22 Month Old Having Bowel Movement Issues

Updated on February 07, 2009
K.H. asks from Los Gatos, CA
12 answers

My 22 month old is having some bowel movement issues. She was constipated so we were giving her milk of magnesia which wasn't doing much. Then we gave her a glycerin suppository which released the blockage "and then some". After the initial blockage was removed, she continued to have issues "getting it out" so we went back to milk of magnesia. The milk of magnesia seems to make her have these "massive explosions". I am now giving her fiber in her milk every morning and trying to feed her prunes. The poor thing cries when she has to go poop and it is very "hard". Does anyone have any suggestions on things that have worked for them??

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J.W.

answers from San Francisco on

We have this EXACT same issue with one of my boys for a long time. We tried everything and what worked the best was mixing Miralax in his milk. This worked well for a long time (and it's important to keep up on it because once they are blocked it's hard to get them to poop, as you well know!).
He has gotten a lot better now and seemingly started to outgrow the problem.
Good luck!

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D.M.

answers from San Francisco on

I would suggest prune juice, or even just 100% apple juice (not diluted), or a combo of the two. If you gave her 4oz every day, that should get things moving. Once she has stabilized, it might not be necessary to continue give it to her as much/so often.

Good luck!
-D.

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S.E.

answers from San Francisco on

Lots of great advice below!

Fluids are essential. If she is not drinking enough fluid, no matter what advise you take it won't work. Keep her hydrated.

If you offer juice, offer juice with natural fiber (orange pulp) and or make her smoothies. (We use a VitaMix to make smoothies with contain WHOLE fruit, fruit juice, and ice...lots of fiber and liquid.)

Stephanie

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B.W.

answers from San Francisco on

I give my 2 1/2 year old daughter the Gerber brand apple prune juice probably once a week to help her out. She loves to eat her cheese which backs her up good. It seems to help and she actually likes the juice.

Hope this helps out
B.

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A.M.

answers from San Francisco on

hi K.,
this started happening with my daughter too around the same age, we had recently introduced her to the idea of a "potty",nothing more than putting one in the bathroom explaining what it was for and asking her if she'd like to try, which she did on occasion want to try and did. For a couple of months she was very content to use it sometimes and others disregard it, then everything changed. It was after dealing with two months of almost daily tears and "i have to poopy!" screams, paired with running around the house in an effort it looked like, trying to run away from the pain, would lead to a very painful "poopy" only every 4-5 days or so and required at least 20 min of me holding her, soothing her and talking her through it, that i finally took her to the pediatrician. apparently it is very common among girls, once they realize they have control and are aware of the sensation, they will hold it causing a back up if this happens time and time again the bowel will stretch and the muscles they are now just beginning to use, will be trained improperly, and as it was in my daughters case, cause severe impaction.
Her pediatrician prescribed (don't worry it's over the counter) MiraLax with the instruction to try 1 teaspoon first, every morning and evening, working my way up to no more than 3 teaspoons every morning and evening until we find a what brings daily relief (may take three days to two weeks to find right dosage)once your daughter is able to comfortably produce "peanut butter like texture" bowel movements every 1-2 days continue three months of this dosage before you taper dosage, slowly and over time removing it completely. do not try and potty train during this time. abandon your part in "The potty" completely, but if she so chooses to make of it's use, comply and offer praise. The pediatrician explained her bowel needs time to heal, shrinking down to it's original size and the smooth muscle use should be allowed to retrain naturally without interference. Has worked wonders with our daughter who is now 34 months old and completely potty trained day and night without the use of pull-ups. I still give her 1 teaspoon of Miralax a day, but will continue to ween her from it over the next several months. While the MiraLax has allowed our daughter to heal and put an end to the immediate cause for her discomfort, more importantly we followed pediatrician's advice to maintain a high vegetable diet naturally through whole grains and high fiber fruits and veggies. I hope you are able to alleviate the pain and discomfort your child is experiencing and you have found this advice helpful whether or not you choose to follow it. in any case if what you try doesn't make it better seek the advice of your pediatrician, because there are many, many things at play here, some much more serious than an impacted bowel, which require trained medical professionals, especially if you have noticed changes in her weight, activity levels, sleeping habits or physical features, combined with her constipation.

good luck to you and your little one,
aline

* MiraLax comes in a white plastic bottle with a purple and pink label. It is an odorless, tasteless powder you simply add to her drink. (yes even in water she won't know it's there)

* You can find MiraLax at any drug store i.e., Target, Walgreen's, Longs Drugs, Rite-Aid, etc. Probably better to buy the big jug of it, 17.9 oz, which costs about $23.00, if you plan on continuing its use as it was prescribed to my daughter and explained above.

* Don't hesitate to contact me via e-mail should you have any additional questions: ____@____.com, and again good luck to you and your daughter.

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L.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Hello K.,

My daughter had the same problem around 2-2 1/2 to the point she started having fissures because she was trying so hard. We tried the milk of magnesia and that did not help her either. My friend's brother told me of Yummi fiber gummy bears which can be found at health food stores like Whole Foods. We tried it and it works to keep her "regular". I used to give her 1 ever other day, but now have reduced it to once a week unless I see her having problems again. They manufacturer recommends for children at least 2, but it says that it is safe for children of all ages who can safely chew and swallow.

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I.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Our "constipated baby cocktail" is 1/6 prune juice, 1/6 pear juice and 2/3 water. Make sure the juices are organic whole juices - not apple juice + the prune or pear.

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L.M.

answers from San Francisco on

K.,

The best thing to do for constipation is to eat good sources of fiber rich foods. Whole grains and cereals with fiber. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Papaya is very rich in fiber, and very sweet. It can be eaten as is or in smoothies, or in juice form. Red or black grapes are also fantastic fiber sources. It's also very important that she drink lots of water through out the day. Milk can be very constipating as can soy. So you'll really need to find a balance there. Now as far as the laxative part, the best thing to do is get in touch with your pediatrician and talk it over. It's not recommended to use laxatives with children with out consulting a physician. He/she might be able to come up with a better and more natural supplement. Good luck, and I hope this helps! I too was a severely constipated child up until the age of 13, so I assure you I know what I am talking about!

A little about me:
I am 35, and happily married to my best friend. I am a stay at home mama and a home schooling mama to four beautiful boys ages 9,7, and twins that are 4 3/4. We are a Christian family, and love the Lord. Jesus is our Anchor in the storms of life.

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E.W.

answers from San Francisco on

K.

We've had similar issues with our son- in his case he doesn't want to have a BM (just hates the feeling) and so he'd try to hold it in. He's a little older than your daughter (he's 30 months) - but I thought I'd share what our pediatrician told us:

1) Use Miralax - it'll ensure the BM remains soft...so your little one won't refuse to go. We were told to mix 1 tsp in with 8 oz fluid twice a day for 24-48 hrs. This will get things moving. Note - the BM will be really soft and you'll think your daughter has diarrhea....don't stop doing the miralax....take her off of it gradually. Then, do 3/4 tsp in 8 oz fluid twice daily for 2 days. Then do 1/2 tsp twice daily for 2 days. The miralax isn't absorbed by the body - so it's safe to use.

2) Use children's benefiber. Give 1 tsp twice daily in juice...this will help ensure the child is getting enough fiber...especially if you have a picky eater who won't eat high fiber foods.

Check with your pediatrician to see if the above works for your little one. Good Luck!

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T.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Another suggestino for Miralax here. All 3 of my kids have used it and it has worked so well for them. My boys are on it almost daily. My boys actually prefer it mixed with water and you can't even see it once it's dissolved.

We had to be careful with straight apple juice as it gave my kids severe cramping and diarrhea. You could also try the new Plum Juice that has fiber in it, too. It's made for digestive health.

Good luck! Potty troubles are no fun.

T.

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H.J.

answers from San Francisco on

Is she getting lots of water? I know that makes a huge difference for my little girl!

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J.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi K.,
We had the same problem with our daughter. We tried the milk of mag as well, although as more of a last resort, (it causes some cramping, I found). Raisins, prunes, pears or pear juice all worked well and she really liked them. Our pediatrician recommended one teaspoon of Benefiber twice a day to start, then I weaned it back to once a day, then was able to cut it out altogether. It sounds like you are already doing the fiber thing, but if she doesn't like the one you have, this one completely dissolves, and has no taste. The other thing we noticed with our daughter was gas pains along with the constipation, and tried switching from regular milk to Lactaid. It made a big difference for her at the time. She has always been fine with cheese, yogurt, etc, but the milk by itself did make things worse. This combination was the cure for her, but once she potty trained, it wasn't even really an issue anymore. The sitting position, I guess made a huge difference for her.
I hope this helps. Good luck!

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