Suggestions on Constipation

Sweet potatoes!!! They are high in fiber and they do work. She can even drink the water off them. Remove the skin and boil the potatoes. she can eat every bite of it. I do love them baked as well. Try cutting back on Gluton and Creasen foods and see what helps.

Use extra virgin olive oil to grease the skids (rectom).

just an fyi - apples are binding and cause constipation. You want to stay away from bread, rice, apples and toast (the BRAT diet) while they are constipated. Instead stick with the p's - plums, prunes, peaches, pears.

My daughter had this same issue. I had to give her about 8 oz. a day of straight nectar juice. These juices are peach, pear, nectaraine, etc. I found them at several places including Dominicks and Whole foods. It worked like a charm, and I liked not having to give her medication or stool softeners.

My daughter was also constipated. This did not help with potty training. She would hide when she had to goa dn held it in since it hurt. We tried so many different things-suppositories, Senokot, Karo, Milk of Magnesium. While something would work, it didnot last and the suppossitories seemed to hurt her even though we cut them in half. Finally, I bought Juicy Juice and gave it to her full strength. We also cut down her milk since she loved it.

Dear R., my son had the same thing when he was younger. In fact we took him to the ER one time because he was screaming he had such a stomach ache. The Dr at the ER said Apple juice is the best thing to keep kids regular. I always thought prune juice but he said apple juice. Not apples, apple juice. The Dr also said mineral oil is fine too. Put a little in some juice and see if that helps. Good Luck.

The natural things weren't working. Give her what the dr. said. She's suffering and needs you to act NOW. Poor little thing. I feel for both of you.

My cousin had the same issue and they found she was lactose intolerant. Once they cut milk and milk products out of her diet her BMs became normal.

R.,
Please try infant acidophilous. We have been using this for my son since he was 6 weeks old (20 mos now!). He has NEVER, been constipated and poops at least twice a day, maybe more!
Let me tell you, I an not into the whole natural thing, but MIL is. She wanted us to start him on this when he was born, but I needed to research it. It is all natural. It is the same bacteria that is found in yogurt. We now give it to him 3 times a week and he gets yogurt as well, and still no problems with constipation.
We use Udo's Choice that I get at Fruitful Yield in Lombard, but I am sure you can find it anywhere. Make sure it has active live cultures (needs to be refrigerated). We gave one teaspoon to Kenny in the morning with his formula (or breastmilk). Please try it. It will help your little girl tremendously!
K.
P.S. Message me if you try it and tell me how it worked!

I appreciate all the great advice already given (Thanks moms! I'll be using it!)

In the meantime while you're trying to figure out what works for you, those screaming/hurting bms are no fun. We put our little girl in the bathtub with warm water and poor it down her back. It really helps to get things moving back there and she doesn't try to hold it in as much. She sits in a little baby bjorn potty and it catches the poos when they come out. We empty it out then put her back on it, because another poo comes a little bit afterwards. TMI, i know.

Best of luck.

Sorry you are having to deal with this, it is tough to see your kids suffer. We start the day with either a fruit smoothie with added ground flax and wheat germ or yogurt with ground flax mixed in. The yogurt is great for the digestive system and the flax has great fat and tons of fiber in it. Also we really try to keep milk and cheeses to a minimum ( no more than 3 dairy servings a day) For example two glasses of milk (6-8oz each) and either a yogurt or cheese. This has helped tons. If you would like the smoothie recipe send me an email.

M.

Mango juice or mango puree is a great natural remedy.

most young kids are constipated because all of their favorite foods are binding. bananas, cheese, pasta etc... with constipation remember the 3 F's- fiber, fluid and fitness. I would recomend mirilax- mix it with 8 oz of liquid- if you talk to the pharmacist it is natural and your body does not become dependent on it- I would recomend to give it until the big blow out and then decrease it until stools are at a desired consistancy- Good Luck!

Our daughter went through this from about 15 mos until almost 24 mos. It was horrible. She'd run around holding her backside in pain. We tried everything. Changed her diet. Everything. Visits to the chiropractor would work, but, then she'd bind right back up within 2 days. At the end of the day we had to admit that it was the physical manifestation of an emotional issue. My dh and I were not in a good place at all. There was a lot of tension in the house and THIS is the way it impacted our poor dd. Although she could not express herself verbally, the impact on her was being express/repressed physically. Once we got our *hit together, so to speak, hers came out with no problem!

Everyone's system works differently. I had those kinds of problems all my life. I have one daughter that does and one that doesn't. My son doesn't seem to have any problems and they all eat the same things.

For me I had to make more than 50% of my diet and calories from fruits and veggies and make sure that I get half my body weight in ounces of water each day. Lots off leafy greens and cereals with fiber over 5 per serving.

Yogurt covered raisins worked well with my son. Also, jar babyfood peaches.
Good luck. m

Hi R.,
I have a vegetable soup recipe that is guaranteed to give my son (15 months) a large, soft stool within 24 hours of eating it! (He also He doesn't really like veggies, but this he eats with gusto! You are going to need a HUGE pot for this. I use 1.5 pounds each of chopped carrots, onions and celery. Add it to 3lbs, 1oz can of chicken broth and a 1lbs, 10oz. can of condensed tomato soup. Simmer with lid on for several hours. That's it! Always better after reheated a few times. I also like to make cracker balls with it. I have that recipe at home (I'm at work now). Just e-mail me if you'd like to have it! Good luck!!!

Lara

My daughter is 17 months old and we REALLY struggled with this for awhile. After lots of research and conversations with our doctor, these are some things to keep in mind when putting together your little one's diet: bananas, apples (and apple sauce), grapes, starchy foods(potatoes and even sweet potatoes), protein, sugary foods and dairy can ALL be constipating foods. You don't need to drop these foods all together but pay close attention to how much your kiddo gets. Mine used to eat a whole banana a day. Yikes!

Yogurt has probiotics/active live cultures that HELP digestion so DON'T cut that out. DO make sure that the yogurt you're giving your little one isn't full of added sugar or sweeteners. Apple juice is better than prune juice (and I've forgotten why the juice is different than the fruit itself or applesauce) and lots of 'p' foods help - peas, pears, peaches, plums, prunes. Also look for high fiber foods - broccoli is a big winner here, along with fortified oatmeal and beans beans beans (black beans, lima beans, kidney beans, chick peas, navy beans). We also added in water (instead of milk or juice) with snacks, and blueberries (which are affordable frozen, just don't buy anything with sugar added). Raisins,surprisingly, are also a huge hit around here. My kiddo thinks they're candy and will beg for more.

I didn't want to put additives of any kind into my kid's diet just yet, nor use softener or laxatives for fear that she would become dependent on these. Just being aware of the foods above and changing her diet to reflect this has made a WORLD of difference for us (just over the past 1.5 weeks!).
Good luck to you too :)

1. Eliminate ALL dairy (even goldfish). There are much better alternatives to cow's milk.

2. Add acidophilis - goto Whole Foods or Fruitful Yield.

3. Add ground flax seed to pancakes, etc.

4. Try taking her to a chiropractor. Email for a referral, I've taken my 6 mo old for constipation.

5. Add digestive enzymes. Health Force Digestive Enhancement Enzymes work are great.

6. Lots, lots of fluids.

7. Raspberries, blueberries, pears, etc. Eliminate the BRAT foods - bananas, rice, apple sauce, toast.

Fresh blueberries worked wonders on my kids.

R.-

I would definitely cut the dairy out completely. Go to a whole foods or health food store and get thistle. Whether it is in tincture or tea form this will help. you can also get her bowel relief teas. You would just have to give her a small dose to get them moving again. (I would suggest a 1/2 c. split up in the morning and in the evening). Just make sure it is organic--any one of these herbs will help--including malva and or marshmallow.

Let me know if you have any questions!!

T.
Detox Coach

I have dear friends that dealt with the same situation. I emailed him your concern and here is his reply.
If you do want his email or contact information, you can contact be back and I will sent that to you privately."

Here is his reply:

I would tell her to use Miralax which is over the counter now I believe. It is not absorbed by the colon so it
is safe. The main purpose of it is to retain water in the colon to then keep the stool soft. Not absorbed into
the body according to my brother MD.

Boy, do I know what she is going through. I would have her also look into having her daughter take VitaMag, and some ( Vital mag is a quality product made by Shaklee)
homeopathic rememdies. Good homeopathic book by Dana Ullman "Homeopathic Medicine for Infants and Children.

I think the Miralax will be good. It helped for us.

Maddie, seemed to always go after having some hot chocolate or when she drank the little Organic Horizon Milks. Not sure
it was timing but she seemed to always go which goes back to calcium intake maybe.

Hope this helps,

Kurt..

PS you can give her my email if you want.

My daughter was like that to. I believe it was my fault because she loved cheese and yogurt. I had stop giving her that and started pushing the grapes, peachers things like that. They have a natural lax at the store for the toddlers. Check Osco and also with your doc too! Hope she gets relief!

You could try adding something like fish oil or flax oil to her diet. I give my son, 7 mos. a 1/4 tsp. of olive oil when he's constipated. i give it to him once a day until he has a bm.

good luck!

try putting olive oil on a pacifier for constipation, and dilute organic apple cider vinegar and apply with a cotton ball for hemorrhoids it drys them up almost instantly.

My dtr used to eat pureed prunes every morning to keep from getting constipated along with other nutrious foods. You can also mix the prunes in cereal. You can make the pureed prunes yourself or buy it in the store in the Baby section. Also beans are a good source of fiber in her diet.

Hi R.,

My daughter had the same problem and I just started making oatmeal and adding bananas for her. She hasn't had the problem since.

I hope this helps!
S.

Try glycerin suppositories - they help and certainly provide relief :)

Something to keep in the back of your mind. My son has a condition called encopresis. It is NOT well understood and is absolutely awful, so I try to save everyone the hassle. If this continues to be a problem you need to seek a gastroenterologist and discuss encopresis. It will keep your daughter from potty training and become a long term problem if not treated early. It took us a long time to find someone to help us. None of the natural/normal remedies worked. In my son's case the encopresis is caused by an underlying medical condition but for some it comes from chronic constipation and a fear of the pain associated with BM's. My son is 9 years old and still has problems so please if this is not just a once in awhile occurrance please get help while she is young. It will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

I don't mean to be so doom and gloom but after all these years dealing with it I just like to get the info out to everyone. I am sure your daughter is just fine :)

try removing dairy from her diet, milk, cheese are very constipating

have to share something wonderful for all ages children take less powerful new formulation. v4l.com/nancyschacht IF YOUR SERIOUS check us out. Blessings, and aMerry Christmas, N.

You got some great advice so far. Other things you can add is grounded flax seeds (which has Omega 3's) to pancakes, oatmeal, cream of buckwheat cereal, applesauce, etc and beans, lentils, there are some great lentil soups out there, Amy's is a great brand. You can also add white beans to pasta for the high fiber and protein content. It works like a charm. Just remember whenever you add more fiber, you have to increase water intake or else it will still be hard to go.

I know it is no fun watching them try to go, if my dd has a high protein day, I always give her some beans or lentils the next day to balance it out along with blueberries for b-fast.

Good luck,
J. W. MPH
Wellness Educator/Lifestyle and Wellness Consultant