that benefiber does NOT work very good at all! AND, you might need to cut out breads for a while. whole grain or not, you might need to skip it for a while.

if you are not already you should try adding grapes, raisins, prunes (my kids love dried prunes, they eat them like candy)

And, water isnt that big of an issue, as long as she is geting lots of fruits and veggies, and milk, she should be fine. you might try offering juice (I water my kids' down a bit) you could try grape juice and white grape.

Raisin bran is a really good one if she is willing to eat it.

Hope this helps!

S.

My one year old son had chronic constipation and I was struggling to release his constipation but prune juice, gripe water etc didn't work, then a friend tld me about Toddlers magic tea that helped a lot and he started going daily without any pain.