Hi! My daughter is 20 months old and since birth she has never had a "normal" BM. When she was breast fed it was the normal yellow seedy and then when she went to formula soy was all she could tolerate and her BM's were always hard. We tried the Karo Syrup and juice but they never loosened her stools and she frequently suffered from constipation. Now that she has been eating normal solids and has a diet that truly is high in fiber and she drinks TONS of water she still has hard, dry BM's. I hate to describe them but they are always formed little balls that are heavy. She does have a BM almost everyday but the fact that they are hard and dry concerns me especially since her diet does not seem to be the issue as this has been the case since almost day one of her life. Am I making something out of nothing or is this something I should see a doctor about? Any recommendations? Any insight is appreciated as always! Thank you moms!
I've experienced this. One thing you might think of trying is glycerin suppositories. They make them in a baby size and altho its not the funnest (sic) option, its better than the poor thing suffering. It basically melts in there and provides some "lubrication". How about prune juice?
I would get her on Miralax. You can put it in any liquid. It pulls water into the bowels and softens the stools. You can get it over the counter and it is safe to use all the time. Start with a small amount - say a tsp per day and see if that helps. You may need to titrate up a bit if it doesn't help. I would give that dose 3-4 days and then go up a little at a time if it hasn't helpe. If you get too much, it will make her stools really loose and often but at least it will help with the hard stools.
I found that a little raw brown sugar diluted in a drink helped my sons bowl movements.
Talk to your Peditrician if you haven't already but I would use Miralax. I talked to my daughters doctor and she asured me that it is safe to use everyday. She told me to start off with a cap full a day and then adjust from there if they become too lose. It is a stool softner not a laxitive and that is why it is safe to use everyday.
Sounds just like my son! From about 1 1/2 to four, he was on a prescription called Miralax. It's a powder you put in a drink each day and it keeps the stools softer. I'd talk to your pediatrician about it - it won't hurt anything. I think the main question would be if she's struggling to get her bm's out. If she isn't, then hard is the normal bm for her. Good luck!
I would definitely talk to your pediatrician to make sure there isn't a GI (gastrointestinal) disorder.
But, we've had issues with our 23 month old and constipation the past few months. The one thing our pediatrician said definitely not to do was Karo syrup. It's just not advisable anymore, nor is anal stimulation unless done at their office by the doctor or a nurse.
At her age, it's not as cut and dry as giving a laxative and retraining her bowels, and I don't know if probiotics are either clinically proven to help or shown to be safe in kids that young.
Good luck.
My 2 yr old has the same issue and his ped GI put him on medication for it. She also told me NOT to feed him commercial applesauce but to instead either make my own to feed him or feed him sliced up apples instead. She says the commercial applesauce has something in it that causes constipation in kids.
Definitely taker her into to see her pediatrician.
Try gerber's apple-prune juice. That tend to work for my son at that age. And once your daughter reaches 3 or 4 dried apricots will do the job, as well.
I would be concerned if it is painful for her. Our daughter used to cry and cry when she had a bm. We finally took her to the pediatric gastroenterologist who said "no one should cry when they poop." We had tried every dietary change and he said "give her miralax." it is a very safe drug that is not absorbed into the body. We still give it to her every morning (1 t is what we have always given and she is now 6)
Our daughter is almost 4 and has had trouble periodically with stools that are hard enough that she'll whimper and tell me her booty hurts. I give her a cup or two of undiluted juice, and that seems to work well for her. I try to remember to circumvent this by giving her a cup of juice every day, but there are still days where she drinks only milk and water. If that doesn't help, I would definitely talk to your pediatrician.
My sister had a similar problem with her son, and the pharmacist (she lives in France and the pharmacies there are a bit different, I guess) recommended prunes/plums. She said it helped.
My 2 1/2 year old daughter is the same way and always has been! You could just as easily use that description for my daughter rather than your own daughter! She has to work really hard to go, but never complains about it or says her tummy hurts, so I haven't been worrying about it at all... sometimes I just feel sorry for her when they're exceptionally big. She has a twin brother who has much softer (almost loose) BMs, and when I asked the dr about it (a couple of years ago) he said kids process foods differently. I'll be interested to see what others say!
Talk with your pediatrician and have her tested for GERDS. Does she spit up a lot or did she as a baby? Spitting up is not the only sign of acid reflux disease. Changes in bowels or adnormal bowels are also a sign. See if your pediatrician will have her tested and refer you to a gastroenternologist for followup.
