HELP! 1 Yr Old Very Constipated!!

Try adding Dark Karo Syrup. It's one tablespoon for every ounce of milk or formula. My doctor told me to do that when my son was a baby/toddler. He was always constipated. It worked. As he got older we used senokot. Hope it works...good luck
J.

same thing happened with my baby & I used prune juice to avail. I went to the Health Food store & they recommended raisins......volia! a poop!

H.,

I know your desperate about the situation but i really don't agree with all the advice on laxatives. I went through this with my niece and now my cousin is going through and both parents gave them laxatives. There bodies get used to having that laxative. I give my daughter a bowl of oatmeal every morning and only give her water. She drinks lots of water and i only allow her to drink a small cup of juice for dinner. She eats vegetables with dinner & she loves raisins. Please try to stay away from these laxatives. I know its tempting because he hasn't pooped in 3 days but have him drink lots of water.

Good Luck!

Hi dear this situation can be frustrating for you and your little one, but once my son had this problem and the doctor had recommended Welch's White Grape Juice. This worked out just fine I suggest you try it but in any event seeking medical attention may be best.

Best Wishes, S.

I suffer from constipation about once a month because I do not have a galbladder (it produces the bile that helps break down your food so it's harder on your system to it without it). There are multiple things that can help...

Caffeine, Warm drinks such as tea or hot chocolate, Fruit, warm baths up to the belly. The warmth helps get the system get moving. There are also over the counter stool softeners but read the labels carefully to make sure they are ok for your son.

Hi H.,
I also dealt with this. My son is 4 now, and I actually still add miralax to one drink a day Even after he was potty trained he would stand and start to go in his underwear, and I would fly him to the toilet. It softens the stool, so it won't hurt when it does happen. A gastroenterologist (sp*) told me to try sitting him on the toilet after dinner everyday, because having the legs up is a more natural way to go. You can even leave the diaper on. I also used to hold him sitting down on my lap with my legs criss crossed mimicking the toilet. Really,dont let it go too long, because once they have negative experiences, they will hold it because they think it will hurt. I had to use the fleet enema when mine was about a year and a half when he didn't go, but a little each day(also considered constipation) for 5 days.
also, I added bran to jars of baby food, and applesauce or yogurt for fiber. cheerios are also a good source of fiber.
Good luck, and if it keeps happening, see a g.i.

Raisins. With a little guy/gal, I would sort of tear it open/in half before I give it to them so it's easier to chew. We are vegetarians and my daughter alsmost never has a problem going, but things like bran and raisins make her too loose, so that is why i recommend them to you.
Graham crackers or any bread unless it is whole grain seems cloggin to me. Or does grahm have a lot of fiber?
also, warm beverages warm up the digestive tract and encourage healthy movement. cold drinks do not. Iced drinks are especially bad.

sounds strange but find mylanta cherry supreme- the adult kind- this is the only 'variety'- check ingredients- there's no aluminum
give 5ml and see what happens...if nothing after 6hrs give 5mls more-cannot give too much- too much results in loose stools...

Hi H., my son went through this at one point when he was about that age. I'm here to tell you, the old fashioned treatments, at least in my experience, work like a champ. Now, you'll have to call your pedi to get the exact dosage, but if they are a good doc, they will answer your question. What we used at the time was mineral oil! It was like maybe a teaspoon or tablespoon, but it worked within the hour! I know it's alarming! And our son had no problem taking it, I guess it doesn't taste bad! Good luck!

I agree with Mindy. MiraLax is the way to go. My daughter has had chronic constipation and has been on MiraLax since she was a year old (she is now almost 7). It is safe to use everyday, and you can also give more or less depending on your child's stool consistency or what they are eating. It is not too expensive, and it's much less traumatic for the child than any kind of suppository or enema! It has no taste. I myself have taken it. If you stir it in water for like 45 seconds, you won't even be able to see it! I, though, do put my daughter's in milk, and she doesn't seem to taste it. Also, until your child kind of "un-corks" the firm stool that is becoming impacted, you may want to try rubbing a little Vaseline around the anus when he is trying to poop, as this will help it slip out easier and protect the skin from as much discomfort or possible tearing. Good luck.

FYI, rabbit pellets are still a symptom of constipation if they are hard. My daughter is going through this. Constipation is about BM difficulty, not neccessarily about frequency. Constipation is a common issue for many toddlers and makes potty training very difficult if not addressed before hand. My ped says the following make toddlers prone to constipation: milk (dairy), white bread, white rice, apples, & bananas--all my daughter's favorite things. Our ped suggested reducing milk (as you have), switching to WHOLE grain breads (Cheerios are great too), brown rice, apple JUICE (but not in excess), and lots of water. I did all of these things, but my ped also put her on a light prescription laxative to flush her system of all the back-up. Even though she was BMing almost everyday, she was still considered constipated b/c of how hard some of it was or the large amounts. I highly recommend the book The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Potty Training Problems which has a whole chapter dedicated to constipation (its symptom). This really changed my understanding of constipation, particularly b/c it's so different in toddlers. I hope this helps, good luck.

Feed him avacados. They are full of great nutrients and a natural laxative. You can also give him fresh baked organic sweet potatoes, since it has lots of fiber and they love it. Just take a sweet potato and put it on a pan cook it at 375 for about an hour depending on its size. Stay away from refined foods and stick to fruits and veggies. Trust me this will help. Good luck.

My son had a constipation issue for over 2 years. It was awful, I was doing enemas weekly and my son was passing these stools that were so big it would hurt me to have. Finally, we went to a GI specialist. What happens is they get constipated, they try to go and it hurts so therefore they hold it. In there eyes, if they don't poop it won't hurt. There is a medicine that you can now get over the counter called Miralax. Usually they will have a stool within 24 hours of taking the Miralax. Don't put it in milk because it tastes funny and they won't drink it. It's much better in juice. Good luck, give lots of kisses because I am sure it is gonna hurt when it comes out.

Good luck

My 7 1/2 month old has had issues with constipation as well. We are on soy formula and it seems every time we start to introduce solids, it happens again. He was even stopped up after eating prunes. We are on the verge of seeing a gastroentologist, but made one last ditch effort by adding 1/16th of a teaspoon of magnesium citrate in every bottle. You may want to discuss it with your ped first, but mine was fine with trying it. It is working fine for the last 2 weeks, producing a BM at least every other day. I gave him squash yesterday and he pooped last night:) She was hoping his bowels just needed a jump start and maybe this is what the magnesium did! I am going to start adding the magnesium in every other bottle next week and slowly wean him off of it and if the constipation picks back up again....off to the GI we go! Hope this helps.

Oh do I feel your pain. Ha ha. My son has been constipated and still is at 3+ years. It is very frustrating. You could try giving him a teaspoon of dark karo syrup 2-3 times a day. Perhaps find some juice that has fiber added to it. Yogurt that has fiber added to it. I give my son Fiber One yogurt that has 5 grams I think per serving. Also I get double fiber muffins. But I think your son is too young for that. I've also done mineral oil before bed. But not sure if that's okay with a one year old. Just trying to give you ideas to discuss with your pediatrician. My son has gone 5-6 days without a poop when he was younger. Also fruits should help. Oh, mix half juice and half water. Try different juices like apple, orange. I found that prune juice really didn't make a difference with my son. All the luck to you.

My son was very constipated one time, 3 days as well, which by the way my Ped said a baby can go up to 4 days without going. We gave him Karo syrup, I believe it was a teaspoon. Also just go to the store and pick up some suppositories, not fun but does the trick. Good luck.

try giving some Karo syrup

I am currently going through this. There is a thing that kids develop called "the poopie dance." Some kids have a painful movement and never want to go again so they hold it. Since they are afraid to go, they won't.

First thing is go the pharmacy and ask them for suppository for kids. I wouldn't do this often, maybe once or twice if needed, because it causes them to have more fear. Use benefiber when cooking or in your child's drink to add extra fiber. My doctor also had me use Pedilax, any drugstoe, and the worked wonderfully. Now that the Pedilax worked we have a "program" where we have to use Miralax and Benefiber for a month to make sure the movements stay soft and then wean him off the Miralax, Benefiber is a natural thing so it doesn't hurt to put in food. I would only do the suppository until you speak with your doctor, being that your child is only 1. There is a great book called Toddler 411 and they talk about just about every issue with toddler's and I actually read that before I saw the doctor and they told me to do the same thing I read in the book. I will say it is horrible until they get it out. My son would look and me, scream and cry, and I felt helpless. A warm bath is also good because it relaxes their bottom and may help them go.

I have been going through this on and off for a few months and just recently it became more often. Good luck

THis is no fun. When my daughter was born, this began with her at week one home from the hospital until she was 2 years old & we went through a lot. 3 days isn't huge, but I would keep an eye on it. If it continues I would talk to your doctor about a natural laxitive. My daughter was on one at age 2, finally, until she was 6 years old & finally her body started doing it on her own. But, we still had to do special stuff in addition to the medication. Apple juice is a good one, along with prune if you can get him to do that. Items high in fiber. Not too many milk products or bananas. Chose cerals/crackers that are higher in fibers b/c that will help. Stay away from the milk products except for what he needs. My daughter was allowed one milk product a day & if she had more than that, she had even a harder time. I hope this helps out. It is a hard thing to deal with b/c we feel for our kiddos when they hurt & you know if he is not regular, he is hurting.

My middle daughter went through this at about 2.5. I did not like the idea of laxitives at all. I ended up doing the prune juice thing and she hated it but it did work. You have had sooo much advice here, a change in diet will be the safest bet, and if it continues see a specialist just incase there is a medical reason for it happening. I know it is hard to see our children suffer in ANY way, but try and stay calm about it. All children have this issue at some stage in life (as do we, I have IBS so I know how it feels)

M. F

Hi H.,

You're doing all the right things. How much prune juice are you actually giving him? It's not going to hurt him if you give him a lot more. Please, please don't give him Karo syrup. It can contain botulism spores just like honey and can be deadly if the digestive system isn't strong enough. When a little one is constipated, I would say it's not working at it's best. When doctors recommend it, they are always looking at statistics.

Chiropractic will help. Sometimes a simple adjustment will get the "electrical panel" firing again so that everything is working right.

A probiotic would be good for him as well. I know a good one that a one year old can put in his food if you're interested. Push the water and juice. There are natural suppositories as well. You'll have to check with the health store about specifics on those.

God bless!

M.

When my first son was consitaped my ped told me to use Fleet Babylax Glycerine Suppositories. You can get them at any drug store. They work GREAT!! Just google them!