Toddler Constipation

Number Three suddenly went, a few months back, from daily poops to going 3-4 days between them. No diet change associated. We've started giving mineral oil after a couple days go by, mixing prune juice with berry juice on day3...

Months back the doctor talked about using an enema (after the preventive measures of prune juice, etc.). She said once the kid is backed up you probably can't get a suppository in there anyway.

Now it seems like she may have gone almost 2 weeks since her last one. She has complained briefly about her tummy or butt hurting the last couple evenings, but then it goes away. (She probably had Swine Flu like the rest of us last week, so she wasn't eating much.)

But the pharmacy says that none of the enema products on the market are indicated for toddlers.

Time for some research

• The foods most notorious in causing constipation include cow's milk, yogurt, cheese, cooked carrots, and bananas. Drinking too much milk (your child may only be drinking 2-3 cups a day, but it may be too much for his system to handle) is heavily associated with having constipation.

• Good foods/liquids: raw fruits/veggies (duh), more water and fruit juice, sweet potatoes, corn, vegetable soup, bran cereals, graham crackers, Whole Wheat bread.

• various laxatives/drugs available, mostly OTC. Senokot is also often commonly used in children, but it is actually a stimulant laxative and not a stool softener, so you may not want to use it for long periods of time. A newer medicine, Miralax, is available only by prescription to treat constipation, but is very effective.

• Baby Fleet is an enema product specifically designed for kids. Though some people say they just use tap water instead of the saline suggested by the product.

I spoke to the doctor again

• she said enema is last choice, esp if baby not actually uncomfortable. But if it comes to that, the Fleet product is definitely fine.

• try suppository; if can get it in, do 1 today and 1 tomorrow (if no results); if not results after 2nd one, call her back

  • http://www.uwhealth.org/healthfacts/B_EXTRANET_HEALTH_INFORMATION-FlexMember-Show_Public_HFFY_1105110080336.html |instructions
  • gave it to her 6pm, "ouput" at 9pm

I think we're going to have to keep a log-log (heh).