13 Month Old Constipated HELP

http://www.herbalremedies.com/kids-calm.html

Extra magnesium will help move everything out. That being said after you move it all out you should definitely prevent that from happening again. :) You can get CALM at Native Sun and the Vitamin Shoppe.

The Cancer Project says, "A recent study linked cow's milk consumption to chronic constipation in children. Researchers suggest that milk consumption resulrted in perianal sores and severe pain on defecation, leading to constipation."

Yummi Bears Vitamins has a good Fiber vitamin and a Whole Fruit and Veggie vitamin. I usually give these to my daughter when she needs to go and it is tough. They sell at Whole Foods.

Hi K.,
My daughter used to have the same problem. I would give her the little baby bottles of apple prune juice and usually it would have her going in no time and at age 11 she'll still drink them. You can also give a little bit of the chocolate laxatives and there is other laxatives for kids. My two boys have been eating salad (with ranch) since they could walk, they love it and fruit, try strawberries, blueberries and apples. The sooner the better and if she sees how much you like it, she'll want some. I know it's frustrating but she should grow out of it. Good luck, L.

Hi K.,
I think you answered your own question. Children (or anybody really) are not meant to have dairy products. Cows milk is made for baby cows, not humans. Cows milk has way to much protein and salt to be easily digested by us. That leaves many people, including your daughter, constipated. The high protein content also leaches calcium and other minerals from her body.
Secondly, she should be eating plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and water in order for her body to make and pass stools easily. In lieu of dairy, try soy products, almond milk, hemp milk, oat milk, coconut milk (wonderfully high in fat for your baby) and/or rice milk. All are easy to digest (and soy milk has fiber that she needs). If you're worried about fat, put some olive oil or flax oil into her food. Good luck!
S.

My son has similar problems and it's all a balancing act between things that cause loose stool and things that constipate. Adding more apple juice and prune juice will definitely help, but also cut back on things that can constipate: rice, bananas, applesauce, apples, and dairy. Apple juice will help loosen the stools but applesauce has the opposite affect.
Finally, if she's not drinking juice, make sure you offer her plenty of water--not enough fluids will also cause constipation.

K.,

Hi there,

My middle son has been suffering with constipation problems since he was 10 months old. Unfortuntely since then he has been on miralax daily to help loosen his stools. Because like your daughters if I don't do this they get too hard. This happens when he doesn't get enough fiber in his diet and gets too much dairy. You really need to see a GI doctor so that they can tell you what is going on. My son gets regular check ups right now so that we know what is going on. I can recommend an excellent GI Dr. He works in Weston and Ft. Lauderdale near Broward General. His name is Dr. Tucker. But I would definitely recommend not giving her whole milk and not so much of it. I switched my son to 2% and he only gets 1 glass a day if that.

I hope this helps and good luck to you and your daughter. Hang in there it will get better. But please take her to the doctor that is the best thing.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys
13, 6, and 3

I'm not sure what her diet consists of, but she should be getting a majority of fruits and vegetables and some meat. Stay away from processed foods (cherios, lots of snack type foods). Instead, give her fruits for snacks. Also, definitely give her avacados... they are very nutritious and a good natural laxative. I would cut back on the fruit juices, at least cut them down with water. Juices are very high in sugar and can add to her problem, none the less cause more problems as she grows older. The foods you give her in her firs 4 years of life are critical to her little body and they set habits that will last for life. Giver her lots and lots of fruits and veggies, they have so many benefits. I guarantee her constipation will be resolved.

Oatmeal, apple juice, more water, more foods with fiber, and less dairy. Too much dairy is very constipating. When I don't pay attention and my daughter has upped her milk intake and decreased what she eats, we get the same problem.

My daughter was always constipated as well, from one week old! Dairy products will cause constipation. Incorporate more water in the diet and less milk. Save milk for mealtimes maybe and water the rest of the time. My pediatrician wasn't big on giving juices as they are loaded with sugar. The best thing that worked for my daughter was Miralax. (She was a bit older, 3 maybe?) The doctor said that it helps to relieve the constipation at the moment while also retraining the bowel to use the water in the body correctly. I can remember the look on my daughter's face when she went potty and for the first time there was actually something on the toilet paper and she had to wipe more than once to get clean! She is now 5 and not on the Miralax. The doctor told us to start everyday, when her stool became sludgy, back off to every other day- sludgy again every third day..... My daughter loved water and for a long time she didn't know she was even taking it. I figured she wouldn't drink it if she knew. When she found out she had been drinking it all along, we started calling it "special water" and she would ask for it if she started having problems again. Although it is over the counter now, still talk to your doctor. Diet changes may help and be all you need, but don't be afraid to try this option too if its suggested by your doctor. I was hesitant at first but I glad I did.

Has she been seen by a gastrointestinal Doctor? She could have irritable bowl syndrome or something else. They can evaluate her diet and see if any changes need to occur. A nutritionist may also be able to give advice. I would not give too much prune stuff if it's not really working. There are many other things you can do other than just prune juice. But you will need the advice of a professional.

Good Morning K.!

I saw my niece go through that and it was so painful for her. So what I did when I had my daughter, I would give her a bowl of Oatmeal in the morning with a small cup of orange juice and throughout the day she would drink water. For dinner I would give her protein with vegetables with a glass of milk. I made sure that on a daily basis I would give her enough fiber. She would also eat apples, grapes, etc. That alone would make her go to the bathroom. All it takes sometimes is for us to change their way of eating. My daughter right now only drinks juice once a day, milk once a day, and throughout the day water.

Give her water throughout the day. If she is only drinking milk and juice then she is probably dehydrated. Water is the only thing that hydrates the body.

Juicy Juice Harvest Suprise works very well! I had a similar problem when my son was 18months. And he pretty much refuses to eat veggies! Another tip, try hiding baby food (veggies) in other foods, like spaghetti. I find that helps as well.

I agree with the Miralax, just ask your pediatrician how much you can give her. It's odorless and tasteless in her drink. It will just make it easier for her to go when she needs to. Good luck!

Whole milk made my daughter constipated -- to the point that she refused to drink milk. Since we (mommy & daddy) drink 1%, and whole milk is only advised until 2 years old anyway, we just switched her to 1% milk. She gets the needed fat from some special organic, whole milk yogurt that I have found as well as from cheese, ice cream, and other dairy. We also eat fish and other foods with the good fats, so I haven't been worried about it. Now that she is 17 months, she seems to tolerate whole milk if we are at a restaurant or whatever, so she may have grown out of it. Hope this helps!

hi, K.. my son is 9 months old and he too is frequently backed up, and he went 3 days a little while ago without any sign of a poop, so frantically, i called my pediatrician and they said to try the prune juice as well as jarred baby prunes, then if that doesn't work, mix some dark Caro syrup with some water and then if THAT doesn't work, a glycerin suppository for kids (you have to split it in half i believe as they don't make them for babies). well, after i tried both forms of prunes and the Caro syrup trick, and was just about to resort to the suppository, "BAM" he exploded everywhere and i was, once again, at ease. so these are things i use to unplug him, so about every day, he gets prunes for either breakfast or prune juice as a snack to counteract the solids and cereals that are binding. however, i do recommend talking to your doc first as he knows your daughter better than i do. good luck and please let me know what worked for you and if you discovered any new tricks along the way.

My son had a very bad problem with constipation at a very young age, when I was switching from nursing to formula. I used a tsp. of Karo syrup (dark)twice a day, worked like a charm.

Hello der- have you tried apple juice? That was always my old stand by was lots of apple juice. Sometimes a really warm bath will stimulate a respond. It may be a good idea to talk to your dr. About thins as it could be something wrong with her colon and a b m hurts her. I hope you will find help and this is the best place to look. Nanna

As someone who has suffered from chronic constipation my whole life, I can tell you nothing will cure it better than water. Water, water, water. It is the body's natural cleanser. 1-2 oz of prune juice at night, 8-10 oz of water a day, either mixed into food or other drink or by itself. But make sure it doesnt interfere with her eating. If it does, then you need to go the prune juice only route or a stool softener, which is not addictive in any way like enemas or laxatives. Good luck

My daughter has battled this most of her life. There is a juice called "Plum Smart" with fiber (don't get the light) that helps. My daughter wouldn't touch prune juice and this was a great alternative. Talk to your doctor. He will try a change in diet first...lots of veggies, and some fruits, maybe some yogurt, and lots of fiber filled cereals like Life, cheerios, and chex. Fiber will be the first thing the doctor will try. I will say that you also may ask the doctor about a lactose intolerance or milk allergy, most children experience diareah, but it does show up as constipation in some children.

Miralax was also suggested to us, but didn't really help much...it doesn't mean it won't work for you though...my Julia is just stubborn :)

Hope this helps :)

Hi K.,

My son has always been what I call semi-constipated (hard poop almost always) -dairy (besides yogurt) seemed to be the issue-he has always been a huge mik fan. What worked for me was always giving him fruits and/or veggies. For instance, his stand by lunch when he was your daughter's age was cheddar cheese and grapes. A lot of natural fiber paired with the dairy seemed to keep him from actually getting constipated. I would definitely check with her dr. too. Good luck!

I'm sorry to hear of your situation. It is frustrating because she is probably very uncomfortable and you, as a mom, feel frustrated because it seems easy enough to fix. However, dairy products could be binding to some children. Try giving her some water and you're right about the vegetables. Actually fruits and vegetables are very important to the entire digestive system and waste removal. Also,if you are not having any luck with the prune juice you might also want to try any nectar juice. Good luck!! Hang in there.

Stop the dairy! This is more than likely a sign that she has an allergy or sensitivity to it and it will cause more health issues in the future if you keep giving it to her. Switch to rice or almond milk.

I would cut way back on her dairy at least until she is going normally again. I know that dairy is very constipating for my child. I recently heard that raw carrot is good for constipation and it does work wonders but I dont know what your daughters tooth situation is LOL! Maybe grind up some carrot really fine in a chopper? Good Luck! Constipation is NOT fun and makes for a cranky kid!

Ask her pediatrician for a stool softener. It will really help.
S.

Our Pediatrician recommended dark karo syrup in our child's bottle - maybe put some in her sippy cup with milk.

Also try given her oatmeal and high fiber foods. Apple and honey nut cheerios help my daughter. Also, adding Karo syrup in the milk (1/2 tsp) a day or every other day once a day really softens them naturally not stimulating. I did this for my son. Recommended by his pediatrician. Change her milk to 2% not whole. I also add oatmeal to the milk bottle inside (the baby one). Hope she feels better.

my daughter drinks one cup of V8 Fusion a day. it is a whole serving of fruits and vegetables. also, it only contains natural ingredients. it is a great way to keep her regular and sneak in her fruits and veggies!

Have you ever heard of MiraLax? It used to be a prescription, but now it's over-the-counter. My daughter is 6 years old and has been on it since she was 12 months old due to irritable bowel type symptoms. It is totally safe and has no taste. It's a powder that you stir up in water, milk, juice, etc. and it dissolves very quickly. It can be found by the laxatives in any store and comes in 2 differnt size white bottles with purple labels. A full adult dose is one capful, but you should start with maybe 1/2 capful for a couple of days to see. It might take a couple of days to take effect, but it defintely works!

My son used to get constipated a lot as a baby. Here are a few things that worked for me. (1) I made sure he had a lot of fruit & veg. everyday. (2) I really tried to watch and/or even limit the amount of pasta, bread and foods like that because they would increase the chances for constipation. I switched from white bread to wheat bread, from white pasta to wheat pasta and that really helped because they have lots of fiber in them. (3) When those things didn't work the ped. said to give him Karo syrup (dark) in his formula and that helped quite a bit. You would have to call your ped. to get the right amount of Karo syrup for your babies size. It sure did help my son. Good luck.

Hello K.,

My daughter had the same problem once they change the milk
formula and also the Pediatrician recommended Karo Syrup
just a few drops into the Milk maybe two to three drops
that worked for my daughter, Hope this resolve your baby
girls problem.

give her sugarfree foods. They use sorbitol( spelling) to sweeten it.Straight from the bottle it looks and tastes like corn syrup. But it is a great laxitive, And by giving her small doses from food she shouldn't have a major explosion. After surgery I clog for days I get sorbitol and problem solved.

But you still need to ask Doc.

Try giving her half juice or 3/4 juice in a cup and the rest with water. Not sure if you have started fruits, but that might help. Also a teaspoon of dark karo syrup. Also a teaspoon of mineral oil just before bed. But ask your doctor on that one due to your baby's age. I've dealt with constipation with my son throughout his life. He's a little over 3 now. I'm always trying to get fiber into him in different ways to help. If all else fails, I have used baby suppositories. Good luck!

Hi K.,
My daugther (11 months) has been mostly constipated since birth too...karo syrup, apple juice, and other things never worked...we had to go straight to prunes and really altering her diet. I make sure if I give her something that is a known constipation culprit (because sometimes a banana is all you have!) I balance with something else that gets the poop going. I found that feeding her kind of the same diet everyday has helped too. I basically give her the same breakfast, lunch and dinner each day and it seems that she's gotten used to it. When we change it up, I can add it to her lunch or breakfast and see how she does. I usually have to mix in a little baby food prunes in her breakfast most days, cause she hates prune juice. Another thing that is good is dates, an Irqai friend told me about it and it really works. I just get the dried dates from the store and peel of the skins and then let her eat it. She loves it and about 1-2 a day seems to do the trick.
good luck!

have you tried cutting down to 2% milk and more water through the day? also dark brown kyro syrup is good( about a teaspoon a few times a day until she starts to go)
fresh fruit is good especially citrus is she doesn't get too much and cause her a tummy ache or high acid in her urine.
try a warm bath after meals just to play and soak in; it will relax her tummy and might help her go too.
good luck; if all else fails and she is in pain - go to the pediatrician. some children have a cronic problem and can be helped quickly with the docs help :-)

Limit your daughter to 16-20 ounces of whole milk a day (don't switch to 2% until age 2). Yogurt is fine, but cut out cheese, as cheese can be constipating. Make sure she is getting enough water to dink (I would cut out juice altogether if you can) and eating a healthy diet including whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Prune baby food is fine, but make sure she is getting fresh fruits and vegetables as well, as the natural fiber will do its job. Foods to stay away form: white bread, bananas, cheese, and crackers made from white flour can all be "binding."

PS: don't switch to soy milk. Use coconut milk if you feel the need to eliminate dairy altogether, but soy is not really meant (nor is it healthy for) the developing bodies of babies and toddlers.

Hey K.,

Dairy products actually can cause constipation. I would consider eliminating the dairy for a few days, give baby food prunes (not just the juice) add applesauce and vegs. to her diet. You might also want to go to your local health food store and see if they have anything to help as well.

Blessings to you,
T.

It would be helpful to increase the fiber in your daughter's diet with fruits, vegetables and breads/cereals that are high in fiber. She should also be drinking plenty of water....In addition, be sure that you allow your baby to eat THEN drink (as opposed to drinking fluids DURING meals because it reduces the chances of constipation, etc.) The prunes and prune juice are beneficial, but the amount to give will vary with the laxative effect that this has per individual baby; Some babies can tolerate only one ounce at the time while other babies may tolerate as much as three to four ounces. Find out what works best for your particular child.

Please ask your pediatrician!

When my daughter was a baby, the doctor recommended Caro Syrup. He said just to add a little Caro Syrup to her bottle. He said the sugar would help to soften her stools. As she got a little older, I would give her a few bites of the Stage 1 prunes. She hated them and it was a fight, but it only took a little and the results were worth the struggle!

ask your pediatrician about miralax- it's 'natural' & non-habit forming- very safe

also ask about this- my friend wrote this:
For my kids, a magnesium supplement has done wonders! I use Now brand magnesium citrate powder and mix it directly into their drink a couple times per day. It's very safe and effective, all natural and drug free, and you don't need very much. My kids only need about 1/4 teaspoon daily (about 1/8 teaspoon twice a day) and we have no more constipation! I only wish I had learned of it sooner! Here is the one we use:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1&pid=1101

another friend says:
We also use Magnesium citrate for our pooping issues and it works pretty fast.
i open one capsule and use half twice a day mix in my toddler's food.
i use this one:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1&pid=2634...

ASK YOUR PED about all of the advice you get from this board :-)