Infant with Constipation

Try Miralax. Start with 1 tbls. a day. You may have to decrease once he starts going regularly. 1 Tbls. may be too much on a reg basis but it is good to start things moving. I give my daughter 2 tsp. per day. Her pediatrician said it was fine to keep her on it. Hope this helps.

watch out for bananas. That was what caused problems with my son. I, myself, have never had BM issues so I was unaware when I started feeding him baby food that bananas were a major constipating food. So after that, I just avoided bananas all together with him.

T., I'd definitely recommend Miralax. I think yy almost 10 year old was born constipated and after over a year of pediatricians telling me he was "just a little constipated" (he was breast fed at first and when started solids ate a very fibrous diet) I took him to a pediatric gastroenterologist (sp?) who put him on Miralax (then a prescription med). He said over the counter meds were too harsh. He was on it for about 2 years and finally outgrew his daily need for it but we keep it stocked for occasional use.

Well this definitely needs addressed immediately. The longer he has difficulty and has to strain the more susceptible he is to damaging his lower sphincter. Once it is damaged it could take years to restore, if at all. My son's was not healed up until he was 11 years old.

As for the Apples and Pear juice. This is the best natural laxative IF it's all natural. What is over the counter will NOT work. They apples and pears actually have to be juiced every night in a juicer. My son went through so much medication that when it was time for a meal he couldn't eat. He was too full with medicine.

I tried juicing 2 apples and a pear mixed every night and immediately had to stop all medications because then we had a reversed problem, diarrhea. The juice mix worked wonders! And the fruits can't be given separately. In order to work the juice has to be a 2:1 ratio of apples/pears.

Have you taken him to a gastroenterologist to make sure there is no blockage or that his spincter isn't already damaged? If not it would be a good idea to start there.

Although over-the-counter laxatives, suppositories, enemas,etc. work to help aleviate his current status, the bowel can become dependant upon them. Therefore it is not safe for longterm. Otherwise when you stop them he will be back to having constipation.

If he is impacted and needs immediate relief our pediatrician gave us a recipe for a natural enema that works wonders. It's not so harsh on the body. Just buy an enema syringe bulb at the local pharmacy. Then in a cup mix milk and black molasses, warm it up slightly (just for comfort), put it in the syringe and administer like you would a store bought enema. I think the mix is 1 cup milk to 1/3 cup molasses. Since it's all natural it won't harm the child if you add a little more molasses.

If your child is still on the bottle mixing water and black molasses will actually be a treat to him. Plus it's an all natural laxative. A bottle of water and a tsp. to tblsp. of black molasses is the mix. Just add the molasses to taste, yet enough to work.

God Bless~

If you have a juicer, make a carrot and apple cocktail (3-4 carrots and 1 small apple). Make sure to dilute it about 75%water/25%juice because fresh juice is too potent for his little body. It should help to unbind him and there should be enough for you too. Just make sure you don't drink it too quickly, just sip it. It is very potent. Your son can drink it though because it is so diluted. Anything left after 24 hours will need to be dumped because it loses it effectiveness and it doesn't have perservatives. Also try limiting cheese and other binding foods. Hope it works for ya! :)

I used Karo Syrup for my lil guy.Just put a little in his juice or milk.About a teaspoon for every 2-3 ounces.It has a lot of sugar in it but it really helps things move along.Hope it helps:)

Miralax every day will fix it. Put it in the bottles. You could start with a tsp per day and increase or decrease as needed.....

My child does the same exact thing. They say she is too busy to go and holds it till it is hard and nearly impacted. I don't know what the deal is but I do know that they told us to give her Mirilax every day. She won't drink it now that it is not in a bottle. I have put chocolate xlax in chocolate candy and that doesn't seem to make her move. We got some pedialax in candy type form and she doesn't like that but I have to threaten her with that.
When she does go, it literally rips her skin. No hemmeroids yet but it wouldn't surprise me if she got them.
We also tried apple and pear and she drinks constantly, so all of that is not a factor.
Other than what I have mentioned above, I haven't a clue. If you find something that works, I would be interested in your secret also.
good luck

Miralax is a good medication that can be mixed with any juice, even water, it truly has no taste. I have used it myself but it was prescribed for my daughter. Initially, she took it every day and after 3 days her bowel movements began to get easier. It is not habit forming. M.

OK- You've gotten alot of conflicting info here!

Here is my experience - also with my first, so I felt CLUELESS! He started resisting foods at a year old - didn't like "chunks" of anything in his food. He mainly started only liking his milk (switched from breastmilk/formula to whole milk at a year, but he would only drink it with Ovaltine mixed in and warmed! LOL!), he loved CHEESE, and all other dairy products. He liked only a few fruits, and even fewer veggies. He started the constipation around a year or so - SCREAMING in pain after 3-4 days of not having a BM. I tried all kinds of stuff - although not as many as have been suggested here! {I wish Mamasource had been around 10-12 years ago!} Part of our problem, other than all the dairy he ate, ended up being too much iron! He also loved meats and I gave him vitamin drops in his milk, that had ADDED IRON! Duh! So between those two things, his body became accustomed to the constipation and he associated BMs with PAIN, so he would hold it in! I had to help him out with Qtips several times! Suppositories usually just came right back out w/o helping. We also used some kind of children's laxative that was OTC at the time (Senokot maybe?) but I didn't like programming his body to only poop with drugs!

When he was 4, and at the end of a painful BM (which happened less and less by then, but still happened!), he actually pushed OUT his rectum - the doctor called it prolapsing... I totally freaked! I had to push it back inside of him - horrible for both of us - but mainly me, it ended up not hurting him that much, but he had a constant feeling that he had to go poop for a few days aferward. Since then, we've managed to find a few veggies and fruits he will eat. When he was 5 or 6, my MIL introduced him to fresh Spinach leaves in salad, as he would not eat the white or light green lettuce I'd always had in my salads. I was never much of a spinach eater, but started mixing it into salads for his sake. He is 12 now and still picky, but goes to the bathroom almost every day, and most of it I think is due to his daily does of Frosted Mini-Wheats! He tried several high fiber cereals - we could even give him All Bran for a while as long as there were bananas or berries in it. Awful to me! And he stopped liking it so much, but has always loved the Shredded Wheats.

Hang in there, and try whatever you feel will work for him. Some of these suggestions have TONS of sugar, which always makes things worse, and yogurt, even if it does have probiotics, is DAIRY and is used to help with diarrhea, not constipation. Plus the sugar content...

Another note - my second son had the complete OPPOSITE problem - 7-8 runny dirty diapers a day!!!! Toddler diarrhea with him! He ate everything under the sun!!!

Hope you and your son find some relief soon!
A.

I would try grapes or fig newtons any fruit mashed up peaches raisens. Good luck

My daughter had the same issue a around 9 mos so my pediatrician told me to give her Miralax. Place a lid full (= to 17g) in an 8 oz juice bottle and give him 2 ounces a day. Now that she's a year and a half it's not so bad but I do, on occassion, give her one of her small spoonfuls of Benefiber in with her juice or milk. Both work well. However, make sure to consult your doctor first.

T.,

Brown sugar water. My mom used it, my sister used it, and I used it. I reccomend it to all my friends with little ones that are constipated. If he is 11 months old, use 1 tablespoon brn sugar in a cup of warm water. Let him drink it, my boys bowels would move easily in 10 mins. after drinking it. My youngest, who is now 4, had a delayed spincter and had trouble moving his bowels from about 3 weeks old. brown sugar water worked like a charm.

Dear T.,
What does the pediatrician recommend??
Personally, I'd ditch the apple juice and try to feed him oat cereal if he's ready, which at 11 months he'd probably be fine with it. Also try peaches instead of the pears, peas, keep giving him the prunes, and make sure he's drinking water.
Poor little fellow, if you have already consulted your pediatrician and what they said isn't working, call them and let them know what's going on. If they don't respond to the problem, get a second opinion and fast. Don't make the baby suffer any longer. There are remedies, and it's not good to let it go too long.

Hi T.--I can relate to your problem as we have experienced the same situation with our son since his birth and the doctors have advised the use of Miralax (since it's been over-the-counter) to keep him regular. We are still using it and he is four years old now. I hope your little guy will grow out of it, but I would encourage you to check with your pediatrician and make sure that Miralax is okay at his age. Don't be afraid to use it on a long-term basis. I have tried everything because I didn't want him to have to have a laxative to 'eliminate', but thus far it's the only thing that has worked--and we've tried it all! Now we're going to the chiropractor hoping it will help. It is gut-wrenching sometimes knowing how bad it hurts them to do something that should be so simple and my heart goes out to you. Best of luck!

Hey T.,
My son had colic really bad, when he was a newborn infant, for a few months, and what I did was give him PediaSure. You can find it in a Walmart, usually around the baby food and such. It helped him not get dehydrated while having colic,but with constipation problems, um let me see. Have you tried giving him some water?? Water never seemed to hurt anyone, including children, and water always seemed to help flush out the intestines. You can try flavored water and such to try it out if you want. It never hurts to try different things out, and you never know anything works until you try it once.
Well, just email me back and let me know how that idea works, and if it doesn't, I will try to think of something else for you.
M.

Been there and done that. From what you have mentioned that you do feed him, you have not mentioned feeding him whole grains with fiber. The best cereal that I have found that children will eat with a lot of fiber in it is Shredded Wheat. My boys love it!!! My 13 year old is still eating and loving it. Try to get him to eat some dark leafy salad greens as well. A little harder to get them to eat that though. My 5 year old will eat it, but not my 13 year old. Hope it help sweety. Hang in there - it does get better.

Hi T., my little boy is 8 and I have a little bit of experience with this issue from a couple of different perspectives. I helped to home-school a child who was about nine and was so traumatized by a similar problem in his infant-hood that he would not use the toilet, and was still wearing diapers. I would suggest that you start out by eliminating the juice altogether. I think that juice has way too much sugar and not enough fiber to help with this problem. It would be better for him to just eat the fruit. Also eliminate any white flour foods because that stuff just turns to paste in his intestines and blocks everything up. I know a lot of people eat pasta and crackers and pretzels etc. with no problems, but if you are already struggling with constipation they are better avoided. In the immediate I would try giving him a suppository and get him to take a couple of tablespoons of some oil, it can be codliver oil, probably better to avoid mineral oil, but even olive oil on a preferably empty stomach just to get things softened up and moving along. Then make sure he gets lots of acidophilus. This helps increase the good bacteria in his colon and intestines which will continue to help brak things down and move them along in there. There are children's powders and pills, but it is also in yogurt (find a good organic one without too much sugar) also in a yummy drink called kefir that my kid loves. You can use plain yogurt or kefir and sweeten it with agave syrup or 100% maple or even raw honey if he is old enough then throw some strawberries in it and put in in the blender and tell him its a milkshake. Another trick is to soak whole flax seeds in a glass of water at least until they sink but you can soak them longer. Then strain the seeds out. And put the water in his bottle or sippy cup. He probably won't even notice the slight flavor difference. Make sure he eats a LOT of fresh fruit espeically grapes and strawberries, bluberries, mango, apples... AVOID bananas. Once things get going you can consider adding back in the pastas and crackers and things, but I have generally avoided crackers altogether with my son and occasionally we do a whole grain pasta. There are a lot of good snacky options that do not include those. The last thing is make sure he gets a LOT of exercise. If he is spending a lot of time sitting this will also keep things inside from moving. Chase him around, tickle him, throw something and let him chase it. Hold up a pillow and let him kick it. - - This got kind of long. It is the first answer that I have given on here and I hope it helps. If you have any questions about any of these things or easy recipes or whatever, please feel free to ask or I think you can even send me a private message. Be well and happy. Hugs, J.

Ironically enough, apple juice is actually constipating! Apples themselves are good for "regularity" because of the fiber, but juice - without the fiber - is the opposite. I'd try yogurt. The enzymes and bacteria in it should help him. Blessings to you!

Hi T., that happened to my son. I suggest taking care of it right away, otherwise this could become a cronic problem for years. What happened with my son ... because it hurt, he held it, then it just perpetuated the problem. The colon becomes distended and out of shape ... like a bowl rather than a tube. Then they cannot push very well. Our doctor put him on Mirilax for 6 months (he stayed on it even when he was going regularly). This ensures the colon has time to heal and that they don't associate "going" with pain.

Through the years -- he is now 4 1/2 we had to put him on the Mirilax for a short while and especially while traveling. Now ... he still has a residual fear and often has to be coaxed to go. Luckily, I can read the signs.

Good luck!

D..
www.BizForMomsOnline.com

my grandson had the same problem he had an intestional block,his pediatrician recomended surgery,his mother wanted to wait & try new meds instead of having part of his intestines removed,my grandson is now 10 years old & doing great,I said that to say this it was not worth the pain & suffering he had to endure not to mention the embarassing moments for him,I hope your case is not this serious but if it is please let your child have the surgery. ASK YOUR DOCTOR TO REFER YOUR CHILD TO A SPECIALIST,
GOOD-LUCK

Poor baby! It sounds like you're doing the right things, but it has been my experience that apple juice in little ones creates hard poop. Try giving him plenty of water instead as this will help flush out his little body.

As you can see...it is a common problem and it also happened to my first born. Today she is a beautiful, healthy 20 year old; but during her first year diluted prune juice was a regular part of her diet. We did need to modify the nipple of the bottle and we made sure that it was 100% pure prune juice and always diluted it (you might want to check with your doctor about the water to juice ratio) but it worked like a charm and mom and baby were much happier.

HI T.,

You are not alone. My son, now 13, had this problem. Evidently, this is more common in boys than girls. The pharmacist refused to believe the hemarhoid cream was for my toddler! You definitely need to do something, because he will "hold it in" and not want to go, then when he finally does....look out. Make sure he drinks lots of water. Prune juice is good. Give him oatmeal and Cheerios. Our doctor also recommended mineral oil added to applesauce or something like that. I would go to your doctor, just to make sure everything is OK. My son was in the ER earlier this year because he was so "backed up" we thought he had an appendicitis! I ask him every few days if he's gone, much to his embarrassment, but this is serious even if we try to joke about it. You can get a handle on it, it just takes some trial and error and patience. Double check with your doctor and good luck! L.

Does he like graham crackers? The fiber in them is good for constipation. I don't want to scare you but when I was visiting my family in MO they had something on one of the satelite channels- a medical mystery type show, maybe on one of the health channels- about a young child with constipation. He ended up with a blockage and part of his intestine not working properly to let the bowel move through. He required surgery. They went on to say that they usually find this problem in very young infants that produce no bowel. Please check into this further because if you can't produce bowel it can make you very ill and can be life threatening.

3 of my 5 had the same problem. I used Miralax (it used to be prescription but now is over the counter). It is NOT a stimulant (I was concerned with that because I was afraid that if I stopped using one, they'd stop going!). Miralax is a simple stool softener, very safe. You just add it daily to their drink (it has no taste) and it helps to soften their stool so they don't have to strain (which is what usually causes hemorroids). I used it for a few months for mine and they gradually eased off of it. My kids have had no problems since. I would still recommend talking to your pediatrician to make sure there isn't anything medically wrong and then ask him about Miralax and any other recommendations. Good luck, keep us posted!

If you are feeding him from the bottle or milk, I would suggest putting a tiny bit of Omega 3 oils in the bottle or in the milk. Constipation can be a sign of deficiency in Omega 3s. Get the liquid kind, a high quality one that is kept in the frig at the store and you keep it in the frig also. You can hide it in other things too, like butter.

If you are breastfeeding, then take some Omega 3 oils yourself.

I recommended this to a friend once whose son had long term constipation and was on a medication for it, and her son was able to get off his medication and have normal bms.

Good luck.

Grapes and raisons work great for my little girl. But, I have had to do something I never thought I would do...sorry to be graphic... pull the poo out! Once it was so hard and big she just couldn't get it, so I kinda mooshed her little toosh around and helped her pull it out. She immediately stopped crying and all was well!

Good luck,
Amanda

poor baby. I used to mix a spoonful of baby oatmeal with all of my son's food, each and every meal (mainly b/c I am a fiber nut). and it obviously worked b/c he has always pooped 2-3 times a day like clock work.

get some baby prune juice and warm it up a little it will help. and mineral oil if the juice does not work.but ask your doctor about the mineral oil first.i should say dont put mineral oil with the prune juice. the prune juice being warm will help but it will take maybe 2 bottles,but it is natural and will be less pain for the baby.

All but my last baby has done the same thing. Just not the hemmeroid part. I used to put about 2-3 Tbs of Dark Karo syrup in a bottle a day and that seemed to help. I also havd a Dr tell me to put 2 tbs of mil of magnesia in every bottle and that helped as well.

Hi T.,

We had the same issue with our little girl. She wasn't eating regular jar food, we made it fresh instead (puree fruits and veggies). It became painful for her too. Then when we started made regular food- toddler size portions for her, we would add a little olive oil. And then it seemed like overnight, she became regular. And she was able go without any issues or straining. We tried the different fruit juices as well but nothing work. In the meantime, we also tried some stuff called Miralax. I may not have spelled that correctly. Either way, it's in powder form so we could put it in her food or in her milk/juice (odorless/tasteless). Usually we put it in whatever she was drinking. Because of her age the doctor told us to only use half of the recommended dosage. It worked well, we just became concerned that we would have to depend on the stuff for her to have a regular/painless bowel movement. But then we tried the olive oil.....and everyone is happy!

my daughter had this problem and sometimes still does. there are baby fleet enemas that work wonders. they work fast and make a very happy baby! also with my daughter we learned that when she was having a few days of not going giving her a warm bath she would normally go in the tub. not the funnest thing but it was a no meds solution and the poop was so hard it was easy to clean out. hope he feels better soon. you may also want to look into probiotics they worked well on my first child you can get them at any health food store

When my son was 2yr we started putting fiber in his juice. Just a little metamucil and problem solved. I don't know if this is something feasible for an 11 mth old though so check with your doctor.

have you tried karo syrup in his formula/milk? about 1-2tsp it is a very old remedy (used when i was a baby 56 yeatrs ago) but it works and tastes good too either white or dark will work hope this helps

My daughter had this problem since beginning solid foods in infancy. After she was potty trained, she began to hold her BMs back because they hurt so much. She would not go to the bathroom anywhere but at home so I could be with her because she learned to anticipate pain during BMs. We tried fruit juices, including prune juice. We tried more fiber, more water, Karo syrup, etc. Her pediatrican advised against ever using suppositories, but prescribed Miralax. It worked gently like a stool softener. It is a powder and she took it every day mixed with her juice. It worked beautifully. She took it for a long time. She is 6 now, and rarely needs it. Ask your doctor about this.

If you haven't talked to a doctor I would do so. I give my little guy a prune/apple juice blend, and sometimes peaches help get things moving, too. Sometimes too much iron in the diet can cause constipation, but really the causes can be too numerous. Do you breastfeed? If not, maybe you know someone who is who might be willing to share, since breastmilk can act as a natural laxative. There's also an abdominal massage you can do to help, but you have to be careful doing it. Imagine your baby's colon as an upside down U from his hip to under his ribcage to his other hip. Starting at his lower right hip (your right, his left), using a VERY gently finger walking technique, gently massage in very tiny, inch long strokes from his hip to his ribs, across his belly and down to his other hip (your left, his right) very slowly. I think you can also look up the "I love you" massage. There's also some reflexology points on the bottoms of his little feet that can be stimulated, but it would be easier for you to see a diagram than for me to describe it to you. Good luck, I feel (both of) your pain.

T., If I were you I would ask his pediatrician for advice. You could try Miralax (now over the counter) but I would definitely check with your doctor first. His bowels seem to need more water in them. Make sure that he stays well hydrated.

Corn syrup worked for the most part for my daughter. On the occasions that she needed more help, I used vaseline on a q tip. I did not insert it in very far, I didn't want to hurt her, but the vaseline did help to get out the poop quickly.

Good luck.

E.

Those juices are probably your problem, switch over to water and lots of it. Apples are good, the juice is not. If it doesn't clear up, go to the doctor. It doesn't take long for an obstruction to form in an infant's intestinal tract.

Apple Juice is binding. Don't give it to him.
Juice in general has too much sugar, which is binding.

IF increasing his water intake & decreasing processed foods (white flour & Sugar) does not help alone, try adding benefiber to his water for added fiber. But remember his liquid intake needs to be good.

Flax oil is a great natural laxative & good for him. You may have to mix it into something, but it has a nice flavor.

Try a daily probiotic for correction & maintenance. There are yummy chewable for kids that will help balance the flora in his intestines. You should see a difference in about 1-2 weeks. Dont be fooled by commercial yogurts, there is so much sugar in them it really counters the "good" stuff that might be in it. Most are too processed anyway.

Add more high fiber foods to his diet & lots of water. Sweet potatoes are usually loved by small children & spinach or broccoli are good ones, too.

Avoid things like Mira lax & other OTC laxatives, they can screw him up for life.

Hang in there!

P