Toddler Constipation

S.,

I'm so sorry to hear she's having so much trouble with this. Miralax is not a cure, it is a mask to an underlying problem. I have not taken the time to read through all the responses so far, but I wanted to add my personal thoughts.

From what you mention she sounds like she has a well rounded diet. That's great. And of course, stay as far away from fast food as you can. Minimally processed will serve her best. You didn't mention much about her drinking except to say you have tried different juices. Eliminate as much juice from her diet as you can. Juices like apple and several others can have a very constipating effect. Remember, if we were meant to eat 3-4 apples, or oranges etc. in one sitting, they would have never been made with skins and fibrous bulk we were supposed to eat with it. Water is our bodies best friend. Get her a super cool water cup she can carry around with her throughout the day, like a SIGG cup.

Also, aside from cultured dairy i.e. cheese and yoghurt, I would eliminate all other sources of dairy that you can. And to go along with that, get her started on a quality pro-biotic to help her re-build the good bacteria in her gut necessary to properly digest her food.

I'd be happy to share more of my thoughts on this if you're interested, as well as provide some product suggestions that have worked great for my family.

Wishing you the best.

Blessings,
Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

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Have you considered food intolerances/allergies? They can cause severe constipation. In fact, they are finding that one of the main symptoms of dairy intolerance (NOT allergy or lactose intolerant, both are different) is constipation. You may want to talk to your ped about attempting to eliminate ALL dairy for a few weeks (you have to eliminate it all or just a tiny bit can cause the symptom). I've been dealing with this in my son since he was about 2 weeks old (he's 2 now). Good luck.

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Hi S., my son is 4 years-old and also had constipation and like you I tried everything and nothing worked until I tried SunSweet PlumSmart - Plum Juice which helps the digestive system. I give it to him every day with dinner and now he goes regularly without pain. The plum juice does not taste bad it taste much better than the prune juice. And what I tell him is the plum juice will help him to go to the bathroom and he understands and will drink his whole cup.

I hope this helps.

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I have a six year old son who has been on Lactulose (similar to Miralax) since he's been 18 months old. I have the same story as you. If he misses a dose or two, he is constipated. He is not a strong eater so trying to get a lot of fiber in him is next to impossible. I am considering putting him on a dairy free diet. I have read that dairy may be a culprit in chronic constipation. Also I may consider magnesium supplementation which may help. I am not sure if that would be appropriate with a younger child. I hope some of this helps.

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Fruit- lots of it. And good salad- like arugula, the leafy good salad greens. It comes mixed in a bag- or my fave the huge plastic box for $4.99 most places. It lasts for ever in the box. The bags get rotten in 2 or 3 days.

Too much fiber can be bad too. She may need more roughage- like the salad. Salad passes through QUICKLY and will be soft. So will soft fruits.

Keep her off meat for a little while. Meat binds you up. And when you reintroduce meats- she should eat VERY little. Tofu and beans are excellent protein- these won't bind either. And kids usually like them well enough. Tofu can be bought in a soft form that can be mixed into fruit smoothies- she'll think she's getting a slushy...but it will actually be full of fruit and tofu! Very good for her!

Also, there are several herbal teas in the organic section at Giant... Smooth Move, Senna Leaf...they are herbal laxitives. Way better to use than things like Miralax. If she hasn't gone all day... Get her to drink a cup at night- sweeten with honey. And then when she gets up in the am have her drink some salt water. 1/2 a teaspoon of SEA SALT to 8oz of water. The tea loosens the stools and the salt water flushes it out. The salt won't be absorbed into the blood and the water won't be sent to the kidneys because it's the same salinity as the blood. Her body will pass it through the intestines.

Good luck.

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I would cut meat, dairy and eggs out of her diet. Make sure she drinks alot of water. Give her some bran in her cereal. Use rice milk for cereal instead of cows milk. Beans in place of meats. Soy is healthy. Try tofu. Here are some sites with some good information:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vegetarian_kids.html (look over this site good, there is alot of information in there)
www.goveg.com
www.milksucks.com

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My daughter had a withholding problem for about a year, which thankfully is in "remission". Once I got over the quilt about medicating my child, I stayed on a STRICT regimine of her mirilax and she eventually was going normally and was more relaxed and stopped holding in her poop. It took an entire year!! No matter which food I gave her, no matter if I put pruned and applesauce in the brownies, nothing worked, just ended up making her more picky. I suggest giving the mirilax more time to work, my daughter has no ill effects. The stress of this whole event has gone and we've got our little girl back.

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Hi! Both of my kids suffer from constipation. I have tried all the tricks, including prunes every day. But one thing the doctor told me is that they have to drink a lot of water. He said that you can give all the fruits, veggies and fiber that you want, but water is what gets everything moving on the "highway". I have started doing this and it has worked great. I have to give him flavored water or water with a splash of 100% apple juice in it because he won't take plain water, but it's fine. Good luck.

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My daughter is nearly 5 and has had problems with constipation since she potty trained at two. After a year of fighting it with every idea people threw at me, she saw a specialist at the children's hospital. We tried lactulose without success, and she's now been on Miralax for almost two years. She also gets 1T of Benefiber powder to ensure she gets enough fiber each day. Without the Miralax, she goes fine for a day or two and then just doesn't go - we haven't had severe crying/pain episodes since about a week after starting the Miralax. She goes at least once every day now, many times more. We've tried weaning her off of it a few times, without success.

According to her doctor, she doesn't go simply because she doesn't want to, and in the long run, she becomes constipated and can't go. Someday I'd love to wean her off of the meds, but for now, this is all that has worked for us - and she's so much happier now!

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my daughter is also 3 and we have had issues since we atarted potty training -we also tried miralax but i read up on it and an adult should only be on for a month or so so that scared me- i went to health food store and they helped me so much FLAX (sseed or meal and oil)- the meal is ground and in a bag and the oil both must me refridged- the oil i mixed in yogurt once a day and then meal i put in pbj( i put the the flax on after i put pb on the bread) and mush it in the pb we are up to about 1 tabls. a day adn it really works i can always tell if we havnt had it for a day - i would always check with doc because of her already med issues i hope you can use this and works as well as it did for us- one other tidbit i always thought bananas where constpating but i read and email about them and they are not so we eat one about every other day (dont know if thats helping as well) good luck

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I didn't read through all the other responses, so I apologize if I'm repeating something. My son has a milk intolerace which shows itself in a horrible diaper rash. B/c of this, he would refuse to poop for days at a time. We were always catching him hiding somewhere. But this was until I found flaxseed meal. I put about a tsp of ground flaxseed meal in his oatmeal every morning and now we rarely have a problem (if we do, I just put 2 tsp in the next bowl of oatmeal). You can mix this stuff in anything b/c it doesn't have much of a flavor, but it is noticable. My son hates "dirty" food, so it matches his oatmeal and he doesn't even realize it's there. His preschool teachers are ready to shoot me b/c he goes everyday by 10 am, but I don't care, he's going everyday.

Flaxseed meal is hard to find, but I did finally find it at Wegman's. You buy it in a 16oz bag similar to flour and it costs under $4. I'm only on my 3rd bag since Oct and we eat it everyday.

Good luck. This is easier to hide and give everyday than medicine or prune juice. And it's good for the whole family. It's full of brain boosting Omega-3.

T.

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When I became pregnant I also became very constipated. There were 2 things that really helped me. First, everyday I did the "wind relieving" pose from yoga. Lie flat on your back, pull your right knee up to your chest, grab your knee with your hands and pull it down toward your chest. Hold for 10 seconds. Your other leg should remain flat on the floor & your back & neck should remain flat on the floor. Release the leg. Switch to the left leg & hold for 10 seconds. Release. Then pull both legs in and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat the whole thing one more time. I would do this every morning before getting out of bed & every night before getting into bed. Since your child's constipation is so bad, I would recommend doing this before & after every meal. The reason this helps is because pulling the leg in pushes down on the intestines & massages them. It encourages them to move materials through. The second thing that helped was when I was on the toilet I would elevate one or both feet to approximately the height of the toilet. (I would put my feet on our bath tub). Perhaps you could find a stool for your child. This puts you more into a squating position, which is the natural way (the way the body was designed) to pass a BM. Again it helps the intestines move things along. I found that if I sat in this foot elevated position & waited (NO PUSHING) things would move on their own. In this position you have to relax your muscles & allow things to happen. This should also help relieve your childs fear of painful pushing. If after 5 minutes nothing happens, get off the toilet & come back in half an hour...she wasn't ready.
I hope this helps.

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Unfortunately, taking laxatives too much can inhibit your body's own ability to deal with elimination over time. Doctors always forget to mention that. You can reverse this, but diet is everything! And exercise. And water intake. Reduce dairy. Severely reduce white flower and pasta. Remove meat until she is healed and then keep it to a minimum. Increase unsalted freash vegetables even if they have to be disguised and pureed. (spaghetti etc should be 1 part whole grain pasta to 9 parts natural sauce and veggies). Increase dried fruit-no sugar and additives. Natural whole grains only as bread and cereal. If you REALLY do this for a week or two, her bowel movements WILL be much softer, and after several soft poops she won't be scared anymore. Get her off the medicine! She can't take it forever! She has to heal her body and make it function even if it means getting used to some hard diet changes. She can be more lax in her diet once this is fixed. Good luck! It's hard, I know, I have to make all my kids stuff fresh to avoid the same problem. You can do it!

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Kondremuhl worked well for us....We tried prune juice, fiber, etc...but this is the only thing that worked consistently and effectively. We did see a pediatric gastro specialist from CHOP. He agreed with our pediatrician's recommendation to use this. He felt strongly that it was safe and non habit forming as it's mainly mineral oil.

Hope this helps!

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Poor little girl :( . Well, my son also experienced constipation as a baby through about the age of 2. I was never willing to try medication, so instead I stopped giving him dairy from cows (goat and sheep and soy were great alternatives for milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, etc.) and if he did become backed up i would offer lots of good quality cold pressed olive oil, however i could get it down. whether it's dripping bread in oil or putting a lot of oil on a preferred veggie, i just got creative with it. he would also occasionally just have a spoonful. I waited until he didn't seem to have constipation issues anymore before i reintroduced dairy. Now, he loves his cheese and doesn't have much of any side effect from eating it. I hope you find waht works for your girl soon. Good Luck.

So sorry to read this, but I have a god=daughter who has this same problem. My advice to you is to seek out a physician that specializes in pediatric intestinal disorders and you yourself should go into the restroom with her, it seems to me that now she is terrified of going because of the pain. The best of luck to you and your little girl.

I'm sorry she is going through this. I went through the same thing with my son. The doctor put him on Miralax as well. I also find that if you put some Dark Karo syrup in some water and have her drink it, that will help. It keeps him going regularly. It doesn't even have to be put in water. You can put it in juice, on oatmeal - anything like that. Karo syrup is sweet tasting.

Good luck!

I have the exact same problem with my almost 5 year old son. My doctor prescribed Miralax almost a year ago and everytime we'd go off, he would get constipated again. I had to administer enemas to get him to go it would get so severe, it broke my heart. So, after much research, we are on a strict regimen of miralax while I try to include as much fiber, juice, water, etc. in my picky eater's diet. I give it to him every other day and plan to for the next year. Essentially, his colon has stretched out because of the large bowel movements and needs time to shrink. Until that happens, his body will always wait for that large amount before giving him the urge to push. So, I will keep him on it for about 1 year, longer if I need to, until we're sure his colon has shrunk back to normal size. I hope that makes sense, feel free to email me for more. Good luck, you are not alone, it's a very common problem.

Hi, S.. My son (who is 5) had the same problem. He also would have terrible gas pain. His pediatrician decided he was lactose intolerant. He was on Miralax for a while, too. Since he was about 4 1/2 we give him a half of a tablet of chewable fiber every morning. We also make sure he eats fruits and vegetables every day. This seems to be working pretty well. He chews a Lactaid pill with dairy products, and we have him avoid cheese as much as possible (since cheese constipates). Our pediatrician told us that too much milk can cause constipation, too. Good luck.

My daughter is almost five and has had constipation issues since birth as well. We are also on Miralax and we can't really miss a dose or she becomes constipated. I asked my doctor about it and he said until they realize how to push and that it isn't going to hurt they need to stay on the medicine. He also said he generally doesn't try to get them off until they are around 6 because once they have learned it's okay to have a BM and it doesn't hurt, they need all the help they can get. I truely know what you mean about her being afraid. I had to give my daughter suppositories when she was younger, she and I hated them. I hope things go smoothly. My doctor also says it's not habit forming in kids.

dear S.,

Boy do I feel for you... I was always told some old fashion remedies are best for pooping.. such as a tea spoon of castor oil a day and fish oil in food..... check with our doctor first..

E.

Hi S., Seems like you've tried pretty much everything. If you're open to alternative medicine, acupuncture helped my baby with constipation. It's just one more thing to try. Best of luck to you and your little one.

Hi S.,

I think there are three things you will have to tackle here.
Your daughter's diet sounds well balanced. What you don't mention is water. Lots and lots of fluids first and foremost. Fiber is great but without fluid equals constipation.

At this age children want control and tend to resist parents as they struggle for autonomy. You may want to give her choices regarding other things so there isnt the need for control in this area.

Fear of pain causes her to hold her BM's. Truth is, the longer she holds the more it will.
You need to break that cycle.
Talk to your pediatrician. There are topical creams that can ease the pain and suppositories to lubricate the rectum and stimulate regular Bm's until the fear factor is broken.
Too much fiber and too little fluids are often causes of constipation. Exercise will help to keep things moving.
Patience all around on this one!
Justine

Have you tried ProBiotics and/or digestive enzymes?

You can buy both at Whole Foods. Probiotics are the good bacteria found in things like yogurt, but you can buy them in powder form and put them in her juice.

My nephew has similiar problems. They found relief for him with a change in diet (elimination of wheat and dairy) and the addition of these supplements.

Hope that helps.

-Jenn

well if it makes you feel any better her bowls should start to regulate within the next yr. and I had a terrible time with my son and his constipation. He was so scared to go because it hurt him that he would hold it for days and hide under the table when it was time to go. I taught at his school and they would pull me from my class to take care of him because he was 4 and still having accidents at school. It was an extremely difficult time for me and there really is no answer except keep doing what your doing. Sounds like your giving her all the right foods (except mcDonalds). Maybe go to a natural foods store and try a natural remedy because those seem to work the best. My son loves dried mango slightly sugar coated and that really helps them with constipation.Also when he was three because he would hold it for so many days I would try to releive him by giving him an infant suppository. I know its a terrible thing but it really helped and it hurt way less then him going after holding it so long. Just be patient in whatever you do and dont yell at her. I had a terrible time being a young mother dealing with this and I really took it out on him when he wouldn't use the potty.

We've been dealing with constipation issues with my 4 1/2 year old daughter since she was 2. Our pediatrician recommended Kondremuhl. It's over the counter but often behind the pharmacist--you have to ask. It's mineral oil that's been made creamy. We mix about a tablespoon with chocolate milk. I find it works well but is less scary than an actual laxative. We've been weaning her off of it. We've also tried using pear and apricot nectar, but she's a little picky about it now. also, raisins are good, and I bribe her with yogurt covered ones.

Holy cow - been there. I remember my mother was staying with us and I think the experience of my child screaming in pain to pass a bowel movement scarred her. My son went on Miralax after several other tries on all types of foods, all types of meds - finally the only thing that kept him going was Miralax - my peditrician said the same thing, that it was non-habit forming and eventually he would be off. My son was on it for 2 years. We tried weaning a few times, but same thing would happen. My son had so many problems he did not poop on the potty until after he was 4 (he would hold it all day until he got home). The good news is, after about 4 months of comfort pooping we started weaning again - he is off now and poops every night and sometimes 4-5 times a day. Not one problem since. My advice is stay on Miralax long enough to forget those episodes, even if it is a year. Every peditrician I have spoken to - feels very comfortable with the safety profile of Miralax and their advice is there is no harm in using Good luck, it is not easy

Hi!
Have you tried probiotics? That may help to get the good bacteria back into her system and help with the constipation. There is Udo's Choice Infant probiotics available and other brands at your local health food store.

Miralax isn't habit forming, but some toddlers just will not get the fiber needed for their particular intestines. What is most important is that your child not have ANY painful bowel mvts for such a long time that she doesn't remember, and stops compounding the problem by holding it in. I recommend that you continue all other interventions and really try not to miss any Miralax for 6 months in a row. I realize that's a tall order. But memories of painful movements may last a long time. And we do think the Miralax is quite safe. Yours, some pediatrician in Pennsylvania.

Hi S. I really feel for you and your daughter. Have you tried suppositories yet? I know you said you've tried a lot of tricks, but if you haven't tried these they might help soften and bring on the bm quick and without pain so she can't hold it in. You can try it in the bath tub the first time. (My daughter was very amused that her poop floats.) Grab her out as soon as she goes....and next time try the potty. good luck.
Best wishes to you,W.

I'm sure you have already tried this, but you didn't mention it in your question so I'll suggest it anyway...have you tried yogurt? The baby I care for durring the day is a year old and has been having the same issue with really hard poo. So I started giving her a container of yoplait (custard style) on the days when I have her and it has been great!! She doesn't even cry when she poo's (at least when she is with me) anymore. It really seemed to make an almost instant difference. I'm sure that a big part of your problem is fear of the pain your little one has gone through before, and that's a really hard thing to work through. Good luck & best wishes

Hi S., I had a daughter just like yours. It took her two or three years before she would ever relax about having a bowel movement. She developed a very large colon because she held in her BM and then when she did try to pass it she would tear herself and cry in pain. Please do what ever it takes to keep her BM soft. Don't expect her to start going on her own after she has experienced such a problem. Her nervousness tightens her intestines and squeezes the fluid out of her bowels. You have to keep on top of this and make sure she is kept very hydrated, give her the prunes or prune juice in grape juice or apple juice, and/or the Miralax...what ever it takes!
Good luck, Sandy

Buy flax seeds. Grind them and keep them in the fridge. Put a tablespoon on cereal every morning. They are a natural remedy and good for health.

Hi S.. Constipation is a problem in our house too! We read that cows milk can contribute to hard stools so we switched to soy milk (comes in chocolate & vanilla!) It has helped a lot!

Hi S.
I know my 4 year old developed constipation when he potty trained around 3. i gave him some senna broken up or a cup of smooth move herbal tea. try it ! i hope this helps!
L.

Dear S.,

Have you followed up with your pediarician regarding the failure of the Miralax and diet to resolve the issue? Maybe he or she should know the problem is on-going. You may need to be referred to a pediatric GI doctor to get to the bottom of this. There is a great GI clinic in Bernville you could check into also. I can't remember the hospital, but check the yellow pages or internet for the name.

Good luck...
D.

Hi! I have two children with similiar problems.They have both been on Miralax also. They both eat cut up prunes everyday. They also enjoy pears which is supposed to help. I do the same thing and add prunes and pears to yogurt. I also make sure they get lots of water. I feel that for us milk is a problem and also found that adding soymilk to their diet has helped. I usually do half milk -half soymilk.

Goodluck!
J.

Hi S. - I have three children and my oldest, now 12, dealt with very simualar BM issues. Our new pediatrition at the time, a father of 5 children, recommended 4-6 oz. Peach Nectar 2 -3x a day... we had tried all other juices but that one was the only one that worked. At not a juice mixture, 100% nectar..(health food store) At age 4 the doctor said the "holding" it in, was also a control issue. (mine was the same as yours, it sounds - the issues beginning at 8 weeks old- so I was not sure I believed him.)

But, he said to minimize all conversations on the BMs. To take all attention away from it, show no reactions. (mine was pleading to try and "go." - I did not want it to hurt her so bad and by waiting the 4,5, or 6 days... it did hurt her.

I am not sure if it was the peach nectar or the combination the nectar and the taking the attention away from the problem but after maybe 5 days, of following his advice... there was rarely an issue of the constipation. We used the peach nectar daily for probably a year and then the issue had resolved.

My daughter, has no problems now.. and laughs when I share little stories about that horrible time.

GOOD LUCK!!

I'm not ans expert and will never claim to be. But when my son gets constipated my hubby and I give him castor oil and a warm bath. I know it's not nice, but it works.

I think it's time to see a specialist. Talk to your pediatrician and get a referral. She shouldn't have to rely on Miralax forever. Don't get panicky, but you should rule out bowel or food allergy issues, which is what a specialist (gastroenterologist) should start with.

Good luck!