Constipation Issue for My 6 Year Old

If she doesn't have discomfort and her movements aren't hard enough to cause her to strain she is fine. it is not uncommon for people to only go once a week. As a twice a day person I can't imagine but I know some peolple who fit into that category. Don't interfere with her system if that is just her body's normal schedule, it can cause her problems.

When my daughter has that problem i give her some fiber one cereal.. (Carmeal delight) or fiber one bar they are very good. And she goes right away.

D.

Our pediatric Dr. said to try pear juice. My daughter has the same issue. The pear juice seems to work when we use it. Good luck!

Ground (organic if you choose) flaxseed did the trick for me! It's fiber and you add it to anything; oatmeal, yogurt, icecream, peanut butter & jelly sandwhiches... ANYTHING!! its tasteless so you don't even have to tell your daughter anything. I would try to calculate how much fiber she has daily. Adults should have 35 grams per day. You can research online how much kids should have. Make fruits part of every meal, as well as veggies... if they aren't part of their daily menus already, start with that... My daughter loves apple slices with peanut butter. I have even mixed the flaxseed in the peanut butter for her. Now with any increase of fiber-- you must also increase your water intake... and add fiber to your diet slowly-- like start with two tsp per day for a week mixed in with something for your daughter. Then maybe after 4-5 days of that.. add another tsp per day.. And water intake is very important as well for anyone who is constipated OR has diarrhea.. So let me put it in order of what I think you should try... #1-- make sure they drink enough water every day #2-- more fruits and veggies and #3-- ground flaxseed which is at walmart in the baking aisle or farm fresh in the organic section. Good luck! and I'm with your daughter-- suppositories YUCK!!!!

This same issue has happened with my 6 year old since she was 4 years old. In my daughter's case only, the problem was lack of fiber in her diet. I started to buy fiber bears from the Vitamin Store in Sterling near the Wal-Mart (I think it is Dulles Town Crossing). These seem to work. I do not have medical training and do not know what is going on with your daughter, but this seems to be what works for mine. have a good day.

Everyone has a different "schedule" for defecating, but if she's really going a full week between poops, I'm surprised the doctors are quite so relaxed about it. Is it possible she "goes" at school and doesn't mention it to you? The fiber suggestions are great. Do try prunes. If you tell kids prunes are yummy, instead of doing the "Oh, yuck" routine that many adults do about this fruit, they may just love them -- my daughter thinks they're terrific and so do I. And they do work on constipation! Choose whole, very fresh and soft, moist ones, never dry ones, and I find the juice isn't as sweet so I'd go with the prunes. I'd spend a little more and get the Sunsweet brand. Also, she does need a lot of exercise at this age and that along with water and fiber could help.

Are you sure she is actually constipated, and that's not just her normal schedule?I personally only go every 5-6 days normally.

Other than that, increase her veggies- green veggies specifically. Peas, green beans, cucumbers, salads.. They all help move things along faster.

My son uses miralax- It takes about 3 days for it to kick in... However if you daughters colon is stretched out it will take a year or two of the medicine to get her regular again...

We just visited the gastrointerologist again last month (after a year of miralax) after we took him off the miralax we charted his bm for a month and the diference was less then four a month a year ago to 12 a month now. So things are getting better, however it is not daily and he said to keep him on it for the next year to two years. We will evaluate again in August and then in a year. The end goal is two times a day. ( which two to three a day is actually a sign of a healthy colon, even for adult, from what I have been told and researched.)

After being off miralax for the couple months that we were charting, the doctor also had us do two enimas a day for 3 days and start him on the miralax at the same time- to make sure any "plugs" were cleaned out...

Needless to say it has not been the funnest journy, however it has been neccessary for us. at our most extreme point, he went 20 days without a BM... and the PC finally said go to a GI when this happen and helped us get the schedualing done.

Good Luck
L.

Fiber and water is what she needs. In the old days prune juice or prunes were the thing. Now they have nicely flavored chewable fiber tablets and I just love Benefiber powder. You can mix it into any beverage (juice, milk, water, tea, I like it in my coffee) (they recommend not to use it in anything carbonated). You can't taste it or tell it's there at all, but it moves things along nicely.

Hi,
I think if you follow Juliet M advice you will DEFINTIELY see a difference! I kind of did the same with my 4yr old. : ) Also there is some natural stuff called Florastor. I THINK it may be a prescription my doctor gave me a while back but I REALLY do think it is over the counter the more I think about it. You can look it up a Florastor.com I gave it to my 2yr old the other night. I keep it on hand just in case. It was the regular Florastor and not the kids. (which I didnt know they had till I looked up the website to check the dosage) I gave my 2 yr. old almost a whole capsule mixed in water with a dropper. It is safe. Have a good day.
Kathy :)

My son also has issues going to the bathroom. We use fresh pears and pear nectar (needs to look more like apple cider than apple juice). He goes within hours usually. When he was first having bathroom issues he was so little that there were no medications he could take. These are natural food solutions that will not harm him at all even if he consumes too much and he loves them. I haven't found canned pears to work at all. The dr. says that the sorbitol (also found in plums/prunes) helps draw water to the stomach and aids in digestion.

Miralax worked really well for my son, but you have to take it everyday. It takes a few weeks to see the results but it kept him regular. We put it in juice.

First things that come to mind is that she should be eating LOTS of fresh fruit, 4-5 servings a day and drinking LOTS of water, at least 64 ounces a day. That sound relieve her constipation in a few days.

Good luck, S.

If doctors say this is not something to worry over, then don't worry about it. Giving her a laxative just to make you feel better if she is feeling fine is not a good idea. Increase her fiber intake, if she doesn't take in much fiber. This can be easily accomplished by serving more fruits and vegetables with a higher fiber content. Then just allow her system to work as it was designed to work, and let it set her bowel movement schedule.

My son had constipation in his early years, and cutting out all sources of bleached flour changed that, but he had severe pain and cramping. I have seen in many places that bleached flour can cause constipation in some people, so try that.

My son uses the Miralax powder and he is 7. It takes about a week to 2 weeks to become effective but when on it regularly he goes regularly too. He has had this problem since he was about 2 or so. I can't remember exactly what the dr said but your body does not become dependent on it and it basically just makes your stools waterier but not like diarrhea. For him I think he was scared of it hurting so he would hold which would make it tons worse. He too gets lots of fiber but it doesn't seem to help him much. He eats lots of pears and peaches and green veggies and whole wheat but it still didn't make him regular. He stays on Miralax on a regular basis. Costco has it much cheaper than the grocery stores. Good luck.

I concur with the plenty of water and fiber in her diet. I would also suggest ground flax seeds. Buy them, and grind them in a coffee grinder or something similar. You can add them to hot or cold cereal or salads. I'd suggest limiting sodas. They can be constipating, and limiting any processed foods,that includes crackers and also white bread.
Goji berries are other thing that really makes a difference. Just a couple of tbsps a day. They are pleasant to eat.
The exercise also plays a big role.
Stay away from the laxatives if you can.
L. M

Hi..My daughter who is almost 5 now has the same issue. She started constipating when she turned 3. She wouldn't go for a week and when she would go, she would be in terrible pain. I changed her diet ( more fibre etc..) and when it didn't get any better, I took her to the Pediatrician. He recommended Pedialax (strips) for a few weeks and then Miralax (1/2 of the dose twice a day). She gradually started getting regular...he said it takes atleast 6 months upto a year for them to get regular. I am trying to wean her off of it and give it to her just once a day. Its working!! Hope this helps.

My DSS had the same problem; his grandma tried extra fiber, apple juice, etc and nothing helped, so when I took over, I switched him to soy milk instead of regular milk and he has been fine since. Then I read something online that said sometimes cow's milk can cause constipation if they have a lactose issue....so I was pretty sure that was the issue...also I limited junk food, sugars, etc...I think a combination of fiber, soy, and low sugar would help most people.

Hi there.

I feel your pain! I dealt with a child who was chronically constipated for 2 years. First, not to contradict what your doctor is saying but it is NOT normal not to go for a week... not normal for anyone. Here are some things Ive tried (and in combination its worked):

1 - schedule a poop time. My son needs to be directed to the toilet daily...otherwise he is too distracted and doesnt go. When a child doesnt go for a day it becomes compacted. So put her on the toilet with a nice book and have her sit quietly for 5 minutes (no pressure to poop...just sit).

2 - Have her eat mostly high fiber foods (strawberries, oatmeal, flax seeds- I hide that in other foods like oatmeal - beans). My son doesnt even eat white pasta or bread b/c of his tendancy towards constipation.

3 - have her take water breaks and drink at least half a glass before and after school (if she's going to school).

4 - make sure she's exercising for at least 30 minutes a day.

I hope these suggestions work for you. They did wonders for us. Also know that suppositories are not good. They are ok if you use them once every few years but any more usuage is not good for the body.

my daughter had the same problem..... try kayo syrup in her milk... or some mineral oil you can give to off a tea spoon or you put it in her juice...... they both worked for my daughter and myself.

What about your daughter's diet? Is she getting enough fiber and drinking plenty of fluids especially water? That is the best and most natural way to take care of constipation. You should also make sure she avoids foods that can cause constipation like bananas. Not going for a week at a time seems like its too long especially once children are a little older. Waiting that long basically causes the intestines to absorb all of the liquid from her stool and making it even harder... She should try to go at a regular time every 1-2 days.

I have also heard that Castor Oil can work. I am not quite sure about the dosage for a 6 year old so you may have to check on that....my guess would be one tablespoon.

Good luck!

Good luck!

People have different regularities. Some have a BM everyday. Some have one every other day. What is normal for one is not for another. If the doctor thinks she is ok, I wouldn't worry about it. Also does your daughter drink several cups of water or juice in the day? Most people have constipation because they don't drink enough. AF