2 Year Old and Constipation

I had the same situation with my son. Even when he was breastfed, he had a hard time going. For about 18 months, the peds kept telling me he was just constipated (that much I knew) and they occasionally suggested some harsh over the counter laxatives or stool softeners. He had a great diet. Little to no fast food, lots of roughage and water. I finally took him to a pediatric gastroenterologist, who put him on daily Miralax (this is when it a prescription med). He said that most of the over the counter meds, even if they are specifically for children, are too harsh for their systems. He was on for nearly 2 years. My son is 11 now and is fine now but it was rough till he was about 4. I would try a daily dose of Miralx for a month. You have to break your son's bad bathroom habits as well so you have to make it easy for him EVERY time he has to go.

1 mom found this helpful

J. my son was born with a rare bowel disease called hirschsprungs disease and he was like that also from about two days after life. We didnt know what was wrong with him until a pediatric gastrointerologist done a barium enema xray and biopsy of his rectum

1 mom found this helpful

HI J.,

I agree with Melissa on tweaking his diet. She has some good ideas. Also, Slippery Elm is safe for infants and kids and will balance his digestive system. You can find it at the health food store. I give it to my 91 year old father who is bedridden and is on a feeding tube. I control his feeding but only choosing from the formulas manufactured so I had to resort to something else to help with his constipations. It works great. I would follow the recommended dose on the bottle and then adjust as needed. It's not like a drug where you can get into trouble with the wrong dosage.

When taken, slippery elm is easy on the digestive system. Slippery elm is said to be good for both diarrhea and constipation, as it softens and adds smooth bulk to the stool. Slippery elm also calms irritation as it gently coats the lining of the intestinal system. His tummy might not be as tender...but first and foremost make sure his eating habits are good and like Melissa said, remove the fast foods. The chemicals in them can wreak havoc on anyone's system.

God bless!

M.

PS EVERYONE should have a bowel movement after every meal.

1 mom found this helpful

I would go to a pediatric gastrointerologist. I only had to deal with constipation after chicken pox. My son had sores all over his tush and it hurt when he went so he decided to not go again. We gave him lots of graham crackers, water and fresh/frozen fruits. Does he eat a lot of fresh fruit?

My dad has suffered with the same issues for his entire life. I never realized that until earlier this year. From years of this he has hemmoriods really bad. The only way to fix them will be surgically but he is in no hurry to have surgery so I am not sure if he will ever get it taken care of. I would suggest seeing the specialist, maybe you can get better control of this and spare him issues later on in life. God Bless.

1 mom found this helpful

Yes please take him to a gastrointerologist. My nephew went through that and finally got help this year and he is now 5. I can't remember what all they did for him but he is much better now, seems like it was just medicines. Good luck and I hope your little guy gets better soon.

1 mom found this helpful

I would suggest that you try an elimination diet for your son, it very well could be something he is eating. In my opinion and from personal experience, I would eliminate wheat/gluten containing products from his diet for a few weeks and see if this helps. Constipation (or chronic diarrhea) is a symptom of a Gluten Intolerance or Celiac Disease. It is certainly an easy way to determine if it is his diet or not. If after 3 weeks or so his BMs haven't gotten better, then try removing soy products or diary..on down the line. Sure beats testing and Dr visits. Once you have determined or can at least guess what his issues in regards to his diet, then see hi Ped & and nutritionist. Do a web search for gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease. 1 out of 133 American's have this issue without even realizing it. I suffered through childhood and all the way up until I was 35. I'm now 6 months gluten/wheat free and feel AMAZING! It's worth a shot.
PS-It is not a good idea to have a child or anyone sit on a toilet for an extended amount of time. Doing so can cause the muscles of the rectum to lose strength and elasticity causing various other health problems!
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Maybe you can tweak his diet a little more. Eliminate cow's milk and other dairy products, sugar and flour. Give him fresh fruits, steamed veggies, broiled chicken, and avoid fast food, fried foods, mac and cheese, pre-packaged foods, dairy, breads, etc. I think part of the problem may be that he is holding back his BM's until it becomes hard, for fear of hurting. This leads to a vicious cycle of constipation. Changing his diet may make the BM's easier to pass. A sample breakfast might be blue berries, strawberries, and a bowl of oatmeal with applesauce. Lunch could be diced apples, baked sweet potato and chicken cooked very tender in crock pot or oven, and a veggie like boiled carrots, peas, or steamed broccoli. Dinner could be like lunch, and so on. Give him pieces of fruit for snacks and perhaps fresh cup up veggies (if he'll eat them). You can give steamed prunes instead of prune juice. Continue with plenty of water. Hopefully this helps. If after a week or so of a change in diet, he isn't having softer and more frequent BM's a trip to a GI doctor might be a good idea.

1 mom found this helpful

I know a friend who cured her son's chronic constipation and got him off his medication by giving him an omega 3 supplement. There are some yummy lemon flavored oils out there. My friend used Efalex liquid and within a week her son was cured. He was 8, I believe.

1 mom found this helpful

My sister had severe constipation when she was a baby. I don't remember what all my mom did for her except lots of fruit that help with constipation. Peaches, pears, plums, prunes, and grapes are some. Apples and bananas are a couple to avoid. This link is from a website I used with my son about diarrhea. It has a list of foods that aggravate diarrhea, but when he is constipated I just go off the list of foods in reverse. I avoid the list of "Foods that can help" and use the list of foods to avoid. http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/feeding-a-baby-...

My sister now suffers from irritable bowl syndrome. One question the doctor asked her when she was diagnosed was whether she had chronic constipation as a baby, because that is common with IBS. She really has to watch what she eats, but now that she knows, it is easier to manage. I would take my son to the specialist if he was as miserable as it sounds like your son is. I wouldn't want him to have to keep living like that, and if it is something he will have to live with his whole life like IBS, it would be better to know now how to manage it.

1 mom found this helpful

Poor little guy. Yes, take him to a pediatric gastroenterologist. He may be suffering with other issues that are causing these problems. Celiac Disease comes to mind because you mentioned reflux and constipation which can be symptoms of Celiac. Celiac Disease is not life ending, it is life altering. However, catching it early, like in a 2yo, is good because changes to your diet can be made more easily.

Get him in to see the doctor though & get some answers so that when potty training starts, he doesn't have issues.

Best of luck to you.

1 mom found this helpful

Go to the gastrointerologist. Pediatricians are great, but they often miss something that a specialist can pick up on quickly. For your peace of mind and for your child, go to the specialist.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi J., my daughter went through the same thing with constipation and we tried everything from Miralax to karo syrup in her milk. We eventually changed her milk to soy milk and discovered from her dr. that in lieu of her anxiety to use the potty she was holding in her stools which was making her constipated. The soy milk helped and we would encourage her to go stinky in the pot. She is now 5 and has an occasional episode with constipation, so it is something that she's grown out of. We also use to limit her dairy intake with little to no ice cream, pudding, cheese, etc. We would substitute those items for non-dairy products. She can now eat all of these products and when she has an episode, we limit her dairy intake until she's regular again. Hope this helps, but from my experience it isn't serious and they should eventually outgrow it.

1 mom found this helpful

We make daily smoothies that help not only with that but with my son's sinus problems as well. We also add pomegranate juice, which is great for the immune system :)

Blend:
1/2 cup POM brand pomegranate juice (or 2 oz per person)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 banana (you can remove them from peals and freeze ahead of time too)
1 cup frozen fruit of choice
Rice milk or milk to taste (My kids like their smooties on the watery side)

On a side note--we've also found daily grape consumption to be excellent for constipation.

1 mom found this helpful

hi J.,
Go to the health food store. Get some powder probiotics. this can be sprinkled on food(that you know he will eat)or can be put in liquid. This helps with digestion and helps by putting the good bacteria in his body. Go to www.mercola.com or www.bodyecology.com and search there also.

1 mom found this helpful

J.,

It is very normal for children to be constitpated as you have described. My son gets constipated so bad that when he trys to poop he strains and then cries because it hurts so bad. I got so tired of him crying and hurting that I changed his diet. He ate a lot of "white" foods. You know, cereal, oatmeal, grits, pasta, pizza, chicken, potatoes. When I journaled his diet for a week I was amazed at the lack of fruits and veggies my child was getting. So I started giving him fruits and veggies. For breakfast, he still got his cereal but he got half the amount and I gave him a piece of fruit like an apple or orange. Then for lunch, I started giving him half the pasta he was accustomed to and gave him green beans, peas, carrots, or broccli. It was hardest to introduce veggies because kids don't find them appealing but I instisted and he finally began to eat them. For supper, we at more veggies and then some fruit cocktail. For snack I gave him applesauce, carrot sticks, or raisins. He also gets a glass of milk for breakfast and for dinner. In between he gets water or juice. Once I changed his diet, added those veggies that have high fiber, he had less trouble with constitpation. I notice when he has more dairy he still gets constipated but I sock the apple juice to him for a day or two and that seems to get him going. With that said, I would not take my child to the gastroenterologist until you have evaluated his diet and added more fiber throug fruits and veggies. It worked wonders for me. If you don't see an improvement after that then I would take him to the gastroenterologist for evaluation. But really, it is common for children that age to get constipated because of their diet. I know how you feel though, I hated hearing my little one cry and hurt because of a tummy ache. Good luck and I hope things get better soon.

1 mom found this helpful

Try "Carlson's Fish Oil for Kids". It's an excellent product and I've been giving it to my 2 year old since he was 4 months old.

This sounds just like my little Tori (17 mo.). Reflux early on, constipation that got worse after the switch from formula, rashes- both skin and diaper, congestion, etc. The pediatrition diagnosed reflux, many 'viruses', hives from the viruses, etc. My mom said the whole time that she thought it was an allergy to milk. The only consistent symptom was irratibility. My happy, sweet baby became a fussy, whinny, clingy girl. Well, here we are a year later and the vomiting started up again, accompanied by a diaper and skin rash. Once again the Dr. says 'virus'.
I said,"We want to see a pediatric allergist!"
We have an appointment for Wed. In the meantime, I put her on goats milk. It was expensive and didn't taste good, but my local health food store put me in contact with a local milk farm. Now we get it for $6 a gallon instead of almost $15 and the best part is it tastes GREAT. I like it even better than whole Mayfield! It is supposed to be really good for you in general, but she is having regular BMs, no vomit, no rash, no congestion, etc. We are still going Wednesday, but I already know what he will say. Oh, and my happy, sweet baby is back and that is the best!
I would try it and see if your little one responds as well. Other symptoms are irritability, gassy, 'tummy trouble', hives, crankyness, night waking and many more. Most can be attributed to other things and the symptoms can change so that you get constant diagnosis of other things. If you have a health food store nearby, I would ask for the name of a local goat farm. The milk is cheaper, fresher, tastes WAY better and is good for everybody. I'm thinking of putting her twin on it too as she has always been constipated or had what we call 'rabbit pellets'. I am considering for myself as well, because of all the other reported health benefits.
Constipation is NOT normal body function!!!!!
Good luck!
Beth

Awwwww, I'm so sorry to hear. It is heart wrenching to see them in pain. That happened to us as well with our little girl. From birth we've made all of food. We definitely felt like that should have kept her regular....but it didn't. We tried some of everything too. We even did the Miralax. It worked but we had to use it daily. We started adding olive oil to her/our food. That seemed to work like a charm. She's 2 1/2 now and we've not had any issues. In general we try not to give any junk food.

Good Luck

a sweet potato has always done it for my little guy :) others are broccoli or glycerin suppositories. Tummy trouble is NO FUN

You should DEFINITELY make the appointment! As long as your insurance will cover it, wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry. Imagine if you wait another 6 months (after evaluating his diet, changing it, etc.) only to find out that the problem was easy to fix (whether through diet, meds, etc.), and your poor son has been in pain that whole time! If your gut says that you need him to see the gastro, then make the appointment. (It may take months for you to get in anyways!) Good luck!

hi my names O. im from shelby, nc i dont know if this will help but my son has had the same problems startin from the day we put him on whole milk it just doesnt agree with him so the dr said put him on these meds never worked so on so on so we took him off whole milk a lil better but not good enough for me i was tired of seeing him scream and cry eerytime he went to the bathroom so i put him on 1 percent and lord behold hes cured who would have know it was the milk the whole time drs dont always know whats wrong most of the time mommys know best so when my other son was born i automatically put him on 1 percent whole milk isnt allowed in the house hope this helps goodluck
O.