WTA: Constipation in toddlers

movenpick

Member
Hi, I have a 2 yr and 8 mths old boy who's been suffering from constipation since Dec 14. He will have bloody stools most of the time and he passed motion every 2-3 days. I brought him to see doc and the advise is always the same, eat more fruits n vegetables n drink more water. He used to love fruits but not anymore and he does not like veg, though he drinks alot of water. I suspected e cause of constipation is the Gain formula milk and has changed his milk to Friso and gave him prune juice daily, but he still has bloody stools. How do I make him love fruits and veg or if you hv any solutions to this? Is there a limit to how much prune juice he can take? TIA.
 


Even the doctors have no other solution except to take more veg, fruits and veg. He's having bloody stools every 2-3 days, and I'm running out of wits. Hw do I force him to eat fruits?
 
Hi.. hv you considered TCM? It could be he's very 'heaty'. Also maybr intro some fruits he hasn't tried before... more interesting like berries and dragon fruits besides the usual apples and pears. Try to make fruit smoothies too. Add some honey and fruits like berries to yoghurt/milk and blend them.
 
I once had to take a photo diary of such bloody stools before the doctor would pay attention! Because picture speaks a thousand words. Doctors would think we are over-reacting. So you take a nice close up picture of the stool and show it to them. However, please note that most tests are highly invasive. Imagine, there is no baby size scope. so they use adult scope or kids scope!! And then without scope there is nothing much they can see or do. Also, you need to ask for a referral to Specialist.

Try to give your kid Lactus to help soften the stool. Give every night and try to get him to pass motion every morning, after one big bottle of warm milk.
 
Thanks mummies for your kind replies. Very worried for my boy but seems like nothing I can do. I've given lactus once and he can pass motion smoothly without blood, but this is a form of medication and not suitable to be used for long term right? Hence am trying to go for natural means. Now am looking at probiotics, though even after biogaia, the result is the same bloody stools. Have tried yoghurt but he dun like it. He used to be an easy eater who eats everything and hence he's on the big size frame. Not sure why his appetite has changed and he's now a fussy eater. I'm worried about invasive testing too but such a young boy. My older boy has other problems like UTI and went through invasive procedures which was painful, and I do not want my younger boy to go through such procedures if I can help it. I'm not sure how long I can tahan before I relent to invasive procedures to find out the root cause.
 
When you bring your younger son to the doctor, you need to have this kind of information. From when to when he was an easy eater. From when to when he became fussy eater. Did this coincide with roughly the time be became constipated? Of course, children goes through phases of growth and appetite changes, it could be normal. But writing things down and taking that pooh diary will help when you speak to the doctor in the future, should such a need arise.

Anyway, passing motion is two elements. Physical (the diet and the bowels) and Psychological (the mental stress). In some children, if they have had constipation frequently, they become afraid. So they try to hold it in for as long as possible, and that makes it harder and even more painful. And then the cycle continues.

In the case of my son, I tried to remove the Psychological element. I gave him Lactus every night to make sure that he can pass smoothly, without pain and distress every day. And then I keep to a routine. Every morning, and if fail, every evening after dinner. So once we have a routine in place (about one week), I stop the Lactus to see if he can still pass. I tried to give him fruits that are good for passing motion - dragon fruit, kiwi, papaya... And then, for the day that he doesn't pass, I would give Lactus again. And I took extra effort to make sure that he keeps to the routine EVERYDAY. Now he is 5 and I don't monitor him so closely. Once in a while, he skipped, and then he will suffer (crying, screaming, mommy hold hands)... and that will be a reminder that he must goto the toilet everyday.

I have not heard about biogaia, but probiotics is for good gut bacteria, which may or may not help with softening of stools or passing motion itself. And those fiber supplements has a small disclaimer that says "must drink lots of water"... otherwise, it actually makes constipation worse!
 
Thanks frog for your advice. Very useful and insightful sharing on how you handle your boy's constipation that I can learn from. Where did you get your wisdom from? Your boy is lucky to have you to take good care of him. Will try lactus for a week and then stop to see if he can pass motion without blood. Yesterday was the 3rd day he did not pass motion, and I gave him lactus yest nite and true enough the urge to pass motion came and although he sat in the toilet bowl for close to 20 mins, there's no blood in his stools. First time see no blood, what a great relief! Lactus is better than biogaia but unfortunately can't take for long term.
 
Movenpick, thank you for your kind words. There is no user manual or crash course for parenting. A lot of it is through trial and error, pain and experience. One of the reason I come to this forum often is to share my experience and knowledge with other fellow mommies. Hopefully, it can help some mommies NOT to experience the same pain and errors I had gone through previously.

The thing about Lactus is that it is a stool softener, not a laxative. It is much safer, even for babies and pregnant women. Probably not something to take everyday for the long term, but between bloody pooh and Lactus, I would go for Lactus for sure! The lesser of two evils. Besides the pain and the psychological effect, too much straining and stretching can also cause piles. Remind yourself to be consistent and keep to the routine strictly. Another thing to try is to put stickers in the toilet so that they have something to do while sitting there. A small reward after pooh pooh is also usually well received. Also, let him sit at the back of the toilet, pelvis and thigh slightly stretched outward (so that gravity will work). If the potty is too small or his butt is cramped into the seat, then trying to poo pooh is like trying to defy gravity and making things difficult right? Just a bit of an insight from someone whom had terrible constipation during pregnancies :p
 

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