Help Potty Training a Constantly Constipated 2 Year Old

I just finished potty training my 2 year old daughter a few months ago and the poop was the only issue. She was holding it for a couple days and I think because she was scared to go in the potty. As a result she got constipated. My doctor said I could give her pedialax as needed. Also, she does eat tons of fruits everyday, drinks water and eats healthy- it was just a control thing for her. The pedialax, peaches, pears, raw apples, and even ice cream helped move things along. After a couple weeks of this, the poop anxiety went away.

well you got me on the poop part because my son is doing the same. I find it odd that he pees in the potty but just finds it inconvenient to poop in there. He just went through a spell of picky eating and my being lazy with veggies and I got back on track by sneaking stuff into food. I bake muffins with flax meal and holy cow it works wonders fast. my husband gives me a hard time about how effective it is. you can get flax meal at trader joes. I bought fiber gummies too at whole foods didn't notice much difference. Milk is constipating acidopholis is good though. let me know how you do with the poop thing it baffles me.

Hi B.,
I agree with Catherine on getting her to eat different things. Thing to avoid (or at least limit) are crackers, bananas, cheeses and apples. If you do give crackers, make sure they are whole wheat and only a few. Crackers are notorious for causing constipation! Fresh fruits are SO important for digestion. My daughter has constipation problems (since birth) and foods that soften stool are blueberries, pears, prunes, apricots, peas, sweet potatoes. Make sure she is drinking enough water. Fruit smoothies are great as long as there is several ice cubes added to dilute the fruit. I buy frozen fruit at Sam's Club.
Sincerely,
L.

PS Try getting her stool softer before trying to potty train for pooping.

Hello B.,
My daughter (also turned 2 in June) has always had constipation problems. I'm not sure what natural ways to you've used to loosen her up but here is what has been working for us.
We use to do smoothies for her and stopped at the beginning of the year. I started doing those again and use watermelon. We use 4 oz yogurt with 8 oz watermelon and some flax seed oil. It has made a huge difference in her poop. We've also used the yogurt that has veggies in it so she's getting a little veggies in her diet also.
I also wanted to point out that although apples and apple sauce are binding, apple juice is not. The binding part of the apple is the pectin (sp) and that is in the skin. Using a little apple juice daily has also contributed to her loosening up.
Lastly, and this is not meant to sound mean or rude, but your daughter is two, she is only as bad of an eater as the food you offer her. We were having problems with our daughter only wanting gold fish, crackers, cheerio's, etc (carbs that seem to back her up). Once I stared giving her 5 gold fish and saying that's it and here are some blueberries, she started eating a lot more blueberries and other things (not with a little protest at first). I defiantly do not deprive her of the foods she likes, but I limit the amount that I offer her.
Best of luck. I'm afraid of potty training due to my daughters constipation issues.
C.

Hello B.,
I really feel your frustrations. I was pregnant when my oldest son turned 2 and I was hoping to get him fully potty trained before baby arrived. Wishful thinking. My second son was 6 weeks early. I had to start the potty training all over again. My oldest doesn't like food either so it was a pain trying to get him to go poop because he was very constipated. I started giving him a pedisure (what he calls Bear Drink because there is a bear on it)and with in mins after he drank it he had to do #2. So I would put him on the potty and after a few weeks of that to get him in the routine he finally started going on his own. I never have had issues at night. I always make sure he goes potty before bed and he is good till morning. He just doesn't like to stop what he is doing (play) to to potty. UGH!!! Boys!

Good luck
SAHM, 40yrs old with 2 amazing little boys. 3 & 1. (was walking at 7 months old)my life moves at the speed of light. The joys of boys!

B.,

If it were my child i would try what Sarah said and stay away from the mirilax if possible.

Mirilax is polyethyln glycol, Chief precursor to ethylyne glycol (antifreeze). It works by drawing water into the colon.(and away from the other vital organs/brain). You will notice increased thirst in people who take it. As time goes on dosages must be increased in some individuals to get it to continue to work. That can cause toxicity. Some kids have entered autistic states while on it. It is nephrotoxic and should not be used more that 2 weeks.

Remember that 8 oz of water is required for every 20-25 pounds of body weight.
B complex drops daily (walmart carries liquid drops)can help with constipation.
Change that "bad" diet now. Lifelong habits are formed VERY early. They really are. The longer a habit is engrained the harder it is to break.
Ps...some people get constipated with to much dairy...

Hi B.,
What every you do, try everything natural first, before you try something like Miralax. The doctors will prescribe that, and after starting on Miralax, you may never be able to go without it. It's serious business and not natural at all, so just be careful. You can go to Olivers or Whole Foods and get something called Natural Calm, it's a magnisium Citrite drink, that's yummy and helps with constipation as well as other things..

Good Luck to you!

W.

Miralax. Trust me. It works for kids and it is not absorbed into their systems so it is safe. Try some in her juice, milk, whatever... If it doesn't work, add more the next time and keep doing it until it works. You may have to give it to her every day until she gets more regular. It will soften the stool and keep it moving along. She'll be much happier.

As for foods, DO NOT give her apples or apple juice as they are binding. Graham crackers are a good choice and so is the prune juice that you're using and dried fruits such as cherries.

Good Luck!

www.thosecrazybeans.blogspot.com

WE had the same problem with our two year old. Our pediatrician, who is wonderful, recommended we give her 2 oz of pear juice everyday. It has worked wonders! We also use just plan pears or baby food pears, she eats it like applesauce. When we do this she will have a bowel movement everyday. He also recommended, instead of medications, to give her a teaspoon of Karo Syrup. The sugar in it does something and helps them go. If we give it to her in the morning, she will have a BM by the afternoon. I highly recommend these instead of prune juice which can give people cramps. Cramping can be very uncomfortable to a two year old, they don't always understand it! Hope this works for you!

Try giving her Miralax once or twice a day. My granddaughter was given it at 3 mos old as told to do by the dr and it really helped. Now at 4 mos she usually only takes it sometimes once a week and has been able to go without any problems.

Someone may have already suggested this. I haven't read all your responses. I'm running out the door right now. :)
But find some Kid Calm Magnesium online or in a health food store. Follow the directions on the bottle and slowly increase until her stool is comfortable. It works beautifully within 24 hours and is non-toxic like the laxatives. Not to mention, it's an essential mineral most people are deficient in any way. That's where the constipation is coming from.
All our problems, solved over night!
Take care,
C.

Definitely Miralax. Everyone I know has used it with success. Just couple quick tablespoons mixed in with her juice (or other beverage) and your problem will be solved fast. And, it doesn't cause cramping like prune juice. It's quick, gentle and has no taste and you can get it over the counter.

Give her prune juice on a REGULAR basis. 4-8 ounces spread over the day. Once she starts going figure out how much she needs to keep her regular and make sure she is drinking enough water.

Add ground flax seed to the morning oatmeal, yogurt, smoothie or whatever else you can sneak it into. Flax seed oil has also helped my son. The combination of the two can be used in varying foods with little notice and you get the benefit of the Omegas as well.

miralax...miralax, miralax over the counter miricle worker. may take a day or two but if you give regularly, 2TBSP 2x daily your daughter will be much more comfortable. my daughter takes it, we use to have to hide the fact we were adding it to her drinks, but now still mixed in her beverage, still no taste, and she thinks we're adding sugar, we call it her shuggie meds, she knows now what it's forwe don't even have to hide it...even ask if her drink has it in it every coupla days or so. this is what her doctor prescribed, and now her tears are dry, her stool loose, and her smile wide!

good luck
aline

Hi B.,

I suggest to attend this children's wellness expo in Alameda this Sat on the 12th. It is a panel of medical doctors sharing natural solutions to keep our children healthy. I went last year and it was awesome. They talk about many tophics and nutrition is one and very important.

If you would like more info let me know.

Good luck.

Happy Labor Day.

N. Marie

Hi, I have had constipation problems in the past with my children. One thing I learned is that you have to switch their diet, there are no ways around it. First, give your child fruits first thing in the morning every morning and then wait for 30 minutes before giving her some whole grain pancakes and biscuit and such, or better yet some old fashioned oatmeal (not microwaved:)(you can sweeten it with honey or real maple syrup and put some coconut oil or butter in it). One of my children hates fruits, so I had to improvise. I started making smoothies, and fruit drinks with fresh fruits (papaya, peaches, a bit of raw ginger and a bit of plain yogurt...and a drop of honey if needed) My daughter loves this one. I have also done blueberries and plain yogurt) Plain yogurt is good for digestion because of the live enzymes. Try not to give any already sweetened yogurt because sugar cancels out the effect of the enzymes. Try to limit bananas and just expirement, you could even add some prune juice to your fresh fruit drinks. Remember that in bad cases, a fresh fruit drink of papaya and raisins or grapes is fantastic and will help her go fast. Also if you could find a green juice with spirulina (any health food store) and mix some with apple juice every morning for her it would help her as well to become regular. Also the magnesium supplement called CALM is great. You can get it at Whole Foods.
I hope this help. I have an herbal supplement that strenghens the colon to help it do what it is supposed to do, and it is awesome. It is not a laxative, just a natural way to help the colon do its thing. It could help you at time when she has not gone for a while. Anyways, if you are interested, I can give you the number to my friend where you can order it.
Hope all this help. Hope it is not overwhelming.
God bless.

I had the same problem with my daughter. After years of fighting this problem, we tried taking her off of all milk products and going totally soy and that solved the problem. It seemed that she wasn't allergic to milk but really sensitive to the binding effects of it. After she turned 16 or 17, we started to allow her to have cheese and ice cream but we noticed that the problem recurrs if she doesn't get enough water during the day. She still doesn't drink milk (she prefers the soy). You might want to try this.

T.

PS. If it gets really bad, try Senecot. It is a natural vegetable laxative. We also used Condrumel (mineral oil that is easy to take) to "lube her up" when it got hard. Both of these were recommended by her doctor and is safe for children as they are natural.

My son also had hard pooping issues but we went to a natural doctor and he is good now. He recommended a really good pro-biotic called Bio-Kult. Take one in the morning and one before bed. I just mix it in a spoonful of applesauce. Kids CALM by Peter Gillham also works great to soften stool. It is just magnesium. I put it in juice and he drinks it no problem.