helps for constipation

[marathonmom]

My 5 yo dd seems to be constipated at times. Any ideas?

Things we've tried:

Almost totally eliminate dairy
lots of fluids
lots of fruits and vegies - especially pears and prunes
prune juice
metamucil wafers
senna drops - she hates those so I don't do them often
I've given her 3 enemas over the last year or so

we had a prescription for miralax, but it expired and I couldn't give it to her. I have another dr. visit in about 3 weeks.

Any other ideas? Mineral oil maybe?

btw, she isn't ALWAYS constipated, sometimes she has a big mushy one, but in her uw, not in the toilet. The mushy one
happens once or twice a week.

[jamilyian]

Anytime my dd is constipated I give her baby food prunes. It seems to work very well. You mentioned prune juice already so perhaps it wouldn't work? My dd won't drink prune juice. But I can pry her mouth open for baby food prunes when I need to. I noticed last week that they now have the prunes mixed with apples so maybe it tastes better. Not sure if it is as effective though.

[hey mommy]

:popcorn

We're looking for ideas too. We had to use a glycerin suppository in C y'day.. :( I also bought some mineral oil so we can try that. Thankfully the suppository worked, but we don't want to use it all the time...

C loves drinking prune juice(especially "baby prune juice" as he calls it. It's the baby food jar of prune/apple juice) so that helps. In fact he's drinking some now...

[mamatogands]

we tried everything, everything, everythig, and only the Miralax finally helped. DD hated mineral oil because it made her totally unable to control herself -- with Miralax, she can control, but she DOES go. Dietary changes just didn't help with us, and I'm so grateful for the Miralax. :hug2

[StumblinMama]

Have you tried Fig Newtons? Sounds silly, but it can help.

How is her fiber intake? Is she consistently getting high fiber foods or only when she is constipated?

[cobluegirl]

try adding acidophilus and fish oil to her/his diet.

[marathonmom]

Have you tried Fig Newtons? Sounds silly, but it can help.

How is her fiber intake? Is she consistently getting high fiber foods or only when she is constipated?


hmmm I'll have to try the fig newtons.

She likes a lot of fruits, and has a metamucil wafer each day. Also lots of popcorn and granola.

[marathonmom]

try adding acidophilus and fish oil to her/his diet.

She eats yogurt - does that count?

I have some fish oil in the fridge, maybe I'll try mixing that in the yogurt. Its' fruit flavored.

[cobluegirl]

I would get a better acidophilus. The stuff in teh yogurt may not be live and it may be a different kind.

[marathonmom]

I would get a better acidophilus. The stuff in teh yogurt may not be live and it may be a different kind.


Okay..
I got her some prunes tonight too.

[tempus vernum]

positioning - Americans are not in the correct potty position. Everyone in my family uses a stool. It's said that proper positioning (getting those feet up higher) not only helps constipation but helps prevent colon cancer and other bowel disease by preventing fecal stagnation

Check this out :jawdrop a device to get your feet up http://www.marketlaunchers.com/urso4.html Again, we just use a stool :giggle

Health benefits of squatting http://naturesplatform.com/health_benefits.html



Here is what I posted this summer when this issue came up


I recommend paranix Jr. It's actually an antiparasite but helps tremendously with constipation. And who knows it could be from a parasite

Have you put a stool in the bathroom to get his feet up higher? They should not be dangling - if they are dangling he can't eliminate enough out of his bowel and this can get clogged up.

Have you given him a time every day to sit in the bathroom? For awhile, I would read a book to our ds while he sat on the potty. It's hard to get them to sit still that long sometimes though.

Oh and is he well hydrated? Once we started requiring 16 ounces of water before ds got anything else to drink, it helped him as well.

Miralax didn't completely help our ds because he had many reasons for his constipation (medication, dairy allergy and possibly stress). We used it regularly for quite a while and still use it on occassion if he gets really backed up. We also use senna, acidophilous, chlorophyll, psyllium. Not to mention fruit, raw veggies, juices, etc. Seems like I am missing something. Be careful on the acidophilous - a lot contain dairy and too much can cause constipation. Oh, too much iron can cause constipation too

Since this post, the only other thing we have added is aloe vera juice and it has worked really well :tu

[tempus vernum]

Oh and we also use apple cidar vinegar - good for the gut - for parasites and all sorts of stuff

[hey mommy]

ITA w/the footstool. I've even started using a footstool when I go and it makes a bid difference.

Our problem, I've noticed, is getting C to drink enough water. I thought he was doing well, but he's not. He's not drinking nearly as much as he should be... :(