My son is 13 months old and I switched him to whole milk from the lactose free formula that he had been on. I thought, he had outgrown his lactose intolerant issues though since he was now able to eat cheese, yogurt, ice cream and other foods with lactose in it without spitting up like he use too. So when he turned a year old last month I just switched him to regular, organice whole milk. Ever since than though, he has been very constipated. It takes a lot of effort, pushing, grunting, his face turning red, time going by and eventually it all turns to blood curdling screams as he either pushes out hard pebble like stool or is trying to push it out and I than have to help him get it out. He usually always ends up tearing too, because I can see streaks of blood on the outside only of his stool. Sorry, for all the details. After about a week of this happening I called my doctor and he said to try giving him more juice and water, prune juice and feeding him baby prunes, but none of that helped at all and I finally had to resort to a laxative in order for him have any relief. The doctor than suggested that I try a lactose free milk, because maybe he was still mildly lactose intolerant. I had him on the lactose free milk for about a week and that didnt seem to help either. He was still having the same constipation issues that he had been having with the regular whole milk. I dont know if this was, because he may still have been blocked up from the regular whole milk and so I just didnt see any change in him from now being on the lactose free milk or if that milk just wasnt helping either. What should I try now? Rice milk? Almound milk? Soy milk? A toddler formula? If so, which one? Should I try milk again? What do I do now and why do you think the milk was constipating himso badly? Right now I am trying to get him to drink goats milk, but he doesnt seem to like the taste of it at all. He also is a pretty good eater. I have been giving him grapes everyday to try and help with his constipation issue and I also give him probiotics. But, those dont seem to be enough. Any advice and opinions would be much appreciated. My son still drinks quite a few bottles a day and I dont feel right about just giving him water and or juice in those bottles like a friend of mine suggested. I feel like he needs to be having milk or something like it. Please let me know what you think!
Thank you to all tht responded to me! All of your advice and opinions helped greatly. I ended up buying him some benefiber, because while doing some research on this site I read from another mother that when her child was having the exact same issues as mine her doctor told her to give her child a teaspoon of benefiber a day. Well, I tried that along with the probiotics my son has already been taking and I gave him regular whole milk again and ever since July 18th now he has been pooping normally, once a day and without pain! So all is well. If anyone else is having this problem or one that is similar, I urge you to try a little benefiber, it is harmless and could do wonders!
when 1st transitioning my daughter to milk she started having constpation issues. I think it was my Mom who suggested putting a little karo syrup in the bottle and it helped keep things moving :-)... I know that most people don't like corn syrup, but just a little is quite a bit better in my opinion than the constapation.
Hi A.,
I have a 19 mth old and she has had issues with constipation since she was 2mth old. Called the ped and he also suggested prunce juice....I had my dad rush to the store and bring it to me asap, because like you i was helping her push it out. Its heartbreaking to see them struggle!! I since then have given her organic prune juice from Henrys market every other day in her formula and since she turned a yr old with her whole milk.. I give her an ounce but the ped told me you can give upto I believe 2ounces a day if you need to....that has helped her alot as a preventative measure so she doesnt get constipated, but if I dont give it to her for a wk or so then my little momma will have a little trouble. Iam not sure what to advise you on the milk issue, however, i can tell you that my ped told me that whats important is that a baby after the age of 12mths needs , i want to say 100mg of either calcium or vit D whether its in milk or any other type of dairy product ie; cheese, yogurt ex......My baby doesnt want to drink milk unless its in a bottle and we r trying to wheen(sp?) her off of the bottle so Iam trying to find other ways to give her that calcium because on top of that she doesnt really like cheese :( I found that Annies homegrown cookies also from henrys market have 20% of the daily value per 30 cookies. They are quite small so its no big deal. I feed my daughter very healthy foods and feel good about giving her these treats instead of other thiings filled with sugar and preservatives...anyway I hope that my rambaling has helped you in some way...good luck and let me know your progress :)
~J.
have you considered using dry milk?.. my daughter was the same way, and anytime you adjust a babies diet there bound to get constipation, its just there lil bodies trying to adjust to the change also. try giving your baby more water through out the day. also high in fiber foods. also flax seed works wonders for kids with constipation problems. I would make lex a sandwhich and sprinkle a pinch of flax seed in it, just to hide it, or mix it with yogurt, (yogurts great for keep bowels on tract). and just a pinch 1x a day will help him potty easier. and flax seed is good for us, even you could benefit from it. Im sure he is quite active right now, and the more he moves the better his body will push that through. if you want a fast remedy, pear juice, apricot juice or puree, and apple juice always worked great!!
Food allergies definitely cause constipation. I can't tolerate Milk or cheese, but I can tolerate SOME ice creme (if it's with creme, not milk) and sour creme. It's like they shut down the acid in the stomach or something. It's just plain weird. Dairy is the worst. However, I have the same problem that your son does. so I just avoid it.
My children often don't drink milk. Milk, believe it or not is not an essential food. A lot of cultures around the world don't use it. Rice, almond, and soy milk are not good substitutes for milk in my opinion. The nutrition isn't there, but it is very high glycemic and sugar. Not a good option. Better to give him water.
I would also see if he will eat salads with homemade Vinegar and oil dressing, - because due to the allergy, his food isn't digesting, so he is constipated. Pickles, olives? He has a lack of digestive enzymes more than a lack of fiber. That is why you are seeing the fiber not making a difference. Or, maybe you can make lentils with vinegar in it, or some other dish that will enable to have the enzymes he needs in his diet. Raw foods will help with the constipation issues. Also, check the supplement stores for digestive enzymes you can give him.
My grandson had constipation issues and the doctor told us that cheese is constipating. So are bananas. There are several foods his mother was told to not feed him. Google "constipating foods" on the Internet. She also said to limit his milk intake to 24 oz/day. My grandson loved milk and cheese and limiting these for him was difficult. I don't know that anyone caring for him were able to do that He still has difficulty with constipation from time to time. He's 7.
Add as much fiber as possible to his diet. Flax seeds added to his cereal or anything in which they'll blend. is a good idea. Psyllium seed, brand name is Metamucil, helps. It does thicken whatever you put it in. You could try putting it in juice and having him eat it like a pudding.
Then there is ...........I cannot think of it's name right now. It used to be prescribed but now it's OTC. It works by absorbing moisture into the bowel which then loosens the stools. It's not a laxative which is of concern to many who think of it as a laxative. You stir it into to liquid and mushy foods. It has no taste, does not thicken the drink or food.
Rice milk is a good alternative to milk. My granddaughter was allergic to the protein in milk and drank rice milk until she was 5 or 6. She still likes it. It's fortified and so has all of the nutrients that cow's milk has.
Are you sure he's lactose intolerant and not allergic to milk protein? It does take a test to determine milk protein allergy. Milk protein allergies are frequently outgrown but not usually by a 1 yo. I'm lactose intolerant and I don't remember ever hearing that babies outgrow it. It's caused by a lack of enzymes in our digestive track. I've tried drinking lactose free milk and still get cramps, gas and diarrhea with it. I can eat cheese and yogurt without getting symptoms.
My granddaughter who was allergic to milk protein could eat cheese when milk caused cramps, diarrhea and gas. Usually, lactose intolerance causes diarrhea. That is why I wonder if he's allergic instead of intolerant.
Or lactose intolerance or milk protein allergy doesn't have anything to do with his constipation. They didn't for my grandson. He was limited in his milk intake because milk can cause constipation.
I suggest loading him up every day with fiber and liquids. Prunes are potent. Try buying dried prunes and cooking them in water or just leaving them sit overnight in water. Once rehydrated they taste good. They're sweeter than the juice. Apparently having just a bit hasn't helped. And, it might take longer than a week to see a difference. I wish I could remember the name of the stuff that is colorless, has no taste and is easily stirred into drink and food. It helped a lot. Other moms have mentioned it on this site.
Definitely NEVER give anyone soy milk - EXTREMELY bad for your health !!! I would suggest raw milk, the healthiest choice not on your list. I am going to include some articles to read on both of my suggestions. Please do the research you will see this to be 100% accurate:
http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?k=soy%20milk
Hi hun! My daughter has Williams Syndrome, and it causes constipation issues for her lifetime - we have struggled with it since she was born. We tried everything - prescription drugs, MiraLax, etc. and nothing worked. Then we put her on BeneFiber, which is TOTALLY natural, and no taste. I would NOT recommend MiraLax because it has other stuff in it. With Benefiber you get all natural stuff. After just a week on the stuff, my daughter was pooping like a champ, no more belly aches, hardness, or ANY of that awful stuff she suffered for the first 9 months of her existence! I have also tried the WalMart brand that says it has the same ingredients, and she has been using that for months now and it works just as well, and it's almost half the price for the same amount! What we did was just start with like 2-3 Tbsp each day mixed in with her nightly and morning cereal, then tweaked the dosage as needed. This WAS prescribed by her pediatrician, and she told us that there was no chance of hurting her by giving too much, no overdosing or anything like that. She could take the whole bottle and it would just make her go go go go go! LOL. So I would definitely give it a whirl - it worked wonders for my girl, she has been pooping normally now for almost 3 years, and we have not had ONE single problem with the benefiber at all :) Good luck, email me if you have questions :)
My kids drink vanilla soy milk. My daughter weaned herself from breastfeeding at 10 months and wouldn't drink any type of milk until 18 months old. During that period she pretty much only drank water and I just made sure that she got yogurt everyday. We do the Mountain High plain yogurt w/a little vanilla and honey in it. Then I mix Cheerios with it to make it more filling and so she could feed herself. The doctor thought this was a fine alternative. On the constipation note, my son was very constipated from birth til about 3. Even when he was exclusively breastfed. The only thing that worked for him was Welch's white grape/cherry juice. I would give him about 2 oz juice to 4 or 6 oz water. For whatever reason that seemed to do the trick, and it was the ONLY thing that worked. Blueberries are usually pretty good for that too, but I would try the juice. What do you have to lose?
I give my 1 yr old goats milk (sister has 2 goats). But there have been times I run out and don't get more soon enough....I gave him cow's milk and saw a big difference. He started getting constipated really bad. Someone suggested putting some prune juice in every milk bottle he gets. As soon as I started that, it cleared the problem up. Make sure not to put too much prune juice, it can work to be a worse problem!
Hi A.,
I don't know what your situation is, but thought I'd share a couple ideas, being a lactose-intolerant person myself. I've lived with this for 17 years or so and have learned a lot.
First, I'd suggest rice milk. Rice is the most easily digested food there is going. Soy contains plant estrogens that can mess with hormonal development in boys. My son loves his rice milk.
I know there's a lot of discussion regarding the nutrients in dairy. If your son is tolerating yogurts and cheeses, keep those in the mix. These foods are often cultured...that is to say, the milk sugar is eaten by the bacteria and made more benign. My son does these foods and has no problem. I personally would also recommend goat and sheep cheeses, too. Goat's milk does have a fairly sharp flavor, so it may not be as appealing.
You are right to steer clear of bottles of juice. The list of why not's is too long.
You might consider going to a pediatric naturopath who can help do a work-up on what's going on with your son's digestion and can offer some great advice. I've had better-than-usual luck with NDs. Especially because they are looking at a 'whole picture' and not just the milk alone.
Keep up the probiotics, give lots of fibrous foods (boiled prunes, the water they were boiled in, whole grain rice (not white rice, but whole grain brown), yellow stone fruits like nectarines, plums, boiled raisins--for water content, to help pass stool) and offer plenty of water during the day too. Good luck!
Dont give him milk. Lay him down and feel his tummy to see If his tummy Is hard.
