Constipation help! Daughter cries and strains when she poops and there are specks of blood.

Miralax works great for kids or else try fletchers castoria its root beer flavored good luck, trust me all the fruits and veggies in the world wont help when my daughter gets constipated try one fo these for quick relief, good luck.

apple juice works wonders!! Also, raisins,prunes, fruit, and flavored water and/or sugar free kool aid are good ways to get the water in her. I hope this helps. :)

You can also try a little prune juice mixed in with her milk. My daughter was on Soy for a while, so we often had that problem. We would just mix a teaspoon in with 12 oz of milk and she would be fine.

okay C.... despite what many say, even doctors- there is a trick to constipation. Laxatives are good for short term constipation but they can do damage. The colon can 'learn' to become dependent on laxatives. They will work for a short amount of time then you will find that you will need a larger dose of laxative to soften the stool. My pharmasist tuned me into that when my 1yr old was severely constipated and we were on a long road of laxatives and fibers. He suggested MINERAL OIL. It's natural, it won't cause colon confusion as he called it. It's not the BEST tasting, but he suggested putting it in a lil measuring cup with a treat at the bottom like a skittle or M&M and having my daughter drinkn it until she got the treat. After 2 doses my daughter was going with out strain, with out hard lumps, with out blood. It took a couple of weeks of her staying on it for her colon to return to it's normal size (cause they stretch out and hold too much poo and that's part of the problem as I'm sure you know). And after that we had no more problems. She was able to push out regular sized poop with out an issue. Good luck, give it a try.

Berries... blueberries, raspberries, strawberries,or blackberries. Mash up whole ripe ones and serve them to her for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is tons of fiber in berries and the tiny seeds help "loosen things up." Also, dilute prune juice to 50/50 with water and offer it to her around the clock. Even if she takes only a few sips each time it helps. I prefer natural remedies to laxatives in infants and toddlers.

Try giving her food processed kidney beans mixed with some plain yogurt for a few days. Also lots of fruit like grapes, oranges, peaches, not bananas. Hold back a bit on the bread and processed crackers etc... Like you're trying, plenty of water or juice, milk. Also a small glass of prune juice every morning and oatmeal with raisins for breakfast. And keep it up on the veggies. Try zucchini. My daughter loves it steamed and it always produces softer stool since it's so water based. Poor lil' sweetie - good luck.

pears...grapes. prunes.. raisins.

all of these fruits have lots of fiber and will help move things along.

my pediatrician actually recommended pear juice when my baby had the problem

C.;

I agree with "P R" for what she is saying. I also suggest that in limiting the dairy, you up the water and juice. Cut the juice with water if you need to, but fluid is KEY. I personally would not give extra sugary drinks such as koolaid, etc. as children do not need the extra sugar in their diets. (I get why you did the sugar water).

Stay away from fiber chews as they will limit her food intake (fiber swells in the belly and can make it harder for her to go, someone else was experience issues recently).

I gently massage my son's belly, and in doing this it helps to loosen things up NATURALLY so I never had to resort to anything. Within 15 minutes, he would have a BM. Of course, now I had to teach him to rub his own belly due to preschool (I keep telling him Mommy cannot do this when he is at school.) But you can help her safely and naturally without extra side effects. The bloody specs could be due to her straining to go - that is something you could check with the Ped on if it gets worse or does not clear up. My son had it and is totally fine (and I subjected him to a colonoscopy (sp?) and stress of twilight sleep at a very early age when I probably did not have to.)

Good luck!

prune juice or prune baby food in jars.

Best thing to do is always check with the Dr first. But my ped recommended plum juice. I use it to mix his cereal or just out of a cup and he loves it! It's more like a stool softener than a laxative and isn't as harsh on his system. Best thing is, you don't need much either! Good luck!

when my daughter had this problem, our dr. told us to use karo syryp and water (50/50), then to prevent the problem from reoccuring, make sure she is drinking apple juice every day. It did the trick.
Good luck

C.,
Along with a lot of these good suggestions, my concern is her lack of water intake. It doesn't have to be plain water - you can give her water based drinks. Try kool-aid or other flavored drinks. You can make it weak so that she's not getting as much sugar but it tastes good and she'll like it.

Dear C.,
Constipation is a sign of unbalanced pH in her body. I would highly reccomand some Aloe to her, that will bring the pH at the right level and I can reccomand you a website of one of my friends where you can find the best aloe on the market. It has the International Association of Aloe sign on the bottle, it is all very natural and guaranteed. Please go to www.marketamerica.com/moraru and look at the menu on the left hand. You will see, under Top products: Ultimate Aloe® Juice
Order 1 bottle and give her a teaspoon or 2 per day. It will aslo help with the bleeding because the Aloe heals the colon.
Please e-mail me any questions you might have. Might friend is in Europe right now, so you can't get a hold of her for 1 month.
Thank you,
C. S.
After you open the bottle you have to put it in the fridge.

Try sugary things, like Kool Aid and popsicles all day long. And then use those glycerin suppositories. They are easy to use and don't hurt and work quickly. There's an old potty training trick where they use all sorts of sugary junky foods to get kids to poop and not hold it in. Try that! :) HTH

prune juice mixed with apple juice helped my son. Also let her snack on raisins. Another good snack is pretzels dipped in hommus. My 1 year old loves this. (so do I). It really gets the bowels moving cuz it's loaded with fiber. Our favorite flavor is greek. Also love roasted red pepper. It's by the specialty cheeses incase you don't know. Good luck

greetings C..

I hope this information will help you.
If you daughter will not drink water do not put sugar in it. Sugar is constipating. Dilute with water what ever she drinks, even milk. Buy beverages that have low amounts of sugar. Give her more raw fruits and vegetables. Also, please follow all of this advice yourself. At 19 months old your daughter will do all that she sees you do.
Much success to you.

S.

Does she drink juice? If so try Apple or Prune. My daughter had this issue when she was little and ended up with a tag from the straining. They tell when she gets older it could cause her to have hemroids.

So if you can stop her from that now, she will be better off.

You could also try an anal enema to help loosen her bowls.

Hope this helps
Michele

I would try pedialyte. Sounds like you're trying to push the fluids as much as you can, and I would keep trying. Also, call your doc and see if they have any recommendations.

Hi C.,

I had this problem with my daughter for months. Adjust her diet. Avoid or cut back on dairy products (cow milk, cheese yogurt, etc) and starchy foods (pasta, squash, potatoes, corn, rice, etc). Give her more fruits, especially apricots, pears, peaches, plums, and prunes. AVOID bananas and apples. They both have high levels of pectin, which has a binding effect. Though apple juice and apple cider is OK, since the pectin levels are decreased in those. If you give her juice, try giving her apple, pear, or prune juice (or mix). For veggies, give her more peas and spinach. If you want to give supplements, BeneFiber for Children is great - tasteless, colorless and odorless. http://www.princetonol.com/family/columns/pedgroup56.html is a good article.

Good luck!!

Voortman makes Flax Seed cookies and when we need it just one is all it takes. KIDS LOVE COOKIES.

Hi C.,
I was told that fruits with p's are good to get things moving. Prunes were great for my sons. Pear juice, peaches. Raisins are good. Stay away from rice cereal or breads because that will make it worse.
Good luck.
Chris

I would take her to the dr if there is any blood. They can get anal fissures (tears) and that will make them not want to go. Will she drink anything? Like maybe juice, which would help with the constipation.

Hi There,

My kids both had this problem as babies and occassionally now. They were prescribed a powder to add to their bottles or any liquid as it has no taste. It is now available without prescription and still works great. It is Miralax or glycolax as the generic version.

Good Luck.
K.

Our pediatrician recommended white grape juice. Ask your ped. about fiber supplements or even children's laxatives (just for short term use, to get her past the worst). Poor thing! I hope she feels better.

Grapes, grapes, grapes.

I definitely agree to talk to your doctor. My daughter has a similar problem and we tried adjusting her diet accordingly. We even limit her dairy intake and still she was constipated. She also had fissures so occasionally we would see blood when she pooped. Our doctor has us using Miralax as it is the only way she is receiving relief, however we have adjusted the dosage greatly from the suggested dosage and met with our doctor after a month to discuss the progress. We're continuing on with it for awhile until we slowly wean her off of it. Good luck! I can't imagine having a sore bottom to poop with, so I hope your daughter feels better soon!

Miralax, my pediatrician suggested it, it's easy to find at CVS, Costco etc. You sprinkle it in juice or milk, they don't even know it's there.

Try buying Miralax and adding it to what she drinks check with a Dr. or the Pharm. to see how much per day for her size. It is a stool softener not a laxitive and is totally safe. Also avoid dairy and increase fiber kids at age 3 should be getting 8g of fiber per day as a reference. Also warm bathes may help when she is having a problem getting it out you can even let her go in the bath tub if that isn't a problem for you. My son had problems with this from age one to age 4 so I have totally been there. If she hasn't gone at all in more then 2 days in addition to the miralax I would go ahead and use a enema or suppository to help get things moving so she doesn't get impacted. Good luck.

The poor baby. I've been there and done that with all 3 of my kids and I know how useless a parent can feel. I always used grapes and or grape juice and lots of activity. Running around and dancing, lots of walking etc. gets things moving inside. I hope she feels better soon. Good Luck
L. b.

Avoid bananas, apples, rice, and toast - they're very constipating. Apple juice is ok, but prune juice is better. Add probiotics to her diet - either through yogurt or a powder you can find at any health food store. Pedialyte and Gatorade are good suggestions, cause she really needs more fluids! Offer them as often as you can, and make it fun. Get fun straws, a different cup, etc. My daughter loves drinking out of my glass, and she's much more likely to drink more like that than from a sippy.

We give our daughter Miralax every day in her drink, the nice thing is that can't taste it so she doesn't even know. You can find it a Meijer or Walgreens.

Hi, sorry for your trouble with your little one. I too went through this with my little one and my pediatrician had me put myralax (sp) in her water in the morning. To get her relief asap we had to use a fleet enima (sp) for children. These two over the counter medicines were given to us by our pediatrician with the correct doseage, so please before you do this check with your pediatrician. My daughter used the myralax for several months before we were able to slowly take her off of it. But it worked like magic, within a day after giving her this in her juice or water, she was pooping like a dream. The tears and screaming stopped as well. I know now they sell it over the counter now, but please check with your ped. on how much to give her. I was advised not to put it in her milk because milk can be binding. Good Luck! I hope this helps.

N.

Consider trying mandarin oranges. My grandsons pediatrician recommended trying them for constipation. They worked! He loves then anyway so it was a bonus! You may also try raisins, grapes, prunes (used to tell my kids they were giant raisins), and apples with skin on.

If you have an immediate need, there's also Benefiber and you could sprinkle it on yogurt (also good for healthy digestion) or applesauce or even in juice.

try dark karo syrup and water or they also have a kid safe laxetive come in cholate and rootbeer look at walmart it safe for baby as young as one good luck and bring it up at your next doc app

I would start with getting rid of dairy...milk, cheese and no bananas. All those foods are constipating. Try getting as many veggies in as possible, not just at lunch. I used to give my toddler a cup of frozen peas. They are fun and don't make a mess. Apples with the skin on, or apple juice, or appler cider is even better to loosen things up a bit. Some other snacks, raisins, grapes, pears . She really does need things going in that will help move things out. I hope this helps! Things need to start "moving" now so she doesn't have problems in the future....fear of pooping altogether or hemoroids.

Hi C.---You've gotten a variety of good advice. It's really hard to know what will work as each person's body works in it's own special way, and what works to keep one of your twins regular won't necessarily work to keep the other that way.

I would like to suggest that you look at the totality of her diet. Fluids are very important, but so is fiber and many other nutrients as well. Be sure that she is not eating processed foods which do not help promote good health, and that includes proper function of the bowels.

A good, healthful diet will include MOSTLY fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Reduce the amount of animal protein in the diet. We eat too much of it and too much promotes disease processes. It does NOTHING to help keep our digestive system regular. Same goes for cows milk, and you might consider eliminating it completely (see www.strongbones.org).

It will take some time to get her bowels regular again. Keep introducing new foods and offer her choices that you want her to have. It can take up to 10 attempts to offer a new food before it is accepted. You can get some very useful tips at Dr. Sears website, www.askdrsears.com. He contributes articles to Parents and Baby Talk magazines. I also have access to a DVD that he has recorded titled 9 Simple Steps to a Healthy Family.

Lastly, I am learning these dietary guidelines as part of a Wellness Education class that I am taking. I have numerous articles and tips that I can share with you to help with this and other health and wellness issues. I also recommend a wonderful fruit and veggie supplement called Juice Plus+. It has enough fiber in it from rice and oat bran that works magic in helping the digestive system reestablish balance and regularity. It has nutrients from 15 diffferent fruits and veggie juice powders and comes in a capsule, chewable or gummie form. Independent research also shows that it builds and balances the immune system and protects and repairs DNA as well (which can help with reducing the risk of a genetic disease history and slowing the aging process). It makes the body healthier on a cellular level. It is essential for disease prevention.

Call me if you have any questions. My number is ###-###-####. In health, D. www.dianeshealthed.com

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO no no no Miralax!!!
http://www.danasview.net/miralax.htm

Mineral Oil is a petroleum product and not safe for children.

Research epsom salts baths. Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, and raising magnesium levels can help w/ constipation (think "Milk of Magnesia"). http://www.pecanbread.com/new/coprotocol.htm

Has she been on ANTIBIOTICS recently?

How much milk and dairy does she consume? Remove all milk for three or four days (cheese, mac and cheese, pizza, yogurt, everything). Wheat products can cause problems, as well.

One of the juices besides prune can be helpful--my children are older, so it's been a long time, but you might google PEAR juice to see if assists w/ constipation.

Have you tried giving her apple juice? Or even something warm to drink, like hot chocolate.

Have you tried Karo syrup (the dark kind.) Also gerber prunes work really well.

my daughter's dr. put her on polyethylene glycol (prescription miralax) we just put it in whatever shes drinking and it has really helped her.
good luck T.

Try fruits with lots of water in them, e.g. watermelon, oranges, etc. Also, popsicles or juice-sicles (you can make them with yogurt to aid digestion). Avoid anything that might bind her up, e.g. cheese, bread, etc. You can hide bran in yogurt if she likes that, but you can also toss wheat germ or bran in a smoothie and blend it well. As far as the water goes, you may have to draw a line, no water, no toy/snack/party/etc. Good luck!

i use fiber sure. my friend uses miralax, but that seems a little harsh. we have not had a problem since, my daughter poops about once every day. i can mix it in anything she drinks or i put it in spag sauce or gravy or apple sauce, you get the idea. good luck!!

K.

Hi C.,

One thing my 3 year old will eat is the Kashi brand cookies which are loaded with fiber. They are very healthy, a little bit pricey (Costco has a great deal on them, but purchased by the box at the regular grocery store they are a bit expensive)but they have no processed flour, corn syrup or trans fats. Also, my daughter loves blueberries which are a very good source of fiber (I add frozen blueberries to her steel cut oatmeal which she loves!) One last thought is apple juice. A lot of kids will drink it, and I know it is a great regulator. Good Luck!

I think apples/applesauce/apple juice is supposed to do the trick. Can try pickles too (because of the vinegar). When my daughter was a baby I had to give her a baby enema once - an over-the-counter little bulb full of fluid. It was not difficult and it helped her, you could try it once, but you wouldn't want to have to do that every day.

Hi, C.. I think most of us have dealt with the full spectrum of "poop" issues. :-) Anyway, the blood is probably from fissures, basically tears in her anus wall from the large stools and from straining. I recommend first that she have a check up with her Doctor. He/She will not only be able to rule out anything serious but be able to give tips on helping nature's process. The straining isn't healthy and she must be miserable. Some kids actually dread the whole ordeal and avoid it by "holding". Fruit and 100% fruit juice usually works but PLEASE check with her Dr. first. Denise K.