Toddler Constipation - Knoxville,TN

I have found that Kondremul works very well and its effects seem to last a while. Best of luck to you.

Just a response you probably won't like!!! My son will be 4 in July and we have been battling this issue for a year now. We have had him at Oschner Clinic and Children's Hospital Specialist along with his pediatrician and they all say the same thing. We have been on Miralax - off and on - since last March. He takes 4 oz in the morning and 4 oz in the evening. We have had several xrays done that show his rectum was stretched out due to constipation. One time it had been almost 2 weeks that he didn't go! We have tried EVERYTHING - and yes mineral oil does work but watch out how many BAD TASTING things you give her because soon she will stop taking all medicine! Milk of Magnesia also works, 1 oz every 30 minutes until they go! So far we have been steady on the medicine and he is going once a day - sometimes might skip one day - but at least he is going now! I know it is frustrating during potty training time but all of the docs we have seen say to stop the potty training until this issue is taken care of - that is why my son is almost 4 and is not completely potty trained. Good luck with everything.

Hi. My daughter is currently on Miralax. My #1 suggestion would be to figure out what dose is right for your daughter. My daughters dose from the dr was 1 tsp (whatever the measuring cup is) every day but that was WAY too much. She now gets 1/2 of the dose every other day and on the days she doesnt get the meds she gets her cup of apple juice or powerade. It will take a couple days for the meds to really kick in but when my daughter first started it was poop time ALL the time. So bad she wouldnt make it to the bathroom. If you have any questions feel free to message me and I'll help as much as I can. My daughter will be 3 in April and she has been on the meds for about 3 months and its helping. I've tried weaning her off but she isnt ready yet because she will get bad pains again and constipated.

Have you tried prunes or prune juice? This really helps my nine month old stay regular. We went from one poop every 3-4 days to 2-3 poops a day. I know how it feels to think you are going crazy due to someone else's bowel movements(or lack thereof). If all else fails go to your local natural foods store and ask them what they recommend. Good luck!

I read your problem. Maybe it's a sphincter problem. I mean, maybe she can't relax that part of her enough to go. My mom taught me a trick many years ago when my 1st child was a baby and constipated. She got a bar of IVORY soap, ONLY IVORY will work. You get your finger wet and rub it around on the soap and then (i know it sounds awful, but it's really not) you rub it around and a little inside of the sphincter and if that's the problem, she should go within a few minutes. Good luck.

K.

Does she like raisins? What about apple juice? Both of those should help her go. If there is no medical problem, then she is probably trying to hold it...it's something she can control. She may actually be scared of poop. This sounds silly I know. After getting her checked out with the doctor to make sure everything is OK (without her knowing that you are concerned of course), I would ignore how often she goes poop. She won't like it if she poops in her pants because it feels bad and smells...and she will eventually come to show you that she did it in the potty and then you can praise her big time. Until then, I would completely ignore the poop. The problem is that you are in control by trying to get her to poop or pee in the potty and she wants to be the one in control. This is the first sign of seeking independence...let her win this one. My daughter fought me at the potty for a while until I gave up. She also hated the fact that she had a little potty and we got to use the big one. So, I put a stool for her to get up on the big potty with. Then one morning she told me "Mom, I'm going to wear the big girl panties today and go in the potty." I let her and she never soiled her pants again.

I am going through the same thing with my 3 year old son. When we first started introducing the potty to him he would hold it in and not go. The doctor told us that it was because we were training him and most children do that and they would eventually go when they are ready. It has been about 6 months now and I have started to keep a chart of when he does a bowel, but he will also go 5-6 days without having one. I have had to give my son suppositories and then my mom gave me this tea that helps clean your system out, and it works on him. I am sure that Miralax is better because it is prescription, but I have not tried the prescription yet. Keep me posted if you find anything else out, as will I.

Hi, I have had the same problem with my daughter. She has had constipation since she was 2 weeks old and is now almost 22 months. She has been on Miralax for almost a year now. The docter wants to keep her on it due to her still having problems. She tries to poop and has a hard time even with the Miralax. I have even had to take her to the ER because she got so bad sick with the constipation..9 days without a bowel movement before she was a year old. She has bad stomach pains because now she is able to express her feelings out loud. She is taking 3 teaspoons a day and we are still having problems. If this doesn't work soon I don't know what else to do. The doctor seems to think she holds it in but she is not. I am trying to potty train her and she tries and tries to push it out but she can't most of the time. I hate it because she is in alot of pain while trying to go poop. I hope the Miralax works for your child..good luck and hoping after almost a year of the Miralax my daugher will have better luck..also the Miralax is now over the counter..alot more expensive if you only have to pay a copay.

Good luck,
G.

Back off with the potty learning. It is very normal for toddlers to withhold bowel movements as a means to getting control over the situation. Don't make a big deal of it either. Just take a few steps back and a friend's doctor said not to even mention pooping. Everything worked out for them fine.

Hi, we had the same problem with our son when he was about the same age and potty training. He said he was scared it was going to hurt. Finally, what worked for him was we decorated one bathroom the way he wanted (Red and blue with a fish border). That same day he pooped on the potty and has since. Also, I taught him to pray to Jesus when he is afraid it will hurt. He is 6 now and still does that from time to time. I felt the same way you do so just hang in there - it will get better. We did give him enemas numerous times per the doctors advice - that was terrible. I hope you do not have to do that. My son cried and thought we were trying to hurt him begging us not to give him those. Good Luck.

My suggestion would be try apple juice. Apple juice is a natural laxative and is healthy. I have had no problems with my two children being constipated ever. If they go several days without going. I just give them apple juice throughout the day and like magic. They have their bowel movements regularly. I keep apple juice so I usually don't have to wait until constipation arrives I keep them regular with apple juice regularly.

My doctor suggested milk of magnesia and said that it would not cause an addiction nor could my son overdose on it. One dose a day should get your child regular soon enough.

That being said. I also know that breads and other starches have a tendency to constipate no matter how many veggies and fiber you take in.

AND . . . I grew up with having one BM a week as normal. Not to say that was healthy, but my mom never took me to the doctor over it, that was just the way it was.

Jen

My daughter went through the same thing and is on Miralax, it really helps. I did try mineral oil and it helped some, but I did not get the results I'm getting with the prescription. I was trying to get her potty trained before the Dr put her on the Miralax and was not having a bit of luck. Once she got on the medication and realized her tummy felt better and it did not hurt...voila, no more diapers.

good luck

T.,
I have twin girls who went through the same thing. I think it starts out as a fear to put poop in potty and then they hold it too long and then clog their sytems up causing contsipation. I did the Karo syrup and the mineral oil before we ended up on mirlax. How long has she been on the miralax? Stick with it it works miracles. You will have to probably mess up some panties before you work out the right dosage. Start with the dosage your dr. gave you then you might want to half it once she goes. It will come out very runny and messy at first to give her a good cleaning out. She will more than likely not make it to the potty in time either. Get some cheap panties just in case. Don't make her feel bad about the messing of the panties. I have heard more and more little girls who are potty training that have gone through this and have taken miralax and it worked miracles for them. Good luck!!

Hey T.,
My 3 year old son dealt with constipation right at the beginning of potty training. He didn't go for almost 2 weeks. The doctor had us give him a supository (they make them for children). The ggood thing about these is that it doesn't mess up the rest of their digestive tract. It just makes them have a bowel movement. It worked within the first 5 minutes. We had to do that twice (once in the morning and once at night), then we gave him a dose of milk of magnesia once a day until he was more regular. My child drinks nothing but apple juice, so I'm confident it wasn't a diet issue, but a stress issue. Dealing with it this way also showed him that it's ok to poop on the potty, because we knew it was coming and made him sit on the potty to poop. Ask your doctor first, though. I'm not sure how old they have to be before they can do this type of treatment.

-C.

Try some prunes or grapes. They always work for mine. And my kids LOVE prunes! Make sure she doesn't get impacted. I think that's the word! Some kids just don't go every day. Good luck!