Constipation in a 2 Year Old

you definitely need to get this under control because she will remember the pain & not want to poop. Have you tried Miralax? My daughter's ped told me to give her 1 1/2 teaspoons to 4 oz of juice or water every other day. I wound up have to give it my daughter every 2 days. You may have to play with the amount & how ofter you give it to her because it may give her the adverse effect.She was only 18 months when they told me to do that. Good luck & I hope she get to going regularly.

When my daughter was an infant my pediatrician told me to mix her formula with prune juice. It worked wonders!

Ugh, we have had the same exact problem with my 2 year old. She's been on some sort of laxitive since she was 7 months old, and usually she's okay, but once in a while she still has constipation, like this morning. My husband said it took nearly 45 minutes to clear, and she was in pain the whole time. She only poos when she's in her crib, which is weird. We've started a bit of potty training, but I have no idea how to do the poo part. She'll pee in her potty only. Sorry, I don't have any advice, but just wanted to sympathize. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread!

My 2 year old is a dairy-aholic and sometimes has troubles too.
I give her about 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of fiber laxative once or twice a day (metamucil is what I use) in her juice and she has very few problems now. I use the berry-flavored kind so it blends pretty seamlessly with her juice.

Hi, B..

I would casually introduce her to the potty/toliet. She may not want to be messy in her diapers and feel more comfortable trying to have a bm if she sees you and your husband using the toliet. check out 2 sites/websitesbooks: Diaper Free Baby AND Elimination Communication/Awareness. Both advocate early awareness/introduction to the potty. Just a thought.

Hello,
Just thought I would share my story. My son started the same problem when he was 2 also. I wrote on here and got some great help but the problem was he is a picky eater and he eats so much dairy. I coulnt eliminate that or add other things cause he just wouldn't eat it. It happened that one time while we were potty training he got constipated and it hurt him a bit to push so after that he was too scared to go poo. He was fine with the pee. So he held it for about 3 days at a time and then it would be so compacted and like you said, like an adult he would cry and we would cry for him and try to help him as best as we could. It is a horrible cycle, cause the more they with hold the more constipated they become which causes the pain and not wanting to go. I tried the prune juice which we did when he was little and it worked then but not now. So in the end I found some chewable stool softners for kids at my local grocery store. My pediatrician had warned us to stay away from laxatives and enimas cause the children get dependent on them and then never want to push. After about two days of one pill a day he was all better. It didnt cause diarahea just made it very easy for him to get it all out. Sorry so graphic. Hope it works out. Have patience and good luck!

E.

Hi B., I can empathize with you. There are some really good ideas in the previous responses, especially with adding the Flora.

My son had a similar problem shortly after going off of breast milk. As it turned out, he was allergic to wheat and milk products so we put him on Soy milk and goats milk. Even now at 16 he occasionally has problems which seem to coincide with his growth spurts and foods he's allergic to but he sneaks into his diet. The body is using more nutrition for growth, so the intestines seem to know when to hold onto the waste and pull more nutrients out of it. About 10 years ago I put him on a Blood Type diet (Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type) and many of his digestive and behavioral problems went away!

Dehydration also seems to contribute. It's hot outside and cooler inside. The air conditioner will dry out the air in the house thus pulling moisture off of the skin and leaving the bowels dry. Try to increase her juice/ water content.

As far as vegetables go, the carrots and squash are high in natural sugars and will help with softening the stools. She seems to know what her body needs! I found increasing natural sugars in my sons diet- then and now- seems to help keep him regular. The sugars that worked the best were brown rice, squash, apple, grapes(now) and grape juice. I stayed away from processed sugars since diabetes ran in my family. For kids that have allergies to rice, it usually causes extreme diarrhea or constipation.

I also massaged his belly a couple of times a day. I'd start beteen the pubic bone and his left hip and gently press- like your pressing dough into a pie pan- in a counter clockwise fashion. This help release the 'gate' and soften the stool in the colon. After doing that once or twice, gently rub the bellie in a clockwise fashion to stimulate gentle intestinal contractions. He's usually have a BM w/in 30 of doing this which helped keep him from becoming impacted in the first place. If you explain to her that big people often do this on thier own w/o thinking about it, she might be more receptive. I started this with my son when he was 6 months old, so by 2 it was a routine we did every morning and evening and provided mommy and me time when my daughter came along.

I love prune juice, but my son hated it. When I had an impaction problem after having surgery, the nurse gave me a 'cocktail' of prune juice and milk of magnesia. After 2 drinks, I was cleaned out and flowing free! lol. It was quite embarrasing for me as an adult, so I can imagine how your daughter feels.

Hang in there. You'll find the magic combination that works with her.

Hi, B.. When my daughter was that age she had a similar problem. It was terrible and I can empathize with you. I cut back the amount of carbs (pasta), cheese and milk I gave her. I encouraged more water with juice, dried fruit (raisins, apricots), and apples. It seemed to work for her. Good luck.

Prunes. Prune juice. Cut the prunes up in small pieces or give her pureed baby food prunes. They are great and help adults too. I'd give her some everyday and cut back on the binding foods like cheese, bananas, rice, applesauce, bread/toast, ... the whole BRAT diet. Also, I'm so sure she is holding back. Wouldn't you if it hurt that much to go. She needs to get a laxative and then work with her to try to poop later that day. If she holds it, it will be hard and hurt then she'll hold it. It is a horrible cycle. My kids didn't like the prune juice much but they loved the prunes. She's so young, I don't know if you can do that. Maybe give her an incentive. If you get a little poop out, we can have jelly beans. PRoblem is, you don't want her to do the reverse and just poop a little each time she goes to the bathroom instead of getting it all out. That creates another form of constipation.

Good luck and hang in there. I hope someone is able to give you some help here. THat is a horrible situation to be in.

Take care,
Liz

My sister has the same issue w/ her daughter and she holds it in because it was so painful to go. My 3 mth old also tends to be constipated quite a bit I thgi8nk due to the formula. I fould the best thing that works is miralax. It isn't a laxitive because that can be damaging and dehydrate you but its a stool softener. i also suffer from constipation and I like this much better than taking laxitives. Laxitives also cause cramping and pain. Miralax is nothing like it. I add 1/4 of a tsp to my sons bottle every few days or so. I also use prune juice. My sister puts 1 tsp in her daughters drink once a day for a couple days then holds off. This may be a better option for you.
Good luck

Hi B.,

Fiber would definitely be good for your daughter. I read an article that said that children need 10 grams plus 1/2 their age which would be 11 grams for your daughter. I have heavily looked into the benefits of fiber because both of my children have high cholesterol (it's hereditary). I had them both checked at 3. I had a really hard time finding things on the market, low in sugar and high in fiber. I have found a company that i buy from and now market for that offers many products with fiber. We have a breakfast bar in apple and strawberry that I think your daughter would love, cereal as well. You can go to my business review under Home Employment and then the Wellness Company where you can see how many other moms like yourself are enjoying the company's products. I would be glad to talk with you more as well, just let me know if you are interested.

Good luck, I remember being constipated after I had my second baby and it is not fun. Thank goodness it only happened that one time!

M. B

B.,

My daughter had this problem once. I was told to give her juices that started with a "P": Pear, prune, etc.... Those worked and she was getting fruit. I haven't tried it yet, but I've heard that puree veggies or fruits will change the texture and some kids are more prone to eat it that way. I've thought about trying it, but my kids starting eating things like cantaloupe, honey due, corn, carrots, peas, etc.... The other suggestions made below sounded really good too, but I haven't had it so bad for medication yet.

Also, be careful the type of fiber you give because some fiber is actually meant to harden stools, but there is a type that is meant to loosen stools. For more info, do a google search on fiber. Hope this helps. Good luck and God bless.

B.,
I really get concerned when I hear a ped. telling a 2 year old to take a laxative. First, you need to cut back on milk and milk products if your child is drinking more than the recommended amount per day. Increase fruit (prunes, apples, watermelon, blueberries, grapes, no bananas) and add cauliflower to mashed potatoes (a half and half mix and she will never know), more veggies and water. Now, if that does not work, you need to make sure she is not intolerant or allergic to milk. My son had a terrible time with constipation starting around the same age and he has a terrible intolerance to milk and also celiac disease. She may be holding it b/c her tummy hurts and she knows it hurts to have a bowel movement so she wants to put it off as long as she can. Try not to put a band-aid on the problem but get to the root of the problem.
Hope this helps.
A.

Dear B.

I've also had the same issue with my son for many years , he's now 5 and has suffered with constipation since he was around 18 months , he's a very fussy eater and will not eat any fruits or vegetables so he became constipated and then when he did have to go it was very hard and large which of course was painful for him so he then started to withhold going so it was like we were going round in circles. His Dr reccomnded a stool softner rather than a laxative so we now use Miralax every morning , you can buy this over the counter and it's a powder form that you mix in with a drink , it has no taste and dissolves very well , it may take you a week to get the dosage right for your child but it is very good , my son has a 2.5ml daily dose and this keeps him regular without being so loose that he cannot control it , he still has a proper stool just one that doesn't hurt him.

Good luck

K. H

My friend's 3 year old had this problem all the time, and she had tried everything without success. Then she tried Activia yogurt, and it has been a miracle for her. She gives one yogurt a day, I think. It's definitely worth a try!

When my oldest boy turn two he we had major constipation problems, and then he started holding it in because it hurt then it would hurt more when it had to come out.... He got to the point that he pooped once a week (every saturday, kinda convenient but not good) We finally took him to a gastroenterologist and had to put him on exlax for 6 month and then miralax for another 6 months. I know that these kind of medications are not always prefered by people (moms, doctors) but we had tried everything and nothing worked. He had stretched his colon out so much that it took at least a week to fill it up and then he would finally get the urge to go. He was getting urges to go and controling them and it created a big problem... I believe after a year of this we have finally gotten through the worst of it... We had tried prunes, prune juices, fruits, even an enima (and he sisn't mind it because it was a relief) just about everything you could think of that is natural.

Miralax really has helped and my doctor has assured me that it would not be "addicting" but it would take consistency... after 6 months I started to become desperate for potty training and just normal bowels for my son about a month later of pushing through it we were able to slowly eliminate it and he is pretty regular now.

We are however going to be traveling for ten days straight and know that traveling can cause constipation so we are going to use it for the trip as a preventative....

Good luck- write if you have questions.

L.

B., my son had that when he was a toddler, and his symptoms were very similar to your daughter's. She definitely needs to be going more frequently than she is, and she could become impacted, which is a very painful condition. This is probably not done consciously, it sounds more like a physical issue.

My son also was on laxitive and lots of fiber, with no effect. The pediatrician suggested, out of the blue, that I remove all forms of bleached flour from his diet. Within a few weeks, my son was having more normal bowel habits. I have no explanation for it, but it worked for him. Maybe this has something to do with glutin. I have seen other stories of this helping, so I'm passing this along. I had to check all the breads and pasta that I bought, and only use unbleached flour, but it did the trick.

My son, now grown, has IBS, so maybe this is what it acts like in a child. You could discuss this with your pediatricien, but try the unbleached flour route, it can't hurt.

my son was always constipated as a baby. My Pediatrician had me put CLEAR karo syrup (plain ole'corn syrup) in his drinks-about a tablespoon. It is a natural stool softener. I could understand you being concerned about the sweetness issue, but my son is now 5 and no worse for wear. Good bowels too!(lol)
I would try putting some in a sippy or bottle (if still using one)- it TOTALLY worked. An old friend of mine(as in much older than me)told me that 'back in the day' it was one of the ingredients when making formula before you could get the pre-made stuff so readily. Seriously, try it for a couple of days to get things moving. Rock hard and huge like that can't be good for the poor thing!

Does she know you are concerned about her pooping? That could be causing her to withhold poop also. It sounds like her diet is okay and has plenty of fiber. It may also be because she doesn't want to make a mess in her diaper too. Just some thoughts.

hi B.,
i see lots of good advice about the constipation. as far as the veggies go, what i did when my boys were young and not amenable to vegetables was to steam soft and puree a big ol' variety of veggies, then freeze the puree in ice cube trays then store in freezer bags. then you can pop a few cubes in all sorts of soups, stews, sauces, meatloaves etc and that way the veggie goodness is still getting inside your kid. use the steam water in the puree so you get the vitamins.
good luck!
khairete
S.

Had a niece with similar issues. We started sneaking prune juice into her juice and making her drink more through the day = at least 3-4 full cups of something. (it is amazing what you can get a kid to do if you reward them ) like= drink this cup of water and we can goto the park as soon as you finish. or finish the water and we can go to the store, etc.
We also added probiotics into her diet- like Dan Activ yogurt drinks and the FloraStor which are powder packets that help in the digestive tract. You have to ask the pharmacy for it but it is over the counter.. I bet you notice a difference and can get off laxatives.
Another thing is to make sure your "potty" talk isn't bad. My sister in law used to call it "dirty" and "stinky" and stuff like that and we never did that with our kids. we would say "congratulations! I bet your tummy feels so much better" and when we were in there with her we would say "wow, you are working so hard!" and to this day she still says that sort of thing "i am working so hard!"

Try giving her one teaspoon of pumpkin. My cousin did that with her son whenever he couldn't poop and he would be going within a half hour.

What about sprinkling some fiber-sure onto/into her food and drinks? Its supposed to be tasteless.
M.

Hi, B..
Apparently I had the same problem that you daughter is having when I was about her age. In fact, I have a hazy recollection of spending a long time on the toilet while trying to "make". Anyway, in passing along this information to me so that I would be well-armed should my now two-year-old daughter take after me, my mother mentioned that my pediatrician had prescribed malt soup extract for helping to soften my stools and increase their frequency. Perhaps you could look into this remedy. I ate basically any vegetable that was put in front of me as a child (and still do), so I do not think that a lack of greens is necessarily the problem. However, even as an adult, I have noticed that if I do not take in adequate fluids or void right when I need to (as your husband suspects), I have some trouble. I would perhaps seek the opinion of another pediatrician, as well.

I hope that you are able to find a solution to this problem soon. Take care.

Whole Foods (and I'm sure ANY Health Food type store) has natural supplements by a company called FLORA. The bottle has "Udo's Choice" on it and it is called "Infant Probiotics". (It is kept refrigerated) You sprinkle 1/2 tsp. per day in their beverage and it gives them healthy bacteria that causes healthy elimination. I just started using it on my 3 yr old but my girlfriend turned me onto it. She started (as I have) during potty training. It seems when children have even one painful BM they will tend to hold onto it. She says her son's BM are normal with this product. From experience with some knowledge of nutrition as a personal trainer. If your food composition isn't doing the trick then adding Probiotics (naturally occurring healthy bacteria) can make a big difference. Everyone needs this for normal elimination and it also boosts the immune system. We don't all have enough healthy bacteria on our own - so it is really helpful to supplement it if needed. Hope that helps - S.

My daughter had the same problem around the age of 2 as well. I tried many things with her diet as well, but to no avail. I talked to the pediatrician and they recommended Miralax. It's OTC and it worked great. It dissolves in any drink, water, milk, juice and it does not taste like anything. We had to give this to her for a while,at least 6 months. Eventually she started going regularly again and now (she is 3 and potty trained) we do not have to give her anything.

Hi B. - I understand what you're going through since my now 4 1/2 year old went through the same thing when she was 2, and it lasted one year. A lot of people recommend Miralax and I agree. It helped my daughter a lot. Here is my crazy advice - my daughter wasn't potty trained when this all began, but my brother (a doctor) told me to put her on the toilet backwards. I know it sounds crazy, but it works because it forces the child to spread her legs farther apart, so it is very difficult for her to hold in the poop. This didn't work for us every time, but it did work, so it's worth a try. Obviously you need to use the regular toilet, no potty seat or ring.

Through all this my daughter ended up potty training by default. Another thing I did was really get "firm" with her. I found myself getting angry with her about withholding since she definitely had control over it. Rather than showing her that I was upset (what good would that do?!) I would sit her on the toilet, look into her eyes and gently (but FIRMLY) tell her she had to just LET IT OUT! Might sound nuts, but I swear she finally listened and agreed with me :) Good luck, I know it's difficult!

Hi B.,

As an adult who suffered from this same problem when I was a young child, and someone who has a son with "interesting" pumbing who also suffers with constipation, I feel your pain(and your daughter's)! At the recommendation of our grastroenterologist, our 8-year-old son gets a tablespoon of Milk of Magnesia (the least offensive to the system) every night at bed time. This has been going on for 7 years. He will eventually outgrow the need for the med. once he is more familiar with how his body is supposed to work. We also set up a chart in the bathroom. He not only earned points for pooping, but for trying, too. Whenever he produced even the smallest amount we praised him and pointed out that he probably felt better getting rid of that nasty stuff.

You have focused on what your daughter is not eating. Think about what she is eating. Foods like apple sauce and bananas and corn on the cob and white rice can be very constipating. Does she drink enough water and get enough exercise? Routine can also help. Setting a specific time of day when you can join her in the bathroom to read a story while she sits on the toilet. She may become focused enough on the book you are reading that she may forget what she's trying to avoid and relax enough to produce.

It's not easy seeing a child miserable with constipation. Just help her try to relax and recognise how much better she feels when that stuff is not in her body anymore. Good luck to you!

Janet

Have you tried making sure her water intake is very high? My oldest had trouble with this when little, and we added fiber and did everything else you mentioned, but finally realized we weren't tracking how much water we offered her. We cut out all juices and other drinks and began to offer water far more often than previously. If she was hving a day when she didn't seem interested in drinking enough, I'd turn it into a game where I'd challenge her to drink as much as her big mama did, or more, which she thought was fun. I'd tell her at meals that her treat (whatever healthy treat we were offering) would come when her glass of water was gone. All day long, sip, sip, sip, sip..... Her troubles got sooooo much better once we made sure her water intake was up where it needed to be.

My pediatrician really overlooked this as a possibility, too-- when I told him what we'd tried, he said we did a smart thing to eliminate juices and other sugary drinks and go with only water. The juices add a lot of pure sugar into the diet and blood, with very little benefit whatsoever except to get a person accustomed to intaking high amounts of sugars.

Good luck, Mama, and let us know how it turns out!!

Glad to hear that my daughter is not the only one with this issue! She will have very large and very hard movements and she screams in pain! It is horrible to watch!
As you surely know the Dr is always saying no juice or, if you must, only diluted juice. I have found that the only thing that helps my little one is straight apple juice or slightly diluted. If I dilute more than half within two days, she can't go!

i'm having the same problem with my 2 yr old son...he doesn't eat any fruits or vegetables, we have been giving him prune and apple juice which have helped a little, but he still screams in pain when trying to have a BM, and it comes out so large and hard like you said. Our MD told us to give him a glycerin suppository, which worked in like 30 seconds, but it only takes care of the problem, it doesn't fix it, becasue the next day we are back to the same issue. So i guess i would try prune juice, and keep up the fruits and vegetables as she eats. Also, if you can think of anything that has given her diarrhea in the past, may be worth trying to get her bowels moving and cleaned out too....good luck

my daughter was on lactulose for much of her babyhood. it is a gentle laxative and stool softener. it is a sugar that is not digested by the body but help the stool absorb water and is used by hospitals and many gastroenterologists. and speaking of water, high fluid intake is important to keep stools soft. we occasionally had to resort to using Fletcher's children laxative which is fairly effective. the maintenance level of lactulose was very helpful to us and for a while my daughter was doing much better. she was even lactulose free and potty training for months. recently we moved across the country which meant new everything and my 2.5 yo starting holding her bowels again. it got so bad that we had to use glycerin suppositories and laxatives. we are still working it all out so to speak.

i guess what i'm saying is this battle will be something you may be dealing with for a while and should keep an eye on. children who hold their bowel movements run the risk of stretching out their bowels and worse. if you are concerned you doctor should help. this is not uncommon. it sounds like you are watching her diet and fluid intake and giving her laxatives. it can be frustrating to know you are doing everything you can in terms of diet and still having problems. my daughter hasn’t had a banana in what seems like forever and she thinks prunes are candy but she still has problems. if these methods aren't working you should talk to her doc again and if s/he isn't as helpful as you may want to ask for a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. btw, some laxatives are habit forming and lactulose is not supposed to be. i'm not really sure how 'they' decide what is and isn't habit forming. anyway, good luck and feel free to message me if you’d like to take about more.

I would try the following:

- Remove dairy from her diet
- Add probiotics to her diet. (Buy from a local health food store.)
- Try chiropractic care. (Visit a chiropractor who advertises family wellness.)

I think you will be very surprised:-) Have a healthy day!

Same thing with my 2 year old. Her ped. told us to put 1/4 of the adult dose of either Benifiber or Metimusil in her morning drink. We use the Benifiber because it desolves completely, and we gave her 1/2 tsp until she started pooping, and then backed off the 1/4 tsp a day. We did it for about 3 months, and now she has pretty much regulated herself. We now only give it on the occasional times she goes a few days between bms.

Hi, B.!
WOW! You sure have gotten a lot of advice for your dilemma. I'll offer my two cents worth. :o) I am a Nutritional Advisor for a health and wellness company called AdvoCare, and I have met MANY MANY moms in your same situation. A child's diet does play a major role in the intestinal function. I'm currently working with a 6 year old girl who has been severely constipated most of her life and have been to one doctor after another. We use two products called ProBiotic Boost and Rehydrate.
There's lots of information on probiotics on the market these days, and it's so simple to choose this one because to your child it tastes like a pixie stick! It's a small packet of white powder that you can pour on their tongue or mix in juice. We use Rehydrate, which is an electrolyte replacement drink. There's something about adding those electrolytes and probiotics that help keep the intestine functioning properly. My oldest daughter (almost 4) has this mixture every morning at breakfast and we have no problem having bowel movements. In addition, her eczema spots that she's had have cleared up! You can follow this link to find out more about the products.
http://www.advocare.com/05102522/Store/ItemDetail.aspx?it...= and http://www.advocare.com/05102522/Store/ItemDetail.aspx?it... My Mom also used these two at her daycare. She had kids with chronic problems, and within an hour of giving it to them, she'd be changing dirty diapers!
If you need anymore info, I'll be happy to help. Best wishes!

J. G

My friend is a bit of a health nut and she's got a blog that offers tips to her lady frineds. She wrote one recenly on this issue you can look it up at:
http://www.fit-mama.blogspot.com/
Is the post from Thursday, July 10, 2008.
The short of the story is flaxseed oil is high in fiber and isn't a medication that the liver would have to process and it makes you regular! You might want to try that.
I would also have her checked for food allergies. It's a $25 blood test if your not insured. I wont scare you with my story but if it turns out to be food realted PM me and I can help you get things figured out.
Hope you and your little lady can get some relif!
Oh and watermellon is a diretic (spelling) so if she'll eat watermellon I'd let her eat as much of it as she can handle! It's high in fiber, full of vitamins and will add the liquid to her system!

if she is holding back on purpose then this wont help any more than what you've alredy given her. but my nephews dr tol them he suggested sugr free candy. it has a natural laxitive in it. maybe what you really need is a treat for her everytime she does go. it might be an incentive. give her a sugar free candy everytim she goes poop. it might be something to make her decide to go when she normally wouldnt.

My daughter has had the same thing and is still suffering from it. Try using benefiber for children and its just a tsp in a glass of water or juice, and also miralax has worked well for us. Its over the counter now and try starting with a half dose in a glass of juice or water and if it doesnt work try a full dose. It is a stool softner, so then at least you will not have to use laxatives all the time. I hope everything gets better soon.

Hi B.-
My sister went through this with her daughter and was having Ava drink a glass of prune juice every morning. We found for my daughter that Soy milk (vanilla flavored) seems to do the trick. My sister tried that instead of the prune juice and after two days, Ava had a bm without screaming and seems to be doing well and getting her milk all at the same time. Our pediatrician stated it was a version of a "home remedy" and saw nothing wrong with doing that instead of meds. Probiotics for kids-dairy free, found at Whole Foods, helps the digestive track as well.

I wish you luck! L. L

Hi

I also have a 2 year old and a 6 month old with the same exact same issue. We finially started my oldest on Lactalose 10 ml a day and IT WORKS!! We tried increasing his fiber intake but all that did was give him horrible gas, tummy aches and the pooping stayed hard and large! Our GI doctor prescribed this...Ask your pedia about it! Just some friendly advice! GOOD LUCK I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO SEE YOUR LTTLE ONE IN PAIN!!!
K.