Constipation - San Antonio,TX

B.-
I always use apple juice. As a matter of fact my 2 year old was has been constipated since yesteray and i had to give him some apple juice. Usually i dilute it; but today i gave it to him full strength. It usually tends to give him diahrea. So I tend to give it to him in moderation. Anywhoo, give it a try! It always works for us.

More fiber and more water! Try prune juice, apples, and you could probably also mix her a Metamucil drink and that would be fine for her...since it's also just fiber. Just don't overdo that. Caffeine also helps, although I wouldn't recommend that really. Look up fiber-rich foods to help her out and try to eat more of them on a regular basis (no pun intended). Good luck!

Aloe Vera juice/oil can be added into something to drink or eat and it will help soothe any pain. Prune or Pear juice will help her draw water into her bowels. But, if she is truly stopped up and in pain now - then you may have to do what the doctor says. I've done it. It's not fun; but it ends it pretty quickly and then it's over. Then, you need to work on avoiding it.

Hi,
My daughter had a problem when she was little, she wood poop "BIG" and hurt her. I would try to cut down on the cheese( she loved it) and on the starchy foods, pasta bread stuff like that. It seemed to help her a little. She was a big water drinker, didn't like juice at all of any kind. Have you tried increasing hr fluids too?
Good luck.

L.

Is she on formula or breast milk? I found with formula that if I wasn't really careful how I "loosely" I mixed the powder my daughter would become constipated. Also, I'm a really big fan of probiotics. They are the friendly little bacteria that you find in yogurt that helps your digestive tract work better. Since your daughter is probably not on solids yet you can use granules that can be mixed into her bottle. It's perfectly safe and natural and over the counter. However to get the granules you will need to go to a pharmacy and ask the pharmacist to get them out of their fridge. Also ask them how much to use. We gave them to our daughter when she was about a 1 month old till she was about 3 months to help get her little system working better. One day she'd be constipated and the next day I couldn't change her diapers fast enough.

Hope you get some more ideas!
Good luck!
Jen
http://www.mommysjoy.com

Hi there,
I recently went through a little spat of this with my 2 and half year old. I focused on getting her fiber through food all day. I just look up natural laxatives and then try and get as many of those foods into her. I think that Prunes (she loves them - I just cut them up for her) and apple juice top the list. All this along with lots of water. I know that medicine can be so h*** o* their little systems and there is so many things out there naturally that works even better. The best thing that I found for myself was going to the bins at HEB or Sun Harvest and find Psyllium, looks like shredded wheat (not the squares). If you SHAKE a teaspoon in with some juice and drink it its AUTOMATIC relief(at least it was for me). But you may want to talk to a doctor about giving it to a child. Psyllium is what Metamucil uses.
I hope you get the problem solved!

You might want to clear this with your dr, but when my youngest was about this age they said he could have 1 ounce of apple or pear juice a day diluted...that the sugar in the juice would help them to poop. Good Luck!

Hi Brenda,

I just had this problem with my 2-1/2 year old daughter. The doctor recommended cutting back on noodles, cheese - the binders - and incorporating peaches, pears, prunes, full strength fruit juices, bran, lettuce, green veggies, into her diet. As a backup if the dietary changes didn't work, she suggested getting kids Milk of Magnesia. I did the diet stuff first, peaches every day with lunch, for instance, and more broccoli, which she loves. I also started using pureed veggies in just about everything. She was fine in two days. No need for the MofM. Honestly, I think peaches (canned are fine) are a miracle cure! Good luck.

Hi B.,

You can give her several bottles of distilled water with some lemon juice in it, several times per day. It sounds like she needs more water in her daily diet. You can also get baby probiotics.

Blessings
J. M

The simple glycerin suppositories do not hurt (at most drug stores - over the counter). They work wonders (for immediate relief). You can cut them in half cross way if you can only find adult. Then do all the other food things suggested that you want. I would just lay my son on his back and lift up his legs (like changing a diaper) and pop it in and boom it relaxed those muscles.

It is an important subject to address because your daughter is eating things and you are feeding her things that are stopping her up. You must become aware of her diet. She needs fresh fruits and vegetables. I adhere to the Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type Diet and if you are eating things that are beneficial for your type you will not be constipated. For instance I am type O and if I eat dairy and wheat products (which are normally fed to people for constipation, like yogurt and granola) I am so stopped up because they are on my avoid list. I would find out her blood type from her peditrician and then look up things that are beneficial for her. Cut up fresh apples and oranges and feed them to her while you watch TV in the evenings and give her boxes of raisens for snacks. She needs more vegetable fiber.

I think everyone probably already mentioned the prune juice. They also have something else in the grocery store in the juice aisle called Plumsmart. It has extra fiber. I would give that to my four year old mixed with apple juice when he was constipated and it worked. I also make sure he eats one whole pear a day. He has a morning smoothie with milk, yogurt, one whole pear, a banana and powder probiotics every day and it help to keep him regular. Maybe you could try making your daughter a smoothie too, but omit the banana (that may constipate her more). I've heard the probiotics helps keep kids regular and builds up their immune system. Also,it seems that the fruits that start with a "p" have the most laxative effect (pears, peaches, plums, prunes...) I have a friend who took her daughter to a chiropractor and she said it helped with her constipation problem.

apple juice work wonders, good for you and it works for problems like your daughter has. Good luck.

I would recommend going to Nature's Sunshine and asking them for something herbal. IAlso, lots of apple juice, prune juice and if you can start making her drink water on a regular basis that might help too. I have also started putting flax seed in many of my kids foods for fiber (which won't help short term, but is helpful for preventing it in the future). Sorry your little one isn't feeling good. It is the worst when they are sick.

Best advice is keep it simple and natural! Have the child eat things full of fiber. Grapes, apples, prunes, shredded wheat, as well as drinking lots of water. Sure this takes longer than a laxitive, but it is much better for your child. Since she has exp. pain while trying to go she may be tense and scared at this point, might want to try a nice warm bath...if mother nature decides to move in the tub don't freak out! Although it is not the most wonderful thing to have happen everything washes! Good luck!

I suggest this all the time for constipation, I haven't tried it cause that has never been a problem with my kids.. BUT, I was at a potty training class and the woman suggested putting epsom salt in their bath to relieve constipation.. Several people in the room agreed that it worked. I soak in it to relieve my back pains and it says on there, laxative. It has magnesium in it, and your body will take in what it is lacking in magnesium.. She also mentioned there are pediatric magnesium packets you can buy to put in a drink... good luck..

Hello:

My daughter had this problem when she was younger too. She ate plenty of fresh fruits and veggie, only whole grain breads etc, but still would get constipated occassionally. I tried sugar drinks, even coffee with caffiene and sugar, raisins etc. Nothing helped except when I would give her a laxative and a hot bath with salts, and I didn't want to do that for the rest of her life. I gave her a laxative just to help her for the moment and then put flax oil in her food daily. I mixed it in with yogurt, used it on toast instead of butter (put jelly or honey on it and it is very tasty!!), added it to salad dressing etc. I just made sure she had it once a day. The other thing is to make sure your child drinks plenty of fluids. I noticed that my daughter didn't always finish her drinks with her meals, but at the time thought nothing of it. Now she knows to finish and I have her on milk with two meals and water with one. She also has 4 ounces of water with her snack every day. I now only give her flax oil, or ground flax seed, three times a week and make sure she finishes her drinks at each meal and she has not been constipated in 2.5 years! I hope this helps as it really is painful, and frustrating, for your child (and you!!) to go through this.

Good luck!

a suppository will soften things up. My 3 yo son has used them in tge past. He would hold going number two to the point it was painful. I would given him a suppositiy and now I just need to reach for the bottle and he will magically go!! In Germany they had a sugar< I think it was called milk sugar that was supposed to help but I never understood it or tried it. You can also offer apple juice or prune juice. With old folks, if you warm it up that helps too.

Go natural if at all possible. My pediatrician recommended any fruit that start with the letter "p" like prunes, peaches, pears, plums and the exception of aPricots. Great natural laxatives and they work.

We've been giving my 6yo son Miralax for several years now to help him go poo. He goes days with a bm, and he often bleeds a little when he goes. Our pediatrician suggested it, so you might check with yours to see if it's ok for a 3yo (I think we started it when he was 4). I give him 1/4 to 1/2 a cap every other night or so in his milk.

figs and other fruits like prunes are a natural stool softner. (Ask me, who forgot and ate about 10 on Christmas eve!) If she won't eat them plain, try fig newtons instead of other cookies. She won't even know she is getting help! Also, there is an apple juice called " Simply Apple" The bottle says,.... Pure pressed Simply Apple not from concentrate. Juice color varies naturally, 100% pure pressed pasteurized apple juice. (This will help you find the right bottle, I get it at target or Walmart, in the cold refridgerated section). It is very yummy, really really tastes good. (and warm, it tastes like cider!)... This will help too. I'd say give her both if she likes them, maybe as much as you can.....

Once you find that her system has softened up, taper back her consumption of these. Enough to keep her comfortable, but not "running" to the bathroom.
Blessings, and good luck.

Hello,just some ideas
eating prunes or drinking prune juice, also spinach works really well, cutting down on milk products seems to help. We were given advise by Dr. to use Metamucil. My niece was 7 at time,she also had terrible time and knew when she needed M and would ask for some. It's natural and also taste good don't let it sit cause it thickens. Good luck with the flow.

Hi B.,
Have you tried giving her more fruit- grapes, etc. Or you could just put some karo syrup in her evening milk glass or juice drink- for age about 1.5 tbls should be enough- or let her eat a dried prune before bedtime.... If it does not clear up soon I would have her checked for an obstruction.
Also, be sure she has more fiber in her diet-natural stuff is best.
Good Luck

Hi there I know how you feel my little girl is 3 and has the same thing her Dr told me to put a small amount of metamucil like 1/8 ts in her morning juice she never knows it and it has helped so much. Hope this helps you and your little girl.

Try giving her prunes. They are a wonderful source of high fiber.
Also, sorbitol should be something your doctor prescribes for your daughter if she needs softer bowel movements. They prescribe it to infants w/ constipation. So if it's that mild for enfants, surely a toddler wouldn't have an issue with it.
Nuts and food with high starches are excellent constipation creators. So back off from the overly processed and/or starchy foods. Start giving your child a diet of whole grains (e.g., WHOLE wheat bread/crackers, multi-grain bread/crackers) and fresh fruits and vegetables. She should be able to have raw vegetables so introduce salads to her and see if she enjoys them. Salads with lots of greens in them (e.g., spinach, GREEN lettuce (not iceberg),) are wonderful for keeping people regular.

Hope this helps!
Jen

I had that problem with my little girl. Get the baby fleet suppository's. It will not hurt her and it will work. I became a true believer in those during those times.

I give my little girl a teaspoon of benefiber in her milk when she complains of her stomach hurting, she has a tendency to poo nuggets and this helps her. Try to give her some pear juice to soften it up--pediatrrician recommended it.

our ped said benefiber 1/2 t a day in her juice. it helps her go without the pain. she is 38.5 lbs and i will give her a whole tsp. if she is constipated.

I am pretty sure that supositories don't hurt. They have helped me and I think they will help your daughter. The doctor thinks so anyway.

When my son was a baby my mom's suggestion (and it worked great) was to put a little white Karo syrup with water and feed it to him in a bottle. You could do this in a cup for yours. It worked like a charm within a few hours. Good luck.

Hi, my son who is 1 got constupated a few months back, I got this suppositories at the pharmacy it is Pedia-Lax Liquid Glycerin Suppositories (Fleet). I know you hate to put them through more pain, but it realy helped my son, with in seconds he was using the restroom and made him feel alot better.

suppositories don't hurt, however they don't fix the problem either! All they do is help her push, but she'll still be constipated. You could use that as a quick fix but you still need something else.

When I was 9 days old I was crying all night and my dad took over and let my mom sleep. When my mom woke I was asleep and she asked what he did- he gave me 4 oz of straight prune juice! LOL Of course she was worried about me but I was fine so she started dilluting it and gave me prune juice periodically.

As for sugar, you can mix some corn syrup in the bottle (try a tablespoon.) It is supposed to help with constipation. However, corn syrup is not good for anyone. The sugar in the prune juice should be plenty. If she's nearing 4 months old I'd give her 2 oz of prune juice with 2 oz of water mixed, twice a day.

I hope it helps!
S., mom to 5

What i've used in the past which has worked very well is; get the baby prunes stage one make sure she eats it, and take her temperature rectaly it will help her go poop. Sounds bad but it works.

Apple juice (100% no extra sugar), grapes & single wrapped prunes (yummy!) Those are my best suggestions. Best wishes!

Dear B.
Sorry to here that you are having to go thry that with your daughter. My suggestion that has worked with my own daughters is eating prunes. If they get to hard you can soak them in some warm water and have her eat them and drink the water. They are sweet and she should like them.
Hope this helps

Hi,
Try gently massaging the bottoms of her feet, basically the entire arch (between ball of foot and heel)area it will help things move along. In Reflexology that is where the intestines and all other digestive organs are located. Also, if you happen by a Whole Foods buy her a smoothie with Beets, Apples and Pineapple (Tastes Great-pretty color too). Do not be surprised when her poop becomes that same pretty color ones it cleanses her system. I would not do the suppository or any laxatives. See if you could get to the root of her problem...or it will happen all the time. take note of what she ate. Most common allergens, dairy, wheat, corn and soy. Try to eliminate from her diet. Rice, veggies, fruit, and ground flaxseed for at least a week. You can reintroduce those allergens one at a time. Also, avoid high fructose corn syrup, msg, hvp, most processed foods and hot dogs (loaded with nitrates). I believe the main culprit is almost always dairy checkout www.notmilk.com. I hope this helps. C.
www.mybiopro.com/claudia13

My doc told us to use Miralax for our 3 year old boy. In the cap is a line on it and I use about enough to cover the bottom of the cap to 1/4 of a capful. He said that to use a half of a cap but I started with less and it worked for him. He was starting to wet his pants because he was not pooping well. It is nonhabit forming and you can put it in water or juice because it is tasteless. On my kiddo it works fast (within and hour) some might take longer.

I would recommend adjusting her diet to more fruit and veggies. Also, much more water.

I hope this helps.

Decreasing the starches is a good one. You could also try increasing the fruit. Does she like sweet potatoes or carrots? I've found success in cooking and mashing either of these and mixing with brown sugar or molasses.

When my 3 year old son is constipated some of the things I do are give him some high fiber foods and try to get him to drink more fluid. Some foods that have worked well for us are bran muffins, prunes, apricots, and dried berries as well as fresh or frozen strawberries, prune juice and apple juice. These things usually work for me however ecently he had a really bad case of constipation and after doing all these things and after a couple of days of Pedialax children's laxative he still hadn't had a bm so I finally had to resort to using a suppository. I think it should not be painful if you put it in carefully( he didn't seem to be in any pain. I also put a little Vaseline on the tip of it to make it easier to insert.
My son was able to poop comfortably within about 5 minutes. If you don't want to use a suppository, Pedialax makes a stool softener that you the child drinks. You can mix it into some juice or water. I have never tried it, but it is supposed to take several days to work so it's not as fast acting as a suppository. But it might be a reasonable alternative.