Majorly Constipated Four Year old...How to Help It Pass?

Updated on January 27, 2012
C.R. asks from Olathe, KS
20 answers

Anyone have ideas how to unconstipate a four year old? She needs to pass about the size of a small watermelon. The doctor just said to give her two capfuls of MiraLax, but we have tried that a million times and it never works. Any thoughts??

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Pear juice. Or white grape.
Will she eat sauerkraut? LOL Always works like a charm for my son!
Raw veggies, oranges, pears.

Not apple/apple juice....that can CAUSE constipation!

2 moms found this helpful
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R.C.

answers from Phoenix on

Lots of good advice here. My son suffered from constipation and we discovered that Miralax works after 2 or 3 days of regular dosing. You also have to keep the kid on it for a couple weeks to help their bowel not be so lax and allow the stool to "stack up". If he was afraid to pass the stool, a warm bath up to his rib cage would often relax him enough to make things start moving while he played in the tub.

2 moms found this helpful

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B.P.

answers from Cleveland on

my sister had this problem with her daughter, the first day she did stool softners, the second day she did laxitives, and the third day she was going to an enema if she wouldnt of passed

3 moms found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Please... take her to a Pediatric Gastroenterologist.
Have your Pediatrician refer you to one.
The Specialist will know MORE about how to help her, than a regular Pediatrician.

And, the Specialist can x-ray her to see how blocked up she is internally.
You also need to consider, that with prolonged constipation.... it can also cause other medial problems... like, Encopresis or bulging bowels etc.

The Specialist that our daughter saw as a Toddler, does NOT recommend suppositories. For example.
And you need to see why, she is getting so constipated.

It is time, to see a Specialist.
Not keep guessing.

3 moms found this helpful
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B..

answers from Dallas on

Plums, prunes, pear juic. Probiotics and yogurt.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

prunes always worked for my son..and lots of water..

2 moms found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from Detroit on

Possible a small infant size laxative, immediately followed by a very warm tub soak up to her tummy. The warm water will relax her bowels and tummy and then you can put her on the stool and tell her to breathe in and out slowly as it passes. My daughter had the same problem quite often. We had to give her more water and fruits.

2 moms found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

First off, I would stop adding to the constipation. Let her drink plenty of water. If the water has Miralax in it, that can help soften the most recent bowel movement. Ease off on the food for a bit because you don't want her to get compacted with poop. Adding prunes and other softening foods is just adding to her waste. She needs fluids to soften the poop.

Before the suppositories I would have her bathe in a nice warm bath with high water. This is good for her insides and can help relax her muscles so that she can poop more easily. She might even poop in the tub, and that's fine. You actually WANT that to happen because it'll feel better. The poop will ease out more easily and feel softer.

You can also give her belly massages in a clockwise motion. That can help her move along gas and help her digestive system move along more easily. You can put lotion or baby oil on your hands first, or baby powder, to make it easier to rub her belly smoothly and firmly.

You can get child sized glycerin suppositories. You can insert one so that it's not painful (use your pinky finger), but you just have to make sure that you hold her butt cheeks closed for 15 minutes to give it time to work. Once she passes some poop from that, you can do another one.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.Y.

answers from New York on

Benefiber and Miralax or Pedialax together worked on my super constipated toddler. But if it's that bad you may need a glycerine suppository. They make them for children (smaller) and the glycerine is a liquid.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Dayton on

Try Magnesium Citrate. Good luck - I'm presently sitting in the 24 hour observation unit of Children's Hospital for the exact same reason. Ugh. 6 year old son had to get an NG and meds that way. Wish us luck! We went through 5 days of FOUR caps of Miralax that did nothing. You can try an enema too - not fun but does help. Get a pediatric Fleets enema.

1 mom found this helpful

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

raisins. good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from Minneapolis on

Prunes, prune juice raisins, water, apple juice, or...an enema (pediatric kind). Not a happy thing but it works.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from New York on

Get some probiotics from the drugstore of healthfood store. Make sure it has all three strains of good bacteria. Also, make sure it's the kind in the gel cap. Sprinkle 1/2 a capsule in prune juice 2 times a day. She should have relief the next day. How did she get so constipated? My son gets really hard stool if he eats bananas. Is there something that constipates her that you know of? If so, either avoid the food or give her probiotics in advance so you don't get to this point.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.

answers from Augusta on

My kids eat blueberries or blueberry juice and that does it for them

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B.A.

answers from Chicago on

I would push apple juice along with 2 table spoons of karo syrup. This cause more liquids to come into the intestines.
This should move things along. Also check to see what her causes of constipation may be too much dairy or gluten insensitivity or not enough insoluble fiber.

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J.J.

answers from Denver on

Try a fish oil supplement. We use dolphin gummies. They really "lubricate" things - especially on the back end.

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J.T.

answers from Chicago on

Prune juice or Kayro syrup.

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K.L.

answers from St. Louis on

probiotics are always good, but a common cause of constipation in children is a magnesium deficiency.

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D.J.

answers from Chicago on

I agree with the slow down on food and get her hydrated. Also, our ped recommended adding mineral oil (a teaspoon I think) to something like applesause to help it be more comfortable when she does pass it. You can also do the mineral oil thing daily or several times a week if it is persistent problem.

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Good advice .

Also lay her on her back after her bath.. Place her legs together and close to her body and have her peddle her legs like she would on her tricycle.. Slightly push against her so she has to push.. try to keep her thighs close to her tummy while doing all of this..

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