I Need a Healthier Way to Help My Daughter with Her Constipation.

I use Florify; it comes in capsule form, but maybe you could mix it in her food. Miralax is also good, but I don't know if it is recommended for kids. Good luck!

Try prunes and/or prune juice. Something I learned from my grandmother for my oldest son was that if you take prune juice and heat it just slightly so that it is warm, it works like magic. I don't know why it does, but it does. It helped my son wonderfully!

My daughter responds well to applesauce, apple juice and lots of water.
I've also found certain foods will cause constipation with her so she only eats a limited amount of those.
Mainly peanut butter and bananas. Actually, when she gets diarrhea I will give her bananas and it does wonders. The greener the better.

Best of luck to you!

Pears, pear juice, prunes, prune juice,lots of plain old water, whole grain bread, bran cereal, cauliflower and green beans are all good for constipation. Another tip is to keep the skins on fruit and puree it into a smoothie as the skins are good fiber. Good luck, I hope this helps a little!

Our pediatrician told us to use pear juice daily.

My daughter would have the same problem. The best thing that worked, was to feed her pears and pear juice.

Good Luck

We gave our son watered down prune juice and that helped.

My daughter had the same problem. Here's what we did that worked great: any fruit with a pit will help a lot; I put a splash of prune juice in her other drinks a couple of times a day - no more; when she was still taking a bottle (only til she was one), the pediatrician recommended putting caro syrup in the milk - worked great! Good luck.

A little bit of baby food or pureed prunes mixed with applesauce. My son has the same problem and he loves this combo. Also a little prune juice with apple juice goes a long way as well. My neice has a similar problem too and she eats orange essence prunes every day. I've tried them and they are quite good!

My son, although he was much older, and my BF son, he was 2, had to be on Miralax. It goes in the drink and isn't really supposed to have a taste to it. It did the trick. Talk to your dr!
Good luck and God bless!

I find fruit works better than veggies , plums , prunes , grapes all work well , cereals like bran flakes or All bran are high in fibre so would work well , make sure she has a good amount of water every day and as that can become boring to a child and they do like some juice aswell try some prune juice.

Hope this helps

Prunes & raisins are good sources & will help with getting her to move her bowels. If she likes oatmeal, you can add them to that (they're naturally sweet!). Also, I'm not sure if it's just me & my son, but carrots go through us pretty good. It's even more "effective" when we drink freshly made/juiced carrot juice. Hope things continue to get better!

Miralax works quickly and is great. It mixes in with drinks without any taste or texture. My son had cronic constipation and it has truly helped.

fiber gummies.
they are made by fleet. they look like gummy vitamins. they're a bit pricey, i think i paid $6/bottle, but it's a big bottle. you can find them in the drugstore with the kiddie stool softeners/enemas.
make sure she drinks a lot with them (or any kind of fiber), or the fiber will set up like concrete.
a friend of mine also found benefiber (powder) in little packets. you can put it in anything, and there is no taste.

Good Morning T.,

My 2 year old daughter had the same problem. I used to give her Karo Syrup. I used to mixed half of a teaspoon with milk or juice, and then give it to her. she will drink it with no problem. Dot not use to much. You can probably use it twice per week, and you will see the results right away. (Karo Syrup are sold in every grocery store)I also used to give her prunes juice or prunes baby food and papaya (fruit). Give her lots of water. That works too. Also, Strawberry shake works really well, my daughter enjoys drinking the shake (in a blender mix straberries, milk, crush ice (a little bit) and sugar.

I hope this will work for her. take care.

I actually saw something about this on the program "the Doctors" and the pediatrician said that some parents don't realize that their child can't handle fiber rich foods. My son doesn't have a problem with broccoli or apples but the ped said that sometimes even the healthy foods ( like broccoli and apples even bananas) can cause constipation. See if her diet includes a lot of fiber rich foods and switch to foods that are lower in fiber such as Pb & J sandwiches, soups,and whatever else she will eat.

Also, as others have posted, you need to make sure she is getting adequate amounts of liquid in her diet as well. Juices are good and so is water. I agree with another post that dairy may be an issue. Dairy can really gum up the works for most children and adults.

Also you may want to see if you can find a good probiotic in powder form to add to her juices so it will help the good flora in her gut.

I also agree with not trying to potty train until the consitpation is gone. Some children become constipated as a way of controlling their environment. It is seen a lot with children being potty trained as a way to assert their control over something they can actually control in their lives.

See if she is having any of these issues and if you are giving her low fiber foods, lots of fluids and cut out the dairy, as well as look at the emotional reasons she may be constipated, I would seek a professionals help in the gastro field.

Good luck and I hope things work themselves out soon. It must be very heartbreaking seeing your child in pain just to perform an everyday task.

An excellent source of fiber is FiberOne anything...we love the cereal for breakfast (most of them have 8 grams or more of fiber per serving and they are yummy!). I give it to my kids with soy milk because I believe the dairy in cow's milk also contributed to the constipation - some people are lactose intolerant....I also have a large glass of apple juice daily that helps me since I have to take iron pills for my anemia....it helps a lot!! Good luck. :)

My daughter has the exact same problem - she's 8 now. She eats Metamucil fiber crackers as a snack once a day, in addition to a diet very high in fresh fruits and vegetables (not canned with lots of extra sugar), and low in dairy products. When we stick to this, she can go to the bathroom regularly and feels (and incidentally, looks) better, as well.

We've also used Miralax with her before, but don't need to now that we have made sure that her diet is so healthy.

High fiber foods include whole grains, veggies, fruits. Just remember- You have to increase your water when you increase your fiber- or you get bound up even more- which is miserable!!
Although I don't know of any natural recipies or smoothies specifically for constipation, I do know of naturopathic MD's that specialize in this... I was very skeptical at first, b/c I am a nurse and I work with "normal" medical doctors every day. But, at a conference, I met a naturopathic doctor (ND) and they go through the same school as MD's, they just don't complete a residency (if i remember correctly)- but that is just because the state doesn't pay for them to. The students would have to pay out of pocket.
These doctors specialize in natural ways to get your body to do it's everyday things with out medicine. They work at getting people's bodies into a natural routine, with the emphasis being on health, not disease. And just like regular doctors, they have specialties in pediatrics, internal medicine, diabetes, dermatology, women's health, etc. Most work with medical doctors and pediatricians to produce the best outcomes.
Depending on your state, insurance may or may not pay for it. If not, it would cost about the same as going to a counselor or a therapist.
It may be an option if you are having trouble finding a natural route.

We have done well with Karo syrup, prune juice and fig newton cookies (not all at the same time). Also, lots of water. Some one told me to have him drink a glass of water before he went, and I was amazed at how well that worked.

We had the same problem with our now 10 year old, and from 3-8 we tried EVERYTHING, including daily stool softeners and TONS of fiber added to everything.

After visiting a homeopathic MD (for our youngest daughter, for other health issues) we discovered our older daughter has an intolerance to dairy, and also needed probiotics. Now, we give her probiotics daily (a powder I add to a bit of ice cream, so she doesn't fuss too much), and limit the dairy (especially cheese) and she has absolutely no problem. However if we don't give her the probiotic and/or have too much cheese/dairy one day, she gets constipated again.

I highly suggest trying to figure out WHY the constipation is happening, and a homeopathic doctor can definitely help with that. If you're near the Fairfax VA area, I highly recommend Dr. Margaret Gennaro (www.neckbackandbeyond.com). She has really helped all of us.

I also read some "guilt" in your email (I could be wrong). I blamed myself for my daughter's gastro difficulties, thinking if I just made her eat more fruits and veggies, or drink more water, she'd be fine. In her case her body needed probiotics (natural bacteria that helps digest and process the foods) and even if she'd had a perfect diet she still would have had issues. (and what child has a perfect diet? none!) So if you're feeling guilty, don't. It's nothing you, or your child did.

Feel free to mail me if you have any questions. Good luck!

L., mom to 2 girls, 10 and 4.

Unfortunately diet doesn't have seemed to help my son at all. He gets tons of fiber and lots of fruits and veggies and drinks lots of water. He's also been constipated since about 1 1/2 or 2 years old. His Dr. prescribed Miralax. He has been on it for a while and it works great. My son's problem is that he will hold for so long that he causes his own constipation cause he's afraid it will hurt and that only makes the constipation worse. He was the same when he was younger. The Miralax according to his Dr. is non-habit forming too. Good luck.

I would talk to your pediatrician about using a fiber drink (metamucil, benefiber) in a small amount. Also, how about dried fruit? My son loves dried figs, and they have a ton of fiber and work like raisins or prunes for relieving constipation.

I have two girls who have never suffered a day from constipation. I give a lot of credit to beans. We give them straight from the can, just rinsing them well to remove some of the sodium. My girls like all kinds of beans: black, red, garbanzo (chick pea) and eat them nearly every day. The problem is that some people don't digest beans well (that has never been a problem for either kid).

Also, you might want to avoid too much cheese and and white bread products, which both appear to cause constipation.

It sounds like she's not crazy about vegetables, but if she likes fruit, let her eat a lot (except bananas). The fiber and water in most fruits will help.

Hope these suggestions are helpful.

Has the doctor told you why she is so constipated? I think the best thing would be to get to the root of the problem. My daughter had an issue with milk protein that made it almost impossible for her to go. We had to stop giving her dairy. You should probably check for any food allergies. How much water do you give her? Whenver I don't get a good bit of water things don't go as well lol. Same for my children. If you have a problem with getting her to eat veggies, they do make a gummy bear fiber supplement for kids. I know they sell it at Target. Green leafy vegetables tend to have a mild flavor that can easily be masked in a fruit smoothie. It sounds gross but you really can't tell. Good luck!

Give her raw apple juice. Also as you retrain her gut to work and not rely on stimulants cut out sweets, ice cream, red meat and grains during that period. Once her gut starts working those things will be ok.
Stool softners are addictive even though they say not. If her gut is "lazy" from stimulants it will not move fiber.

I have only glanced at the posts. Stool softeners are not the same as laxatives. They are safe to use under a doctor's supervision.

My grandson had chronic constipation as a baby and a toddler. His pediatrician prescribed Miralax which can now be purchased OTC. It is a natural product that draws water into the bowel which then softens the stool. Another product that works in this way is psyllium seed which can be purchased under several different brand names. This product thickens the liquid or food in which it's stirred. Another natural product is Benefiber, made from Guar Gum. It does not thicken whatever it's stirred into and has no flavor.

You can stir Benefiber into anything that's a semi-liquid or a liquid. A smoothie drink would be a perfect place to use it. You can "hide" veggies in many recipes. There is a cookbook titled Deceptively Delicious that many high fiber recipes. Ordinary foods with veggies hidden inside. One cannot taste the veggies.

It may be that your daughter's digestive tract is immature and needs this extra help. It may also be that she isn't drinking enough fluids or eating enough fiber. You can give her prune juice, prunes, apple juice, pear juice, and fruits as well as veggies. High fiber crackers, whole grained products to include bread and pasta. Be sure to read the label on grain products. Some do not have much more fiber than their "white" counterparts.

Avoid dairy products, especially cheese. It's constipating. So are bananas constipating.

My grandson was constipated all thru his toddler years. His stools were frequently so hard that he could not pass them without a whole lot of pain. Bless his heart, he always tried to pass them. By the time he was 5 his stools were soft enough to pass without pain but at 6 he still has some difficulty some of the time most likely because he refuses to drink water and is a picky eater combined with his individual bodily make up.

we had the same issues and used miralax for a long time, which I wanted to get my son off of, and he hasn't used it now in over a year (he's 3). I have been so happy not to be handling this chemically! :)

you have heard enough about prunes and other foods to include, so I just wanted to highlight stuff to avoid: reduce her dairy intake, especially cheese and milk; no applesauce (though apples are fine if she will eat the skin as well) and no bananas; avoid white starches, including white bread, rice, cereals, etc., but eat plenty of whole grains like whole wheat bread, brown rice, and sugar-free whole grain cereals (but read the labels and watch out for too much sodium, which is bad in general, but can also dehydrate her, which contributes to constipation); watch sugar and other stimulants, especially b/c you want to push the fruits hard, which have a lot of natural sugar in them anyway. avoid juices, and/or use only whole, raw juices and water them down. and push the water.

of course, you have to balance all of this with still needing to maintain a higher fat content than an adult would want, so don't skimp on high-fat (non-saturated) foods like avocado, olive oil (but avoid olives, they can constipate), peanut and other nut butters, hummus (with whole wheat pita!) -- these offer digestive benefits as well as keeping her healthy fats up. it's hard to balance b/c you want to hit her system with a lot of fluids and a lot of fiber, but you still need to keep an eye on her overall diet. keep at it, and you will get the hang of it, and you won't need to use artificial stool softeners.

one final thought: as you're going through this, don't try to potty train her until the constipation issues are essentially resolved and she's not struggling to poop and you're not struggling to balance her diet. there are some seriously undue pressures that you will be putting on her and her system if you head down that path at this inopportune time.... not the least of which is, if you give her, say, a bit more prune juice than usual one day, it will act as a laxative, and she will almost certainly be incapable of controlling her bowel, so don't put her (or you!) in that position. also, if she's struggling to poop and the poops hurt, then she can end up withholding, which worsens the constipation and makes it harder for her in general, which is part of why right now you want to err on the side of too much fiber and too-runny poops, which are much harder for her to control. so I'd worry about potty training later (just in case you were thinking about it!). just my two cents.

good luck!

two words.. fig newtons
or dr pepper
either one will get things moving, if you know what i mean
K. h.
brand new mommie

we use Fiber Gummies by pedialax. It's the only thing he hasn't refused.