Relief for Toddler Consitpation

Hi M.,

Water is the key to keep everything moving. I found living water is the best. It is filtered water that has the nutrients put back in it. Also enzymes are important to break down the food we eat.

I am a wellness coach if you are interested in more info let me know and I will share.

Have a great weekend.

N. Marie

I would recommend an infant probiotic. Just put the powder in her milk. I have used the Udo's Infant Probiotic and am really happy with it. They give serving suggestions on the bottle.

start potty training. perhaps he doesn't like pooping in his pants. do some research on-line for the Elimination Communication or the Diaper-Free Baby for a starting point.

When my three month old was constipated the pediatrician suggested Karo Syrup - the dark kind - suspended in her formula (or water if she was older) and it worked wonders really quickly. Is she on iron supplements at all? That is what was causing the constipation in our little one...

hello M....
miralax works wonders and is what my pediatrician prescribed (even though it's readily available over the counter) 2 teaspoons in morn: add to whatever drink she prefers, there is no taste, and 2 teaspoons an the eve. good luck
aline

Is she on any iron-fortified formula or cereals? My son suffered with terrible constipation when he was on baby cereal. I started making regular oatmeal for him instead and we have had very few problems since then. Iron supplements can often be the culprit.

My Doctor told me to put a tablespoon of Molasses in their milk...seemed to work for me. Good luck!

Unless there is something physically wrong with her (unlikely), she probably just isn't getting enough fiber and/or water. To get her to drink more, try different cups- sippys with different spouts, straws, or just small cups with no lids until you find one she really likes. Also, fruits and veggies that start with P were recommended to me to keep my little ones regular; peas, pears, peaches, prunes. Dairy and bananas tend to stiffen things up. Go for whole grain breads and crackers and read labels for high fiber brands. Good luck!

Yogurt every day or every few days worked out well for my son when he was that age and even now. Yo-baby organic yogurt or Trader Joe's organic yogurt work out best since they taste great and don't have high fructose corn syrup in them. You can also mix in fresh fruit (just not bananas since they have an opposite effect) and flax seeds. Hope this helps!

Will she eat prunes? My little girl went through this about 14 months. She liked prunes, so I would cut one or two up for her to eat. Making sure she gets enough water helps, too. And watch the bananas! Kids love 'em, but they have the opposite effect of prunes (so I used to feed 'em together, so they would cancel out).

Vitamin C, Magnesium Citrate (the one Constance suggested is perfect) and Xylitol... This has done wonders for my kids!!!

Love, G.. :0)

Hi, M. R--

There is a 100% natural, safe, and science-based supplement carrying the FDA'a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) designation that will help keep your toddler's bowel movement regular and happening at a specific time daily. It is safe for children, pregnant and nursing women, and even pets. She would need to drink more clean water daily in order to do its job. My family and I are taking it.
It is called Natural Cellular Defense. Please visit www.mywaiora.com/502042 for additional information
regarding NCD. It will not only keep her regular but also remove toxins, heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium,
arsenic) and carcinogens from her body. Tests revealed that babies are born with already over 200 kinds of toxins in their body that get in through the umbilical cord, from the mother. A video clip at www.sharethecause.com/senmzeolite will explain more about toxicity, disease, and how to get rid of it.
Good luck to you and your child.

E. C

Hi M., did yiu find solution for your baby's constipation?

Fiber will be your best bet or prunes. Prunes and prune juice have a natural chemical that encourage bowels to move. As a pediatric health care provider and mother of 3, I have never heard of butter in mild helping with constipation. Most toddlers will eat a well balanced diet if offered frequently. Remember cereals and grain products offer the iron and minerals needed for general health and well being.

My 21 month old gets constipated all the time. He has been on and off since around 13 months. I think you should add raisins to her diet, they are helpful. We use Miralax powder which is a stool softner recommended by our pediatrician. We put it in his milk...about two teaspoons. That always works! Good luck.

My son had the same trouble for awhile when he was a toddler. We tried all kinds of things - cherrios with blueberries for breakfast every morning was what worked for him. Wyman's wild blueberries in the freezer section made it easy to prepare (when he got bigger he could make it himself - fun!). We also kept bananas and cheese at a minimum and increased his water. This is a frustrating problem - good luck!

One more vote for Miralax. My daughter had very bad constipation when she was a toddler, and it was awful to watch her cry when she tried to poop. Miralax was prescription only at the time, and it really relieved her pain and discomfort. I am grateful to our pediatrician for recommending it.

Have you discussed it with your pediatrician?

My kids are 4 & 5 and I have been putting a little bit of prune juice in their milk since they were 2. It keeps them regular. They love it and think it is chocolate!

My daughter has always had horrible constipation - to the point where she throws up her dinner if she hasn't done a BM that day.

We tried everything. The thing that finally worked for us was that her doctor put her on Miralax. There is a catch with her, though. I can't just put the one dose in a cup. She has to have a bit in almost everything she drinks so that there is a constant supply.

Good Luck,
K.

My 3yr old son has had problems with constipation since birth. He is a big juice drinker and that doesn't work. I tried Senna Syrup, which I picked up at my local drug store, which seemed to work at first. Once that didn't seem to be working anymore his Dr finally put him on MiraLAX. That has been working great. I just mix it into what ever he drinks and he doesn't even notice it is in there. I give him some every week and a half or so and it's been keeping him pretty regular.

I would talk to his Dr. and see what he/she thinks.

Good luck!

I've had great luck with aloe vera juice!! Add a little (1-2 tbsp)to something that will disguise the taste. It's not horrible, but it does have a taste. Juice is what I hide it in, but if yours wont drink juice, then maybe milk or punch or soda or something?

If my daughter (3 yo now) hasn't pooped for like 2-3 days, I give it to her 1x a day for 2-3 days, & everything's flowing smoothly. It's also just a good health tonic.

Trader Joes sells a huge jug of it very cheaply. They also sell these "Fiberful" fruit leathers that have psyllium (the best kind of fiber for the task) in them. If I'm regular about cutting one up for her first thing in the morning, it helps keep her regular too.

Good luck!!

Hi,

I don't know what it is about warm water, but it works really well! Put some warm water in a bottle and have her drink that-something about it stimulates the bowels and will get her going again....

Molly

We had the same problem with our son, and tried everything natural and things just didn't work. I ended up having him on Lactulose(prescribed) but he didn't like the taste. I put him on Miralax (another vote for that!) and titrated it down to almost 1/16of a tsp... and he was only on it a couple months and has been off of it for a couple months with no problems. If he ever does get another problem I know what to use. It's nice since it is a powder so you can titrate easier. Good luck!

Hello M.,
My daughter suffered with constipation for the first 16 months of her life. She still has some issues every now and then, but not to the point it was. What we did was make smoothies in the morning to get the water filled fruits in her tummy, or any fruits/veggies. It also reduced the amount of actual milk she would drink and the yogurt used has proabotics (sp)which are good for their tummies. We put 8 oz of Vit D yogurt (we were told she should drink/eat 12 oz of dairy a day) and 1/2 cup of fruit (full cup if it's something like watermelon) and some flax seed oil. Blend and serve in a straw sippy cup. That helped but didn't take care of it all.
We ended up using mirilax for a little over a month. We were told to give her a half a cap full and slowly increase it until she was completely "emptied out". Then take about a month to slowly decrease the amount you give her until she's having regular stool and she isn't taking any more. I've heard if you take them off of it quickly they will back up again.
Exercise works, like walking, running, just playing. Lots of fruits and veggies that have water in them, like melons. Blueberries are also a great, high in fiber fruit. If your daughter doesn't like juice, try giving her 1/4 juice to 3/4 water (I used 100% prune juice), if she will do that. I agree trying different sippy cups will probably improve the amount of water she will drink. We just bought some of the bottles of water at Trader Joe's that are small (8oz I think) but have the pop top. My daughter drank a whole one in about an hour just because it was a new experience. Also 100% fruit frozen pops work great (make your own or try to find some at the store...read the ingredients, don't just trust the cover of the box).
I did all these things before trying the Miralax and none of it worked. She would cry for about an hour before she had to poop and I would have to hold her, rock her, rub her stomach, it was heart breaking. The Miralax is what really worked. Oh yeah, rubbing the tummy should help too.
Best of luck and feel free to email me if you have any questions, I tend to ramble on :O)
C.

Hi there,

We've been dealing with this for a while. Here's my question and 40 replies from March this year...
http://www.mamasource.com/request/4553929570033598465

An update to that, she was doing just great for about 2 months with the new diet and medicine, but her constipation returned a couple of weeks ago. The specialist thinks it is an allergy to dairy that is irritating her little anus, and that is what is making her hold her stools, and that is causing the constipation. He just suggested trying a dairy-free diet for 4-6 weeks.

My advice to you is to take your daughter to a specialist to see what is going on. I wish we had done so sooner instead of just trying the things everyone suggests. Especially since the diet commonly suggested -- lots of fiber, no rice, etc. -- was the opposite of what she needed.

Good luck! I know how hard it is to watch your little angel suffer with constipation. Hope you find a solution!

H.

Toddler Magic Tea naturally-sweet, all-natural supplement helps relieve constipation, promotes healthy digestion, improves toddler’s sleeping, and helps reduce the symptoms of the common cold.

M.,

My pediatrician also recommends Miralax and says it is completely safe and not addictive. My daughter has had problems since 1 year but with each growth spurt the issue has improved. She is 18 months now and no longer has the problem.

J.

Hi M.,

My toddler has terrible constipation and always has. His Pediatrician has him on Miralax. It's an OTC laxative. It's really gentle and works by drawing more water into the digestive system so that the stool gets softer. It works. They reccommend 1/2 a capful once a day for babies and toddlers. It can be dissolved in juice, water or milk. The 1/2 capful is not enough for my guy so he is on the adult dose which is 1 capful/day.

This works for my guy. Also, for a couple of other friends whose kids who had TERRIBLE constipation problems. It got to the point for our kids to where it was a psychological problem because it hurt them so bad that they were really scared to poop. Very sad and should not be taken lightly.

You are trying all the right things, but some kids just have a really hard time with this. My little guy also eats a cup of Dannon Activia daily, which seems to have made a difference.

Good luck!

I swear by a daily probiotic regimen (Jarrow chewable YumYum-dophilus) and slow-cooked (steelcut) oatmeal mixed with flaxseed meal and wheatgerm. If my Toddler doesn't poop on any given day, I give him the oatmeal mix the next morning and all is well again.
Unfortunately, girls are much more prone to constipation than boys. Check with your pediatrician about an appropriate probiotic.

GL

I know it's weird, but every time we gave our daughter Pedialite, she had loose bowels. The Doc. said it didn't cause it, but then they gave it to her in the office and there it was with in 20 mins. We still use it today if she gets constipated. We use gatorade for the same thing, but doesn't work as quickly.
Stephanie

My son had the same issuse would not go for a week and he was only a month or so old. His great grandma went out to her back yard and picked some "Yerba Buena" (I think it is a type of mint herb) and boiled it in water. she then placed just a tiny bit of caro syrup in it and gave to my son. It relieved his constipation almost immediately. Hope this helps :)

I have been dealing with constipation with my disabled daughter for almost 17 years and I have found two culprits. Not enough liquids and dairy. Cut out all the dairy and get as much liquids down her as you can. (Soy is really good to wean her off of dairy.) It isn't an allergy to dairy,it is just a sensativity. Be creative with liquids. Shaved ice, popcicles, jello, broth, all of these are liquids. Good luck.

Hi, My daughter has had problems with constipation since birth (shes 22 months now), what works for us is adding about an oz of prune juice to her one and only bottle (she doesn't even know its there) and that does wonders. The problem I have is I need to get her off the bottle. If its not one thing its another....
Best of luck to you.
M.

Constipation can be so painful for little ones. And in our case terrible for potty training. We battled it for about a month trying all kinds of different things. My daughter’s pediatrician suggested that I try Miralax. It works GREAT for her. It comes in a powder form and I just put a tiny bit in her juice every morning. And we haven’t had any problems since. Good Luck!

Have you tried yogurt? I don't know how old a baby needs to be, but Yo Baby yogurt is really good, and there is almost no sweetness. Very little sugar, and it is good for digestion. At Trader Joe's, you can get a six pack for $3.49.
Hope this helps!
-E. Mc.

M.,
Constipation is a lack of Magnesium. What we use is Baby Calm or Kid Calm from Natural Vitality. You can buy this online or at a health food store. You start with the recommended amount and increase just a bit every day until the stool is comfortably loose.
My baby was on laxatives, etc. with terrible constipation. We started this a couple months ago and have been perfect every day since. Not to mention he is growing much better because he is absorbing his food better.
The most important nutrient of all, is the one that is missing. :)
Blessings,
C.

My grandchildren also have intermittent problems with constipation so I have them on Activia and it really seems to help. It tastes great so they don't mind having it. if they do complain of a stomach ache and say they haven't pooped, I give them two activias and some mineral oil to soften the stool and by the next day, all is good again.

The natural route didn't work for us, and our daughter's colon was so stretched out ("megacolon") that she couldn't feel when she needed to go. (I asked a mom's group about it, and wow! did I hear a lot of stories back!)
Our pediatrician recommend Miralax and while she had to take it for years, she is healthy now.
(We mixed it with warm chocolate milk)

Our daughter still loves prunes!

Hi M.,

There could be many reasons for this. I see alot of children that just have a food intolerance, which can be tested by a IgG blood test, super easy with great results. Just by modifying the childs diet, their symptoms can dissapear. I see this a lot in my practice and the results are great. Email me if you'd like more information.

HAve a great holiday weekend,
B.

Popcorn also has a lot of fiber. The Kerns brand nectar may also help. Since you child doen't like juice, maybe you can add it to a smoothie with some frozen fruit.

My 3 year old son has occasional bouts of constipation and I give him 1 or 2 Sunsweet Prunes (depending on how long it has been). He loves them and just thinks they're a fruit snack! They are good and each one is individually wrapped.
The has always worked for him.
Good luck!