Trouble with Pooping

All 3 of my kids had issues. We tried apple, prune. pear, pretty much all of them. Most of the time they worked. My ped said they need to have plenty of water throughout the day so you dont need to resort to the juices. When my son was a baby we had to put Karol syrup in his bottle.

Hi A.,

Pear juice or apple juice works best. I give it to my son (22 months) about once a day and it helps a lot in the pooping area! Good Luck :)

Avoid Miralax. There are side affects and much better/safer options. Read the Yahoo group dedicated to it (http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/miralax/).

Here's what I've used with my son - Kirkman's Chewable Probiotic, more water/apple juice, beans, whole grains, less dairy, and in a pinch, suppositories/enemas, mineral oil or Citrucel.

But the main issue with him was that he was deliberately withholding the stool (wouldn't poop in toilet or diaper for 10-14 days and then it would be so big it had to come out). A book "It hurts when I poop." helped (http://www.maginationpress.com/441B001.html).

Good luck! The yahoo site has a lot of information, I definitely recommend reading it.

I wouldn't recommend any artificial stool softeners until you try to soften through changing her diet. Does she eat lots of stuff that would make them softer? For example, milk makes stools harder, but veggies, fruit, stuff with lots of fiber will soften. Also, despite what the doctors may recommend, I would not give my child Karo syrup simply because it is high fructose corn syrup, which is one of the worst type of sweeteners. It is what is in all the sodas, etc. Try lots of fruits, ones with plenty of water in them like apples, plums, watermelon, cantaloupe. You could also try a tiny bit of the powdered Metamucil type softener in her juice, which just adds bulky fiber to soften. Good luck!

Good for her for trying to poop on the potty!! I used 100% apple juice when my son was potty training and it worked great. The foot stool idea is excellent, and my son also really likes sitting on the potty and bending forward from the waist and putting his hands on the floor when he poops. His potty chair has handles on the side which he also used when he was learning. Last idea might be to sing songs and read books and help her relax while waiting for it to feel right to poop. Good luck!

Hi A.,
How old is your daughter? My son is just over a year and he strains to do a number two. My ped said to give him apple juice because it softens it up and makes it easier to go. She also told me watch how much I give him to because it make his bowels too loose.
When my daughter was really young like 3 or 4 months she hadn't done a number two ina few days. Her ped said to put either white grape juice or Karo syrup in the bottom of her bottle and it would make her go. And it did.
Hope this helps you with your daughter.

apple juice works with my kids

A.,

My son has had constipation issues since birth, he's 2 1/2 now. Now that's he's potty training he doesn't like to poop either because it hurts sometimes just like you're describing.

Our pediatrician suggested using Mirlax once daily (about 1/2 a capful to 4oz water or juice - NO milk). It's apparently safe enough to be taken every day - but we no longer do daily doses. Only if he hasn't had a BM in about 2 days. That usually makes it so it's more comfortable for him to go.

Good luck!

clear Karo Syrup mixed in a warmed drink, It's a natural stool softener and works everytime. My pediatrician recommended it.

Dear A.,
From what I have read in several books on our bodies' need for water, having hard stools or poops is, usually, an indication that there isn't enough water being consumed.
Each of us, child and adult alike should have half our body weight, pounds converted to ounces in water daily, so if your child weighs 30 pounds (for example), she should have at leasts 15 oz. a day. (Adults, by the way, no matter what they weigh, should have no less than 64 ounces daily)! Also, if child or adult is suffering from any type of respirtory problem, the need for water is higher (2/3 body weight, pounds converted to ounces)!
Additionally, more raw fruits and veggiesand whole grains in her diet should also help. The fiber will push the stool out easier.
Hope all this helps!
Blessings!
J. F.

Try also giving her a stool or something to put her feet on so she is in a more squatting position. This will help to more easily evacuate. Works for adults too.

Try more liquids...especially water. Good luck!

HOw old is she? My daughter is 3 1/2 and has only been regualrarly pooping in the potty for about 4 months. She started peeing pretty easily, it was just a matter of knowing when. Pooping was harder but I learned that I pushed too ahrd wiht peeing so i just didn't push pooping at all. I started putitng her in underwear all the time except for nap/rest time and nighttime. That worked better than anyhting. If she had accidents I did not get relaly upset wiht her oranyhting. I just let it go. It takes some time but she finally got it-I'd say iot took about 3-4 month. Don't worry, when she is relaly ready it will happen. She may think she is ready as much as she wants to be ready but her body is still learning and may not be completley ready. i hope I am making sense. I wouldn't give her any medicine to help her poop. Good luck

Applt juice, canalope, apple sauce, karo syrpe, watermelon.

All helped with my little girl.
T.

Outside of prunes, pears are one of the best stool softeners and most kids love them.....

Start eating pears, and cut back on bananas and rice if she is eating bananas and rice.

You don't need the drugs and corn syrup (sugar)....giving her something that is healthy that will do the job is much better.

prune juice or pear juice!