Constipation - Cortez,CO

My 11 mo daughter has had the same problem since birth. I give her about 1/4 teaspoon of miralax in a bottle of juice or in her milk once every couple of days. Works like a charm.

You could try giving her green smoothies. Mix her favorite fruits together with dark green like spinach. There is an essential oil from Doterra called Digestzen that you could rub on her feet every day a few times until she becomes regular and then maybe just every night. My e-mail is ____@____.com if you are interested. Good luck. That would be terrible.

My oldest boy broke my heart with this. He would have it so bad he would hold it for days so it wouldn't have to come out. Finally, his doctor told me to put a couple tablespoons of corn syrup and a tablespoon of mineral oil in his bottle every time. Once he turned one I put it in everything he drank, water, juice, milk, etc. It was the only thing that corrected it.

One last note, he had built it up so bad that I did have to start the whole process with an enema. I guess it cleared him out to start fresh.

Needless to say, I kept this up until he was about 4 or so, then he regulated.

Good luck!

Try giving her cut up grapes and apple juice. Just water isn't going to help with this. You also might put a little vaseline on and around her anus to ensure it isn't chapped and help the process.

I hope this helps!

Hi P.,
I hear this so much in the business I am in. Many children struggle with constipation. One thing that has worked for many children is Juice Plus. It is fruit and veggies powders in a soft chew and capsule. It has a tendency to help and keep you regular. If you'd like to know more or samples, please contact me.
L.

My daughter is on Miralax for constipation. She has been on and off it since she was a baby. It is over the counter and is not a laxative, it simply binds water to the stool to soften it. You can tinker with the dosage. We have been doing 1/2 teaspoon of Miralax in one of her drinks a day and that seems to be a good dosage for her (she is 4). You can go up to a teaspoon a day. It is non-habit forming and safe but if you are concerned confirm with your doctor.

The little boy I baby sit has the same issues- he will go days without a BM- I have been mixing quick oats (unflavored instant oatmeal) in with what ever fuit baby food I have on hand and it seems to get him to poop within a few hours- I recomend prunes, but any of the high fiber fruit seems to work.

I have a 16 month boy and have tried all the things mentioned in the answers below, and some worked for a little bit, and some never worked at all. I tried bran muffins, miralax, extra juice/water, prune juice in milk, mineral oil, etc. It pretty much all started after I stopped nursing and off formula and he was on whole milk. None of these other things worked and then finally my doc said "take him off cows milk and go excusively with soy milk for a week to see if it loosens him up." Lo and behold this has pretty much made his stool loose and he is never constipated. My doc said some kids have problems with the proteins in cows milk, and apparently this is the case with us. We also try soy cheese and yogurt, but aren't as strict with these dairy products as we are with regular milk. This worked well for us, and it doesn't hurt to try I guess.

My daughter went through this too! How much milk does she drink a day? Definitely cut it down a little, Vitamin D milk can be really constipating, try 2% or you could try watering it down a little. Also have her drink 4-6 oz. of Apple Juice, White Grape or even prune juice one or twice a day. My daughter liked the juice and she could even eat plain prunes as a snack. The ones that come in a sealed package next to the raisins. That could help too! Also cut down on the cheese and yogurt intake. Hope this helps! Goodluck!

hi, well my brother in law had this problem as achild. what we did to help was to switch from white bread to wheat and the same with noodles and anything else we could. this seemed to help him alot.

Have you tried the little stool softener tablets? They make a tablet in a white jar with a blue lid. You take one of those and cut it in half lengthwise and put it in her bottom and hold it there for a while so that it gets absorbed. It will help her to go poo and stop being constipated. You might have to do this more than once. They work, we had to use them on all 3 of our children as babies.

I have a son who has always suffered from bowel issues for many years. I know bowel heath is very important so I have spent a lot of time researching how I can keep him regular. Having your daughter eat fresh fruits and vegetables that are lightly cooked/steamed (and mashed if needed), not canned, is much better as you will find far more fiber in fresh foods. If you would like to try a completely herbal formula to help with constipation there is one called "Kid-e-Reg" made by the Doctor Christopher company. You should be able to find this in any health food store or herb shop. For a 14 mo. old I would suggest giving half a dropperful per day. I have used this very successfully with my children of all ages, and without every causing diarrhea as many laxatives do. Lack of water drinking is also a main cause for constipation, hydrated stools pass easier that dehydrated ones. To help with this I have always kept a cup of water out for my children so that they can help themselves when they are thirsty. These are things that have worked for us along with what you are already doing. Good luck on finding what works best for your daughter.

There's another question that just started about a condition called encopresis in which constipation can lead to withholding stools.

We have a 21 month old who has had those issues. When she was younger, it was to do the prune juice, added fiber, approach. Now, she's on Miralax to help.

I'd check again with the pediatrician and ask about Miralax, I know from a lot of exposure to physicians professionally, it is their top pick, but I don't know if it's been studied in kids that young.

I do know that you shouldn't try to stimulate the area yourself. If you need help dislodging it, our pediatrician said to bring them in and let one of the nurses do it as they're trained.

I've never done this, but my sister insists that using a rectal thermometer works. I couldn't do this to my daughter, so I mixed prune juice with equal parts water (she was 6 months at the time) and by the next morning, she was going. She had multiple BM the next day and was regular by the second day.

We have been giving our 3 year old miralax since he was a few months old. The doc said it is just fine to give them a half capful nearly everyday. Check with your doc, I am sure they will say it is fine! Good luck!

I see you have already received some great advice. My other suggestion besides paying close attention to diet and hydration is to give your child probiotics every day (like acidophilus, bifidus, etc.). You can buy chewable ones at Whole Foods or if your child doesn't have enough teeth for that, you can find liquid versions. You can also buy capsules, break it open and stir the contents into juice. I would start with 1 per day for 4-5 days and then slowly increase until you notice a difference in bowel movements. Probiotics are very safe, even at large doses, but they can sometimes cause gas as your body is getting used to the flora. Plus, they are great for keeping the immune system strong. Good luck!

Prunes and prune juice is a natural way of softening the stool. Maybe you can try mixing some prune juice with a little sprite, if the child does not like the prunes. Hope this helps you.

I am telling you a secret we have discovered with out little one who we've struggled with constipation with for months upon months. We did put her on Lactulose, which is a sugar based laxative, that is none addictive, but it really bothered me to give her medicine each day.

We discovered diabetic chocolate. My grandma had mentioned that she can't eat an entire bar because it gave her diarrhea, but that if she has any bowel problems she has some and it helps. So we have her half a piece (which is a piece from a 6 piece chocolate bar) and things started to move.

With your little one being so small I'd start with 1/4 of a piece and adjust from there. It took 3 days and my daughters bowels moved and have kept regular for 2 months now. If she gets a little stopped up I give her a little extra. The dose we are giving her works better in 3 days than over a week of the medication.

Good luck! It's a totally safe way to help keep things moving and your kiddo will feel she's getting a treat.

Very likely, your kids' diet still needs some tweaking if they are experiencing constipation. If it were me, I'd be sure they are getting really healthy food. That means whole food basics -- fresh fruit and veggies (not canned/ sweetened), whole grains, and eliminating white flour, sugary foods, fried foods, and other 'empty calorie' junk foods. Try to make sure that most of what they eat is really healthy, and not prepackaged, premade kinds of food. I don't mean to make assumptions - perhaps you're not giving those things - but many families do today, and most of these foods are loaded with sugar, salt, hydrogenated oil, chemicals we can't pronounce... not good for our health.

I'd try buying things like dried apricots, nuts (preferably unsalted), quality trail mix, or cutting up carrots, peppers, or other veggies, and giving those as snacks. Add new healthy foods to your kids' diet one by one and you will probably be surprised at what they'll like. Our 4-yr old loves pistachios, avocados, apple & peanut butter ...
Good luck.