constipated toddler

R

RSK

Registered User
My 2.5yo is extremely constipated these days. Her poop is like small solid hard balls and its a struggle for her to pass it. Yesterday, I tried to help her by pressing and massaging her tummy while passing and i was almost in tears to see her pain. By the time time she finished (after almost 10-12 minutes), she had water in her eyes and nose. Pity.....

She drinks enough water and juice, but hates vegetables and fruits. I got some chinese medicine powder (health star poop joy) from C R care and tried mixing it in juice and giving it to her, but she could make out there was something in it and she just didn't have a sip, the same was the case with the medicine doctor gave her.

I just can't understand how to normalise her stomach, when she is so picky with everything she eats and drinks. I have glycerine suppositories which sometimes i forcefully give her, but that's not a solution to this problem and just don't want to make it a habbit.

Can anyone pls suggest what else could try?

Thanks in advance
 
how about the most natural of things: prune juice!

just mix a little with water to dilute it...
 
im not sure if she will try these, but here's what helps my 2.5 yr old son.

- diluted yakult which i give only when all else fails.
- plain yogurt with cut fruits/ blended with strawberries, bananas and milk as a shake
- pureed fruit like bananas or blueberries to a consistency like jam, spread on wholemeal bread.
- pineapple and bittergourde juice. more of the pineapple. works like magic.
- variety of fruits as snacks in between meals.

brown rice. since switching to brown rice, he is no longer constipated. but he eats more vegetables and other dishes as compared to eating it with white rice, so maybe that helps.
 
Be careful of bananas - they can actually have a binding / constipating effect.
Oranges / fresh orange juice can help.
Reducing sugar in the diet.
Getting more liquid in - water, diluted prune juice (as Cara suggested)
Higher fibre foods. Wholewheat bread rather than white; brown rice rather than white; wholewheat pasta... high-fibre cereal like wholegrain Cheerios...

Also, you can get Lactulose from the pharmacist - suitable even for under 1 yrs. It's not a laxative, but rather helps the intestines retain water, making the poop softer and easier to pass. It has a very sweet taste and can easily be hidden in fruit juice / yoghurt etc.
 
Does she drink milk? Its difficult to get my daughter to eat fruits so i make milk smoothies with pureed fruit. Good luck
 
unfortunately, have to say i'm the expert in this, have a very constipated girl.. from 1yo onwards to now 5yo. we've tried mostly everything mentioned, but like yours she's very picky eater too, not very adventurous so very difficult to give new things. One thing that does it, and still does for us is rice water. boil fresh rice with water, until the water gets quite white and thick, and have her drink it. Only tastes like congee, so it's easier to get in. but make sure to be consistent, drinking up about 500ml each day. Rice water replenishes energy (qi) in Chi. terms, see below.

chinese doc diagnose as 'lack of breath'.. i.e. she does not have enough Qi (in Chi. medicine terms) to pass it out. so as opposed to everyone else says, a few Chinese docs + my current western doc has suggested LESS fibre instead of more. Theory is to clear out her stomach first, things are so stuck up in there, the more fibre you stuff in, the more she has to pass out, but the bottom part is so stuck and dry already (and probably her rectum is torn and hurt), adding more to pass out only worsens the problem.

We still give veggies and fruits, but I don't force her to eat too much anymore, just a little is good enough. so she does a little veggie each meal and half an apple when she feels like it now.

My girl's condition flutuates now, depending on how much and if we remember to force rice water down into her. She's also older now and just do it instead of wimping and complaining for hours and days. But i know what you're going through, it's really tough. My girl would be in the bathroom for a whole hour when she was little.. whole body drenched in sweat. It's heart breaking.

I can go on and on, coz we've tried so much and everybody has been recommending so many different solutions.. and sounds like we have a similar situation. PM if you'd like to know more.
 
Yogurt, Banana and Prune juice all help a backed up tummy! And try hiding some vegetables in other foods too. The Jessica Seinfield book have some great hints!
 
A friend who had this problem with her daughter told me that flaxseed (aka linseed) had been her magic solution for this and her daughter had been suffering even prior to starting solids - she is now 3. She said she just mixes it in her cereal and the seeds are very small so she doesn't even notice. Ever since she started this a few weeks ago she has been fine, so got to be worth a try.
 
My 2.5yr old son has had the same problem lately. We've been potty training him and not using nappies during the day. His problem is that he only poos in his nappy. Has anyone else had this problem and how did you overcome it? Are there any quicksure ways to get him to poo in the potty thus get rid of the constipation?
 
My daughter also had this issue, she would wee and poo in the diper only. whenever she wanted to wee/poo, she would pick up the diaper and come to me to put it on, then sit on her potty with her diaper, finish off and the take off the diaper. We tried talking to her to sit without her diaper, but no use. But all of a sudden, around a week back she started going on her own, and now the situation is that i have to keep an eye on her all the time, because she is so quite abt this that i don't even come to know when she went to poo/wee.

But using the potty has made no improvement to her constipation.
So let him take his own time for this, don't force him for this. he will start using it on his own.
 
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