Help Relieving 2 Yr Old's Constipation

i use lots of pear juice. Seemed to work for us. i think prune juice may have a similar effect.

When my daughter was constipated, I gave her a children's Enema from walgreens and squeezed the water and it makes it come right out in like 5 minutes they are relieved and it makes the stool softer.

My daughter was about 3 when the constipation started. All my kids were very good about eating fruits and veggies but her constpation got to the point that she would lay across the kitchen chair during meals because it hurt so bad. She would "hold it" because it hurt to go. The doctor prescribed Miralax for her to clean out all the build up. It's just a powder you mix with any drink and they'll tell you how often to give it to your child. After a few days you can start weaning off of the Miralax. After taht, it was all about the diet. Besides increasing her fruit and veggie intake, I tried to make sure she wasn't eating too much fried food, bananas or gummy food like fruit snacks. Quaker Oat Bran cereal is also really good. Just don't give too much or she'll get the runs. Just mix a little with her regular cereal. My daughter likes to snack on it. My daughter is 8 now and we seldom have tummy troubles and if we do, she knows she's been eating too much junk. Hope taht helps.

My daughter used to hold hers in around 2 years old also. I gave her suppositories a few times and she hated them. I told her if she doesn't let it out, that's what we have to do. After having to do it about 4 or 5 times, we never had a problem with her holding it in again. They work pretty quickly too, probably within 10 minutes.

Hi I just read you remail and I think apple juice is amazing. It works for my kids and I loved it for using after giving birth to my 4 kids. Hope this helps!

Prunes! I used this when my daughter was potty training as she refused to poop. I called them giant raisins and cut them into smaller pieces. They definitely help, so you will not want to give her too many!

Try some prune juice---that helps my girls. If it's too strong tasting mix it with apple juice.
Also I use the Brownberry double fiber bread which seems to help.

Good luck

prunes, prune juice, prune sauce(from baby foods is easy) and I love metamucil wafers. They are cinnamon in flavor and only for the fact that they are more expensive than regular cookies, I would eat them all the time.

raisins, dried cranberries, foods high in fiber but low in starch. Rich meat,i.e. well marbled steak or hamburger-don't cook it ti death. She needs the fat to work on the bowels. Cut back on some of the binding foods....cheeses, pastas, bread w/o butter. By the way, butter and olive oil help move things thru the system. Good luck

Miralax works well. My doctor also told me that Pear Juice helps. There is also a new Plum juice as opposed to the Prune. It is a much better taste, much like a cranberry.

My son had very bad constipation right after he turned 1 and moved to whole milk. We switched him to 2% and that helped a bit but he still had major constipation issues till he was about 2 and half. Use prune juice (mix with apple juice if your daughter doesn't like the taste as is). Have her eat pears, apricots. Stuff with fiber in it - but make sure she drinks plenty of water with the fiber rich foods or else it will just make the problem worse. If this becomes a regular thing then talk to your doctor about Mirilax. My son used to take this and it softens the stool. I never gave him the full dose because that would just be nasty. MAybe for the first 2-3 days you could give her a full dose but cut down after that if she does fine. If your doctor prescribes Mineral oil, your daughter may not like the taste - but a friend of mine used to mix some jello powder crystals into the mineral oil and her daughter would drink it up readily - just some tricks in case you need to use them.

Good luck.
A..

Please avoid laxative and suppositories (last resort), for it does not solve the issue at hand. Masaging in a clockwise motion on the torso starting at the right hip will help the flow. I agree with many posts, dairy, too much cheese, bananas, apples and yes wheat/gluten tend to be binding. Prunes and pears are relieving remedies. Grounded flax seeds is a natural fiber, not benefiber. You can add them to anything, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, it is a good fat for the brain and body. My g-ma adds a couple tablespoons to her daily regimen and got rid of her laxatives. but whenever you add fiber, you have to drink more water or you will still have the issue of constipation. Also try a couple of tsp of POM juice diluted in her water, that should help as well. Good luck.

My 2 year old daughter also gets constipated very easily. I use a laxitive that I purchase from walgreen. It's in a blue/white box. The laxative has to be inserted in the rectum, but this relieves her very quickly. I make sure that she eats plenty of veggies and I try to give her prunes whenever possible. This has helped but every now and then she does get constipated. Hope this helps.

When my son was about4 or 5 months old he had colic and his doctor recommened that Imix one capful of clear Kayro Syrup(make sure it is the clear kind) with warm water so that he syrup dissovles and have your daughter drink it all. Try this for a few days,maybe 3 or 4and see if it does help her if not take her to her docter and have him or her rule out any medical reasonthat may be causing her problem. Let me know if the above suggestion helps.

For a quick solution, our pediatrician prescribed a constipation medicine powder that was mixed with juice or water. We would stay on that for a few weeks to get him back on a cycle and then wean him off. If it crept up again, we'd start adding the medicine. I believe it was peri-colace.

For foods we were recommended lots of fruits, minus bananas, and lots of salad. We were told to limit dairy products. So I would use bananas and cheese as rewards for having a BM.

We tried a suppository once - although it worked, it was so traumatic for our son that we would never do that again.

Besides some of the dietary changes/additions that are mentioned below, maybe help her with her positioning on the toilet. If she doesn't have her feet supported, a footstool will help. Also when she's on the toilet, get her in the Thinking Man position (you know that sculpture by Rodin?). In other words, have her rest her elbows on her knees. I know she's only 2, and they're always in a rush to get off the toilet, but those two position changes will really help make a BM easier for her body.

What always helped my son when he had that problem was baby plums or prunes. He's 7 now and we still use them once in a while. Good luck.

J.

S. S,
My 5 year old daughter had this same problem and a doctor from a natural wellness center that we go to recommended powdered vitamin C (you can get it at whole foods but it can be hard to find..last time I asked someone and they helped me.) You just put about a 1/4 teaspoon or whatever it says on the bottle in with juice or milk. We found that it worked really well and it is harmless so it is something that you can do everyday to prevent constipation. Hope this helps!

Prune juice works wonders! When my oldest was a baby she would get so constipated I had to work her legs to get the BM out, the doctor suggested a teaspoonful of prune juice in her formula and it worked wonders. Hope it helps

HI S.,
Have you tried fresh fruit like kiwi,green grapes,apple slices,strawberries etc....It always helped my kids and it is a healthy solution. Good Luck
D.

My 2 yr old & 3 yr old have always been constipated and I have added PRUNE JUICE TO THEIR CHOCOLATE MILK---they love it and can't even taste the prune juice. This works wonders.

Hi:

My friend gives her daughter watermelon - it's a natural diuretic. My 2 year old had the same problem and I cut the bananas (she was eating a lot!) and I make my two girls a fruit smoothie almost every day. They both have better bm's as a result!

i use fletchers, my son is 4 and it still works well for him. fletchers comes in a glass bottle.

I've come across the same situation with my nefew, he was also about 2 years old. It turns out his digestive system was backed up. The doctor said he was eating food that was too tough for his little body to handle. I would suggest getting a doctors opinion.

When my daughter was potty training at about 2 1/2 she would go potty without a problem but would hold her BM for days. I had to give her a suppository. After the 1st suppository, which she did not like, she got better. When she'd hold it again for days I'd tell her she would have to have another one if she didn't go. After a week or so, with the threat of something more uncomfortable, she started go on a regular basis again. I hope this else. Just stay positive!

Constipation is a result of dehydration and poor diet. You could try watching her diet not a "little" but a lot. Does she prep her meals or do you?

all 3 of my kids have gone through this, it is a horrible cycle, hold it on cuz it is gonna hurt, don't go cuz it is gonna hurt & then it does hurt. My ped recommended used prune juice & mineral oil. My 4 year old has now reverted back to holding it in because he had one bad bm. I read somewhere online to give him mineral oil everyday for 2 weeks to help things move along. I have to remind him to go every 2 days and on Tuesday I told him he had to go after dinner and he ended up going by himself. I would have to catch him & bring him into the bathroom previous. He was in there for a few minutes and I went in b/c he was crying that it was going to hurt. I told him to think like the little engine, I think I can etc but to say it's not gonna hurt, etc. He ended up going pretty quickly and said it didn't hurt so hopefully it will be better.

good luck
C.

I have not with my child had this problem, but I have had nieces and nephews who have. My first suggestion is to make sure your daughter is drinking plenty of water. Then I would make sure you stop feeding her any dairy or wheat products. She may have an allergy or sensitivity to these things. Also don't feed her any bananas or bagels or any foods that are more binding. I would give her watermelon or other foods that have more fiber in them. Maybe some oatmeal and try giving her miso soup with vegetables. It has protein in it and is so good for her. All in all your daughter may not be able to digest the things in her diet. Until you can change her eating habits, to get her to have a BM, you may want to try a stool softener that you have to insert rectally. Good luck and I hope my suggestions can help!

My daughter who is 2 also has that same problem. She will go just about every day but her bowel movements will be like tiny, little pebbles. Prune juice mixed with apple juice or some other juice to take away the taste of the prune juice works wonders. Try that.....I think it will work!!

hi. my 3 year old suffered constipation really bad starting at age 2. i found ( and heard ) that carrots, prunes, mangos all help. a lot of apple, mango or fruit juices mixed with water. also my dr told me anything with molasses such as graham crackers, teddy grahams, etc. we have her on murilex (sp?) now and that has been the best thing for her. just be patient and don't force the issue. i know it is so hard to see your child in pain like that especially if they are pushing really hard. my daughter gave herself hemorrhoids because of pushing. i learned that she relaxes when i read to her really slowly and softly so she concentrates on herself. my daughter was potty trained too. i think sitting on the toliet helped. hope this helps. oh yeah. maybe cut back on the milk too for a bit. not sure what her diet consists of at this point.

Prune juice and apple juice. You can add to cereal or drink on its own (if your child will drink prune juice on their own - good luck!) Try to get 100% juice - not one with a lot of sugar or filler. Good luck.

You can try all natural 100% prune juice. I used it with my son several times. You may want to dilute it with a little water if she's not used to drinking it. It was the only thing that worked for us, without hurting his system. Good luck!

Miralax, it is over the counter. We had as SERIOUS bout with constipation and ended up in the hospital. After everything was said and done, we had to give him Miralax.

Hi S.,
My 18 month old daughter was always having a problem being constipated. Our ped. rcommended us to use 1 and a half teaspoon of miralax in her water/juice on a daily basis. We were also advised to avoid apple juice, and feeding her bananas. She now drinks lots of water & prune juice. We dilute (our) regular prune juice with water, which is ok... it doesn't have to be prune juice say from Gerber. With these recommendations from our ped. her BM are much more regular and are sorry to say... "mushy" instead of "hard".

Hope this helps!

My daughter poops within minutes of eating watermelon. Anything is worth a shot!

I have 4 kids and only one has had an issue with constipation. She is 6 yrs old. And what we do for her is give her prune juice. She would drink about 4 oz, about 2 to 3 times a day and usually by day 2 she is ready to go. I hope this helps.

A.

Pears, Pear juice (sold in cans - Kearns I believe is the brand), Prunes, Prune juice, broccoli (with ranch my daughter loves). Coffee works for most adults & I've actually let my daughter have a few sips of sweetened decaf just out of desperation.

Apples, bananas, cheese, milk in high amounts cause it... so reduce those.

Maybe increase her water intake for starters. Also try making sure she eats foods with fiber in them. If those things don't help go to your doctor and see if maybe there might be something else wrong. With younger kids sometimes they don't have BMs every day heck some adults don't either.

My daughter has issues too. I give her prune juice (Sunsweet brand) everyday to regulate it. I give her 2-3 oz and add water to top it off in her sippy cup. She loves the juice, and actually asks for it! If she doesn't like that you can give her pear juice to. Good luck!

It's a common thing at that age. Just encourage fresh fruit and water. Applesauce was one of the things that worked for us . Try a varity of things. Check with Her Ped. to see if you can use a glycerin supp if she is having a lot of pain. Increasing fluid and fruit should take care of it though. If it continues , go see her Doctor.
K. D

Massage her tummy/gut in the direction her intestines flow. this will help promote movement. Also, get her moving. the natural rhythm of the body moving will naturally get her bowels going.

Hi S.,

just a few things. It's actually withn the norm to go a few days without a bowel movement. don't push things along - people CAN become reliant on laxatives - its not good for her. constipation is defined by the consistency, not by the frequency. If you are concerned that she has hard stool and cannot pass it, (like she's sitting there trying and trying and pushing and nothing comes out) give her fruit. Apples, grapes, whatever she likes (apples work best for us).

Seriously, I can go 4-6 days without one, and then there are times (when IBS is acting up) I go 4 times in one day.

hope that helps :)

Prunes, prunes, prunes. They really work. Try infant pureed prunes. If she doesn't care for the taste straight, you can mix with applesauce, or pureed pears, peaches, or yogurt. If all these fail, make prune pancakes using the pureed prunes in place of the eggs.

Overall, fruit is the most easily digested food and passes quickly through the system. Does she eat fresh fruit daily?

Hope it helps.

-L..

See if your pediatrician can prescribe a stool softener - not for all the time use, but so that things won't be so painful when she does go this time. Also, make sure she gets lots of water. My kids also like prunes, but any dried fruit (apricots) has the same high-fiber effect.

Do you happen to know if she has an allergy to milk? Esp the proteins in the milk. My daughter (now 4 1/2) had such issues when she was younger. We initiated many recommendations with Flax seed (crushed not whole - will not work) and/or whole prunes. When she was around 4 we found out that she had an allergy to ragweed and had a slight allergy to certain proteins in milk. The pediatric pulmonologist/allergist told us that this most likely was the reason we had constpation issues and now "tummy soreness" at times (milk allergies have many faces and change as we get older). It has now been 10 months since DX and we have had no constipation nor "tummy soreness. We had modified her dietary intake and this seemed to work well for her.

Good luck -

I feel your (well her) pain as my almost 3 years just went through this however it was SO bad she couldn't sit down! We bought glycerin suppositories and it worked like a charm! Never have done that before but I now use them with my almost 6 mos. old and it works within 5-10 mins! A little scary at first but the ones we got (can't think of the name) are liquid and you squeeze the content up their boot. It is already lubed so it slides right in. Good luck!

My nephew has this problem. My sister gives him prune juice. The pediatrician also recommended Fibersure. Hope this helps!

Hi S.,
My son had this same problem starting around 2 years old. I talked to his Dr. and asked for some ideas that wouldn't hurt him if it was something that I had to do often. i didn't want to continually use something "medicine" like. These are the tips that she gave me. I gave him a 50/50 mix of prune juice and sprite or 7-up (tastes like Dr. Pepper). That one didn't work too bad but it is a little slower acting. The one that worked the best and that my son liked the best was dark Karo syrup. I gave him about a teaspoon or so a couple times throughout the day. It tastes like pancake syrup kinda. He likes it. It usually worked pretty quick. Often within an hour but it did take a little bit longer the first time we used it because he had been backed up a couple of days. As a hint, my Dr. also told me about a few of the biggest culprits of causing constipation in little kids. Milk and bananas. Both of which my son loves. She said that he really shouldn't have more that 2 glasses of milk each day and only one banana and of course lots of water and real fruit juice. I also "maintain" by giving him some of the Miralax once in a while if it seems like he is having problems. I hope this helps.

Try dried prunes or prune juice. They work like a champ. If she eats some dried prunes she will be going to the bathroom in no time. It worked for my four year old son. Good Luck!

Hello. Try mixing about a tsp of mineral oil in her favorite juice each day. I had to do that for my daughter and it keeps her regular and the mineral oil is natural and flavorless.

Prunes (I keep a couple of the baby food purees in my pantry in case they get constipated), blueberries and pears always do the trick for my 1 1/2 year old twins!

You can give her prune juice and put Benefiber in her drinks and food. It completley disolves and a good way to get that extra fiber that she may need. My 22 month old gets hard stools all the time, so I have to make sure that she has that extra fiber in her drinks to help things along. You can mix the prune juice with apple juice so the flavor is not that strong.

S.-
I have had mom's bring in little ones to the office with similar problems. These kids have had excellent response with chiropractic care. Feel free to give the office a call ###-###-#### or check out www.icpa4kids.org to find a pediatric chiropractor near you.
In Health,
J.

My daughter is 3 and has had this same problem for about a year now. Our doctor put her on Myralax everyday which helps soften the stool so she doesn't have to push as hard but there have been a few times that she hasn't gone in 3 or 4 days. A couple of times we had to give her an enima (which I regret doing because now she's traumatized by it). The last time my doctor gave us a prescription for suppositories and that worked great and was not traumatizing for her. I try to make sure that she drinks some water during the day (she LOVES milk - but that contributes to the constipation) and I only let her eat 1/2 of a banana (she loves those too). I would stop using the laxative drops because that might be making it worse.

Hi S.,

I have two children (5 & 3). When they're constipated I give them a children's laxative called Fletcher's Castoria. It's been around for years and works...I promise! You can find it at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, etc. She should definitely have a bowel movement the next day. When my daughter was around your daughter's age she went thru the same thing. Has your daughter just recently gotten potty trained? When my daughter had gotten potty trained, she would act afraid to do "the big job" on the potty...she'd cry and say it hurt. But when we put a pull up on her, she'd have no problem doing "the big job" in her pull up...no tears no crying no nothing. So I think it could be that she's just a little scared to let it go in the pot. But I believe Fletcher's is a great way to relieve the constipation. Good luck.

S.:

Have you tried prune juice? This helps with my son. I buy the organic Earth's Best Prune and I sneak it in his food and he doesn't even know it. It's hard when they don't go... no sleep for me. My mom mentioned it to me and it worked ever since. I put 2 oz of water and prune juice to the mix or get the baby food jar ( prune ).

Good luck!

My daughter has constipations issues as well. When is seems to get worse I make sure she eats lots of green vegetables and fruit. Also, Whole food sells Fiber gummy bears in the vitamin section which have also helped greatly.

My daughter is 2 1/2 and had the same problem. Her doctor said it was normal cause they drink a lot of milk at this age.She said to just make sure she eats foods such as pears, rasins, pruns etc. once a day to help her along and its worked she hasnt had a problem since. Hope it helps your daughter as well

One more suggestion that I did not read yet. Has she ever been on an anti-biotic? Try Activia Yogurt. It has pro-biotics that fix the damage the anti-biotic does to the intestine. Stay away from white flour products. Go 100o/o whole grain. You might have to go gluten free. Maybe switch to soy milk or rice milk.

We lived that life with my daughter. We were giving her suppositories as it was a totally vicious cycle, she wouldn't go for days and then it would hurt. She hated the suppositories. It was really difficult. She is a vegetarian so had an awesome diet and we couldn't give her anymore naturally than she was already getting. Thank goodness when she was 2 we saw a doctor (pediatrician and gastroenterologist) who prescribed Miralax. I call it a wonder drug. She is now 6 and is still on it and without it she wouldn't be regular. Good luck.
T.

Put ground flaxseed meal into her cereal/toast/muffins, etc. You can also use flaxseed oil [get both at walmart] in juice/milk etc. My kids have never had that trouble, but I make most of our breads, muffins, cakes, etc and put a bit of flaxseed meal in everything - it's also good in vital nutrients.

Mineral oil is what my brother who is a doctor gives to his toddler. He said to start with one tablespoon a day, and then modify that if needed. I have the same problem with my 2 year old, so I am looking forward to reading the other responses.

My 3yo son actually likes prune juice if I mix it with apple juice (mix it 50/50). It always works for me, but only if they will drink it.

Natural is great to prevent it from happening. But I would use Miralax at this point. It is pretty gentle and doesn't cause pain when you take it. It also softens the stool.

One of my daughters had the same problem when she was younger. She got to the point where she was holding it in because it was painful to go. I didn't want her to be dependent on suppositories or anything like that. When we went to a new pediatrician she recommended more water and natural fruit juices and actual fruits. After we started watching her diet more closely and making sure she was getting those things, her bowels started flowing better and she didn't try holding it in.

From a dietary perspective we regularly have cranberry juice (watch the labels so it is 100% juice not juice cocktail). Often we will mix it with apple or grape juice. By putting it into the rotation once a month this helps the whole family with being regular.
For the quick fix, we use raisins, cranberries or other such dried fruit. This will loosenteh stool to make it less painful. Somtimes when the kids are particulalry fearful of having a painful BM we'll apply A&D ointment to the anal area to numb the pain a bit.

about me: Mom of 3 (ages 7, 5 & 2)

I would give her a child suppository to get her to go for now. My son has been on Miralax for a while now and its awesome! If he misses more than 1 dose he will get backed up and need a suppository. I was worried about it hurting him, but its more painful for him to cry and scream trying to poop for hours than just doing the suppository and getting it over with. I was told by a Ped. GI not to use Little Tummies cuz its not FDA approved i guess.

hi, try getting your little one to drink more water. Also some watery fruits, my daughter LOVES red or balck grapes, even some watermelon would be good. Too much dairy can cause constipation, how much milk or cheese is she getting? Generally about 16oz is recommended for her age. It does seem like a suppository would be a good idea to help her go now (good luck with that)since it has been a few days and you don't want it to hurt her when she does go, that might cause her to "hold it" in the future causing more problems.

S.~
Apples are a good constipation releaver but the same is not said of apple juice, Prunes and prune juice also are good releavers. You want to stay away from bananas and cheese as they will cause constipation.

Here are a few things that have worked for my youngest who has bowel problems like her mommy. Funny how my whole family eats the same foods but all our systems work differently.

At any rate these are some things that work for me and the little one.

1.) Avacodoes
2.) Yogurt (the Moo Goo yogurt that comes in dual flavors from Aldi works wonders for my little one.)
3.) Lots of fluids...especially water.
4.) Beans...like kidneys, black beans, pintos....I have some recipes that you might try to make them tastey.
5.) Salad blends...not iceburg...it is just water.
6.) Sprinkle flax seed in the food...like the soups, applesauce, eggs, and so on.
7.) You could try a little bran to sprinkle too but I have found this really give me and my daughter gas.
8.) Welch's grape juice from frozen concentrate
9.) Apple Cider with pulp

For me the best that worked was Barley w/ prune juice. My dd cannot take them directly so I sneak in with various food. Now she has become regular and i continue to add these two once in every two days. WE are GOOD FOR GOOD :-)

Try lots of fresh fruits and a small salad, and I have given my daughter a couple spoonfuls of olive oil and it has helped so much!! I even use it myself!!Good luck L.Serrano

My son had this problem when he was a child and a great friend of mine suggested a teaspoon of olive oil after a meal or when having a problem. It always worked! I hope this helps.

My daughter had the same problem, to the extent that when she did poop, it was almost clay like and very large almost billard ball sized. We tried suppositories, which she absolutely hated, she drinks lots of water during the day, has always been a good eater, eating every veggie we gave her, but still she would hold in her poops. Her doctor recommended Miralax, and I do have to agree with another poster that it is a miracle. The best thing about it too is that your body does not become dependent on it, meaning you can stop taking it and it will not worsen the problem. We would mix it with whatever she was drinking, you cannot taste or smell it, and it is not gritty. You have to watch the amount you give the child, too much and they get diarreah. I always knew when she did not get her morning dose, because her poops would stop. After 3 weeks you can start cutting back on the amount of Miralax you are giving and see if there is a change in the texture. If your child becomes constipated again, go back to the usual dose for a week and then try cutting back again. My daughter's Dr said that because she had been holding her bms for so long, her bowel actually became stretched out, and that can lead to the child not actually feeling they have to go until the size has become too big. One hint too, once my daughter caught on to the whole "potty" idea, we did not have any more bm issues. She did not like going in her diaper. Good luck