My niece is 4 years old and has general had regular bowel movements - the occasional constipation, etc but she was always able to get over it. This time a few weeks ago she had it really bad and my sister tried all of the natural remedies - more water, more fiber, etc. But she still had a really bad experience when she finally went and it hurt a lot. So now she is making it worse because she will hold it indefinitely. This past week she didn't go for 5 days - at the pediatrician's recommendation, my sister has been given her gentle laxatives. So she finally went but now she is holding everything again because she is afraid it will hurt too much. Any advice on how to help her get over the psychological fears of going #2??
Thanks for so many responses. My niece is slowly getting there. A few good days and a few bad. My sister is doing a great job watching her diet and continuing to make sure she gets the foods she needs that are not binding and high in fiber - but when my niece decides to hold it - it causes the constipation all over again. The pediatrician told her to use Mirilax when needed and that is helping. However, getting her regular through diet and fluids is the goal since the laxative can be habit forming. Thanks again for the feedback - they are trying a few different things.
Hi there,
My son has had issues with the same. The doctor prescribed Miralax for him, it is now over the counter. I suggest using that, mix it in her drink, I don't think there is a taste to it...it really helps!
Good luck!
I had the same issue with my oldest daughter, who is now 7. We had the issue over a year, and it has gotten better but we can still have issues. What I did was limit the amount of dairy, it is a binder, no cheese, yogurt only every other day, milk only at dinner, limited the amoutn of peanut butter and pasta (these are all binders). I gave her OJ with calcium and low pulp, pulp is good fiber, every morning. I gave her fig nuton cookies, went to double fiber bread (we still use to this day), lots of fresh fruit(except bananas, another binder). If she had a little more cheese or yogurt then i wanted then I would give her a prune to eat, she loved them and the new single serving packages are great. It does take time for them to get over being scared of going#2. But,doing what I did helped her go everday and make things move easier. I will not lie it is a pain to keep and monitor what she is eating everyday, but in the long run it works out. As she gets over her fear you can slowly bring back the dairy, bananas, ext. I hope my advise helps.
I am a big believer in giving kids information. It sounds like Mom, Dad, or the pediatrician need to sit down and explain how her body works. A lot of times we just do things to kids (give them laxatives) or try to pacify them and get them to obey ("stop worrying and just go").
She is scared of it hurting, so explain to her that having a bowel movement is good. It shows tha ther body is working correctly. Not going can make her sick. Tell her how changes in drinking and eating behavior affect bowel movements. Get a kids' body book and show her pictures of how food moves through the body taking nutrients and water as it goes, etc. I think if she "gets it" it will help with the anxiety. Right now, she is trying to control things, and she needs to understand that it is better to control her body by eating well, paying attention to how she feels, and listening to her body's signals. Give ehr prune juice and follow the doctor's advice, but also educate her.
Hi. my daughter had the same issue and the dr. put her on a prescription laxative. she started drinking soy milk at her grandmother's and we noticed a huge difference, so we started giving it to her daily. She still uses regular milk for cereal and cookie dipping, but it's soy milk to drink with lunch and supper. it tastes sweet like a milkshake and she loves it. it works so well to keep her regular she hasn't needed her laxative in almost 2 yrs. we get the walmart brand.
My daughter is 5 and has had problems with constipation. The only thing I found that works for her is a cup of apple juice everyday. I've missed a day every now and then but as soon as she gets it, she goes by bedtime. And I've found that it doesn't matter what brand of apple juice I use, as long as it's 100% apple juice. Hope things come out alright:)
My now 4yr. old daughter had severe constipation issues that started when she was 6mths. By the time she was 18mths. it got to where she would not go poop because it was too painful for her. We tried everything, all the foods, juices, fiber, laxatives nothing worked. We finally took her to a gastroenterologist who had us clean her out with enemas, because she was so backed up, then we started her on Miralax. Miralax is what worked and still works if she needs it, which is maybe a couple of times a year. Miralax is sold over the counter and you add it to any liquid. It does not have a bad taste at all and you will see results usually within 24hrs. My daughter would hold her poop in because she associated pooping with pain, and her poops were hard little balls that were extremely painful to get out & because they sat so long in her intestines they had no water in them to make easier to get out. (sorry for being so graphic!). If none of the foods, juices, or laxatives works have your nieces Mom talk to their pediatrician about using Miralax daily for awhile and then gradually you take them off of Miralax. Hope something will work for your niece. I have been there with the same issues and it is horrible to see a child terrified to go poop because they know it will hurt. Good luck!
M.
Mom to Nicklaus 3, Ella 4, and Joseline 5
this is common but that does not make it easier (i hate hearing a dismissive, 'this is common'). my daughter has a long history of this problem. good for you for wanting to get at the root of the problem. since your niece is 4 it may be a control thing and have nothing to with the act of going but something else that's bothering her, going back to school, recent move, etc. my mom saw it a lot as an elementary school nurse but since you know there has been a bad bm experience it is probably just that. make sure she's hydrated (water is the best!) and i fifth the fiber suggestions. as the other mothers have said you probably will want to go to an MD as well. this has become a vicious cycle now where she doesn't go and then it hurts to go and then she doesn't want to go again. she can really stretch out her bowels if she retains her stool and then it's a bigger problem where the solution calls for enemas and suppositories and of course you want to avoid that! my daughter has this problem. she will talk to me very rationally about why she should go and how she gets owies in her belly when she doesn't and how it needs to come out and the rewards she gets for going on the potty but when it comes time to perform... nothing. with us it is chronic so our old doc put her on a maintenance dose of lactulose or enulose and the new doc seems to think it's a good idea. it is a sugar not digested by the body that helps poop retain water to make it easier to pass. it also has a mild laxative response. sometimes we have to use fletcher's children's laxative but this only for occasional use as laxatives can become habit-forming. we've been very happy with the results. good luck and my thoughts are with your niece!
Hi,
SM's response seems the closest to my ideas. Since she's afraid of the pain, she starts to hold when she feels the urge. She needs to be watched closely, so when you see your niece needing to go, encourage her to push. The earlier the better, then she will associate pushing with feeling better, not hurting. Reward her for trying to push and not hold. (Be her cheering squad! "Push, push, push!" That's what I did!) My daughter had terrible, painful constipation because the couple of times she did have a painful bm, she quickly associated the urge with pain and would hold. It doesn't matter much what you give them to prevent constipation if they are master holders. You do need to monitor their intake to keep from compounding the problem, but showing her that pushing is good and makes mommy, daddy, aunty, whoever, happy when she does it will go a long way in breaking the vicious hold/pain/hold cycle. Good luck!
try prune juice with a little water. she'll think shes only drinking juice, without knowing what its going to do. start with a cup of that in the morning, and if nothing happens by noon, try again after lunch. if nothing happens (which would be very unusual) try again the next day, with 2 cups in the morning and then 2 in the afternoon. SHE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP HERSELF FROM GOING! with anything high in fiber or laxative, make sure shes drinking tons of water (or pedialyte, the electrolytes will REALLY keep her hydrated)... once she gets comfortable going #2 again, everything should return to normal. prune juice is good to keep on hand anyway, for occasional constipation, just limit the doses as you would with any natural laxitive. and remember, even though a child is regular, it doesnt necessarily mean they will for sure have a bowel movement every single day... so going a day or two isnt bad :) GOOD LUCK! i hope your niece feels better!!
It is unimaginable that an active 4 year old has constipation.
My active now 23 year old also would become constipated. I discovered that he developed a Pica for toilet paper and was consuming this, thereby causing him to become constipated.
Once I acted upon this habit he became constipation free.
What is your child's diet like?
i have a 5 year old that has always had a problem with constipation. Fibergummies and pedialax saved her life. Go and get them from any drugstore and you won't have to worry ever again. if she is constipated i give her pedialax but in general we try to have her eat her 2-3 gummy bears per day.
http://www.pedia-lax.com/Fiber-Gummies.php
My five year old daughter has gone through bouts of constipation for years. A couple of months ago she started taking miralax and it has made her feel SO much better! I am all for trying to change the diet, etc., but until they have a bowel movement MANY times without it hurting, she will continue to be afraid. Good Luck.
