Do you happen to know if she has an allergy to milk? Esp the proteins in the milk. My daughter (now 4 1/2) had such issues when she was younger. We initiated many recommendations with Flax seed (crushed not whole - will not work) and/or whole prunes. When she was around 4 we found out that she had an allergy to ragweed and had a slight allergy to certain proteins in milk. The pediatric pulmonologist/allergist told us that this most likely was the reason we had constpation issues and now "tummy soreness" at times (milk allergies have many faces and change as we get older). It has now been 10 months since DX and we have had no constipation nor "tummy soreness. We had modified her dietary intake and this seemed to work well for her.
I have two children (5 & 3). When they're constipated I give them a children's laxative called Fletcher's Castoria. It's been around for years and works...I promise! You can find it at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, etc. She should definitely have a bowel movement the next day. When my daughter was around your daughter's age she went thru the same thing. Has your daughter just recently gotten potty trained? When my daughter had gotten potty trained, she would act afraid to do "the big job" on the potty...she'd cry and say it hurt. But when we put a pull up on her, she'd have no problem doing "the big job" in her pull up...no tears no crying no nothing. So I think it could be that she's just a little scared to let it go in the pot. But I believe Fletcher's is a great way to relieve the constipation. Good luck.
Prunes (I keep a couple of the baby food purees in my pantry in case they get constipated), blueberries and pears always do the trick for my 1 1/2 year old twins!
Hi Star,
My 18 month old daughter was always having a problem being constipated. Our ped. rcommended us to use 1 and a half teaspoon of miralax in her water/juice on a daily basis. We were also advised to avoid apple juice, and feeding her bananas. She now drinks lots of water & prune juice. We dilute (our) regular prune juice with water, which is ok... it doesn't have to be prune juice say from Gerber. With these recommendations from our ped. her BM are much more regular and are sorry to say... "mushy" instead of "hard".
Besides some of the dietary changes/additions that are mentioned below, maybe help her with her positioning on the toilet. If she doesn't have her feet supported, a footstool will help. Also when she's on the toilet, get her in the Thinking Man position (you know that sculpture by Rodin?). In other words, have her rest her elbows on her knees. I know she's only 2, and they're always in a rush to get off the toilet, but those two position changes will really help make a BM easier for her body.
Star S,
My 5 year old daughter had this same problem and a doctor from a natural wellness center that we go to recommended powdered vitamin C (you can get it at whole foods but it can be hard to find..last time I asked someone and they helped me.) You just put about a 1/4 teaspoon or whatever it says on the bottle in with juice or milk. We found that it worked really well and it is harmless so it is something that you can do everyday to prevent constipation. Hope this helps!
Star~
Apples are a good constipation releaver but the same is not said of apple juice, Prunes and prune juice also are good releavers. You want to stay away from bananas and cheese as they will cause constipation.
Pears, Pear juice (sold in cans - Kearns I believe is the brand), Prunes, Prune juice, broccoli (with ranch my daughter loves). Coffee works for most adults & I've actually let my daughter have a few sips of sweetened decaf just out of desperation.
Apples, bananas, cheese, milk in high amounts cause it... so reduce those.
Prune juice and apple juice. You can add to cereal or drink on its own (if your child will drink prune juice on their own - good luck!) Try to get 100% juice - not one with a lot of sugar or filler. Good luck.
My daughter had the same problem, to the extent that when she did poop, it was almost clay like and very large almost billard ball sized. We tried suppositories, which she absolutely hated, she drinks lots of water during the day, has always been a good eater, eating every veggie we gave her, but still she would hold in her poops. Her doctor recommended Miralax, and I do have to agree with another poster that it is a miracle. The best thing about it too is that your body does not become dependent on it, meaning you can stop taking it and it will not worsen the problem. We would mix it with whatever she was drinking, you cannot taste or smell it, and it is not gritty. You have to watch the amount you give the child, too much and they get diarreah. I always knew when she did not get her morning dose, because her poops would stop. After 3 weeks you can start cutting back on the amount of Miralax you are giving and see if there is a change in the texture. If your child becomes constipated again, go back to the usual dose for a week and then try cutting back again. My daughter's Dr said that because she had been holding her bms for so long, her bowel actually became stretched out, and that can lead to the child not actually feeling they have to go until the size has become too big. One hint too, once my daughter caught on to the whole "potty" idea, we did not have any more bm issues. She did not like going in her diaper. Good luck
My daughter was about 3 when the constipation started. All my kids were very good about eating fruits and veggies but her constpation got to the point that she would lay across the kitchen chair during meals because it hurt so bad. She would "hold it" because it hurt to go. The doctor prescribed Miralax for her to clean out all the build up. It's just a powder you mix with any drink and they'll tell you how often to give it to your child. After a few days you can start weaning off of the Miralax. After taht, it was all about the diet. Besides increasing her fruit and veggie intake, I tried to make sure she wasn't eating too much fried food, bananas or gummy food like fruit snacks. Quaker Oat Bran cereal is also really good. Just don't give too much or she'll get the runs. Just mix a little with her regular cereal. My daughter likes to snack on it. My daughter is 8 now and we seldom have tummy troubles and if we do, she knows she's been eating too much junk. Hope taht helps.
My daughter who is 2 also has that same problem. She will go just about every day but her bowel movements will be like tiny, little pebbles. Prune juice mixed with apple juice or some other juice to take away the taste of the prune juice works wonders. Try that.....I think it will work!!
My daughter used to hold hers in around 2 years old also. I gave her suppositories a few times and she hated them. I told her if she doesn't let it out, that's what we have to do. After having to do it about 4 or 5 times, we never had a problem with her holding it in again. They work pretty quickly too, probably within 10 minutes.
Prunes, prunes, prunes. They really work. Try infant pureed prunes. If she doesn't care for the taste straight, you can mix with applesauce, or pureed pears, peaches, or yogurt. If all these fail, make prune pancakes using the pureed prunes in place of the eggs.
Overall, fruit is the most easily digested food and passes quickly through the system. Does she eat fresh fruit daily?
Have you tried prune juice? This helps with my son. I buy the organic Earth's Best Prune and I sneak it in his food and he doesn't even know it. It's hard when they don't go... no sleep for me. My mom mentioned it to me and it worked ever since. I put 2 oz of water and prune juice to the mix or get the baby food jar ( prune ).
My son had this problem when he was a child and a great friend of mine suggested a teaspoon of olive oil after a meal or when having a problem. It always worked! I hope this helps.
Prune juice works wonders! When my oldest was a baby she would get so constipated I had to work her legs to get the BM out, the doctor suggested a teaspoonful of prune juice in her formula and it worked wonders. Hope it helps
Try lots of fresh fruits and a small salad, and I have given my daughter a couple spoonfuls of olive oil and it has helped so much!! I even use it myself!!Good luck L.Serrano
Thanks for all the advice. We are adding a few of your suggestions to her diet (prune juice & mangos) and just overall increasing her fruits and veggies and water and trying to limit breads/starches. I’m not ready to use a suppository yet. She still has a fear of going, but she has been regular for a couple of days. Time will tell with this issue. Thanks for all your feedback; I was glad to see this is a pretty common problem.
Thanks for all the advice. She has been doing much better. We have been giving her prune/apple juice and switched to whole wheat bread and of course making sure she has good fruits and veggies. She has also been using the potty more and seems to like it better when going No 2. Thanks!!