My 5 year old daughter (almost 6), has always had difficulty....how should we say.....pooping. I guess she's constipated, she doesn't necessarily hold it in, it just takes her forever to go, and it's usually fairly solid balls that she has a hard time pushing out (is that considered being constipated?). She's been like this since she was a baby, but more recently, she has been complaining of stomach pains near the end of the day. Also, by the end of the day, her stomach is pretty puffed out and hard. And she always has lots of gas. I try to get her to eat fruits and veggies, which she is ok with, but I'm sure it's not the recommended amount. And she drinks a fair amount of water throughout the day. Any suggestions? I have heard of probiotics to help with digestion, but I don't know too much about them....is that something that would help?
I will be talking to the pediatrician when we go in for her checkup, but that's in December, so I was just curious to hear others' opinions for the time being.
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for all of the great answers and advice. I never thought about the possibility of a dairy intolerance, because she loves milk! I might try that for a week or so and see what happens...but keep my fingers crossed it's NOT that because she would be upset if she couldn't have her milk (and ice cream! :) Pasta and rice she doesn't eat that much, but bread she definitely loves, so we will try to cut back on that, as well.
We have talked to the doctor about this before, and for those of you who said she would probably just say to take a laxative, you're right! That's exactly what happened! We have tried Miralax, and it helps, but as soon as she stops taking it, it just goes back to the same old thing, so I know I need something more permanent. I will try my best to increase her fiber and water intake and see how that goes. I'll definitely take her in to the doctor if it gets worse at any point, but try my best at home for now. At least that way, I have more info to give the pedi about what we've tried so far, to see if she thinks it's bad enough to get x-rays, as some suggested. Thanks again for everyone's input, I really appreciate your thoughts. Love this site! :)
Yes, she is constipated. Hard solid poop, with an extended stomach, is severe constipation.
Stick to the P's (pears, peas, plumbs), and avoid things like apples and bananas. Add more lentils and beans into her diet. Avoid lots of carbs. Aim for something high fiber at every meal.
Cut back on carbs where you can. Cookies, crackers, cereal, pasta, noodles are binding. If you can limit them a bit that might help. And avoid bananas. They are constipating and won't help.
Just to add to everyone else's wonderful posts, be careful of just doing fiber....Fiber without the fluids (read: lots of water) can actually make things worse. Fiber is very important for getting things going again, but make sure that she drinks lots of water with it so that the fiber can do what it needs to do.
We went through a similar issue. Turns out, it was an intolerance to lactose that was causing the problem. Maybe you could try no dairy for a few days, just to rule it out?
Sounds like constipation. She needs more fiber, but I know it's tough getting kids to eat as many fruits and veggies as needed. Have you tried Metamusil or something similar? Now they make soluable fiber that is colorless and tasteless even in water. They also make kids fiber gummies. Last winter my then 5 year old step daughter had problems to the point of stomach pains. It got really bad for about a week. She was still pooping but she was constipated. Her mom finally took her to the ER and that's the diagnosis she received. We all increased her fiber and it did help. I can't remember if she took any type of medication. When my husband gets home, I'll ask him and edit my answer if there was anything else we did to help her get through it.
I am so sorry for you and your little one. I have been there. I have 2 kiddos who struggle with this and I have been to the pediatrician lots of times. I finally got a new one when my son was born and it made a big difference for them.
1. Cut out dairy....it can be the protein in kids instead of the lactose, you can try goat milk (1 of mine is good with it, one is allergic also)
2. You do NOT need fiber, you need water in the stool. Use the Miralax until you get her going regularly for 2 weeks with NO pain. It will not hurt her, doesn't have ANY side effects besides pooping, and it is completely inert. All it does is soak up the water it is ingested with and make the poop slide out easier. (I was super concerned about this so I am quoting my pediatrician since I didn't know for sure and asked.)
3. Do NOT use soy as a substitute. It will cause constipation so bad! We tried soy formula when my daughter was a baby and it made her so much worse. We figured as she grew older it would be ok, but its still now and she is almost 4.
4. Probiotics are great! it will make the poop and gas smell funny, even bad, at first, but after a few weeks it gets normal and really helps. I have seen lots of them all over the place and if you want organic for kids look at Rainbow Light, they make a chewy gummy. You can find them in the store, I saw them at our Target. Or, the ones I buy are from Vitamin World, and they are white chocolate bears that are 40 for $10. Again, online or in the store. Every time my kiddos get sick with anything, my pediatrician tells me to up their probiotics to 2x a day instead of 1.
4. A huge amount of the immune system is in the gut or intestines and so if it can't work right, she will be sick or just not feel good often.
I hope this helps. I know it is hard to go through for you and her and even the whole family. I have been there and even had to pull it out with bleeding, and it sucks! But, if taken care of correctly, this too shall pass.
I had a friend whose son was so impacted that he had to take Miralax for over a year 2x a day to get it all out. He had a rare form of anemia caused by the milk I believe, but I am not sure what caused it exactly. Good luck mama!
Updated
I am so sorry for you and your little one. I have been there. I have 2 kiddos who struggle with this and I have been to the pediatrician lots of times. I finally got a new one when my son was born and it made a big difference for them.
1. Cut out dairy....it can be the protein in kids instead of the lactose, you can try goat milk (1 of mine is good with it, one is allergic also)
2. You do NOT need fiber, you need water in the stool. Use the Miralax until you get her going regularly for 2 weeks with NO pain. It will not hurt her, doesn't have ANY side effects besides pooping, and it is completely inert. All it does is soak up the water it is ingested with and make the poop slide out easier. (I was super concerned about this so I am quoting my pediatrician since I didn't know for sure and asked.)
3. Do NOT use soy as a substitute. It will cause constipation so bad! We tried soy formula when my daughter was a baby and it made her so much worse. We figured as she grew older it would be ok, but its still now and she is almost 4.
4. Probiotics are great! it will make the poop and gas smell funny, even bad, at first, but after a few weeks it gets normal and really helps. I have seen lots of them all over the place and if you want organic for kids look at Rainbow Light, they make a chewy gummy. You can find them in the store, I saw them at our Target. Or, the ones I buy are from Vitamin World, and they are white chocolate bears that are 40 for $10. Again, online or in the store. Every time my kiddos get sick with anything, my pediatrician tells me to up their probiotics to 2x a day instead of 1.
4. A huge amount of the immune system is in the gut or intestines and so if it can't work right, she will be sick or just not feel good often.
I hope this helps. I know it is hard to go through for you and her and even the whole family. I have been there and even had to pull it out with bleeding, and it sucks! But, if taken care of correctly, this too shall pass.
I had a friend whose son was so impacted that he had to take Miralax for over a year 2x a day to get it all out. He had a rare form of anemia caused by the milk I believe, but I am not sure what caused it exactly. Good luck mama!
Whenever possible, I try to go the natural route:
I would try to add a lot more water every day.
I would also suggest a little prune juice every morning. It is a natural laxative.
And try adding unsweetened yogurt with a little fresh fruit.
To hydrate naturally, your best bets to mimic what the body needs are watermelon, cucumbers and celery.
A little slow yoga-type stretching helps get things moving also:
cat/cow
reaching for the sky and touching toes
helicopter twists
added: I would give Amber 10 flowers for her comment, if possible!
Yes, she's constipated. If she's pooping out small pellets, that's not normal.
Cutting out a whole lot of foods is possible, but frustrating, annoying and unnecessary.
Adding in what she's missing is more important. It's hard to do that with today's food supply, between the processed foods and the lack of nutrients in the fresh foods. You've already noticed that you can't get the results you want from adding fruits, vegetables and water. Probiotics can help, but most of them don't survive the digestive process well enough to do a lot of good.
The AMA recommended supplementation for everyone (man, woman, child) well over 10 years ago. What you want is a safe, patented (therefore proven unique and effective as well as safe) supplement, absolutely not in pill form, designed by well-known food scientists. There are simple ways to check the credentials of chief scientific officers and the integrity of the company overall. There is something available on line that is used in hospitals for preemies (through feeding tubes), in many clinics and feeding stations for kids who are in dire straits, and which is easy to add to the diet of regular old normal kids like yours. I've been doing this work for years and I can tell you it's pretty easy to relieve constipation in children (and adults) while also boosting the immune system.
You really don't need medical intervention - the pediatrician is just going to throw miralax or something similar at you. That may not be the route you want to go.
It does sound like constipation, which can be very painful and can lead to more serious issues if left alone. I would take her in, or at least call her doctor, before December. They can also take an x-ray to see how much backed up stool she has. My son struggled with this for years. I would have her checked soon. Good luck.
FYI--probiotics are good for digestive health, but they won't fix an acute constipation problem. I've also heard they are usually used for diarrhea.
Probiotics daily. Raisins or apricots daily. You can also get apricot juice which works well too. Try to limit dairy for a few weeks and see if it helps. Increase water intake. Avoid bananas. Good luck!
You might want to check with your doc's office....Our doc is charging for a sick visit if you come in for a well-child visit, but have a sick child question. If he's going to charge you for a sick visit, you might as well go as soon as possible.
Cut back on carbs made with white flour. Instead use whole and multigrain carbs that contain fiber. I read labels and when given a choice I choose the product with more fiber.
She could also be dairy intolerant or lactose sensitive. You could try cutting out all dairy and see how she does then slowly reintroduce it. Also giving a probiotic and flaxseed oil will help too. My son is dairy intolerant and the moment he has something with dairy his poop changes to that of rocks.
I would recommend Metamucil to pull the water into her bowel, soften her stools, and make them easier to pass.
You could try passing the orange smooth flavor off as 'Tang'... The only problem is you need to get it stirred and mixed and then down it all at once so the fiber doesn't settle out of the liquid.
I have IBS with chronic diarrhea. Both of my grand kids have the opposite. Both kids that live with me have chronic constipation. Their pediatrician has them take MiraLax in water.
Right now the boy has a blockage and he's doing the powder in water to help soften the stool and help him go.
Your child needs help going. The doc should do an X-ray to determine if the blockage is so large it needs surgery or if meds can help it come out without tearing her a new one...lol.
MiraLax is easy to get the kids to take. My hubby mixes it in Koolaid or Lemonade. The kids drink it right down.
Yes, my kids have had problems with constipation and bloating. We did probiotics for a while and it helped my daughter with constipation. I also took them both off of regular milk. It seemed to bothering them in terms of allergies and constipation.
Son still struggles a bit with constipation. He doesn't go everyday.
Yes, your daughter is constipated. Yes, the probiotics would help. Maybe a stool softener or laxative for a while until the problem gets better. Prune juice, vitamin C. Pick up magnesium citrate from the health food store. It helps loosen stools and most people are deficient in magnesium.
The pediatrician will probably just tell you to give her a laxative. Every pediatrician I talked to about this problem just prescribes a laxative or says give them more fiber.
Increase the fruits and vegetables. Sneak them into their food if you can. If you make macaroni and cheese, put some pumpkin puree in it or some squash.
