Toddler Constipation and Pain

I'd give my daughter 2 tsp of Benefiber mixed in with a drink once per day. You can do it safely every day. She was much more regular and it came out much easier when I consistently gave her that.

K.-get a really good probiotic which will help immensely and have you tried prune juice or caster oil?? Those do not taste the best but you can disguise them in other things. Also coconut oil is better than flaxseed or even fish oil. Also thistle is a wonderful herb for clearing out the intestines and all is perfectly safe and much safer than any drugs.

T.
Detox Coach

Have you tried apricot juice? But try little bits at a time or else you could end up with very loose bowels.

INFANT ACIDOPHILOUS!!!!!! I can't stress this enough! This is a probiotic for infants and children up to 5 years old. Please try this before you see a GI. My son has been taking this since he was 6 weeks old and he had NEVER had a pooping problem. NEVER! You have to know that I am not into any type of wholestic medicine, but my MIL is. She suggested giving him this to help with his digestive system, and it helps build their immune system. I was very unsure about it, but I tried it and it works great. Acidophilous is the live culture that is used in yogurt. My son takes a 1/2 a teaspoon in his milk in the morning and I also give him a yogurt every other day as well. I am telling you that he has never had any type of constipation and he is now 19 months old!
We used Udo's Choice Infant's Probiotic. We get ours at Fruitful Yield in Lombard, but I am sure you can get it at any health food store. You need to find a probiotic that contains live active cells and needs to be refrigerated. Please try this, you will be very satified and your daughter will be a very happy girl.
Please let me know if you try it and how it turned out.
K.
P.S. I did ask my pedi about it and because it is all natural, he siad there is nothing wrong with using it as long as you want.

Hi K.,

1. Increase fluids....she needs more water.

2. Add probiotics to her daily routine. Buy them from Whole Foods or Fruitful Yield.

3. Increase fiber fruits - raspberries, pears, blueberries, etc.

4. STOP using Miralax. Two reasons, it's NEVER been tested on children and secondly, it's never suppossed to be used for longer than TWO weeks (read the package insert and the FDA's website). Google miralax and side effects and you'll read there for hours....your instincts are correct, don't use it.

5. Buy "Baby Calm" from Fruitful Yield or Whole Foods, it's a natural laxative (magnesium citrate), drank before bed and it produces BMs the next day. It's non-addicting, safe for babies +, etc. Wonderful alternative to miralax.

Hope this helps,
K.

is your child lactose intolerance? my neice was diagnose at a early age with the same problems. or does your child suffers from IBS (IRRITABLE BOWL SYNDROME.) apple juice always keeps the baby regular with ease, less carbs and more veggies, also a little mineral oil helps it to just slide through the intestines. get a second doctors oppinion, some one whos alittle more thorough.

K.,

When my girls were little, it was recommended that I give them a little white karo syrup when they were having trouble 'going'. When they took a bottle, we put just a drop or two. Maybe put half a tsp in a cup of milk. Since it is sweet, your little one shouldn't complain too much.

Good luck.
B.

I to have two daughters that have this problem. My doctor prescribed the generic for Miralax and I give it to her every morning along with a high fiber diet or at least I try. Lots of broccoli, whole wheat pasta's and tons of water. Try to get your daughter trying to go on the toilet every time she gets that pain. I know she is only 2 1/2 but by trying to get her in a routine of always trying to go will her. Did see a GI doctor and that is what they told me. Hope this helped.

My daughter had this same problem when she was about 2. It lasted quite awhile--or at least seemed to. She would hide when she was trying not to go because it hurt. We tried so many different things. Some would work and then stop. She refused to eat prunes or drink the juice. We used Senokot for kids and it worked really well for the most part. We gave her plenty of fluids and restricted her milk but still had problems. The constipation made her not want ot potty train. Finally I just started giving her lots of Juicy Juice. That pretty much did it. I know people say too much juice is bad but we were at a stand still and needed to do something. Whenever she seemed to get constipated again, we gave JJ and it cleared it up right away. I know everyone is different and different things work for different people. Maybe this will work for you. Good Luck.

My child had the same problem since she was a baby. As she got older (around your child's age), the problem got so bad that the doctor told us that her bowls had been "stretched out", and that is why he put her on Miralax. The point of staying on the Miralax was to help her body have more normal (softer) bowel movements so that the bowel could return to its "normal" size. After a few months of that, and a change in diet, my child is so much better. She still has trouble on occasion, but nothing like before.

Cow's milk can be very, very constipating for children like ours. We switched her to soy milk for about a year (yes, it has the same amount of calcuim and protien as cow's milk). We started to switch her by using 10% soy/90% cow's milk, they gradually increasing the soy until she was used to the change in taste.

We also push lots of water, as well as the probiotics drink Kefir. Kefir (available in the organic or dairy section of almost any grocery store) has changed things dramatically for us. The probiotics work wonders and my child can now eat cheese, etc...without any problems. My child loves the strawberries & cream flavor.

We also switched to whole GRAIN breads and snacks. Make sure the bread says whole grain, not just whole wheat, there is a difference. Brownberry/Orowheat makes a double fiber bread that we like. We swiched her grain snacks to the Goldfish crackers made with whole wheat, Annie's makes whole wheat bunny crackers, you get the point.

We also tried to get her to eat more fruit and veg. One of the strangest things our pediatrician told us was that some fruit (like bananas) can be constipating to very young children. Who knew?!!

Lastly, you should talk with her pediatrician about your fears of giving her Miralax. I hated to think of my child on a perscription at such a young age, but I also hated to hear her crying from the pain, so I did some research. I was told that Miralax is different than other products out there; it is not absorbed into the blood stream, and just helps their GI tract work better. I encourage you to ask her doctor if her tract could possibly stretched out, too. After a few months on Miralax, my daughter was so much better.

Good luck, if you have any more questions, let me know!
M.

I would see a GI doc. we have the same issue, and they always have good ideas.
Plus, you need to get this under control before you can start potty training.
I see Dr Suzanne Nelson. Her office is located in The Glen in Glenview. She is affiliated with Children's Memorial. Love her!

From my own experience and experience with my children I've found everyone's body works differently. My girls eat exactly the same things and they both have different kinds of bowel movements. The older never has problems, but the younger is often constipated. I had problems as a child...so much so that it scarred my intestinal tract. At one point I hadn't gone for two or three weeks. My mother had to put me on a strictly liquid diet. Absolutely no solids until I had a bowel movement. I was about two at the time and it was very heartbreaking for my mother and father. They even started eating when I was asleep because I started telling my mom that I would be good if she gave me some food (my little mind thought she was feeding me because I was being a bad girl or something). It took about four days, but I went and mom said it wasn't pretty.

So over the years with all my intestinal issues I've learned a few things.

1.) plenty of fluids are absolutley necessary. I have to drink at least half my body weight in ounces everyday. I'm about 164 pounds so I drink over a gallon of water a day.

2.) lots of fiber. I eat mini-shredded wheats, raisen bran cereal, wheat bread, flax seed in salads... I've tried sprinkling bran on things but the gas is so bad it kills my stomach.

3.) At least five servings of fruit and veggies a day. That's about a half a cup a serving. I have started to include a fruit or veggie in every meal and snack. We spend about $50 just in fruit at our house every two weeks.

Hope that helps.

You can try optiflora probiotics by Shaklee - they're totally safe and I give it to my 2 year old daily just for good proactive health. I've heard many testimonials to where people have all sorts of GI disturbances resolved just by adding the probiotics - and we're talking things from IBS to constipation to Crohn's. I know you don't know me but I could get you more information if you were willing to try it. It really is worth it and is a totally painless remedy. By the way, it is really really tiny and my 2 year old yells for it now everyday along with Shaklee's childrens' multi - she has to have them!

Other things you can try is adding more fresh fruits and veggies for the fiber along with lots of water and also some prunes.

Good luck!
K.

My daughter was like that too- she is now four years old. I make sure she has at least one glass of apple juice a day (not diluted) and dried fruit for snack like raisins and cranberries and it seems to help alot.

My son has been on the miralax since he was 1 he is going to be four. I have tried to take him off of it and it doesnt work. I have been to the hospital with him and to a GI at childerns memorial hospital who told me that miralax was the best thing we could do. Take it from me leave your baby on Miralax I have spent tons of money trying to fix it for my son and it all came back to keep him on the miralax. The GI told me part of the problem was that his bowels were hard so he associated it with pain and would try not to go which would cause the constipation to get worse. Using the miralax makes the stool softer he will no longer be afraid it will hurt when he goes.

Try to get her to eat more ruffage. Peanut butter stuffed celery etc. Don't get her bowel or intestine hooked on meds to rely on...she's too young. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving

why not continue with the Miralax? It use to be by prescription only but just this past year is now over the counter. It is not harmful. We tell pts to give 1 and a half tsp in 8 oz of liquid until theyhave that blow out and then decrease until pts are going regularly. Being constipated at this age is normal- the kids remember a painful bm and hold it causing more constipation. plus their favorite foods are binding- pasta, potato, cheese, applesause and bananas etc... try foods less binding- anything with a P peaches, pears, prunes, plums etc... with constipation remember the 3 F's fiber, fluid and fitness!

My son was on Miralax for almost 2 years, every day, and it was the only thing that would work because he refused to eat fruit or vegetables (or at least the ones that would help with the constipation). It isn't addicting and it does not hurt them. He is now 6 and his favorite vegggie is broccoli. It was a matter of getting him over his food refusal & getting him gradually to eat the right foods & he is fine now w/o miralax. I highly recommend it give it a try!

Years ago my doctor suggested Colace - Stool Softener for my daughter. He said she had a lazy lower bowel and there was not enough liquid in her bowel to push
bm's out. Ask your doctor about Colace - stool softener only. It did no harm and no side effects except to help her get relief. Drinking lots of water helps too.

When my children were younger and had this happen, my doctor told me to use dark Karo syrup. It worked better than Prune juice or castor oil and I didn;t have to fight with them to take it. You don't use a lot just the same amount as the castor oil.

My first was VERY constipated. It lasted about 2 years and we still battle with it now and then. We actually did take him to a GI. He went thru some testing (barium enema...not fun) and some stool "lubricants." I, like you, was a little concerned about having him on something so often, although the doc said that was fine. I FINALLY tried probiotics...I cannot tell you the difference it has made!! We get the Florajen 3 from whole foods. Good luck! It's SO sad watching them struggle!

My son loved the Gerber prunes. A jar of those would always do the trick. Also, cut back on cheese and give plenty of water.

More fluids may help. Happens to al of us, and the winter dehydrates too making it worse.

Had you been trying to potty train before your first bout of constipation? My nephew battled constipation and it stemmed from the fact he didn't want to go on the potty. (He would hold it for days!) This went on for months until he finally realized that he had to do it, and guess what no more constipation! The other suggestions are good, I also highly suggest probiotics. If it continues and potty training isn't the issue, call your GI doc to find out what's going on.

Good Luck!

K., I work in a pediatric hospital with a GI department that has people that just deal with constipation. It sounds like you should be seen because if a pattern of painful bowel movements develops it could end up with her witholding stool. That gets complicated. I would not "wait and see". A.

Hi K., I have a 2 year old girl with the same thing, she has had trouble going since she was born. I kept taking her to the Dr. and they'd tell me to change her eating, poor thing lived on fruit and veggies..lol then finally I went to a more of a natural Dr. and he told me to put her on Acidophilus (you can get it at the health stores) (get plain so you can put it in fluids) it took a few weeks but she seems to be much better now. I also feed her yogurt each day with her meals or as a snack. I hope this helps your little one.

I have a son that was born with bowel problems, In fact they had to remove a large portion of his large bowel at 10 days old. He always has had problems and his Dr. told us to try a recipe of half cup applesauce, half cup of white grape juice, and three tablespoons of benefiber. Mix all that together and give her a tablespoon of it a day or freeze it in an ice cube tray and put toothpicks (or popcicle sticks)in it and let her have it as a popcicle. You can also give her acidophilous once a day and Miralax once a day. Follow the directions on the bottle. I know that people usually are paranoid about using meds, (I know I was), but Miralax does nothing except help the bowel keep the water in the stools. You have to make sure that she drinks plenty of fluids, but it works; trust me. You could ask your Dr. first if that would make you feel more comfortable. Good Luck!!