Our 13-month old has been straining for the past couple of weeks when pooping. She will cry and strain and her poops obviously hurt her. I didn't think that much about it because she was passing small pellet-like poops. But after today's hard goose egg, I am wondering if she may have a milk allergy/is lactose intolerant?
I am going to call her doctor once they open this morning but I thought if any moms out there experienced something similar and could offer tips, that would be great.
My daughter currently gets about 24-32 oz. of organic whole milk (cow's milk) a day. She also is a good eater, loves fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains. She loves cheese and when I feed her more cheese, we seem to have a bigger issue when she poops. Recently, I started giving her small amounts of apple juice and graham crackers to see if that would help as well.
Thank you to everyone who responded! The apple juice is definitely working! I am also cutting back on the milk and replacing it with juice twice a day. The amount of milk she was supposed to get (24-32 oz.) was the recommendation of her doctor at her 12-month visit but clearly it is just too much!! In addition to the graham crackers, I am also increasing the amount of fruit she gets with each meal. I hated having her suffer like that and am grateful we are on the path to more comfortable times.
By the way, I did call her doctor and they stood by the amount of milk they recommended. They suggested I stick with the lowest amount of 24 oz./day and give her apple juice and other fibrous foods in addition to that amount of milk. It still seems like a lot but I'm also going to try soy milk.
My 2 year old went to the doctor 4 times the first year of her life for constipation before we finally got some good advice- APPLE JUICE! The sucrose in it sucks water into her little bowels to make the process much more pleasant. She likes how the juice tastes, and it counts as a serving of fruit. If she does not have her one or two glasses a day she is back to straining and being a mega-grump. It works like a charm every time.
I would try giving her prune juice or smashed prunes. I know many moms who have had great success with this remedy
Our pediatrician had us mix 1/2 tsp mineral oil our son's yogurt to help him when he was constipated...there is also Miralax (OTC). You are right to up her fiber intake, too. Good Luck!
I wouldn't immediately think milk as that can cause gas and looser stools mainly. Constipation could be she is getting too much fiber, so make sure she is drinking sufficient milk and it sounds like she is, she doesn't need a lot of water as their kidneys aren't like ours and cannot handle large doses. Try even watered down apple juice or prune juice. Cheese is a huge cause of constipation if eaten too much. I would say it isn't milk causing the problems, try even yogurt with probiotics in them, that helps the digestive process big time! I have been eating it daily and it is great stuff! You can get it in tablet form and sprinkle it in almost all foods, consult the Pharmacist on amounts.
Milk intolerance is abdominal pain, bloating and gas, I know because I have it. I love dairy and have to take a supplement prior, but it has never caused me constipation.
Good luck! Some more fluids and less cheese would be my recommendation.
Cheese constipates them.. it has my boys. It seems like as they grow, and diet changes it takes them a little while to get regulated again. but she also could be lactose intolerant too. Wouldn't hurt to ask Dr. just to see what he say's. good luck!
Hi E.,
Constipation that lasts a long time is not unusual in little ones. Our daughter had a terrible bought of it when she was about your daughter's age. She would strain for so long and she sometimes even left blood in her diaper. It was terrible. Her pediatrician had us give her a tiny tiny amount of Milk of Magnesia every night for several months. Tiny....Like 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon. MofM is extremely gentle and their bodies do not become dependent on it. After a couple of months she started to regulate her bowels better and we stopped giving it to her. No problems at all. If adjusting her diet and drinking more liquids does not help maybe ask your pediatrician about Milk of Magnesia. Good luck!
I would sub milk and cheese for yogurt or keifer, and cut down on dairy in general. Then I would replace it with some whole, fresh fruits and cooked veggies. Also, avoid crackers (other than graham) as they can cause constipation as well. Push the fluids. If you do juice, mix like 1/4 juice (or less) with 3/4 water, and get them to drink a lot of that. Good luck!
I had this problem in my 15 month old and discovered if I feed her more fruits that she does just fine. I give her apples, pears, peached, mandarin oranges, bananas anything that she likes at least once a day and it helps a lot.
J.
That seems like a lot of milk! Have you looked up the recommended amounts. Definetly up the fiber factor and have her drink water, you need to start that habit early.
Hi E. - Lactose intolerance causes gas and diahrrea, not usually constipation but with that said, a high milk and cheese diet can cause constipation, especially if combined with a low fiber diet.
Here's what my docs website says:
Diet for Children Over 1 Year Old:
Increase fruit juice (apple, pear, cherry, grape, prune) (note: citrus fruit juices are not helpful).
Add fruits and vegetables high in fiber content (peas, beans, broccoli, bananas, apricots, peaches, pears, figs, prunes, dates).
Increase whole grain foods (bran flakes, bran muffins, graham crackers, oatmeal, brown rice, and whole wheat bread. (Popcorn can be used if over 4 years old.)
Decrease milk products (milk, ice cream, cheese, yogurt) to 3 servings per day.
My oldest is almost like someone who is lactose intollerant. He can't handle a lot of dairy foods. It makes him so constipated that sometimes he bleeds. I have him on meds twice a day and still his stools are huge. He's 13 and more conscious of what not to eat and what to eat. He won't eat a lot of vegies or fruits. I try, I offer them but I can't make him eat them at this age. He always eats better in the summer when fruit is more readily available.
I would try replacing some of the milk with yogurt or another dairy source with the probiotics. That much milk would stop my son up in no time. He's not allowed to have a lot of juice, but we usually do about 4 oz. mixed with water and that seems to help. Doesn't even seem to matter what kind of juice. Hope she feels better soon.
I did 1/2 apple juice 1/2 water or 1/2 prune juice 1/2 water and cut back on the milk. I also did the vaseline on a Q-Tip it helped my little one. good luck
I've learned that the pellets are a definite sign of constipation and you have to act quickly at that point. My 14 monther gets constipated with cheese and soy, so I make sure that she eats cheese with fruits (grapes are her favorite). Soy is an every once in a while thing. She loves it but it really dries her out! I hope that helps.
E.,
I would try to cut back on the milk and cheese at least until she shows improvement. Also, I would try the Homeopathic remedy Bryonia. You can pick this up in Whole Foods,Vitamin Cottage or Pharmaca. Get the 30C potency and give 3 pellets every 3-4 hours until you see improvement then stop the remedy. Another good approach to constipation is plenty of water and raw fruit and vegetable juices such as prune juice or unsweetened pineapple juice.
Good luck! I hope she is well soon.
K.
We have the same problems with cheese and other dairy products. If the juice doesn't seem to work you can try miralax. You mix it into their drink and it has no taste. For my 3 year old the doctor recommended 1/2 a capful. You would probably want to check with your doctor just to make sure the dosage for your 13mo old.
When my daughter would get constipated I would give her some Mylicon, which can be used for gas and constipation, then a warm bath. If that doesn't work you might have to get a q-tip put vaseline on it and insert it into her anus and massage the vaseline into her anus. It sounds horrible and she won't like it but the vaseline helps hard poops come out less painfully. Hope this helps good luck.
First off BACK OFF THE CHEESE AND MILK. She is getting enough dairy just from that amt of milk! Second switch to Soy if shes not allergic! I had to do that with my little girl at that age. She rarely gets cheese. Its a 100% better making these changes, than trying and watching how she wont like getting a suppostitory in her bum! I stopped doing that and switched to something made to mix in drinks, ahh I forget the name, if your intrested let me know and I will look for the name for you. Anyways, after a short time on that, shes now regular as can be and if she has a few days where its a bit harder her body works it out on its own. There is nothing like having your child not trust you to change the diaper because they think your going to give them another suppository! Plus, IMO God intended for it to be a one way entry, suppository's are not natural! My little girl would scream because it hurt when she had to poop. Also even though she is eatting all the necessary and essentials to make her "go", weigh them out, maybe it seems like enough but is not! Sometimes getting them to go over that amt if they will, is better. Also, no juice, no amt ever worked for my dd.
