Help W/constipation

Updated on September 16, 2008
B.L. asks from Jacksonville, FL
13 answers

hello! i was wondering if anyone has a home trick/rememdy for constipation?!? my 2 yr old seems to be constipated, hasn't gone to the bathroom in two days, decreased eating, says his "tomak hurts" (he's so cute lol)...i was wondering if anyone has some tried & true methods, or if i should just call his dr tomorrow. thanks!! :)

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions! I took out all dairy from his diet yesterday, gave him lots of water, a warm bath, and some fresh fruit, along with some baby food (pears & peaches)...and he's gone twice today! yayy!! lol I never thought I'd be so concerned with someone's bm's until i became a mama! Thank you for all of the advice. I really appreciate it! :) Have a great weekend!

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A.B.

answers from Jacksonville on

My daughter has always been big on fluid intake, so when I know she's constipated, I'll give her apple juice instead of whatever she has been drinking & I'll give her a box or two of raisins (kids seem to like those more than prunes & I don't have to make a special trip to the store).

I wish you the best! =o)
A.

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R.C.

answers from Jacksonville on

I have found that prunes work wonders and our 2 1/2 year old girl LOVES them! Also, I put some flax seed meal in her yogurt which I think helps to keep her regular.

Good luck!

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S.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

Hi,

When my 3 year old started potty training, he constipated himself. My son's pediatrician recommended Miralax. It's a powder that you can put in his milk or juice or whatever. He won't taste it and he won't even know it's in there, unless he sees you pour it in. You can start with the full dosage, there's a fill line on the inside of the cap. You can do the full dosage in the morning, or half in the morning, and half later in the day. My son's pediatrician says it can take months for his system to get back to normal and that the Miralax can be used as long as needed, it won't hurt him. It won't make him go everyday, but it will make it easier to go when he can't hold it in anymore. The pediatrician also recommends weaning him off of the Miralax very slowly. My son has been on it for several months, and I'm just now about to waean him off in the next week or so. Just add less and less after a few days or a week of the full amount, and once he's going easier, don't add as much. It really does work. You don't want them to hurt, because then they get scared to "go". Hope this helps the little guy!!

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H.K.

answers from Jacksonville on

Karo syrup (the dark colored kind) - little in milk. Hope it helps.

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S.B.

answers from Miami on

B. -
I know that you received alot of very good advice on this subject. Apple Juice, lots of water and a diet with ample fruits and vegtables is very helpful. This is pretty graphic, but we are all Moms, right?

My daughter (now 7 years old) had a very extreme case of constipation between age 2 1/2 and 3 years old. She was fully potty trained at 2 1/2, then between 2 1/2 and 3 yrs, she was VERY constipated and associated going potty with pain so she held it. Hers was so extreme that it was impacted. The pediatrician suggested we use gliseren (spelling?) or glyserine, liquid supporitories initially. It works EXTREMELY fast and is only to be used in extreme cases to evacuate that which is impacted, otherwise nothing else will be able to get passed. Of course, it was no fun trying to administer cause she kept moving and wouldn't "relax", but I knew that I had to in order to help her and relieve her discomfort. (Not to mention how dangerous it is for the toxins to remain in the body for an extended period of time). When she did go, the initial "results" were in the form of a long, wide LOG! (I told you it would be graphic!) Because she had stopped going potty, she was back in diapers. I had to lay her down on the changing table and "help" it out by holding it (with a baby wipe). I could NOT believe my eyes at the size, and especially the width of what was coming out of my little girl.

The pediatrician and several very experienced Moms had all advised that we keep her OFF on the "BRAT" diet until she began having normal BMs, then they said she could eat these things in moderation. Here is the B.R.A.T. diet...
B = Bananas, R = Rice, A = Apples and T = Toast (or Bread),
These are very binding in small children. (And of course they LOVE bread, waffles and the like!) Although "apples" are on that list as a constipation culprit, "apple juice", as stated by many of the Moms responding, is one of the things that helps ALOT. Once the initial crisis had passed and she was "back on schedule", I made sure that she had apple juice at least once a day, often twice a day, and continued to monitor and limit her intake of anything on the "BRAT" diet. Also, kids can become constipated by milk and / or formula. After breastfeeding we had to do the "trial and error" thing with different formulas and the only one that worked for us was the SOY formula. Also, make sure your little one drinks plenty of water. You usually just have to keep coming over and having them take a sip or two at a time every 10 or 15 minutes, cause they usually won't drink a cup at a time.
I sure hope this helps.
S. B.

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A.N.

answers from Jacksonville on

when my daughter gets constipated, I give her the apple prune juice by Gerber. It's a 4oz. serving I think, and it has worked EVERY time. She usually goes within a couple of hours. Sometimes she goes 2 or 3 times, but it clears her out, and she feels much better. She's only 24 lbs., so if one doesn't work within the day, maybe give him a second.

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M.F.

answers from Jacksonville on

Prunes! If your son will eat them. My daughter had a bit of constipation for awhile & when she would go it was painful. Check the diet and limit dairy products while he is constipated as it will make it worse. You can cut the prunes up and if he won't eat them you can try to give him prune juice instead. You can even mis with water. Don't give him bananas either!

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A.R.

answers from Jacksonville on

I have the same problem unfortanely with our daughter. But I was recommended by our pediatrician Pedia-lax. It's a new medicine formulated just for kids ages 2-11. It did the job for us. Hope your child feels better!!

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A.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

B.,
Please send me an e-mail so I can give you my phone number. My daughter has be constipated for 9 months. I took her to Nemoures and she is one of their study programs and no more constipation. It's been great, no side effects nothing. here is my e-mail address. ____@____.com
A.

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C.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

B.,
I feel for the little guy ! Have you tried giving him some apple juice and increasing his fruit and vege intake ? Make sure he's taking in some water too ! Those are natural ways to help him go. An Old Remedy that worked for my mother when we were kids, take a small sliver of bar soap, wet it and insert it in his bottom (if he'll let you), it acts as a suppository. Hope this helps ! Good Luck, C. S.

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C.H.

answers from Jacksonville on

You might try giving your child some prune juice or dried prunes. Also if he won't drink the pruce juice you might try seeing if he will eat a little honey or add to his food. Good luck!

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Y.J.

answers from Jacksonville on

Hi B.! Will your 2-year-old eat some celery? I know you have to be careful with it and cut it in small, bite-sized pieces for him, but it's full of water, and will do the trick, if you can get him to eat it.

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J.C.

answers from Jacksonville on

My aunt used to give her daughter a big spoon full of Karo syrup in a bottle/sippy cup of juice. Also prune juice or just prunes always seems to do the trick too. Best of luck!

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