14 Month Child Who Crys Everytime She Goes #2

Had similar problem with my child and the juice did not work but I ended up buying the actuall prunes and after about a week or week and a half she began to have a regular bowel but I had to teach her to have a stool for her feet while she was sitting on the toilet that brought her knees up kinda even with her chest. Found out later in life that her grandma did the same thing with my childs dad when he was a kid. Or go back to the doctors and get a second oppinion.

Try putting her on the BRAT diet for a few days (Banana, Rice, Apple, and Toast) - it will keep her just solid enough but make things go more smoothly. This has worked for three people I know.

Ask your doctor about mineral oil. But don't give it withouth a doctor's approval.

I am a mom of 2 kids and have a home daycare. I have a 15mth going through the same thing. what ultimatley worked was lots and i mean lots of liquids. if giving milk do 3/4 water and then milk. Juice same thing, white grape juice works really really well and taste better then prune, also if you haven't already tried this,let her eat fruit in its natural state. oranges cut if 4th or apples in small pieces or in those mess bags. good luck! by the way the little one I have is doing just fine after about three month of trying to soften the stool.

Have you tried flax oil? You use it cold as a condiment or you can add it to, say, a smoothie with fruit (berries are high in fiber and also would probably help). It's good for her anyway, high in omega 3's -- just don't heat it because it breaks down and you lose the nutritional value.

Also, and you are probably already doing this, but make sure she is drinking enough water. if she decides to get picky about water, you can give watered down juice (some flavor, less sugar). I just use a splash of juice and fill the rest of the cup with H2O.

good luck!

Hi J.,
We went through something similar with our son. Once kids have painful experiences with pooping, they often try to keep it in, which can cause constipation/hard stools despite all you are giving her to help the situation (our pediatric GI told us our son was likely doing this, and he was on milk of magnesia). Also, sometimes kids will strain really hard because of the constipation/hard stools. That hurts and can give them something charmingly called anal fissures. Anyway, his doc put him on Miralax. We also had to use 1/2 of a children's Fleet glycerin suppository on rare occasion to help him out. A 1/4 dose of the adult size also worked, though I would definitely check w/ a doc before using either product. Also, ask her doc to check for fissures. If she has them, a stool softener might be necessary. At the very least, you'll know she'll be in pain until they heal. Also, her stools might be acidic, which would hurt w/ fissures, too. Our son had GERD, so he was taking Prevacid for acid (and another med for motility). We did not like having him on so many meds, but they made a huge difference. The doc also had us give him Pediasure instead of milk (soy milk had not helped at all). When he was a bit older, we also had to explain many times (in a non-punitive tone) that it was super important for him to try to poop as soon as he felt like he had to and that he should just sit on the toilet, relax and be patient -- not push so that he would poop immediately after sitting on the toilet. He needed to understand that sometimes, even though it feels like you have to go, you have to wait a little bit before you actually can go. We encouraged him to breathe deeply and relax. He was older than your daughter at this point, though. At your daughter's age, we mainly relied on meds as nothing else seemed to help. From our experience and from what our son's ped GI told us, I would guess that your daughter, having experienced pain, is trying not to poop, which makes the situation worse. Just like you said, the stool then makes kind of a plug. The GI was telling us this and then (and this is rather unsavory) put her gloved finger in our son's anus (he was about your daughter's age at this point) and out came a whole bunch of poop that was just sitting in there. Now, I am not at all saying that you should do that! Rather, I'm thinking that your daughter might be creating the same situation that our son did: making the difficulty and pain worse because she's trying to avoid the pain. Our pediatrician, who has a great reputation, was only helpful to a point. I highly recommend you get a specialist, a pediatric gastroenterologist, to examine her daughter. Our son grew out of his needs for his meds sometime between 3.5 and 4 years old. Most kids do not take that long, though. I know how tough it is to watch your child in so much pain, and I wish you the best.
K.

Not sure if this will help in your case, but one of my almost 14 month old twins had crying with #2 from about 7-12 months. My mom suggested getting a little seat insert and putting her on the toilet since we had the advance warning. That actually seems to have helped her problem. I think being in more of a sitting/squatting position can help sometimes. An alternate is lying her flat and pushing her knees up to her chest. We haven't really changed her diet but now that she's running around the exercise seems to help. Also, we have water available at all times for her. And there's hardly any crying anymore. Hope your situation resolves itself easily!

Hi,
My daughter has this problem. We've regulated it by giving her juice every other time she has milk. Not sure if your pediatrician would recommend it but sugar helps move the bowels. We notice if she hasn't had enough juice (since she doesn't like much water) then she gets constipated. Of course more fruits & vegetables are good for her too as the fiber helps things along. And more activity - let her run around and get a lot of exercise (then she'll drink water since she gets thirsty.)

By the way, my daughter's is pretty bad.. had to help 'dig' it out twice, which is SO not recommended! We just give her an infant suppository when she needs it. So anyhow, more juice for her or a home remedy - a little karo syrup in some water should help. And limit bananas and apples and rice and any 'stoggy' foods as you say.

Hi J.,
My daughter who is now three would do the same. I just tried my best to make her comfortable while on the pot/toilet and I would rub her stomach and back. I don't know if that really helped as far as the bowels are concerned, but it helped her relax a little more.
Hope this helps.

Hi J.,

I to was going through it with my 2 year old and a 3 year old!! Poor them:0( i took them to the doctors the same thing they told me, prune juice, laxative, etc... But the one thing that's hard for me to give them is water and i told their doctor that they hardly drink water unless it's flavored drink. So, i just gave them strickly water and no juice untill they have a comfortable #2:0) Their doctor says a lot of juice gives them constipations and i do give them juice. Also try giving them milk. And water did work with my kids:0) And all is dandy....good luck...

-C.

My daughter used to eat bananas and she would cry trying to go poop. After I stopped giving them to her, she was fine. This was when she was a toddler. Now at 8, she can eat bananas without being constipated. I would make sure your little one is hydrated enough with water. That should help loosen her stool. I've never heard that oatmeal would clog anyone. I would think it's the opposite b/c it's fiber? As some doctors would say, limit the amount of apples, bananas, carrots, rice/white bread/starches, cheese, milk, yogurt, ice cream. In my own experience, I have found gelatin (which includes gummy candy and vitamins), too much meat and hard boiled egg whites to be quite constipating. Prunes are only good for a little while and then their bodies might become immune to it. Add more fiber into her diet like whole wheat crackers or bread, and cereal. I've heard plums, apricots, broccoli, beans and peas may be helpful. Also exercise can help circulation, but she should be drinking lots of liquids if she's very active. Good luck and I hope this helps your little girl. Take care!

My son had the same problem, and we saw a gastrointestinal specialist who prescribed Miralax. He told us that Miralax is the new "GI wonder-drug," because it can do no harm. All it does is draw liquid already in the body to the GI tract, which loosens the stool. Miralax is available over-the-counter now. Start with a small daily dose (i.e. 1/2 teaspoon) and gradually increase the dose until you find the right balance. Too much can loosen the stool so much that it becomes liquid. Also, be sure to keep your child hydrated while on it, as it does draw liquid away from other parts of the body.

I like these natural remedies mentioned......however if they do not work try a stool softener. It is not a laxative as it does not make them go. But it softens the stools so they don't hurt so much coming out.

LOTS of water and some VERY ripe banana. Oatmeal (slow-cooked, not instant) has insoluble fiber which is good for normalizing bowel movements. If you add some wheat germ and flax-seed meal to it, it increases the fiber content. Dairy can be very binding as well, so keep her milk intake in check. I follow my own advice for my 14 mo son and he has soft BMs at least twice/day.
Good luck.

Hi J. - our daughter had a really hard time with #2 when she was a toddler and she would hold it for a week at a time - we called her the "once-a-week-pooper"! I think fiber is the best thing - I'd hesitate to cut it out of your daughter's diet. Mine was put on a horrendous prescription (seems like the same one mentioned in other posts) that drew all the water out of her intestines in order to soften her stool to the point of her not controlling it - well, a number of times we literally got diarrhea up to her armpits and down into her shoes (yes, while riding in her carseat!). We stopped the prescription and started giving her a fiber supplement I think it was Citrucel chewable tablets, not sure. This, along with lots of fiber (whole not quick oats and other whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat, fruits & veggies, etc - limited cheese, poultry?, juice) and PLENTY OF WATER (crucial) seemed to put her on track...best of luck...

flax seed ! My niece had the same problem - really bad! she is now free and clear with flaxseed sprinkled on her cereal every day.

Is she eating lots of bread and cheese ? That will certainly do it . Take her off juice ( which can dehydrate you ) and give her water and herbal teas, brown rice as much whole fruits veggies and grains as possible not skimping on proten of course but use eggs and meat lay off the cheese.

How about making her rice cereal - you toast the rice in a pan till a few begin to pop - grind in a clean coffee grinder add cool water and cook while stirring to keep lumps out.
We put butter and maple syrup on or more healthy - tahini on top.

I'd try all the diet means first - is she getting enough exercise is she in her car seat alot ?
Sounds like somethings going on that is very basic and one day you'll go - Oh !! and no more problem.
Anyway good luck,
R.

What about that metamucil stuff also - it's not a 'chemical' laxative.