Constipated 19mo...I feel so bad for him.

[AFWife]

Lately my 19mo hasn't wanted to eat unless Daddy is home. So, I'll get a few bites during the day and then he'll eat an okay dinner. He wants to drink lots of milk during the day...and I let him. (At almost 8 months pregnant I don't fight a lot of fights) I bought the Rainbow Light powdered vitamin but it's a fight to get him to drink it. (It clogs his bottle so that's not an option...he never drinks all of it before it goes nasty. I'd say on a good day he gets a half dose)

We've been fighting constipation for a LONG time now. I've found that unless I stuff him with nothing but dried fruits and whole grains he gets constipated. I've tried slipping a pinch of Benefiber in his milk (there's not dose instruction for children under 6) and I have to watch that or he gets diarrhea. Sometimes it gets so bad there's blood on his poop (like anal fissures) and you can tell that it hurts.

I feel so bad. We don't have a regular ped (long story) so I don't have anyone I could trust to go talk to. I need ideas, please!

[BeantownBaby9]

When kids beg for milk and drink tons of it, its a potential sign of food intolerance to the food, which can cause constipation.  

milk is super constipating as well.  You could try adding Natural Calm for Kids to OJ, that can loosen him up or try switching the dairy milk out for something like coconut or almond milk.  

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by BeantownBaby9 

When kids beg for milk and drink tons of it, its a potential sign of food intolerance to the food, which can cause constipation.  

milk is super constipating as well.  You could try adding Natural Calm for Kids to OJ, that can loosen him up or try switching the dairy milk out for something like coconut or almond milk.  

Well, we know he can't handle pasteurized milk...but he's never had a reaction to raw milk (what we use now) So I don't think it's his intolerance.

This was going on even when we were still BFing. It's like starting solids never agreed with him.

[BeantownBaby9]

solids didn't agree with DS either, and we were doing glycerin suppositories to get him to poop regularly, it was awful.  Once we got the food allergies and nutrient deficiencies figured out, no more constipation.  My son cannot poop without extra magnesium.  The allergy board on here is really really good, they can help you figure it out. 

[AFWife]

Hmm...I didn't think about magnesium. I know that *I* have a magnesium issue (I get constipated too...it's actually a genetic thing. My mother has chronic issues. It's normal for her to only go once  a week sometimes. She got hemorrhoids so bad once that the blood loss required her to be hospitalized)

I'll ask in the allergies forum. How old is your son and what dosage of mag is he on?

[BeantownBaby9]

he's 28mo and we do between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp of Natural Calm kids, which also has zinc and C in it.  At 18 mo we were just at 1/4 tsp

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by BeantownBaby9 

he's 28mo and we do between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp of Natural Calm kids, which also has zinc and C in it.  At 18 mo we were just at 1/4 tsp

I might try this...I love my adult Natural Calm...

[ellemenope]

Poor baby. Chronic constipation is a hard thing to overcome in kids so small.  The end of the large intestine is so easily stretched out.  The stool just packs into this large pocket and if it is hard stool to begin with, or if the child is afraid to poop and withholds, this creates major poop drama and pain.

How much pain is he in?  How much drama do you go through?  Is he going in a diaper or the potty?  DD never had issues with bleeding but she freaked out when she was constipated.  We used warm baths and gentle (manual) coaxing to get those large stools out.  Usually it would be one large round plug and then looser poop would follow.  So, you could really tell there was a  problem with "pocketing".  We were advised to use Miralax for a couple of months and it worked wonders.

Once, her stools were regular and she no longer feared going poops she was fine for over a year.   Sometimes we will break out the miralax when we are traveling because she tends to withhold when not in the comfort of home.  We are now dealing with some unexpained withholding again and glycerin suppositories have saved our lives, but they are not something I want to use more than once a week.  And, we are dealing with so much poop drama right now. 

To be honest, the rectal bleeding concerns me.  He must be in so much pain.  I hope you are able to remedy this right away.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by ellemenope 

Poor baby. Chronic constipation is a hard thing to overcome in kids so small.  The end of the large intestine is so easily stretched out.  The stool just packs into this large pocket and if it is hard stool to begin with, or if the child is afraid to poop and withholds, this creates major poop drama and pain.

How much pain is he in?  How much drama do you go through?  Is he going in a diaper or the potty?  DD never had issues with bleeding but she freaked out when she was constipated.  We used warm baths and gentle (manual) coaxing to get those large stools out.  Usually it would be one large round plug and then looser poop would follow.  So, you could really tell there was a  problem with "pocketing".  We were advised to use Miralax for a couple of months and it worked wonders.

Once, her stools were regular and she no longer feared going poops she was fine for over a year.   Sometimes we will break out the miralax when we are traveling because she tends to withhold when not in the comfort of home.  We are now dealing with some unexpained withholding again and glycerin suppositories have saved our lives, but they are not something I want to use more than once a week.  And, we are dealing with so much poop drama right now. 

To be honest, the rectal bleeding concerns me.  He must be in so much pain.  I hope you are able to remedy this right away.

He won't poop away from home unless we're gone a really long time (like, days)

Sometimes we get it in the potty (if we catch him) but sometimes he poops in a diaper (or on the floor if we're doing diaper off time)

The pain is more like a lot of discomfort. There's no crying or anything...and there isn't bleeding each time. It only happens when he seems pretty constipated.

[Aubergine68]

Ime, magnesium really can help.

[Blu Razzberri]

Sounds like you may have an issue of low fiber in conjunction with a lot of already dry food. Try Chia Seeds (http://www.living-foods.com/articles/chia.html) They hide in foods SO WELL and have so many dietary properties. There are a few ways to blend them. Dry. Wet. Chopped (in a blender) and dry; or chopped and wet. Different things work best for different foods. So, lets say you're making rice for dinner - after the rice is in the pot; put some chia seeds (about a half tsp) in a bowl and add a little water. When the rice is ready, the seeds will have absorbed the water, and formed a gel. Mix it in with the rice - you can see it, but it's flavorless. If this works for him, it should work by the end of the week. Also, try bringing him to the fruit section at the grocery store, and let him choose something, give him the money to pay at the cash, and you might find him more willing to eat it.

[Ava's Mama]

Here are some ideas:  My DD loves prunes, I give her three a day and it has kept her totally regular and happy.  Probiotics are very helpful (purchase from refigerated section).  Pear juice can help and ground flax seed (grind and serve immediately, you could make a smoothie and sneak it in that way too).

[slinkyfish]

Ok, I know this isn't the all-natural route -- but our DD really struggled with this.  She was seeing a pediatric GI for some other issues and he started her on a dose of Miralax for when she is pushing too hard, or getting pebbly poops.  It is kind of miraculous.  We give her a quarter capfull with a quarter of a cup of clear juice whenever she is struggling (dr's dosage instructions for her age - 18 months) -- she drinks it through a straw while watching Elmo on Youtube (special treats in our house).  It gives her peanutbutter consistency poops within 2-6 hours - and then we don't have to use it for awhile.  Everybody is happy after this!

Again, I know it isn't a first choice - but it is nice to know it is there.  It is available over the counter -- and a lifesaver if you just need to get things "moving" along in order to resume some digestive routine.  Our GI also mentioned not to take it within an hour before/after eating so you don't impede nutrient absorption. 

Sorry you are going through this -- but it can get better!!!!