Advice Needed

Miralax(sp?) is an over the counter medicine that helps with that. My daughter used it and it worked ok. You can also try Plumb Smart juice it works just like prune juice but does not taste as gross. The juice worked better that the meds. We just had my daughter drink a glass in the morning and it worked great. Hope this helps.

I took my child to a doctor for this exact reason. He suggested 1 - 2 teaspoons of mineral oil mixed with 7 Up. Worked great!

I actually took my 16 month old son to the dr a couple of weeks ago for the same thing. He cried every single time he had an BM so his dr told me about Miralax which is now over the counter and it works wonders! We give him half of the recommended dose once a day in 8oz of his favorite juice and he has not had any more problems. And best of all he drinks the whole cup of juice with no problems!

she may not need a laxative but some stool softeners might do good. they do sell some all natural childrens stool softeners...just ask the pharmacist.
i had the same problem with my son many years ago and he ended up getting impacted and that is not fun so try adding more fiber to her diet...like bran muffins are good and you can put some raisins in them ...kind of like a raisin bran muffin.

I also have a 2yr old with the same problem(unfortunately she got it honestly) I give her a tablespoon of Aloe vera juice. I got it from a health food store on Preston. It is cherry flavored all natural and she doesnt mind taking it. I used to take it before I got preggo with baby#2. You can take it like 3x a day but it works and not in an explosive way. Hope this helps

Try freshly grinding flax seed and putting it in a muffin or waffle. This works like a charm!

My daughter went through that at the same age. Glycolax is a prescription med. you get from her doctor. Stick to it for a few months. It truly works to loosen the stool and help it come out. You mix it with any of her drinks and she never knows it. Good Luck!

I had this very same problem with my now 13-year old, when she was about 2. Senekot is a great, and natural, laxative, and comes in a children's formula. Just be sure to follow the dosage instructions. It usually takes a couple of days to kick in. If that doesn't work, or she has already been "backed up" for more than 3 days, you may need to use a child's enema. We, unfortunately, had to resort to this once . . . but it worked, and then we relied on the laxative now and again if she started showing signs of constipation.

M.,
If you are open to medication the over the counter Miralax does work very nicely and does not have other problematic side affects. It takes awhile to get things going smoothly again but it is a nice solution over other harsh medications. I tried all kinds of natural herbs but I didn't see any positive affects myself. Prunes are a natural laxative if you want to try that.
-Nita

Sounds like she may be needing more fiber in her diet.

My daughter has also had severe constipation issues. She has had them since she was about 8 mos old. They were so bad that when she would try and go to the bathroom her food would come back up her nose and mouth she was that constipated (sorry for the gross illustration but that is how bad it was) I was never able to get anything constant that would help and would get all of the prune juice/apple juice, etc and it would help at times but not always. I consulted with both a nutritionist and a natural doctor and they both suggested some things that have really helped. Please feel free to private message me and I would be happy to talk with you about it further. Good luck. I know how hard that is for your daughter and for you too.

I feel your pain! My daughter, almost 4, has battled with constipation since I quit breastfeeding at about 3 months old. I gave her Goats Milk & still do sometimes...it's suppose to be as close to breast milk as you can get. I also use a probiotic others have mentioned, extra fiber in her beverages, and soy milk. She gets NO cow milk and we limit the cheese she gets...we don't eat white bread. Arbonne also had a great orange flavored fiber shake that she likes. I can help you get it. I even used it when pregnant with her for a couple months...nothing the doctor/nurse told me to use worked...this fiber shake did! Definitely keep your child drinking lots of fluids.

If you want to get the Fiber Shake from Arbonne, email me at ____@____.com and we can get you some.
Good luck!
D. :-)

I had a daughter with the same problem, and the Dr. said her last intestine secreted too much water, and gave me colace drops. This cleard up the problem, and I also tried to give her more water, and fruits, etc. Sounded like the intestine was more of the problem than what she was eating, as I had just given her spinach and pears before taking her to Dr.

Hello,
My daughter suffered from constipation from about 18 months until about 4 yrs. old. I was told that she knew exactly what she was doing and that she just didn't want to go to the bathroom because she was being potty trained and didn't want to lose control of her bowel movements. I finally had had enough and consulted a certified natural care professional who suggested we give her Flax Seed Oil. I had tried everything from Mineral Oil - to the doctor personally sticking his finger up her rectum - to enemas. I felt like a really bad parent but didn't know what else to do. The Flax Seed Oil (about 2 tsp. daily) was a true blessing and I haven't turned back since. My daughter is now 14 and doing very well.

Apple juice may constipate her more. If the case is severe try prune juice but just a small amount. It can cause tummy painby making baby gassy. You can also do preventive mild diet changes like giving her a small glass of papaya and orange juiced mixed. It is best if it is freshly squezed. Giving her corn to eat might help some as well as cucmber if she will eat it. The seed of the cucumber and the skin on the corn do great for this. More than avoiding milk try avoiding cheese, pears, bananas and rice. And if she likes yogurt try giving her some to make sure her tummy has a balanced amount of healthy organisms....ofcourse, make sure the yougurt has these in it because some just don't.

I had the same problem w/2 of my kids... Try giving her apple juice or prune juice and be sure not to dilute it. Kids like it better when it's really cold.

I can feel your pain. We have had to deal with this issue the last few years with my son. A few things we learned along the way was he has a wheat/gluten intolderance. So he can eat it, but if he eats a lot of it on a regular basis it can be very painful. So needless to say we monitor the wheat/gluten intake, and drink lots of water, a cup of orange juice every day, fruits, raisins etc. After having gone from one extreme to the other with the usual recommendation of Miralax I looked to our local Health store for some advice as well. They were full of knowledge. My son gets a dose of fish oil every day. Not sure where you live. I go to Healthy Approach in Colleyville.

hi M.,
i know what you are going through as my son has chronic constipation with no underlying cause and has been seen since he was six months old by a specialist at childrens hospital we go every six months for a check-up and i will tell you all they have told me to do, at her age it is hard to incorporate alot of fiber into her diet but if you can get her to eat frosted shredded wheats and raw veggies that would be great u can also give her milk of magnesia like a tsp full my son was and still is on miralax which is now over the counter its safe its a polysoluble which is like eating bran flakes etc... he has been on miralax since he was one and u put 17 grams same as one cap full up to the line in 9 ounces of apple juice and make sure she is drinking plenty of liquid throughout the day.if she gets in the habit of withholding since it hurts to poop bc of the constipation it stretches out the bowels the bowels are like balloons and once its stretched out it takes longer for the child to finally realize they need to poop and by then its hard and cant poop and if you give her miralax everyday it will eventually get better my son is now only taking it when he gets really constipated.so give that a try and its safe no worries if you would like to talk feel free to give me a call ###-###-#### my name is A. hope this helps let me know how it goes.

Try 1/2-1 teaspoon of dark Karo syrup for a natural laxative. No kidding! I thought my husband was crazy but actually found articles to support it online.

Dear M.,

My son is not 18 years old and have had problems with his stomach since he was around 4. I had noticed that he would hurt more in the evening and morning. I also noticed him moaning and holding his stomach while he was sleeping. I new there had to be an answer. After two doctors telling me he will grow out of it I finally found a doctor that worked to figure out the problem. My son is Lactose intolerant and has a Spastic Colon. It is hard to to tell a child that they can't have milk, ice cream, cheese etc, etc. So my doctor suggested fiber tablets and a natural laxitive that would not be addictive. So, I put him on a natural laxitive about one to two times a week and gave him fiber tablets to help stay regular. It works so well that we don't have to use the laxitives as often but only if he starts to have a slight bit of problem. The fiber tablets, he takes alost every day. The company I went through has been around for 50 years and I was so pleased with the results of all products we have tried that I decided to sell them. Check out my website and see what you think. www.shaklee.net/livetoinspire and if you have any questions please feel free to email me. ____@____.com

My daughter had this problem and we had to take her to the hospital to see a specialist. The x-ray of her abdomen was crazy! Full of poop, poor thing. Anyway, she needed more fiber in her diet. I thought that couldn't be right because she eats very healthily, loves broccoli, etc. But we put her on Gummi Vites, the ones with fiber. They are hard to find, with fiber. I haven't found a store that carries the fiber ones other than Whole Foods and Cox Farms (in Duncanville). Also, try warming her juice. The warmth gets things going (think morning coffee, you know?). Also, stay away from foods that have hydrogenated vegetable oils. No chicken nuggets, fries, etc. If you have to have fast foods, stick to Chick-Fil-A. They don't use those oils. Check the ingredients on the packages. A lot of kid's packaged snacks have these oils- even Goldfish. Instead, try the Annie's Cheddar Bunnies (at Target and health food stores). Good luck!

My son was so constipated we had to give him milk of magnesia for a few days to get it all out. After we felt he was better, we gave him benefiber (my cousin did the same thing with her daughter). That was a huge help. He was 10 months when we had to give him the milk of magnesia. After around the 4th day, we stopped and started benefiber. We gave him that until he was about. 18 months.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me - ____@____.com

oatmeal and buckwheat

Switch from apple juice to white grape or plain water. Apple juice can be constipating--the pectin in apples thickens the stool in the intestine. Apple juice and cheese are usually the main culprits...ask her pediatrician about stirring a little Benefiber into her juice. Don't do it until you get the green light from the dr. Kids are notorious about being constipated, sometimes it's the kinds of foods, and sometimes it's because they don't want to take the time to sit still on the potty and wait til their bowels move.

My daughter is the same way, she is now ten. I don't recommend cutting back on the calcium rich foods/drinks that she needs but increasing foods that work as a natural laxative or digestive aide. We eat prunes (just 1 or two) daily. It is a great, quick snack that can be eaten with any meal or just as a quick snack before bed. I haven't done so yet just because it hasn't become necessary but you may want to check into one of those fiber yogurts too, they sound promising. Hope this helps.

My oldest had this problem when he was that age, and my fifth child has that same problem at age three.

Both of their problems were the negative feelings towards "poopie" in the diaper. They knew it wasn't good to poop in the diaper, but weren't really ready for potty training as of yet. This caused major back ups and I am still battling it with my now three year old.

I took him to the doctor that gave me meds to give him when I saw a back up coming. My oldest got over it eventually and he's eight and doing great!

Try giving her glycerin suppositories. I did this with my little one at her age. She is now 3 and has no constpation. No one likes getting or giving them, but it sure does work--in just a matter of minutes. You can get them just about anywhere. Hope this helps! Good Luck!!

All of my kids have gone through this, especially when potty training. I have to be proactive about it, before it gets too late. One thing I do is mix babyfood prunes into their oatmeal. You can also mix her apple juice with some prune juice. Make sure she is getting plenty of fiber also. There are some new crackers made by All Bran that are great! Good luck.

My daughter had trouble (and still does at 10) due to not eating properly. We use mineral oil. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. She even knows now when I use it because if I try to trick her she gets upset. You can mix it in anything! I even put it in her milk.It doesn't "mix", it just floats on top of whatever beverage you use. As long as she uses a straw and drinks the last drop, she gets the mineral oil (1 TBL). It doesn't provide fiber or what not, but it makes everything "slippery" if you know what I mean. Even when she wanted to "hold it in", she couldn't. It can leave an orange stain in the undies, but washing undies was better than watching her suffer. Is she constipated or holding it in? Either way, mineral oil helped us tremendously. Hope it helps.

My son has had this problem since he was an infant. At about 2 y/o my pediatrician recommended giving him Mineral Oil. I thought that would be a battle but he took it every night without any problem. We would give him a tablespoon or two. Now at 6 we still give it to him but only about 3 days a week, a tablespoon. I would check with your pedi to see if he/she recommends this and what dosage. It worked wonders for my son. Good luck!

my daughter who was 2 at the time had awful bouts of constipation. it would send me into tears hearing her cry and to make it worse she would hold it in because she knew it would hurt. the doctor suggested miralax and it worked magically. it does a couple of days to kick in but it works. you can use it as long as you like and the constipation won't start again once you stop using it. now to quote the nurse i talked to "she has constipation because of what you're feeding her", which made me feel like crap but it's true. also white grape juice is the best and if you're up for the after affects, some milk with strawberry syrup works good too. good luck i know it's tough!

Hi Mellisa,
I would say to try Miralax it over the counter and in a powder and you just add it to her drink I have to give this to my daughter and it has done wonders for her.. we dont use it everyday but we do use it.. You will see a difference in just a few days. Hope this helps..

Make sure she is getting enough WATER in her daily routine. Apple juice is ok, but remember that unless it is completely organic and Not from concentrate, she is getting more processed suguar and High Frutose Corn syrup than she is actual apples. Also rememembert that Too much fiber can also constipate you as well.

hi, i have a 2.5 yr old who has had chronic constipation since birth. her GI dr. put her on miralax and if you take it everyday it works and helps keep it regular.( at first i did it every other day, and now i HAVE to do it every day or it gets bad)( here lately i don't think its "potent enough, or she has outgrown the dose.) you can also try the choicolate flavor nutripals, i give her one before bed and by morning she usually goes. you can also get babylax glycerin suppositories(like an enema) it works within 10-15 minutes or almost instantly for some relief.

sorry for the way this is all put together, i've tried everything for mine sweetie, but it only works for so long. she has been on miralax since 6mo. old. you can get it over the counter now.
GOOD LUCK< HOPE THIS HELPED...some.:)

I have a 23 month old granddaughter who occasionally gets constipation and when she does I feed her raisins for a snack a couple of times a day for a few days and that usually does the trick. Hope it helps! C. J.

When my son was constipated, I got a jar of baby food prune puree and mixed it into a bowl of flavored oatmeal (brown sugar/cinnamon - cooked). It didn't alter the taste too much, and it seemed to help! Hope this helps... :)

Have you tried probiotics? You can buy it in powder form for kids at Whole Foods. We put it in the kids' juice or applesauce. The whole family uses probiotics - so good for you, but without the dairy (and sugar) in yogurt.

Hi,

Looks like you've received great advice so far. If you have problems getting her to take any of the recommended supplements you can rub castor oil (available at walgreens, target, etc.) on her stomach in a clockwise direction. If you have any essential oils available, lavender is a great one for general calming and relaxing. Good luck!

M.

my son,now11,also struggled with constipation. we finally had a dr. recommend given him about a tbs. full of mineral oil in his drinks/foods, every day. this is a natural stool softener, so after a while, they can't get backed up. this is safe on a long term basis aas well. we had to do this for about 6 months until his system got back to normal. He had developed a terrible cycle of getting constipated, then having a bm that hurt, then he'd be scared to have a bm, so he'd hold it for sometimes a week, and then of course it would be a painful bm again, and then he'd be scared, and so on and so on.i would just add some to his milk in a sippy cup and he never knew i did. also you can stir into yogurt or other foods like that because it's suppose to be tasteless.hopr this helps. good luck, K.

Prune juice and a warm bath works. You could call your pedi for suggestions as well. Good luck!

YEs this happens more often then you would think. The warm wash clothes are good. ALso massaging the tear ducts GENTLY with a clean finger helps. HOWEVER my now 27 year old son had this and we had to have surgery to tear ducts probed and opened. He was and is great no worst for having had the experience.

I can truly sympathize with your situation. Both of my daughters (now ages 8 and 6) experienced chronic constipation as toddlers. They did eventually outgrow the chronic constipation, but until we got to that point it was no walk in the park.

Early on, our pediatrician recommended putting a couple tablespoons of mineral oil in either their juice or milk once daily. This helped for a while, but then we were back at square one. Of course, we did the obvious....limit dairy products, eat a balanced diet, etc. but that didn't seem to help. Constipation would come on very quickly for my girls. They could have a normal BM on one day and by the next be so backed up that even a child's enema would not help. Yes, we did end up at Children's Medical in the ER on a couple of occassions with both of my girls. You have no idea how difficult it is to watch medical personnel remove the obstruction from a child less than 2 years of age.

Finally, I told our pediatrician that there must be another option. Just about that time a new product came out called Miralax. It used to be prescription only, but is now available over the counter. It was life changing for us. It is a medication that I would give to my girls every day. It is a powder that you mix with their juice. Our doctor explained how it works like this - the medication pulls extra liquid into the gut to keep things more moist and not so hard which relieves the difficulty in having a BM.

We did have to experiment with exactly how much powder to give daily. We started with the recommended dose and then scaled back from there. We did experience some extremely loose BM's, but I would prefer that over constipation. Since apple juice is a natural laxative we had to keep track of how much our girls drank in addition to the medication. I will say that once our girls were completely potty trained it helped ease the constipation also.

I highly recommend that you discuss the use of Miralax with your daughter's pediatrician and see what he/she says. This product is also great for adults too. I still occassionally use this product for my girls if they feel like they are having difficulty having a BM. Thankfully they are old enough now to tell me what is going on and they know that the medication helps.

Good luck!
C.

My 2 year old daughter has battled constipation off and on as well. I found that kiwi are excellent for getting things going. Also, I purchased the Little Tummys (like Little Noses brand) laxative drops. It has never not worked for my daughter. I only give her those when its really bad, but a few drops does the trick in less than 24 hours. I know its so hard to see them in pain. Good luck!

I struggled for years with my daughter with this issue as well (now 5yrs and doing good finally). She would hold it and that didn't help. I've found keeping fiber and lots of water in her diet worked better than anything. We did Miralax as recommended by our doctor(now available over the counter). Supposedly it's nonadditive, but I have my doubts she was on it for 2yrs before I could finally wean her off it. It softens the stool so she can go, but didn't make her actually GO. Tons of blueberries, prunes (call them gummy snacks), various veggies, and grapes worked the best and limiting milk/cheese/white bread products. She does drink lactose free milk and gets calcium from her OJ if you're concerned about limitiing milk. Keeping fluids in her has been the hardest struggle and as long as she drinks plenty she does better too. Good luck!!

Hey, this is fun! I wish I would have known about this site before. I worked at a local Preschool, so I have lots of stories about babies. There was a little girl in my class who suffered from bad constipation. It helps to feed them at the same time. Their diet should include lots of fiber and WATER. This little girl loved the yogurt covered raisins and nice cold water. This usually helped her go. My problem was that I could only control her diet to a certain point, due to the fact that the preschool provided the lunch and snacks. Diluted prune juice is also good if the baby will take it. Diluted orange juice also if the baby will tolerate it. Another problem this baby had was that she would hold it in, since it hurt for her to go. To the point she would scream and turn red in pain. At this point we would need to lay her on her back, massage her belly in a circular motion and pull her knees gently to her tummy. Then she would find relief and go. This particular child had to be put on baby laxatives. The first bowel was tough, bigger than I imagine her little stomach to be, but after that prepare for bath time.

I have a 15 year old son and have battled with the problem of constipation since he was a breast-fed infant! When he was about 18 months or so he began 'withholding' because it was difficult. We didn't get ahold of it soon enough before the behavioral problems compounded the physical ones--it has been a long road! There were times when he went a week or more without a BM. We tried every OTC and herbal remedy imaginable. Our (former!) pediatrician kept telling us to either make him eat prunes or give him spoonfuls of mineral oil to solve the problem (he gagged and threw up with that one). We went to a pediatric GI doc who suggested a chart with a reward system for everytime he went poop-no help! Finally, our new doctor told us about a prescription Miralax, a powder that mixes with a liquid without grit or taste--a first after all the fiber powders we had tried! Daily at first then you will find the frequency that works well. Also, a stool softener so it won't be so difficult. Try this along with being consious of A LOT of clear liquids daily, whole grains instead of white bread and other constipating foods. Honestly, I finally do not have to worry about when he has last had a BM because the issue ruled the household for far too long. Good luck--just get a hold on it now--TRUST ME

My grand duaghter has had severe problems with this and still does. You need to start now before it reaches the point hers did. The doctor can put her on a regular medication she will take with water or juice. This will help her by not only increaing her fluid intake but also the medication will help make it not hurt so much. It is very important you do it now while she is young. She is holding off going to the bathroom because it hurts. This leads to larger bowels and more pain and her colon will get strecthed to a point she may start to have problems with stains in her underware because of the streched colon. It seems to be an increasing problem with the over processed foods out children eat these days because my grandaughters Doctor has seen many of them with same type problem. Good luck and be patient it can sometimes take along time to get good resolution. Remember if she has accidents it is not her fault because it daoes hurt and she is afraid to go. She is still quite young so hopefully it won't continue to develop to the state my little one is at.

Hello M.. My 5 y/o dtr has battled constipation most of her life. She drinks home-ade fruit smoothies with banannas, yogurt, and blueberries-add some prunes in as well. Also, she eats oats and honey bars for snacks. As stated above, make sure she gets enough water. I hope this helps some.

It is horrible to see your child in so much pain and not know how to help. The best thing to do is take care of it before it gets to that point. My daughter went through the same thing. We started giving her about 1/4 cup prune juice mixed in with her regular juice daily. If she is already constipated, I would give her a little more than that. Also, "Little Remedies" brand makes a product for constipation that it a fiber laxative (found with the children's health items). That, also, works. Both of those things will take several hours to pass through her system, that is why I said it is good just to put it into the daily routine (prune juice for breakfast). It will get better. Hang in there. I know how you feel. Feel free to contact me if you have any more concerns about it.

You should really talk to your doctor. Both my boys had this issue between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 years old. They ended up needing something to help them out. Usually they recommend
Miralax over the counter- you just add to their water.

I have a few ideas for you. One, up her fiber intake with fresh fruits and veggies. Two, up her water intake. Three, give her a good probiotic. Four, limit constipating foods like bananas and cheese. Finally, it may be partly psycological. Has she started potty training? She may also have had some bowel movements that were painful or uncomfortable and has associated that pain with the act and is now withholding. Good luck!

Hi M.,
My little one had trouble with constipation for a while. Have you tried prune juice? We did...but it didn't work for us, because it was a struggle to get her to drink it. Yuck! That was just what others had suggested for us. I guess some kids like it. You could try that first. We ended up getting a prescription from the doctor for a syrup called Lactulose. It tastes really good, like snow cone syrup, so it was not a problem getting her to take it. She loved it! It was meant to draw moisture to the stool and soften it. It worked. It made her much more comfortable. We used that for a few months, and then she just outgrew the problem, I guess. She needed the syrup less and less...and at the same time, she was getting more active which, I think, also helped move things through her system. Make sure your daughter is drinking plenty of water everyday, too. Anyway, I hope I have helped a little. Good Luck!

There is a product that you can get online - Colic Calm at www.colicalm.com - it is mainly for infant gas but it helps a great deal for constipation. We have used it on my son since he was 1 month old. He is now 6 months. I have showed it to our pediatrician and the GI specialist and both said it is safe and ok to use. It is completely natural which is what I like about it. I would definitely check it out. Also ask your pediatrician about Milk of Magnesia. We used this a couple times on my daughter when she was under 1. Also ask about probiotics (lacto bacillis) you can get them at a health good store..completely natural and will help regulate her digestive track. This is why there is all the buzz with the yogurts lately...that is what they have added more of in them. But I really believe you'll love the Colic Calm.

Hi M.,

How many teeth does your daughter have? The reason I ask is that I found a product that puts 17 fruits and veggies into gummy treats for kids (and capsules for adults). Let me tell you, with that much fresh produce running through your system, constipation is a thing of the past! It also does wonders for the immune system, which is important, especially if your kids are in school or daycare. If your daughter does not have a lot of teeth, you might need to cut them into quarters to avoid choking.

My family likes it so much I decided to market it so I could make it available to other people like me. If you'd like more info, you can email me, call me or check out my website: www.GoodHealthMadeSimple.com, then click on "other products". I'm also offering a coupon here on Mamasource.

Good luck!

____@____.com
###-###-####

I have the same problem with my two year old. The juices and prunes did not work for us. I swear by feeding her grapes everyday and they seem to do the trick. My doctor recommended those to me and told me as they get older and in elementary school popcorn is a good snack to keep them regular

I don't know if it works for long-term constpation, but I have always used glycerin suppositories for my daughter (2 and a half). They're not usually a favorite but they work well. I also try and keep her hydrated. Good luck! I know it can be frustrating!

Double her fluid consumption - water is as important as juice, and it is what makes fiber work. If that doesn't end it, talk to her pediatrician about a stool softener.

Hi M. -

Are you making sure that your daughter has enough water? My kids and I also love Fiber One's new caramel flavored cereal. It has a bit of sugar in it, which you want to avoid as a general rule, but the fiber is so good for us. We eat it dry as a snack.

The biggest thing is consistency - make sure she is drinking enough water and build the fiber gradually over the next few days. If I remember correctly, kids should have 8 grams + their age in fiber a day.

Hope this helps!

E.
www.thegreatproduct.com/richerlife

Try White Grape Juice. Apple juice never worked for my kids, but white grape juice always did the trick....

We deal with the same thing with my daughter. My hollistic doctor recommended adding pectin to her juice. Pectin is used for making jams/jellies and you can get it at the grocery store. I put 1 pack with about 16 ounces of water (usually you add more water, but this makes it more concentrated). Then I add the pectin mixture to her juice about 1 part pectin to 3 parts juice. We make sure she gets at least 2 ozs of the pectin each day and it helps. You can play with the portions b/c every child is different.

M. A

Hi M.,
I know just what you are going through. My daughter has battled constipation for a few yrs. It started when she was eating more soilds and she is 3 now and still will get constipated occas. I give her applejuice also, but prunes or prune juice seems to wrok best. My daughter loves raisins and I tell her that a prune is just a giant raisin and she loves it. As for the juice I tell her it is grape juice. Cheese is the big culprit for my daughters constipation so maybe if she stops eating it for a few days and takes the prunes or the juice it will help. Also Glycerin suppositries help some, but are a pain to get them to hold them in, espec. when they are already in pain from being so compacted. Hope this was helpful.
J. A.

Hello M.,

there is something in her diet that is causing the constipation. for my daughter the culprit si MILK/cheese/yogurt. anything w/ milk. so stop ALL the dairy for now. constipation is not to be ignored because it can cause diverticulitis later on)

I add pears (baby food) to her strawberry (SOY) milk in the morning. by the way, pears have as much fiber as prunes and don't give the gas belly aches. I figured that out by comparing gerber baby prune & pears (per serving). can she have soy milk instead of cow milk? every so often I add 1 teaspoon of milk of magnesia to her milk. btw, 1 teaspoon of milk of magnesia has the recommended daily allowance for kids.. I'd check the amount for a toddler. maybe 1/2 teaspoon twice/week is enough for maintenance for her. you don't want her body to get used to stool softeners because later her body won't work properly. so lot's of water, try different milks, pears have good fiber & good luck! and NO, it's not normal to go days w/out a BM. =) I'm glad you're trying to fix this now instead of years later. ~C.~

My son had really bad constipation: bleeding, screaming, refused to poop for days...it was fun. What worked for him was “George’s Aloe Vera Juice”. This is a kind that has NO taste at all. We called it sweet water and he would drink it plain. OR you could put it in juice and it would be fine. Made a WORLD of difference. They have it a Roy's Natural Food Market ###-###-####) in Dallas. Amazon also sells it.

You could also try Nordic Natural DHEA for kids, it is cod liver oil. They have Strawberry flavor. Don’t do aloe vera and cod liver or they will have diarrhea.

A little about me:
Mother of 2 great kids, 3 and 5. Great husband, married 8 years.

M.,

I didn't read all of your responses, so hopefully I am not repeating something. My daughter has had problems for a while with constipation. I sympathize with you. It breaks my heart when she cries. We've tried a few things. Of course prune juice has worked great. We have always diluted all of her juice with half water, half juice. There is also a Gerber brand in the little plastic bottles, that is apple prune juice. She might like it better than just plain prune juice. Also a little while back we found Plumsmart. It's usually right where the prune juice is. I've found it in just about every grocery store. It's a lot sweeter than prune juice. She loves it! One more thing that always helped was a little Dark Kayo Syrup in their milk. Just make sure it's the dark. I hope you find help for your little one! Good luck!

Shaklee makes a product called 'Herb Lax'...this will solve the problem.

I think we lead the same lives -- I am an attorney with a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. Both of them have had the same problem recently. First, my doctor said that apple juice in the midst of any digestive issue is not helpful -- he recommended white grape juice -- but allow differences for schools of thought. In any event, he recommended MiraLax -- it is an OTC powder that dissolves in fruit juice. I found mine at CVS. He recommended 1/4 of the lid (which serves as the dispensing cup) for my 2 year old and 3/4 for my 5 year old. He said that some children stay on this for a long time just to keep them regular. I did so daily for a week -- just to get them regular and it worked. Now, I put a small dose in their juice once a week (if I remember). I hope this helps! Good luck!

My daughter also has problems with constipation (it has been ongoing for years) My doctor also recommended Miralax. At the time it was only sold by precription but it is now available over the counter. Sincwe she is only two you will want to consult your doctor because you probably do not want to give the amount recommended on the bottle. I hope this helps.

I would try ACTIVIA yogurt. It has truly helped me and it tastes good.. I like the strawberry and peach.

J.

Our kids have had this problem a lot in the past. We try to stay as natural as possible. Have you tried prunes? One of my kids hates them, and with her we just say ok eat it fast and then you can have _______. But another one LOVES them! Also up the apple juice and apples. This usually helps us. I have a friend who has her kid on this daily medicine, but lets her eat anything. We are trying to teach the kids to change diet before jumping to medicines. You may not like what you have to eat but its not the end of the world and magic medicines are not an alternative to eating a balanced diet.

Pear juice has always helped when my kids are constipated. Gerber makes a brand of it. Hope this helps