Mom Looking for Answers for Her 10 Yr. Old Who Has Trouble Going Poo....

good ol' fashioned prunes and suppositories! Go back to the basics. Maybe he needs a colon cleanse as well to get all the toxins moving through and out of his systems. A lot of health food stores or herbalists have them. Good luck, I know that stinks! (no pun intended!!!)

have a great day and enjoy the weather!

Hi, My Nephew had that problem. He would hold it until the feeling would go away, he didn't want to stop what he was doing to bother to go to the bathroom. He also told his Mom he didn't like going poop. Lots of kids don't like it. I knew a little girl who was a ballerina and thought it was too gross for a ballerina to do such a thing. As an adult, I don't care for it much either sounds silly but when ya gotta go you gotta go. There is a book for kids everyone poops, you might try that. My nephew had xrays and he was so full of poop it was up to his rib cage. My sister was going crazy. She did healthy eating lots of fiber and mineral oil. I think its basically physcological<spelling. You just have to keep talking to him and tell him its a natural human function. Good luck A.

My nephew is 10 and has the same problem. My sister gives him fiber (chewable tablets or wafers), stool softener, and probiotics. That seems to help. In addition, try to get him to ast fresh fruits and vegetables.

Good luck!
J.

My daughter had this problem and I had her eat a high fiber breakfast cereal, it helped.. A.

I agree with the other post - work out a way to get OFF of Miralax. Two things which can be read on the package insert from the drug company - 1. Miralax should not be used for more than TWO weeks and secondly, it was NEVER tested on children prior to being prescribed to children. However, parents are never told this information.

He needs a whole gut-bowel check up it seems. Has he been on frequent antibiotics? Do he drink enough water? Has he been tested for intolerances to dairy or gluten?

Here's what I would eliminate:
1. Dairy is VERY constipating. Remove all of it for one month (and his bones won't crack, fall apart). This means, yogurt, milk, butter, goldfish crackers and the like.

2. Add a good probiotic to his diet. Check at Whole Foods or Fruitful Yield.

3. Natural calm is a natural fizzy drink (again Whole Food or Fruitful Yield) that can be used to loosen his stools. It's non habit forming and magnesium which many of us are deficient in.

4. Add lots of fresh fruits and veggies to his diet. Raspberries are HIGH in fiber as well as pears, apples, blueberries, etc. Leave the skin on.

Our family takes a whole food supplement called Juice PLUS+ and it has helped also with bowel movements (powdered produce of fruits and veggies) for two younger children. Let me know if you have questions about this product.

I only had that problem with my son when he was still a todler. It was then that I learned that every aspect of his diet had an effect on his bowel movements. Monitor everything that he eats. There may be something that is too binding that is causing him to bulk up; i.e. bananas or other such foods. Give him plenty of fiber and lower his dairy intake. Feed him whole grains whenever possible. Whole wheat pastas, brown rice, whole wheat breads. This is kind of hard at first, and children may be resistant, but they get used to it and, believe me, you will be glad down the line that you did.

My 7yr old daughter has this problem. We too had her on the Miralax and then took her off. The doctor told us to keep her on it for at least a month ( twice a day). She already eats lot of fruits and vegies, but I am also making sure she has cereal, crackers, etc. with at least 3 grams of fiber or more. Also lots of water.

My daughter has been doing better the last few weeks. She is going potty everyday, which is a big change for her. Just keep up with the Miralax daily.

Hope this helps.

1. Diet..is he a picky eater? Write down what he is eating for a couple of days. My son eats breakfast and lunch at school which is sometimes poptarts and pizza and doesn't always eat the fruit or vegie on the side.
2. Be sure he is getting enough ruffage. Dried appricots and warm tea always worked for my kids if they were a little constipated.(or prunes, they love them especially the wrapped orange essance ones). find the fruits and veggies he likes and have them with meals or a bowl of fruit to snack on after school. Veggies and dip is a great snack you could have already in the fridge. Slice up an apple. Think about the old food pyramid (my mom always told us we should always serve 2 vegies with dinner: salad & broccoli etc..the more color variety the more vitamins) Fruit for snacks. Make it fun...go shopping together anddo a taste test try new fruits and vegies. (ranch dressing goes well on hot vegies too)
3. Keep Hydrated - my son gets busy and forgets to drink enough. If we are on the run, I try to grab him and apple juicebox or a bottle of water.
Try not to use the laxatives unless necessary, naturaly and diet are always better for a growing boy. You don't want his body dependant on a substitute to poop. I hope this helps some. Best wishes!

L.,

Even though Miralax is gentle and effective, it is still a stimulant/laxative. These are intended to be used for occasional constipation, not for a child who has chronic constipation. Do you know what's causing this for him? Is he resisting the urge when it presents itself... like maybe when he's in school...waiting to go when he gets home? This in itself can cause constipation. supplements/vitamins with iron can cause constipation, poor diet (not that you do this intentionally) lacking fiber, and dehydration or simply not enough fluids to soften the stools.

I really think you've created a vicious circle at this point and his bowels are incapable of going without the use of assitance from Miralax. it does not take long to form a dependence on these products. I think your son needs to go back to the doctor and the two of you need a plan to help him get off Miralax and restore order in his bowels. Keep in mind, not everybody goes #2 every single day. It is not uncommon for people to go 3 days without a bowel movement. Frequency does not indicate constipation, it's the consistency and difficulty that defines constipation.

You need to find the root cause of his constipation, not mask it with Miralax.

You may want to try some apple juice... real apple juice, not the stuff that's only 10% juice. For our family, we always turn to apples and increased fluids for treating occasional constipation, and bananas for diarrhea. I have never bought a laxative for myself or my children.

Good luck to you.