Question About Preschooler's BM Habits

My daughter did the same thing when she was three. She ate plenty of fiber, and we even tried Metamucil cookies every morning, but she still wouldn't go! The issue became such a problem that her pediatrician was concerned that she might end up with continence problems later, or worse.

So my daughter was prescribed a mild prescription laxative called Miralax. It's an odorless, colorless, tasteless powder that I mixed with her juice once a day. It's non-habit-forming and was developed for extended use. The laxative softened her BM, so it didn't hurt when she went to the bathroom, but also made it all but impossible for her to hold it on purpose. She had no choice but to go.

Once she figured out that she felt better after having a BM, the problem was resolved and she never held it again. We used the Miralax powder for about 6 months.

Be advised. It is a prescription and you must use it as directed, but it's wonderful stuff and now, four years later, my daughter is fine. It might be worth talking to your pediatrician about it.

Best of luck to you.

May look at the position he is using, legs tight together, hunched over, things that can tighten the rearend and make it harder to go.
Also make sure he drinks enough fluids to accomodate the dry intake.
My son takes some huge ones that literally clogs the pot almost 80% of the time, I asked him, don't that hurt when you go, he says no.
He has a weird way of going that may make it easier to go, he puts his feet up on the pot and stoops over the seat rather then to sit on the seat.
Also does your son chew food good or just a little and swallow.
Just some suggestions, the doc should know best though.
R.

How much water is he drinking each day? He should get at least a few glasses of water each day. Increasing fiber without adding liquid is a mistake. You will just bind him up more.

Activity? Mobility is what stimulates our intestines. He needs to be very active.

I don't think laxatives are a good idea at any age. Your body/bowel will become dependent on them. They should only be used on a rare occassion when all else has failed.

Hi H.,
My oldest son who is now 8 years old fights the battle of cronic constipation. When he was very little, during potty training is when it stared but I didn't find out until he was a little over six that he had an actual problem. I just figured he didn't want to take the time and sit and do what he needed to do. He would have a BM every 4 or more days and would always have what we thought were accidents. I was referred to the Devos Children's hospital after really pushing the subject with my doctor. He is now on a laxative that he takes daily that helps soften the stool and makes it more confortable for him to go and he has more frequent BM's. What we thought were accidents was the fact that the stool had gotten so large and hard that fluids were creeping around it and coming out and he wouldn't even know it. We still struggle with this every day, my son doesn't know he has to go to the bathroom until he really has to go. We do make him have a time when he must sit, usually after breakfast or dinner. I would realy question your doctor and keep on this because your son will be afraid to use the bathroom because of the disconfort the hard stools cause. Good luck and I hope you found this useful. C.

Hi H.. I would take the suggestions of the peds office seriously. My daughter has a problem with "hard poop" as the gasteroenterologist says. He put her on a stool softner, and even with that we still need to give her an enima once every couple of months. If he says it hurts it's probably to hard for him to get out. Having a daily poop time wont help in that situation.

Hi H. -
I have a soon to be 4 yr old daughter who has had severe constipation since birth. Some days her whole body would shake since she was holding it. Like someone else's child, she has also been put on a medicated stool softner. It has taken us almost 6 months on the medication to get her to understand that it will not hurt any longer. Although I love her dr, it took my continuous asking for other options since I know it is not her diet. We now know that certain cheeses (pizza cheese especially) make things more difficult. It is pretty sad when a small child won't eat pizza for fear of not pooping.
Try asking about the stool softner - it was our livesaver.

Hope this helps - L.

OMG...We are having the same issue with my daughter that just turned 4 yrs. She is having pooping accidents almsot everyday and says she is scared of the potty. I think it's that she is scared it will hurt and will stand with her butt cheecks clinched together to avoid going. Of course then it hurts MORE.

I don't know what to do either! At least you aren't alone.... I can't wait to see what others say.

M.

Hello H., this is S.! I truly understand what you are going through as I have two girls ages 3 & 8 yrs old who have bowel problems. My girls get lots of fiber but thats not enough for them. My girls have something called "encopresis". It's when the child gets constipation and has backed up bowels. My girls are taking medicine called "miralax". It's a powder formula that you mix w/ water or juice and it helps to clean out the childs system. My girls take this everyday to help them stay regular so they can poop without it hurting. I think you should talk to the doctor about this and see what the doctor has to say. If your not happy then I suggest you get a second opinion. My oldest girl now has nerve damage which causes her to go without control. The problem wasn't caught soon enough due to the doctor I was taking her to at the time wanted to shove the problem off on her ADHD and development issues. I hope this helps and good luck!

My son has had the same problem off and on for a while now. He potty trained later and then always had a hard time with BMs. He would wait until he had a pull up on and then go Poop so I knew that it was a control thing for him.

The Brazelton book says different things, my peds office said this was more important to deal with than bedwetting so we are trying but he is tricky. He will go poop sometimes in the potty and say he is done but then he waits until he is alone and poops his pants. The fiber intake helps but I make sure he gets a good amount of water in the day...

this all started I think because he had a cold & had to take tylenol for a while and when he was constipated it made his poops hard and it scared him. So he is scared to let them come out cause he doesn't want it to hurt. Of course holding back makes it worse later on but he doesn't know this.

It is hard to see this from the kids point of view, they want to poop in the potty, they know it's important, but they get nervous with the pressure to perform and scared that it might hurt (they're not used to this happening once in a while).

I know it is gross and frustrating (for both of you) but I think "accidents" are okay once in a while... it's better than the reverse. A neighbor's son once could hold his poop for weeks and weeks & she was resorting to stool softeners and enemas.

--also I wanted to add that if he is tricycling he forgets to hold it and goes without any pain & the exercise makes it more difficult for him to hold it on purpose. He loves the trike, and we just take a potty break and go back to it and everything is good! give it a try.