I have a three year old son who takes a bottle just before bed each night. He was diagnosed with constipation about 1 1/2 years ago, and has to take some medicine that is dissolved in four ounces of liquid each day. The easiest way we could get him to drink that much at once was with a bottle. However, I would like to start weaning him off, and get the medicine down him another way. He is not much of a drinker, so my problem is two-fold. I need to get rid of the bottle, and get four ounces of some kind of liquid down him in one sitting. Any suggestions?
I wanted to respond to the milk discussion. It has been said that giving a kid prone to constipation lots of dairy can aggravate the condition. However, I use Very Vanilla Silk Soy Milk with my son. This has been fortified with the exact same vitamins as regular milk, and is much easier on the digestive system. My son loves the taste as well. I have tried it, and it really isn't bad! I am taking the bottle away this weekend, I will let everyone know how it turns out.
Using a sippy cup, perhaps in diluted apple juice, might work. The apple juice might also work since it won't contribute to the constipation.
I would try and find some food to put the medicine in, maybe like applesauce or something he really loves. That is all I know to do if he isn't in to drinking very much. Good luck with it!
The below response about milk causing his constipation is rediculous!!! I absolutely cannot believe that anyone would give that advice to a mother looking for help. Unless he has been diagnosed with lactose intolerance, that is the worst advice I have ever heard. Please do not stop giving your son milk!!!
This can be trying at times....Avent makes a great sippie cup with non spill spout. My kiddos loved to unscrew the other kinds and dump out the liquids. So I always looked for sip cups that screwed on well. As they got bigger we moved on to the Playtex sport cup, this cup has no spout and looks kind of like a adult thermal cup. The good thing about this one is there is a valve in the insde to stop leaks and teach how to sip.
When I started taking bottle away, put something he liked to drink in it like juice, or something. Let him have it and check it out....through your bottles out to keep yourself from going back to them.
...about the medications the best thing I can think of is to let him have it before bed time and then brush his teeth after....try getting him to go to bed without it and if that does not work give him sippie with water only. After awhile he prolly will want it less because it has just water instead of milk....
God Bless
Hello,
Hope this helps! My son is 2 and I weaned him easily off the bottle because he loves this certain sippy cup much better. I believe it is a Nuby or Nubie. You can buy them at Walmart. They do not leak. The best part about them is they have a soft clear spout to drink out of. They are very inexpensive also. They also make one with a soft straw, which my little boy will drink during the day, but at night he wants his regular sippy cup. I tried to get him other more expensive cups but, he only likes this brand. I hope everything goes smoothly for you!
L.
Hi again DeDe, my daughter will only take the Nuby cups from Wal-Mart as well. They are the best and less than $2. Good luck!!
My son had to take some medicine for his bladder for several years, he doesn't drink very much at one sitting either. My solution was to sprinkle the medicine into some applesauce or yogourt every night before bed. My son thought it was great to get a "bedtime snack" before he brushed his teeth, maybe your sons medicine would disolve decently in something like this.
Buy a "cool" sippy cup... and/or use a "cool" straw... and "send his bottle to another baby".
Hello,
My daugter has the same problem with pooping and the merilax that had to be in liquid was easy with the bottle. But I moved it to a sippiy cup then now we are on a new med because merilax did not help much. Tell him that the bottles have to go to the bottle fairy and give a sippy cup. My daughter will be 3 next tuesday and now we are on cups and the cutie straw cups that have lids. I leave out a cup of water during the day on the table so when she wants some she will go and get it. also my daugter likes a cup of milk for breakfast so that helped with the meds. Now with this new one it does not go in her drink, Good luck.
Well first off, if you're giving him milk in his bottles then milk constipates you so I would deffinatly stop giving him milk. Try mixing the liquid with Apple Juice in the morning with breakfast. You might just have to listen to a couple of nights of crying until he gets used to the idea if no bottle before bed. Also can I ask you if you are in San Antonio Texas? The reason I ask is if you are I would like the number to your sons doctor. My son Aidan is 3 1/2 and has been constipated since he was born and none of the doctors I take him to will listen. They just tell me to change his diet and I try but nothing works. I have been trying to potty train him and I can't because of his constipation.
Have you tried a cup w/ a straw? There is something about a straw that will keep them drinking until it is gone.
