Extreme Difficulty Pooping for 2.5 Year Old

C.,

First, I think the frequent use of Miralax is compounding his problem. laxatives can cause dependence, and it's possible that you are medicating him to the point where he is not capable of going on his own, without the assitance of a laxative.

If I were you, at this juncture, I would bring him to a gastroenterologist and a nutritionist to figure out if you can retrain his body to go on it's own without the use of laxatives.

Miralax also can take up to 4 days to really work, it's not a fast acting laxative.

Seriously, I would stop the laxatives - today - and figure out what is causing his chronic constipation with the help of some professionals. And, most importantly, if your pediatrician actually recommended that you use Miralax as a long term solution, get a new pediatrician. he is far too young to consider his pooping-problem as requiring assistance from OTC drugs... it's not working anymore because his body has become used to the dose, and now it needs more to do the job. That's how addictions suck you in, and right now, it sounds to me like his bowels are addicted to laxatives.

Good luck... I hope he finds relief.

Clearly a lot of us are struggling with the same issue. My 3 1/2 year old has struggled forever and it's now becoming a more intense problem as it's keeping him from being completely potty trained. We did the miralax for a while and never really found that it helped. We recently starting trying the probiotic yogurts that are new on the market and that has helped more than anything else. (My guy likes the Yo Plus variety) He calls it his "poopy yogurt" and eats some every day. Be careful when you first start...we gave him a whole container and let's just say that was a bit of an "over-correction." Now he has about 1/2 a container every day and it has helped a bit. We still have some struggles, but it's improving.

my son has the same problem and has had it since he was born. he is 4yo now. it's gotten a bit better, but i found that the problem was that it was a vicious cycle. he was holding out, because when he did poop it took so long and probably had to hurt a bit cuz it was so hard...and it was this hard because he was holding it for a while. my son is not very picky when it comes to eating and will basically try anything once. i have found the mixed raisins to be his favorite and very helpful. i give him them everyday and he likes them cuz they are sweet. they have the yellow and black raisins and also have some cranberries mixed in. his bm are still very hard but he goes everyday at least once. almost like little rabbit pellets. i don't hear him grunting and he doesn't seem bothered by it at all. it's definately a diet thing....you have to try all kinds of things until you find what your little guy will eat that will help him. maybe also try different kinds of food.....like mexican, italian or somekinds of spicy foods.

good luck
oh yeah and i also took him to the doctor a few times when he was younger and they weren't concerned with it either......

My daughter (2yo) also has this problem and I put mineral oil in her juice cup. She can't taste it and if she asks what I'm doing I just tell her it is to help her poo. No big deal! The flaxseed also helps.
Good Luck!

my son had bm problems every since he was a baby doctors have giving me many sugestions to help him but nothing rellally worked sometimes he will go days without going and have extreme stomach cramps in between. For a while the the only time he would go would after a couple a days of warm showers. I just had to find a way to help him so I look in to ways to change his diet since he is not a vegggie eater I started adding extra fruit and bran but most importantly I agree with Tricia Flaxseed ground up oil of any form can be added in almost any food daily and will help that little one go regurlay with out any pain or side effects .My son is almost 12 years old now and has a bm every day. one more thing wholegrains are helpful too.

Dear C.,

It looks like you have received wonderful advice already. Several of my children have struggled in this area so I have lots of ideas. Details can get a bit overwhelming so I would be happy to share one on one.

One thing that was not mentioned so far, but was helpful for us was chiropractic adjustments. If the spine is out of alignment, it can pinch a nerve that sends signals to the intestines. This can slow down the process. The slower the process, the more water it absorbs from the body; thus leading to greater constipation. Ugh!

I am a HUGE proponent of teaching people about bowel movements. If a person, child or adult, does not have a bowel movement at LEAST 2 times per day, then he/she is constipated. Unfortunately, constipation is so common, that doctors consider it NORMAL for people to go every couple of days. Tis can lead to severe problems with toxicity and sickness.

Here is everything you wanted to know about poop, but were too embarrassed to ask. (from Why do I feel this Way by Gaber and Day)
1. About 10 in. long
2. 1 ½ in. in diameter (like the size of a healthy colon)
3. Forms one long coil (no blockage interruptions)
4. Consistency similar to toothpaste (almost spongy looking)
5. Floats midway in the toilet (Sinkers may be due to too little fiber. Floaters may be due to too much fiber.)
6. Be golden brown in color (depending on dietary choices)
7. Requires no straining or strenuous pushing
8. Has no foul odor
9. Doesn’t require any toilet paper (healthy animals don’t need any)
10. Should only take a minute or two
11. Should eliminate about 2 lbs of stool each day (depending on intake)

I would be happy to help in any way.

T.

My son has had BM issues too. At times he would go six days and only pass a pebble. My doctor told me to give him Benefiber, it's a fiber powder you mix into a liquid that doesn't have any grit. I however did not use this. I began giving my son more flaxseed. I put it in most of his food. And he now goes everyday like clockwork. You can get flaxseed meal and flax seed oil, I use both it just depends on what I'm making. Also try increasing his whole grain intake and fruit. My son won't drink juice, but I think prune juice it yummy. If he will drink a smoothy you can use the prune juice with blueberries and flaxseed oil. That should help get everything moving. Good luck!