4 1/2 yr old girl constipated for 1.5 yrs now

Our girl has had very hard poops and/or total constipation for over a year now. Sometimes she'll even hold her poops (knowing it will hurt coming out) for days at a time, which has forced us to give one enema so far. Our MD at Kaiser had her on Glycolax precription laxative for months, that hardly worked. Then they recommended drug store laxatives like Benefiber, etc. Still not much luck. One MD recommended we take her off dairy, which we (mostly) were able to do over two weeks, but that didn't help either. We are divorced parents, so my daughter goes between two households and is being raised vegetarian. Unfortunately, she eats a lot of starch (white rice, pasta, pizza) and probably a fair amount of canned/frozen/processed food as well (at the other house, which is where she resides 75% of the time). She does like prunes, but not enough to affect things. Both homes have been integrating whole grains for some time, and the primary household likes to use high fiber processed nutrition bars. Also being used are chewable multi's with iron, chewable papaya supplements, and 4 Tbs. of flax oil a day. And even still, hard poops persist. We have found a great ND who can do nutritional and allergy testing, but it is going to be an expensive endeavor, which i am hoping to avoid as money is super tight (we're talking up to $200 for a consult). My daughter is very active and is in a Montessouri school about 40-50 hours a week. As such, I've long suspected she doesn't drink nearly enough water during the day. She is going to be five soon, and I feel like she already is developing weird food issues and body issues. Any advice from experience we'd greatly treasure it! - Pooped Out

Having had the same issues when I was in grammar school I can see now that it was about control, for me. Of course I didn't know it at the time. No one could make me poop...it was the one thing in my life I COULD CONTROL.

I'd definately go for the nutritional consult. It could easily be food allergies, which is WAAAYYYY easier to deal with then emotional issues (and food issues can affect emotions A LOT!) Good luck, anon mom

The solution to your daughter's problem is incredibly simple and easy, but you must be absolutely consistent, do not miss even one day.

One teaspoon of Benefiber every day in about 2 ounces of liquid. That's it. Problem solved.

Now let me explain. I have an 8 1/2 year old daughter that has had such problems - from infancy - that she had a vagal response with profuse sweating and her eyes rolled back in her head when trying to pass a large, hard stool. The vagal response was what the pediatrician diagnosed. (If you don't know vagal response read the book Midwife, the vagal response made the midwife think the birthing mother was dead.)

In the end, my daughter's pediatrician said that no child should have to suffer such severe pain for something that can be so easily solved. So we started on Benefiber and it worked from about the second day forward. No loose stools, just those that ''regular'' people have.

My daughter has tried lots of liquids with Benefiber and Gatorade is what she seems to prefer. The slightly salty taste makes the Benefiber taste-free. The Benefiber bottle says there is no taste, my daughter swears there is a taste - the Gatorade works.

We were so comfortable, we stopped Benefiber once for two days, the stomach cramps, hard, large stools started back up as though she never had started the Benefiber in the first place. We started back up the Benefiber and haven't missed a day since and my daughter has NEVER had another episode. Thank You Dr. Garcia (Oakland Kaiser)

I have addressed both his diet and my own behavior to the
process. I started making it more matter of fact and avoided
focusing on it and stuck to a strict schedule for using the potty.
For the diet I can recommend the following:
- eat fresh fruits BEFORE meals - apples, pears, plums, peaches,
apricots are all helpful, especially helpful before breakfast in
the AM.
- boil a mix of dried fruits and have her eat the fruit and drink
the water, it is actually quite tasty
- fresh squeezed kiwi juice works wonders as well as the fruit in
itself
- of the vegetables - cabbage, carrots, tomatoes work really
well, again consumed before the main meal, fresh. Cabbage is
helpful cooked too.
- I realize you are a vegetarian, but you need to decrease the
starches a lot, pasta and rice especially do not help. We pretty
much stopped eating rice at home and eat pasta once every 2-3 weeks.
- legumes - beans, lentils are helpful
- buckwheat, it is a great substitute for rice, as any whole
grain, btw.
- not sure if you can find this but a teaspoon of rose leaf jam
works wonders
- some say that probiotics help, I am not convinced about that,
but it doesn't hurt to use them.

One time about four months later he backed up again. She came right over and gave him an emergency remedy and seriously, he pooped within an hour. Two days later, he came down with a fever and the homeopath really felt like the constipation was an early symptom of his oncoming flu!

As a side note, since the first remedy was administered, I have been giving my son chewable probiotics, DHA's and EFA's and a Metamucil cookie EVERY morning! He is and always has been a great eater. Lots of veggies and fruit. He's not a huge starch eater. I also think drinking water is very important. The homeopath is in Pleasant Hill and she is Klara Fischerova. You can reach her at 925.297.7293. I can't recommend her enough! I know there are many who question homeopathy but I am telling you, we tried everything and nothing helped but this worked! He didn't know, so there was no placebo effect. Here we are 9.5 months later and no more Miralax and no more hard poops! Good luck. I know how stressful this is, not just for your little girl, but for you too, watching her go through this! LogicalMama

Our pediatrician recommends Miralax ( 1/2 of the white capfull mixed in liquid per day as preventative for our 38 pound 5 year-old) which has helped. Summer we can skip some days since we sometimes have just fruit and green beans for dinner ( after more balanced meals). The dose can be more if it's not enough to keep the child regular.

If you don't want to use it daily, you and your ex. might want to track if she's pooped or not and give her Miralax the next day after she's not pooped. Since it takes 4-6 hours to work, you can mix it in a drink- bottle with apple juice for her to have with lunch at school. That way she can poop at home in the evening.

We've found that the long-range plan is for our whole family to get more fiber. We've started having blueberries from Trader Joe's or other fruit for desert! Good luck! Jean

2 yr old with frequent constipation & large stools

My son is 2 yrs and 3 months old and since day one has been having problems with his stool. He was exclusively breastfed until 6 months so during that period the explanation was that most breastfed babies have infrequent stools. His were about every 3 days and were runny and abundant. After starting solids we noticed that he still had problems so being mindful of that we adjusted his diet insisting he ate as much as possible fruits and vegetables and drunk plenty of water. These days he eats all of that, drinks fresh squeezed juices not from the box, barely eats any sugary or salty snacks, rarely eats rice and I try to restrict bread. He has generally good appetite and eats quite well but is still a little on the skinny side. He eats only home made food, a lot of soups, whole grains only and yet he is still having problems passing stool. He would have a good week with passing a stool every day and then all of a sudden will have sometimes up to a 3-day long constipation. I have a feeling that as soon as his stool gets a little harder he can't go. He often cries when he is pooping and we have just started getting him used to using the potty but haven't really pressured him to do it. He normally does it standing in his diaper, twisting his legs a little and sometimes I have a feeling that he tries to hold it instead of pass it. His stool is normally big, I'd say close to the size of adult's one, and soft. Probably 4-5 times he has had some blood on it too, even though not in the last 9-10 months. Has anyone had similar experience? I am afraid that he has some chronic condition like enlarged colon or a fissure. Drs have not been extremely helpful telling us to do what we already do. I wonder if dairy or meat can cause that somehow. Please, if you have heard of similar cases let me know. BZ

In part I wonder (nonscientifically) if it's possible that some kids have extra-sensitive rectums in the first place, so that if they have a painful pooping experience, they're more likely to clench up and say ''I dont' want to go through that again!''

Whatever it is, I sympathize with your situation, because the cycle is very hard for a parent to watch without wanting to intervene. Ultimately, each little person has to learn how to poop for themselves, and apparently it requires some UNlearning, too. Our latest attempt is to offer a longed-for lip gloss as a prize for being able to poop 3 times in a row on the potty. She's done it quite a few times, so we know she can, and she seems VERY motivated by this reward. And anyone who can poop on the potty regularly is clearly a big girl, and ready for big girl lip gloss. I'm hoping that what we're creating is a commercial version of a bio-feedback loop, where she learns to tune in to those urges because of the prize that will follow.... Who knows. Anyone else tried this or any other route to help ''re-awaken'' the urge? like poop through a ??

Breast fed babies poop more, not less than formula-fed as general rule.

I think your son is allergic to one or more foods. I would eliminate all three. I think that egg yolks are usually not the culprit, but make sure. If your son's stools improve then slowly add back foods to see which is the problem.

Also, make sure your son is getting enough probiotics. You can get a powered form at a health food store. Best of luck

My daughter now takes a teaspoon of Benefiber mixed with Gatorade in the morning and again in the evening. Why Gatorade? After about 5 months of playing with putting it in yogurt, cereal, other food, orange juice, water, milk, etc. we found that my daughter likes it in Gatorade the best.

My daughter has not had a single episode since. There was a period of time where my daughter chose to cut back to once per day. She got some stomach cramps that reminded her of the old pain and chose to go back to Benefiber twice per day. Been there and happy not to return

His (new, good) doctor put him on Miralax (over the counter). A tasteless substance you mix in juice. Now he has regular bowel movements, every day or two. The initial few months are a little difficult, as at first the dose can make loose stools (sometimes necessary if the child doesn't want to push since it hurts them.)

His (old, bad) doctor put him on Milk of Magnesia. An awful substance that reminded him of his problem and he felt punished at having to take every day. Don't go that route. Kids get this problem, they get awful stomach pains, they don't go for days, they may stop pushing, their poops are very large or even spherical. It actually can stretch the lower intestine. It's a medical problem. anonymous

The other thing I do, is puree yams, carrots, and cauliflower to sneak into spaghetti sauce, macaroni and cheese, and chili, as he refused to eat his fruits and veggies. I also put constipation relieving fruit into pancakes and oatmeal, as well as giving him fruit leather. (The good kind that are flat and full of fruit from Whole Foods Market, not the roll-ups that are full of processed sugar.)

I do this because of two things. 1.) It gives him the nutrition and natural health aides that he needs in order to soften his stool, and 2.) it enables me to make efforts on the side in order to get him to eat his veggies with less of a battle because I know I don't have to worry about whether or not he's getting enough to promote a healthy and problem free digestion of food. He's getting it from the food that I sneak in there. The results have been amazing since I started concentrating on making sure he got plenty of fruits and vegetables in his diet.

I started with the miralax,(So that he HAD to go) and weaned him off by means of sneaky fruits and veggies that he didn't know about. While that was going on, we started with one bite of veggies at each meal of sneaky one's, and now we're pretty much at the point of him eating 3 ''knowing'' bites at each meal with no fussing. It's a work in progress, but it's what has worked for my very strong-willed child, and my peace of mind, because now he's pooping in the potty saying ''Mommy! Come see this!'' K. B.

Constipated 3yr-old: should I worry?

my son has had infrequent (every 3-7 days) bowel movements for the last 1 1/2 years -- since he stopped breast feeding. They are always large, and cause pain, although only occasionally hard and compact. We have tried everything: mineral oil. prune juice, homeopathy, decreased dairy, increased fiber and water consumption (as much as I can considering that he loves refined carbs). some remedies have partially helped, but he continues his cycle of a few days of happiness followed by a few days of clingy unhappiness preceding the poop. He is like a changed child after the BM: our whole household feels relieved and lighter. His preschool teachers don't believe that he could have a psychological problem -- he is so relaxed and easy going. Our pediatrician has told us that some children nauturally poop less frequently and we shouldn't be concerned. My questions are: 1. Is it really normal to have such emotional swings related to bms, to poop so infrequently, and to dread the pain of pooping? 2. Who should we go to if the pediatrician offers no help? should we demand certain tests? are there possible conditions that she has overlooked? We have tried a homeopath with some success but couldn't get messages returned when the treatment stopped working. 3. how will my son ever learn to poop in the potty if he can barely accept pooping in a diaper? he can't go to kindergarten with slippery mineral oil poops sliding out uncontrollably. Thanks

Two-year-old's long term constipation

Ever since my two year old was born, she has had severe cases of constipation, hard stools. She is a big eater and therefore poops really big. No matter what I have done, it wont help her constipation. Can toddlers have hernia's trying to push the stool out? If so, what would a hernia look like? I tell her pediatrician but of course she would just only say its normal for kids to have constipation, eat fiber, drink a lot of fluids and then dismisses the fact that my daughter's constipation has been going on ever since she was born. Her constipation doesn't happen evertime she poops but nearly half the time. And when it happens, its pretty bad. I have done everything to prevent her constipation but to no avail. Will this cause damage to her anus in the future? I am really worried about and feeling like Im useless helping her. I have heard about cranial-sacral therapy for kids, will this help with constipation? Help

Chronic constipation - 2YO

I am at my wits end. My 2-year-old daughter has been suffering from chronic constipation for about 1 year now! And it seems to be just getting worse. She is constipated more often than she is not. This has affected her moods greatly. I notice she is more sensitive and aggravated when in a constipated state (which has been all the time lately) and talking all the time about '' ouwie poo-poo''. We were first advised by our pediatrician to use mineral oil, which has been in her daily diet for at least 10 months now. This does loosen her stool but we still often have bouts of ''ouwie poo-poo''. I was than recommended a prescription drug called Miralax. This caused a lot more talk of ouwie poo-poo to the point of tears. I believe she was suffering from the side effects, which I had read to be bloating and cramping. I than told her pediatrician that we wanted to see a gastrointestinal specialist. She told us no specialist would see us unless I kept my daughter on the Miralax for at least a year. Meanwhile this stuff has not been tested on children and claims to be addictive. Sooo, now I am seeking alternative approaches. We have seen an osteopath just once. She did some cranial work and she told us not to give my daughter any grains! No rice, no corn, no wheat, no rye, no oats, etc. This has been near to impossible to do. If she can't eat grains, I can't eat them in front of her. I am 8 months pregnant and eating this way does not feel right. I have lost 2 pounds. Besides, my daughter has showed no signs of improvement. She has been suffering with days of constipation. I am willing to continue with the osteopath, but cannot stick to this no grain diet. We have kept prunes, raisins, pears avocado, tofu, nuts, and eggs in her diet, and have stayed away from bananas and other foods known to be binding. The only vegetable I can get her to eat is broccoli and sometimes spinach if it is disguised in a quiche, but I worry about the cheese because it is binding. Sorry so long winded here but I really need advice and truly believe that my daughter may have a more serious internal problem than just constipation, but I can't seem to get her doctor to take her and me more seriously to send her to a specialist. Any advice will help Please.

In desperation, we tried the elimination diet. Basically, you remove most things from your diet for about 2 weeks then reintroduce items one at a time and see the effect. It turned out my son was sensitive to dairy, corn, and soy. Dairy in particular will make him constipated immediately. Even goat's milk will make him constipated. I am still kicking myself for listening to the doctors for so long and I am furious at their cavalier attitude towards constipation. However, I am grateful that we (quite blindly) stumbled upon the solution to my son's problem. I wish you and your daughter the best. Anon

I also recommend seeking other types of help. I have used ''alternative'' medicines for most of my kid's health and medical problems, with great sucess. One easy thing you can do is give your daughter a firm but gentle massage on her tummy. Generally, you would massage in large circles, clockwise, which eases the intestines (I would probably consult a book to get the specifics on this type of massage).

I also highly recommend the well-known and loved Homeopath, Christine Ciavarella. Her number is 510-524-3117. She is a wonderful resource and exceptional with children. I can also recommend a fabulous chiropractor who does lots of cranial sacral work (similar to an osteopath) on infants and children. Her name is Chinabear Joseph and her number is 510-272-9019. Both my kids have seen her since they were infants and my husband and I see her regularly. I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me directly if you want more info about the folks I reccommeded. awinger

Potty training a child with a history of constipation

My almost 3 year old daughter has a history of constipation and is taking miralax. She has shown interest in potty training and has all the text book ''potty readiness'' skills. She is however more interested in underwear than actually using the potty. She was wearing underwear at pre-school and her teachers thought she was doing great sitting on the potty, however she was actually starting to hold everything and became very constipated. She is great at the holding part but not ready to use the potty. She is now on a potty training break, prescribed by her doctor. The most important thing is for her to just go and not hold. She has excellent social skills and we are worried that she will sooner than later be separted from her peers at school because of the potty issue. We have the opportunity to switch her to what might be a better school but may not be able becuse of the potty issue. Any ideas on next steps. She is still interested in potty training despite her recent constipation. Help!

To add variety, make fruit smoothies that include plain yogurt and cinnamon she gets to sprinkle into the blender - one sprinkle for each year of life, so she doesn't dump the entire container in.

If one parent goes Big Potty at the same time each day, your daughter could be added to the routine, even if it's ''Mommy will go first, and then it's your turn to try to poop''. She doesn't have to be in the bathroom while you're going.

OR, her routine could also be to try right after a warm bath (which encourages muscle relaxation).

This doesn't specifically address the psychological component of holding one's poop in, but food is a good, natural thing to use in addition to working with the stressors. Having several successful poops-with-no-pain is a great way to get past psychological barriers.

Healthy Poop Promoter

2-year-old is constipated since introducing solids

My 2 years old boy is chronically constipated since I introduced solid food in his diet.He has very big and hard stools that are very painful to pass. So far, I have been giving him mineral oil - 2 teaspoon - everyday and try to have him drink prune juice as often as possible. Otherwise, his diet is quiet good : he drinks quite a lot, and eats vegetables and fruits in a regular basis. Still, as soon as this diet is not respected, even for a day, I'm sure he will be constipated again and have a terrible time going over it. Does anybody have a suggestion or have experienced the same trouble and find a durable solution ? Thank you in advance.

Seriously, she recommends keeping a large glass of water generally at hand, and getting into the habit of sipping from it frequently. It works well for her and for a lot of other people, and it's good for your body in many ways. (My own experience is that it's better not to use mineral water, because the carbonation can lead to gas. Tap water and spring water both work well.)

I agree with you that it is important to solve constipation problems in very young children as quickly as possible, because little ones may react by holding back their bowel movements for fear of discomfort, which just adds to the problem.

Water would seem to help, as well as some foods, but one thing I would recommend is PRUNE JUICE!!! This works amazingly well (I used it during the week or two after I gave birth, when fear of painful bowel movements can be very high!).

I'm not sure what a good dose of prune juice for a child would be; be careful-- it works very well. For me, a glass (8 or 10 ounces) was plenty. For a 3-4-5 year old, perhaps 4 ounces. Experiment, but start on the lower end. If I recall correctly, it worked within an hour or two.

I would not recommend any prescriptions unless necessary for a reason other than as a stool softener at least not until after two natural fluids were tried regularly: lots of water and some prune juice. My son suffers from constipation. By trial and error we have discovered that "Fiber One" (General Mills) bran cereal daily works for him. BUT, "Fiber One" contains NutraSweet so I do not want to give it to him anymore. The first ingredient in "Fiber One" is wheat bran. So, I bought some at El Cerrito Natural and have been feeding him that in the morning.

Mineral Oil and its alternatives

We are having some success with lactulose, though it does cause gassy abdominal distention. Because of the gas, we'd like to switch from lactulose to mineral oil but we're having a hard time getting it into him; even cold and blendered, the oil quickly separates from the juice and is pretty unappealing. What's the least gross way you know of to get mineral oil into your cutie? Thanks!

(Some children don't have a bowel movement every day, but when they do it's soft and comes out easily--you don't have to do anything about that!) I'm a health care provider and I sometimes see children who have been constipated and holding back their bowel movements for quite a while, and it's a tough problem to solve.