Constipation with My 18 Month Old

Hello,
I might have somethind you can try: it's worth a shot any way. Go to the store and buy the clear karo syrup. Put just a little in her bottle or sippy cup(not everyone) that might help at least that is what I have been told by several people

You mentioned that she drinks juice and milk. What about plain old water? Also, if she eats a lot of cheese, that could contribute to it as well. What I have found is that fruits, not just juice, but the fruits, apples, raisins, plums or prunes, work wonders. Too much iron can cause constipation as well. See if she will eat cheerios, or raisin bran cereal. Does she run and jump and play a lot? As an adult, I have found that exercise helps me.

Hi J.
I am a proud mother of 2 boys that are 10 and 12. My oldest boy was constipated from day 1 and we finally took him off of the Isomil milk and the Doctor put him on Goats milk. We added a teaspoon of syrup to it and he did not have no more problems not pooping and pooping hard stools. Maybe this will help you too. Try it. Later N.

I agree with you. I don't think being on a laxative long term is an answer I would want to accept nor do I believe it is healthy for her. You may need to get another physicians opinion. Here's what I know - fiber, plenty of water, and exercise are important in helping to prevent constipation. If your daughter has been on a lot of antibiotics, you might look into whether or not it could be related to yeast. Yogurt with active cultures, acidophilus (you can obtain from a health food store), eating whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables,and cutting back on sugars and processed foods can be helpful. Hope you can find the help she needs.

J.,
Go to Advocare.com and look up the products. There is one that is called Probiotic Restore. It is a capsule and you can pour it in a drink or bottle or bowl of oatmeal or whatever. It can be taken every day. I know of a 9 month old that had infant reflux and could not keep anything down and used the upper GI product of Advocare and it worked. I myself have used Restore and was just about to order more. Please look at the Company's creditials and let me know if you have any questions. Yes, we do sell the products, but I care more about the health of your child than making a little money off that product. Please check into it. Hope it helps. My 2nd child had trouble with that and he was that age and I have wished that I would have known about it when he was going through that.
Good luck. K. F.

Hi Jamie!Have you tried karo syrup in her juice.I know my niece used to suffer like that and that what we did.Put a tablespoon of karo in a warm cup of juice.I hope it helps.

I wonder if your doc has given your little one a blood test to check her iron levels. She may have too high counts which would definately cause constipation. Is she on any meds that may be contributing to that?

Have you tried to give her grapes. I have noticed that after I gave my daughter grapes the other day she had a poopie diaper, and she had already had one for the day. When she was little (she is 17 months now) when I would give her grape juice it would help sometimes. But I am not sure if it will help or not. I mean you can give it a try it won't hurt any thing. Good Luck.

We went through the exact same thing with my youngest who is now 3 and going quite well on his own. It is agonizing to watch your little one struggle and cry. We used Myralax also but it was still under prescription at the time. We started every day for a week and then tried to cut back to once a week as the dr. suggested but it didn't work. We had to go to every other day. From what I read sometimes too much fiber in the diet can cause constipation instead of helping. We had my son drink lots of water and be sure to water down the juice. You do need to make sure they poop at some point because the waste is building up and blocking and expanding the intestines hence the long ones). It will take time to get the intestines back to normal size and then the poops should get more regular with time and dietary changes as she ages. I did research on the internet because I was so concerned. I have not noticed any problems due to my son having had myralax so much. Try not to be afraid to use it if it will be better for her. You don't want her to be afraid to go potty when it is time to potty train.

Try changing her milk. It could be an allergic reaction (lactose intolerant) to the formulas and milk she has been drinking. It affects different people different ways is what they told us. My daughter was taken off of regular formula because of this, and she is 4 now and when she dinks alot of regular milk now, she still gets the same way. Her stool gets like pellets. lol. Talk to your doctor and see if that could be her problem. We were told to change and it made such a difference in her. I hope this helps her out!

Miralax is a very safe laxative (I'm a pharmacist so I'm very familiar with it!), but if you feel uncomfortable giving it to her every day, you could try to cut back to every other day for awhile, and supplement with a stool softener (Colace/docusate sodium--even safer than a laxative). It sounds like part of her problem is hard stools so this should help. Try to encourage her to drink water with & between meals, and also pay attention to the fiber content of foods--fiber helps with constipation, too.

I had the same problem with my little girl. Her doctor recommended Senekot and it worked wonders! It looks like chocolate syrup so that is what we called it and she took it just fine. It is a vegetable laxative so it wasn't harmful to her little system. I hope things go well. I know how stressful and difficult it is for parents who have a child with constipation.

J.,
My sister dealt with this same problem with her oldest son. After numerous attempts at "healing" his bowels, they decided to take my nephew completely off of cow's milk products. No more macaroni and cheese, pizza, milk, etc. (Try goat's milk products or soy.) The other thing that their pediatrician recommended was mineral oil. They had to give him a dose of it every single day. This helped soften the stools so that it wasn't as painful for him when he would eventually go. The good news is that it eventually went away completely with a little effort on their parts, but it did take time so don't give up if you don't see results immediately. Hope this helps in your situation.

Hi J....

My first daughter had this problem too... she was on soy formula and that really compounded the problem and it really never got better until we took her off formula and changed our diet as a family.

I would suggest cutting back on milk, breads, cereals, pastas, sweets. Up her diet of veggies and fruits. She may not like the changes, but try a more wholesome diet and see if that doesn't help.

Apples, grapes, peas, strawberries, etc. Try making a smoothie with frozen blueberries or strawberries and yogurt and some protien powder for breakfast. We've done this for quite some time and my daughter thinks they are yummy and it's really helped.

Just wanted to add that it would NOT be a good idea to try popcorn. It is a very chokable food, and I have met more than one person who knows of a child that has died or has been severely injured due to choking on popcorn. Eighteen months is way too young.

Also, we use an extremely small amount (1/8 tsp) in my daughter's PlumSmart juice. We have tried just about everything else. She has been on Miralax since she was 2 and is now 4. My doctor says most children don't need it past age 5. She is showing some improvement but I have not been able to completely wean her off the Miralax yet.

It's good to hear you're having some success. God Bless your family.

J. --

I'd suggest taking her off milk (the most suitable replacement would be goat's milk, found in cans at Wal-Mart or Jimmy Lowe's or rice milk). I would not suggest soy milk in that it includes artificial flavoring and sulfur (which can cause behavioral issues and problems sleeping). Also, I'd suggest trying corn syrup as a laxative. 1/2 a tsp. full once a day should help.

I got these suggestions from a friend whose child had severe food allergies when he was small. I hope they help you!

C. K.

About me: I'm an at-home mom of a 13 y/o boy with asperger syndrome. I'm actively engaged in supporting of families with children affected by autism spectrum disorders.

I also had the same trouble with my little girl when she was about the same age we went to a ped GI doctor. He told me for the lenght of time that she had suffered from the constipation she had accutaly streched out her colon. The treatment was Miralax an adult dose every day. He said that her bowel movements should never be firm so we could allow the colon to return to normal size. It was about 12 months into it when he cut the dose in half and then we would wait to see if the constipation would return. over time we continued to reduce the dose. Ialso changed her diet from lots of starches to more fruits and veggies. She is six now and we have not had any more problems since she was about 3. p.s. Miralax works more like a stool softener so it is not habit forming and does no perminant damage to the intestine or colon.

Hello. I am sorry to hear about the trouble this little angel has had for 18 months. Have you tried giving her more water? Drinking more water can help many ailments. I have a book at home that explains the importance of water and all of the different ailments that drinking more water is able to help. I will email you with this title tomorrow.

You didn't mention any allergies, might a milk allergy cause the constipation?

My 18 month old had the same problem since birth. He did not even eat baby food because it stopped him up so much. I also did not agree with my pediatricians myralax suggestion. We finally switched him to Soy Milk and Yogurt and severly limited his cheese intake (I will give him the Activia brand cheese occasionally b/c our local grocery does not carry soy cheese). This has helped alot, he still gets stopped up some times but he used to scream every time he tried to have a BM and most of the time he was unsuccessful despite the pain. He also loves to snack on raisins, which help too. Good Luck!

try karro syrup...that is what my sister-n-law's pediatrician has her do for her lil girl who has had same problem since she was born. good luck hon!!

Hi J. :)

Have you tried Aloe Juice? It does a lot of good for the intestines and stomache and when drank every day, really helps with constipation. My Mom has an aquaintance who's son suffered from such bad constipation that he was in and out of the hospital for years, suffered greatly from the drastic treatments they gave him. The lady told my Mom that he was so filled with fecal matter that his skin started to smell like it no matter how much she washed him. She started him on Aloe Juice. (Herbalife makes a REALLY good one. I use it myself whenever I have any intestinal problems) and her son cleared up in a week or so. She now gives him his aloe with juice every day and he is perfectly normal and happy. :)

try changing her milk... my son was lactose intolerant and it caused him to get stopped up on a regular basis.. after i changed him to lacto free milk it cleared right up... it's something that their stomach's can't handle.. my son would be in excruitiating pain and it would be as hard as rocks just like you are explaining i hope this helps

hi im from old school moms its wroth a try will you try catnip you may can buy it in a store if not ill go on line to see if i can find it lol hugs and good luck on that

dixie

Hi J.,
I have went throught the same issue with my son. The dr also put him on mryalax and the pharmacist told me to mix it with 8oz of liquid and then have him drink it as fast as he can. Well we both know how that is. I have started to give my son WASA crackers. You can get them at Wal-Mart. They are a larger cracker that have a lot of grains and a ton of fiber!
One cracker a day as a snack seems to the the trick. Just make sure you keep an eye on them while eating. The crackers have some grains that can become loose. Hope this might help:)

My daughter suffered with severe constipation, the doctor wanted me to just keep giving her laxatives and she couldn't poop without them. I figured out she was lactose intolerant, it constipates her if she has more than small amounts infrequently. I completely cut out cow's milk, cheese and her bm's went back to normal. After she was normal for a long time I slowly reintroduced dairy and found out how much she could tolerate. I didn't know if you had thought of this or tried to eliminate dairy but it's worth mentioning.

does the little girl drink any water? i'd take her off every drink but water.....see if that helps.....

i have a friend who is a ped that retired 3 years ago and said that it is something that is more common than you would think. Holding it sometimes is a problem too. She may be holding it know it may hurt when she does and that causes her body to stop doing things it is suppose to. I would take her to someone else or request she see a specialist. Don't just take any answer if you are not satisfied with the one they gave you. If you press the issue they will heed to your request!

T.
www.EnhancingYourWayOfLife.com
Helping Moms Work From Home

Hi my name T. Johnson I have a 7 month old now. At the time of his constipation he was about a month. I was stop breastfeeding because of difficulties i was having. My son was going through the same thing. We took him to the doctor's and he thought it was from to much iron and it was true. He put him on this new formula Nutramigen/Enfamil and works wonders. When he first started it was like he had the runs. But he was not crying anymore and he was going at least twice a day. We had to change his diapers to huggies because they where the only one's that could keep all the poop in. He is still on nutramigen and the doctor said when he turns 12 months that they would put him on whole milk. So you might want to go get her blood check for to much iron it might help. Love to help when i can. Hope you all the best.

Try bananas. My son eats a ton of bananas and he poops more than any kid I know. : ) I think I have heard that this usually causes the opposite effect, however, my children are pooping machines and it is way to soft. A lot of times I have to lay off the "nanners". They both had constipation problems at one time but do not anymore.

Several in my family have had the same issues. We have found a product called Sunrider that has been amazing! We go easily everyday now! It is pure nutrition in powder form in a variety of flavors and you mix it in a blender like a milkshake. We like the chocolate vita-shake and the NuPlus pina-banana. We mix it with soymilk and fruitjuice and it's delicious! You can check out their website at sunrider.com. If you decide to try anything it will ask for an upline's name....just enter ____@____.com and the name will be under Kevin Smith. I'm not trying to sell you anything...just want you to know this truly has been amazing for us and I would feel guilty if I didnt pass it on! Good luck!

Have you had her tested for food allergies?

Baby food won't be of much help because it has little, if any, fiber. Does she like refried beans? These are a great source of fiber. You can make a spread for toast or bread with prunes. Boil dried prunes until very tender. Process with a little apple juice. If she likes yogurt or applesauce, try adding a little wheat germ for more fiber. If she likes muffins of any kind, you can also add wheat germ to the batter. Have you consulted a pediatric nutritionist?

First of all, YES, you have 3 full time jobs:-). But getting to your problem. How much water does she drink? If she's not getting enough water, that can cause constipation as well. What kind of milk does she drink? You may want to try 2% (or see if chocolate milk may get her moving) I agree with you on that she should not have to be on laxatives. I realize she's only 18 months, but how many servings of veggies does she eat?

My son had problems with constipation from the time he was born. We took him to a chiropractor and they helped some because they said that something about his colon had gotten out of place during the birthing process. This did help. We also would put him in warm water to relax his stomach and that helped, too. But the thing that helped the most and I didn't find this until we tried potty training was putting him on something called primadophilus for children made by Nature's Way. I get it from the health food store. It is made for children five and under to help with digestion. It comes in a powder form and I mix it with my son's juice. You give it to them once daily. After he had been on this for about two weeks he was completely potty trained. The thing that was holding him back was because he was constipated and associated "hurt" with going to the toliet. Since he has been taking this regularly, with the exception of a day here and there, he goes daily. Hope this helps.

I noticed you said 18 mths so she is no longer on formula have you tried giving her a fiber subsitute with her meals.

My grandmother told me to take a very small, thin piece of ivory soap and silde it in and it will help with the constipation.

My 3 yr has had this problem since he was about 18 mos - his issue is actually that he holds it in until he becomes constipated. He has been on Miralax since then - I simply put it in his milk in the morning and at night and he's fine. Numerous Drs have assured me that Miralax does not stay in the body and simply absorbs into the digestion process. Hope this helps

I had this same problem with my daughter who is now 4.5 years old. We tried EVERYTHING. She would drink several full glasses of undiluted prune juice a day and it still wouldn't help. My Dr. seemed unconcerned and told me to give her more water and vegetables. This did nothing. I was still having to dig poop the size of baseballs out of her bottom with my fingers while my poor baby screamed in pain. Finally I took her completely off of milk (let her have soy milk instead) and really limited all other dairy and bananas. This helped so much. She was 3 at this point and would fight to hold her poop in instead of pushing it out because she associated pooping with pain. Once we switched her diet everything became much easier. After 6 months I slowly started adding milk back in, but still limit it. She only gets one glass a day- no more than that. I also still limit bananas and dairy. When she goes a couple of days without a BM, I give her a natural laxative. Fletcher's, I think is what its called, and it tastes like root beer, she loves it and will ask for it when she feels constipated now.

J.,

I got this from my sister who's child has had this problem since infancy...

> I have learned the same about the Myralax. It's works but only good at first
> and then when ever after that. I give my 6 yr old Gerber prunes everyday. I am
> just not going to give him anytype of med like that everyday for the rest of his
> life. I also have him sit o n the toilet and play leapster. I know your 18
> month old is probably not potty trained yet. Just pick something like the
> prunes and stick with it. You may even have to give it to her twice a day.
> Morning and night. Night is good b/c it'll give her body a chance work like iit
> should-without her consciously holding it in. Some kids just DO NOT want to
> take the time to go poop. Let's face it, it is boring. Why do you think most
> adults read while on the pot?
> Good Luck!

I've been struggling for months with the same thing. My son is 16 months and has a BM every day, but it is hard as a rock and very painful for him to pass. We just talked to our ped a few days ago about this and she said take him off milk altogether. She said that some kids just can't handle milk at all. She told us to try soy milk but if he doesn't like it then its ok. So he is off all milk except at bedtime and we are already seeing a big difference. His stools are now coming out normal for a baby. And he doesn't seem to have pain at all anymore. So I don't want to tell you what to do, but if I were you I'd really talk to the dr about milk. As a matter of fact my oldest son (now 6) went through this when he was about the same age. Very common, I guess. Hope this helps. Good luck.

If the doctor says using a laxative is ok, then I wouldn't worry about it. This issue may work out as she gets older. My son was extremely constipated but I found that adding a small amount of white Karo syrup to water or juice helped the problem.

Does she get water in addition to juices and milk? That helped my son as well.

J.,
We have a similar problem with my 4 mth old, he tends to get constipated. My ped told me to use milk of magnesium in his bottles up to twice a day. I currenlty only add about a tsp to the morning bottle and it seems to help a lot. You may need more with yours being older but it's worth a try. Miralax is so expensive too.

I have noticed that in both of my kids, milk caused chronic constapation. You might try cutting out the milk from your childs diet for a bit to see if it helps.

Dear J., so sorry to hear about this situation. Laxative is harsh on your system. My first infant son had trouble the first several months of his life. My ped. referred me to maltsupex it is sold over the counter in drug stores. You just mix it with your baby's milk. This worked on my son and when he was ok I used ocassionally as needed. Then you may want to check out your local health food store also. They have natural things you could use on your child too. God bless and just simply pray that always helps us with answers.

We've had some trouble with my little boy and constipation as well. He is 20 months now and whenever he has a little trouble, we go straight for prunes or raisins. Not the juice but the fruit. I cut up the prunes and only give hime 2 or 3 and I don't even need to give him a whole box of raisins. They seem to do the trick for us. Hope this helps! I know how frustrating it can be when your little one is in misery!

Make sure your baby gets plenty of water.You may also try a little Karo syrup in the water and formula. It's an old remedy but it worked for my children when they were babies.

My middle daughter is now 27, she also had a problemm with constipation as a child. We tried everything, but the one thing that worked for her was a tablespoon of olive oil each day. I mixed the olive oil in her juice, and she never acted like she knew it was there. It had no side effects and seemed to soften her stool as well as make it easier for her to pass her stool.

This can be a frustrating problem good luck.

Try giving her yogurt instead of milk. Cow's milk can be difficult for people, especially babies, to digest - the protein and fat molecules in it are much bigger than in human milk. Yougurt is already partially digested, plus the bacterial cultures in it will assist her little colon in maintaining the digestive bacteria she needs there. Laxatives can deplete intestinal flora.
The proteins and fat in goat's milk are similar to that in human milk. You could try giving her goat's milk. Most supermarkets and health food stores carry it, and if you live in or near Baton Rouge, there's a woman at the Farmer's Market who makes and sells feta cheese. She might be willing to sell you milk from her goats.

Constipation is not normal. It is very miserable for the person suffering, adult or child. First and foremost, it sounds like you may need another pediatrician. There are several causes of constipation. Is the child on any medications which may cause constipation? Decreased appetite and inactivity are also causes. The stool hardens when moisture is not present or leaches out of the GI tract. Also, if the musculature of the colon/rectum isn't strong enough to properly evacuate the stool, it can harden from sitting so long. A BM every 2-3 days is normal. A person does not have to have a BM daily, as some may think, we all have different cycles. But going past 2-3 days is a real problem. I am a registered nurse working in the hospice field for 10 yrs. I mainly deal with the elderly in the end stages of life, so this is a huge problem we deal with consistently. Pain meds, inactivity, lack of appetite, all play a role in constipation problems. A person should not have to use laxatives for a lifetime unless there is something seriously wrong with the GI system. Use of laxatives for prolonged periods, does promote the need for them. (Check the label instructions) I would first see a new pediatrician and request more extensive testing. Your child must be miserable, in pain, and very stressed, as well as the concern and worry you are experiencing. I hope this little bit of advice is helpful for you and your child. Good luck!!

Try getting some powdered greens (like Barlean's Greens) at a really good health store. You can mix some in milk or juice. It can work like a natural "laxative" while adding vitamins to her diet. I'd start with 1/8 tsp and increase to 1/4 as tolerated, up to 2x/day.

I'd also suggest taking her off of dairy. Instead, you can use almond milk. It's easier to digest and the vanilla flavor tastes great! Also, get her drinking water. You might also try eliminating wheat and see how that affects her. Eliminate processed foods as much as possible, too.

Good luck.

My son had constipation too, he is 4 yrs now, still he goes every other day. But when he was a baby I used to give him prunes, I think I used to grind them and give him, that really helped. Good luck

I have a 20 month old son and he was having some problems with constipation and I called my pediatrician and he suggested putting a tablespoon of karo syrup to every four ounces of juice, milk, or whatever he is drinking. He said it is a natural laxative. It really works. The first time we did this we used the karo syrup 2-3 times a day and tapered off as his poop softens. Now if I notice his poop becoming hard I just put some karo in his juice once a day for a couple of days and it softens up. Hope this works for you too. I know how awful it is to watch them be in pain as my son was a couple of times.

Even though her diet consists of milk and juice, those items may actually be contributing to her problem. We have several in our family who are lactose intolerant and constipation is one of the side effects. If you haven't already, try a lactose free milk and limit her juice to sugar free juices. Our son had such a problem with constipation and syrup helped a ton. We used to put a tablespoon in his bottles (1 or 2 a day) and then when he was able to eat, he liked pancakes w/syrup. The corn syrup acts as a natural laxative. Good luck ... I know it kills us when our children have any problem.

I have a suggestion to try son had this problem as well and yes she will eventually grow out of it and if not, the suggestion I have will not hurt either. Try allowing the child to eat plain Cheerios( no coating) as a snack--they are whole grain. Also let the child eat 1 bowl of regular popcorn (plain only with no other seasoning or coatings) every night and then allow the body to process it. The child should be able to stay regular. Don't let up on it--make sure she eats both every day---cereal in daytime and popcorn at night and see if that helps. This was recommended to me by my peds doctor and he still loves the snacks even to this day and he is now 13 years old!!

I have a 10-year old who use to have similar problems as a toddler. Although she wasn't always constipated, she would not produce but once every 3-5 days, then it would hurt, etc. When she was two, the doctor had us give her an over-the-counter stool softener daily(liguid). We did not like this, so my mother-in-law suggested we do prune juice. Now she eats dried prunes (Sunsweet is the brand). She is alot more regular. As long as she has a high fiber diet, she is fine. There are some foods that contribute to constipation, sugar (candy) being one of them. Find out what she eats in childcare, too. Lastly, make an appointment with a nutritionist. You're right to want to find answers, and not give her laxatives regularly. Pray for wisdom too!

Hi J. my daughter recently had been having this problem with her 14 month old.He had the same problem.He was recently taken off regular milk and placed on soy milk(he loves the vanilla flavored)it did the trick he goes regularly everyday with no problems.He was also taken off eggs and chocolate for 3 months.Dont know if you have tried any of this but thought I would share it with you.

Consider eliminating certain foods - one at a time - to see if one of them is the source of the constipation. My daughter was lactose intolerant. As soon as I switched her to Lactaid milk, her constipation went away. Constipation is a symptom of something else and is not normal if it continues this long.

Blessings,
D.

hello!we are going through the same thing right now.my daughter is 15months and boy have we had some hard times pooping.there are plenty times i sit and cry with her cause i know it is so painful.i feel so helpless most of the time.our ped. perscribed her some liquid medicine as well but it doesnt seem to be working.i was told about this other medicine called lactulose and they said it worked really good.maybe you would want to ask her doctor.i heard karo syrup was good as well.it didnt work on my daughter but not everybody is the same.good luck and i hope she gets better.

When my daughter was little she had trouble like that too but not as severe fortunately. Milk has been an aggitater to all four of my children in this area. I am definately not against milk, we love milk. I just think maybe you could try eliminating milk for a week or so and see what happens. I would eliminate milk and milk products for a week or so and then add them back gradually. I hope this helps you.

Dear J.,
My Name is L..I feel sorry for you having to go through this awful ordeal.It was about twenty yrs ago when my oldest son had a problem much like your daughter.We were so concerned for him and had to do some of the same things for him.The doctor that treated him said he had what is called a lazy colon.He told me to go get some Senakot to mix in his formula or juice.When I started using this it helped alot.I hope they still care this & it will help her.My prayers are with You & the baby.
God bless,
L. C.

I mADE HOMEMADE ORGANIC OATS AND RAISENS COOKIES AND CONTROL
THE SUGAR THE RAISENS IS ENOUGHT SUGAR. MY LITTLE GUY POOP
TWICE DAILY IT WAS AWESOME. nOW AT 3 I'M HAVING THIS PROBLEM
AGAIN CAUSE HE DOESN'T CARE FOR IT ANYMORE. ALSO I MADE
BEEFWITH BARLEY GREEN BEANS AND CARROTS IN THE OVEN IN A POT
BAKED TIL BARLEY WAS SOFT AND PUREE IT ALL. IT IS HIGH FIBER.
ALSO I MADE CHICKEN SOUP HOMEMADE WITH ORGANIC BROWN RICE. THAT IS NUTRITOIUS BEYOND AND HIGH FIBER. PLS DON'T GIVE
MEDICATION TRY THIS AND IT WILL WORK. LOTS OF WATER. WATCH
THE MILK AND DIARY TOO MUCH IS TROUBLE. WHEN STOOLS ARE HARD
TO PASS IT IS STTRETCHING HIS COLON AND NOT GOOD. PLS
LET ME KNOW. FROM A GOOD AND CARING MOM ALSO I GIVE GOATS
MILK EASY TO DIGEST. ALSO USE MULTIGRAIN PASTA OR SMART
WHITE ONE IF PREFERRED CAUSE IT HAS LOTS OF FIBER. BYE

J.,
You mentioned that she drinks milk, has she been checked to see if it could be a result of milk intollerance? Just a thought. Does she eat as much fiberous foods as possible during the day. Example: high fiber dry cereal for snacks, apple slices, raisins. It sounds as though you are doing the right thing in giving her the juices.
Good luck!

Not sure if you can give a baby yogurt, but my mom gives my brother(13yrs old), Activia. He has been having regular bowel movements since she has started giving it to him. He would always get constipated and scared to go to the bathroom. He was on myralax, and she said it was like it stopped working. This has been a 100% turn around compared to before.

Hello J.,

I noticed in you statement that you did not list water as a liquid that your little one drinks. If we, as adults are to drink 8 glasses a day, that's 64 ounces I think one or two glasses should be added to a toddler's intake. I am a grandmother of 2 little ones and I daily care for the 13 month old who has consipation when she comes back to me on Mondays and I give her water to drink in addition to the juice and milk and by later that day she is better. The same has happened with her 5 year old brother but increasing the water intake helps. Their mother doesn't care for water much and I think that makes a difference, too.

Sincerely,
G.

What about water? Milk doesn't really count as a liquid because it turns into a solid (similar to cottage cheese) as soon as it hits the stomach. Too much juice can be a real problem, adding huge amounts of high-fructose corn syrup if it isn't 100% juice, and just plain too much sugar (although in a better form) if it is pure.

Water is the way to go!

Hi J.. You had mentioned that your daughter drinks milk and juices. Maybe you should try replacing juice with water for awhile or if she's drinking whole milk to switch to 2% or add some water to the whole. I have a 1 year old son and he drinks whole milk and when he gets constipated I give him a sippy cup of water and for the next few drinks of milk I dilute it some. I hope this helps! You definitely don't want to have your child on laxatives her whole life!

Hello Jamie C,

What I have found that works, although usually not right away, is baby acidolphulus. Jarrow makes some just for kids and babies, and you can most likely find it at your closest health food store. If you put the directed amount in her juice or even sprinkle it on some bananas, whatever she likes, it will help to regulate her digestive system. Also, make sure she is getting enough water.
Especially if children have been on antibiotics, it is important to give them acidolphulus after they have finished up their round of medicine, because antibiotics depletes their digestive track of important flora, which helps them to have normal bowel movements and a strong immune system. Furthermore, antibiotics can also make kids/adults susceptible to yeast infections due to lack of the beneficial bacteria that keeps yeast in check. Hope this is helpful to you.

Hey,
When you find something that works, please let me know too. I have a 13 month old that has been on miralax for about 4 months now, and it too has slowed down on helping with his constipation. And I hate to have to "dope" up his milk every morning just so he can use the bathroom. We have had to go as far as put him in warm water so the poop could ease its way out (yuck!) He has rock-turds too... Good luck!

How much water does she drink? You might need to increase her water consumption. Also, try putting Karo syrup in her water and milk.

My son had problems with constipation when he was a baby and we put Karo syrup in his bottle and increased his water consumption. Worked for him.

When my son was constipated as an infant we were told to put a tbs of Karo syrup in his bottle - maybe you can add that to his milk? I am not sure if it works for older babies or not. Good luck!

There are several other people that have mentioned this but I can not tell you how important it is to avoid being on a laxative long term and find a more natural solution.

Add fiber to your childs diet first of all, you can purchase ground flaxseeds at almost any store and you can mix it with pancake mix or with yogurt or anything you bake. This will also give your child some Omega 3's.

Next... plenty of water! Roughly about half your baby's body weight.

Third.. limit dairy products.

Fourth and very import is to get your child on some probiotics which you can get from a health foos store, Natren makes a good one or yogurt with active cultures, preferably just plain full fat yogurt.

Well I am an older Mother with grands and soon to be great grands so you may not want to hear an old remedy but it really did always work. We always put a tablespoon of the clear colored Karo syrup in our babys warm milk.
Try it . It will not hurt anything it is just syrup that you eat not a medicine.
Fran B

I have be in your daughter shoes most of my life. Here are a few things that have help me, orange juice with each breakfast, a breakfast of prune juice and some type of high fiber cereal Al Brain. But the best thing is lately I have started eating wheat anytime I have bread of any kind. Also mom always give me Castor oil when he get so bad nothing else help. I have be health all my life, so I would not worry about that.

My 2 year old also had major problems and still today poops in pebbles. We tried Karo Syrup and grapes. Of course not together. We would add the syrup to his juice or milk and cut up a bunch of grapes that he would devour. Always seemed to work for me.

My son had problems also, we did mineral oil, in his drinks, and also an old home remedy that does work is a ivory soap enema, you get a plain bar of ivory soap and widlle it down to fit in her little bottom hole, and dip it in warm water, and insert in her bottom, and she should go right then and there, have her on a towl to catch it. and another thing in warm lemon water, take warm water and put some concentrated lemon juice in that will take a few hours but it has always worked with me.
Hopefully this will help you

I have heard that there is medication that you can put them on. But it's a perscription. Concerning your pediatrician I would get a second opinion, possibly another pediatrician because anyone who can say that they can deal with it for the rest of their life is too callous to care for a child.

HI, My name is N. Scott
I am a colon hydrotherapist and I have help children as well as adults with constipation.
Please check out this site-colonic.net It is full of great info. I prefer to talk on the phone
so please call my office at ###-###-####. I feel like I can help your little one. No one
should have to live taking laxatives. Hope to hear from you.

In Peace,
N. Scott

I'm new to this site and not really sure how it works...I'm not sure if you're in the central Arkansas area or not but there is a gastro pediatric doctor in North Little Rock who specializes in things such as this. His name is Fiedorek and he's great!

hi i am bev from south africa i am sure a half a teaspoon of honey in her milk should help or otherwise try some prune juice it is also a good natural laxative.
i sure hope it will help and may God's Hand be upon you and baby ok . feel free to e mail me at ____@____.com
i will always be availabe for some suggestions and help if needed and i can be able to do so. many thanks for your time
bev....my nick name is pinkels if you want to call me that it is ok with me .
love bev from south africa.
about me.
I am a white 53 year old granny of 4 married and has 2 married daughters 1 grand daughter and 3 grand sons i am a christian and is very out going loves to be able to have fun and enjoys laughter.

Try lots and lots of water. Also continue plenty fruits, vegetables.

try cooking with benefil a fiber that can be put into food and the whole family can have it. For her alone mix some stool softner gel in a treat for her and also give her a treat with lots of fiber in it.I deal with chronic constipation and i find pickles and juice help me, I hope this helps.

copied from a dr review-
Though it's uncommon, constipation can be caused by an underlying medical condition such as hypothyroidism, some metabolic disorders, some food allergies and botulism. If your baby passes hard, painful stools, you'll want her doctor to check her out, just to make sure.

could be the milk. She needs the calcium but i would search for alternatives.
I would put her on a bland diet(like BRAT) w/ lots of water and no dairy or sugars(like gatorade and juice). Then each week add an item and see if it makes a difference. This is similar to how they determine food allergies. Not saying she has an allergy, but something is not setting well w/ her.
Or i would ask for another ped. Be very vocal in your concerns. You don't want her on meds the rest of her life and that does not fix the issue, it just covers it up.

I'm not sure if it will help you, but my infant had constipation problems and we were told to add Light Karo Syrup to his milk, 1 teaspoon, twice a day. You might have to add a little more because yours is a bit older than mine, but is cheap and worth a try....

My daughter used to be constipated....my first recommendation would be to listen to your "gut". Moms usually know their kids....Here is what I did...and it worked. Mashed avacado is a good stool softener...it has natural oils and is good for your kids! Also, we no longer drink milk. This was a biggie and solved all kinds of problems! Soy milk is good...and after all the pasteurization, there is not alot of calcuim ( unless it's added) left in the milk. There are other ways to get calcium. If there is a homeopathic dr in your area, it is good to get advice from both places. For me, the natural worked better. Do you REALLY believe it's okay for your daughter to be on laxatives the rest of her life?!?!
All the best!

You never did mention if you tried dark Karo syrup. A couple of drops in your child's milk should help looosen the stool. Also, if your child is on whole milk, she may have an intolerance to the whole part of it. Ask your doctor to switch to 2%. Don't do this all at once. Try different things for at least 2-3 weeks at a time. Take it from a mom who is a pro at this. My son is now 17 but we battled this until he was 5. I am now a nurse, and learned things the hard way. Baby steps on patience. I know it is hard to watch your child go through all of the straining. I've been there, and I have pictures. Good luck

Hi J.. I have seen this in other children, and I would highly suggest cutting out the cow's milk. It may take a couple of weeks to see the change, but I think it's likely that you may see one! Good luck!

OUR SOLUTION: Years ago, we had a similar problem with my son - we found Senokot - a natural laxative that I felt more comfortable giving him on a daily basis until we could regulate with diet, etc. Hope with all of the responses you have found something to work in your situation! I remember being at the point of "I will try anything!" We were happy to find a more natural solution. Good luck

Dairy products are constipating. Concord grape juice helps. Smaller portions at meals helps. Extra water is necessary to prevent constipation. Take her to the bathroom at least 3 times a day, she may not sense the urge to have a bowel movement and when it remains in the colon too long, the water is pulled back into the circulation leaving it hard.

Smart momma for knowing that it is NOT alright for a child to live on laxatives. There are a number of things that could be contributing to your daughter's constipation. Has she been on antibiotics? Antibiotics can destroy the good bacteria in the intestinal tract as well as the bad bacteria causing an infection. You can reintroduce the good bacteria by giving her a children's acidophilus. This can be found in liquid form in most health food stores. It is also found in yogurt that "contains active yogurt cultures". This may be the easiest way to get it into her unless she is lactose intolerant. How much fluid does she drink daily? Not getting enough fluid can also contribute to constipation. You said she drinks milk. Dairy is at the top of the list for food allergies. You might try taking her off of all dairy for a week then slowly reintroducing milk and other dairy items (yogurt, cheese) one at a time to see what results you get. Meanwhile, you could substitute soy, rice or almond milk for cow's milk.

Another suggestion is to have her checked out by a trusted Chiropractor. Yes, an adjustment (or several) CAN make a very big difference in her bowel habits.

Another thing that comes to mind when someone has chronic constipation or diarrhea is an issue of malabsorption. If for any reason, the body is not properly absorbing the nutrients from the food she eats, even the most perfect diet won't be good enough. You can google malabsorption syndrome for more detailed info than I can give you here or read about it along with dietary recommendations in a book called Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch and Balch.

I pray you find the source of your baby's constipation and how to treat it soon. Hope some of this helps.

Blessings, E. T

Hi. I have not personally experienced this, but my brother and sister-in-law had this problem with my nephew when he was an infant. He has been freed from it for awhile now and he just turned a year old. They did all the same things you are doing, the only difference is he was only a few months old. They finally found something that worked and cured him for good. My sister-in-law had been going to the chiropractor for a long time for back problems and her chiropractor told her if she could bring in Tatum(my nephew) for just one month that he could fix the problem. They were nervous about taking such a small baby to the chiropractor, but this doctor attends church with them and they really trusted him, so they took him. He had not had a bowel movement in a week and after the chiroprator finished the very first visit, Tatum had THREE bowel movments before they even got home. So they took him for a month and he has not had trouble since. I hope this helps, because my sister, who is nine years younger than I am, had this problem also when she was little, and my parents tried EVERYTHING, but unfortunantly that was 12 years ago and they just had to deal with it. It was horrible. I think it went on til she was 6 or 7. But I hope all goes well. My daughter just turned two and I couldnt imagine having to deal with that. Good luck!

Hello J.

I had the same problem w/ my little girl and her pedi. said they same thing that she was fine and would grow out of it. Right before she was 2 I changed pedi. After talking to her new dr. about the problems she ran some test and one thing would lead to another. The reason why I changed dr. was because everytime I talked to the dr. about something w/ her he would just say she's fine and she'll grow out of it. We tried everything form karo to glycerin supp. to pure juice and nothng help really but the glycerin supp. but I was doing them every other day just to help her. Her new dr. sent her to a specalist how put on this medi. that help my little girl really really. Now she hasn't had the problem in a while but everytime she does I give it to her and she's fine again. Well I hope everything works out for you and your little one.

My daughter has not had constipation her whole life, but once i started her on regular milk, she had very bad problems. I switched her to soy milk. She loves it and i get the kind with fiber and we have not had a problem since. I hope you will find answer to your problem soon. It can be very frustrating to see your baby going through pain to have a bowel movement, and there is nothing you can do!!

My child is 11 years old and has had the same problem since she was 3 years old. We went to a specialist and she said that she needed a very high fiber diet. She must have at least 25 grams of fiber per day. She is also on Miralax and I've added Benefiber as well. I have switched her foods to higher fiber foods. I buy high fiber bread, tortillas and other foods to help. I have reduced her dairy (milk and cheese) to only 8oz per day. This is a very common problem in children. If you can get it under control before your child starts potty training, it will make that process easier. I didn't and it took much longer to potty train my daugther. They also said that bed wetting is connected to this problem. Don't panic, because there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Im not sure if I have any answers for you but share your frustration. My daughter who is now 9 has had constipation since birth. We have made several trips to the dr with stomach pains just too find out her intestines are full of poop. We get the same response "use myralax, mineral oil, high fiber diet". The also keep telling me that she may hold her poo for days because it hurts to pass it. This is not the case, since she has had it since birth and she is old enough now to tell me she doesn't hold it. Another sign that I see which im not sure if it's related or not, but she has dark circles around her eyes all the time. Im not sure where to go from now but something has to be done. The last few times she has gone to the bathroom has resulted with blood in her poo from her strain to pass it. We thought she had torn her rectum but after checking it it had not. Im quite curious to reading any other's remedies to this problem as well.

My daughter had the same problem when she was around 1 year old. Pureed peaches and apricots let her go more often and now we feed her oatmeal and strawberries regularly and she hasn't had a problem since. I still give her whole milk and cheese, but the key is to balance her diet. I looked on the internet for other ideas and which foods hold more fiber. Hope this helps and good luck. Hugs to you, I know how tough it can be.

I used the yogurt Activia for my son. It worked and it is safe to give him every day! I wouldn't want to do laxatives every day....I am not a Dr, but that doesn't seem right. Hope this helps!

My son had this very same problem at age 2 months to about 6 months. I had to put milk of maganesie in his bottle every day. If I missed a dose he would go a few days before he would go again. I was very worried, my doctor did an x-ray of his tummy and everything was normal. The good news is he finally became pretty regular on his own just like the doctor said. I still find myself making sure he has had a bowel movement for that day. And on occassion he will skip on day or so and rarely has more than one bowel movement a day. He is 13 months old now and healthy. So hopeful let the medicine do its work. My doctor told me to keep giving it to him everyday until he becomes regular it may take awhile but hopefully as with my little guy it will work itself out in time. I hope this helps a little bit, I know its not a solid fix to your problem. Good luck and God bless.

My son had severe constipation from birth until about age 3. He still has bowel problems but nothing like the constipation. I took him to the Ped. several times, they gave him barium to get a look at his colon. The doctor suspected he could have Hirshsprung (spelling?) disease. We saw a GI at Children's and they said he would grow out of it or have it forever. He was on Latulose (a MILD laxative) at 7 months until age 3. The doctor did state that Latulose was safe because it didn't have the addictive qualities of an actual laxative. So you may want to be wary of the laxative route because the body can become dependent on it in order to use the bathroom. Good luck!

Hi, I have heard of parents having success with this issue by having a chiropractor adjust their child. It has something to do with pinched nerves(??). Worth a try!
Good luck,
L.