Toddlers Constipation

[Shaida]

Hi,My two and a half year old daughter started having problems with constipation some six months ago,she has seen a GP and a Specialist in these matters and both suggest the usual lacsotive and suppository to no avail,the problem has become so painful that she is now making things worse by crossing her legs to stop herself from passing anything now,At this point in time I am only giving Karo syrup as this is the only thing she will take, Has anyone else had exprience of this, any suggestions would be most welcome, Shaida

[Lonnie]

Hi Shaida, my daughter has suffered chronic constipation from about three months, she's now twenty one, admittedly, she does have other problems, but we give her Movacol, its a powder you can put in her food or drink, must be prescribed though, fruit is another laxitive, Figs etc, also get her to drink plenty of water. If she hadn't suffered before, there might be an underlying reason, change of diet, or a medical problem they should be doing tests for. Hopefully others will see your post and anwer also. I wish you all the best, I know what you and your daughter are going through.

[Pippa68]

I know how horrible this can be too ~ my 4 year old daughter has suffered most of her life but thankfully this is getting better. The only suggestions I can give have already been given by Lonnie ~ good ones!

I have found that by making sure my daughter drinks regularly (water or juice) & eats a few grapes per day (and sometimes apple or banana) she is kept 'regular' I know the vicious circle ~ they get scared, which makes it worse. I hope you come to a solution soon.

[Drusilla1S]

I give my 9 and 7 year old All Bran but always cut up a banana and place the slices in the bowl as well. I then top it off with both red and green grapes cut in half. I doubt they would look at All Bran on its own, but the added fruit helps. As your child is only two and a half, bran flakes may be a more acceptible substitute. It's also important for her to rink lots of water to help soften her stools.
Best wishes.

[Hellion]

My son, now 8, didn't like going to the toilet at school and used to 'hang on'. Often 3 or 4 days and once nearly 7days without going. I'd sit him on the loo and he just would not let go (anal retentive to a new level!) once for 2 hours, I used to have to tickle him until he relaxed and could hold on no longer. Is your daughter fully potty trained - is she in child care or nursery maybe where she doesn't want to use a strange loo? I would give my son as much fruit as I could get him to eat grapes are excellent, sweetcorn and red and yellow peppers are also good. Most important to drink lots of water/juice and you can get lactulose from Doc or chemist which is not a laxative as such but helps the 'poo' absorb water and keep it soft. I'd avoid laxatives if possible because it is important to encourage her bowel to work naturally - you can become dependant on laxatives and the bowel becomes 'lazy'.

[Satin7]

My daughter had chronic constipation and still suffers the occasional problem now. She'd sit for hours on the loo until her legs went numb and then she got almost frightened to go to the toilet because of the pain. Naturally, you think it's all the rubbish they eat, sweets, crisps etc.. So, I changed her diet to make it more healthy but to no avail. Brown bread, fresh juice, fresh veggies etc, but still constipated. We later found that she had food intolerances after tests were done. One of them being wheat! The other being bran! Naturally high fibre, and the obvious things prescribed by the doctor to help stop the constipation, which just completely aggrevated the problem causing more stress and pain.

I'd look in to having a food tolerance test done. And keep a food diary. After you've had the tests done.. After a while you can re-introduce certain foods in a specific order. Also, check ingrediants lists - you'll be surprised where you'll find a lot of weird and wonderful ingrediants!

Good luck .

[nfn]

just a thought but does your daughter eat lots of bananas and eggs? I only ask as the old wives tale of bananas and eggs bind you is actually true! If she particularly loves either of these it might be worth a week of constantly saying no to see if it works. I know there will be hundreds of parents saying eggs or bananas make my child go but please believe me. Good luck.

[emaaron]

hi , those little boxes of raisons always help my little girl , she has a box every day . Plenty of water mixed with pure orange juice is a good help too , i always mix it with water because pure orange juice has alot of sugar so not great for little ones teeth , hope this helps

[MrsJo49155]

My 4 year old nephew has cerebral palsy and is prone to constipation even with the use of laxatives.

The best treatment he had was reflexology - the results are amazing! Within a day of having his feet messed around with he empties everything out (sorry didnt know how to say it politely!)

Definately worth a try I would say :O)

[soozy-soo]

Both of my children went through exactly the same thing when they were about 2-3 years old. I put it down to constipation and changed their diet, increased fluids etc. But really, I think they were just a bit scared of the sensation of passing a stool. My son used to stand there crying and 'chasing his tail' as it was, just to stop anything from coming out!

All that it really took in both cases was patience, lots of it. I just comforted them, sang little songs to take their mind off it, even hugging them, whilst on the loo! Also giving stickers out when they had made a 'big splash!'. I did avoid going down the laxative route though as I agree that it can just make the bowel lazy, and I was positive that it wasn't a digestive problem but a mental one.

It is so distressing to see as a parent, but they'll get there soon. Good Luck

[tntmoz]

My 2nd child had this problem for a time and our doctor suggested giving her a tablespoon of mineral oil each day (the dose can be split up during the day). We only needed to do this a few times. See what your doctor thinks...

[dunya-anneli]

You should also use the suppositories when she hasn't done a smelly for over 24 hrs - as much because of the "threat" they represent (deterrence against witholding), as the fact that they are safer than oral laxatives, in terms of "no chance of side effects if not overdosed"

But importantly - make sure your kids are not just getting plenty of fiber and fluids but plenty of exercise: physical activity is important to keeping the bowels functioning.