My son has been battling constipation as we've gotten full into potty training. I know this can be a normal thing but we've had a couple of bouts here lately that have been really tough. So his pediatrician finally convinced me to buy Miralax today. I have been really reluctant to give him anything "unnatural," preferring to use prunes and that kind of thing, but she explained that after an episode or 2 of constipation the end of the bowels can actually stretch out a little, making the next poop that forms bigger than normal, and it starts a cycle that can be hard to break. So I bought it. But what I'm concerned about is how to really get it into him. He is a sipper...he never really sits down and chugs 6-8 oz of something all at once. He drinks with his meals and in between, but not usually a whole cupful at one time and he drinks different things through the day (homemade apple juice with breakfast to try to help with the poops, then milk with lunch, water with dinner, etc) Anyone have any tips? I thought about just dissolving it in a certain cup in the morning and trying to get him to finish that cup by the end of the day in between other drinks but that sounds kind of gross having that powder in there all day. Any suggestions from mommies who have used it?
Just give him half the dose twice a day in a cup with his drink and tell him he has to drink all of it at once in front of you. Just a few ounces of drink.
Tell him it will help the poop poo or something. That is what I did with my son.
We have battled constipation in my son, especially with potty training. He is four now and every so often he'll have a painful poop that will leave him scared to poop again. So he starts withholding and before you know it, we have exactly what your pedi warned you of. Our pedi told us to use Miralax, we did for a few days, but I am a natural kind of momma when it comes to my babies and I just couldn't get over that it has the same chemical in it that antifreeze does. Added to which there are no official sizable trials on the stuff for kids AND the FDA hasn't approved it for anyone under 16. The trials that were done were done on adults and older kids with healthy colons and they found that the chemical was NOT absorbed into the system. That's good, right? But the catch is that in unhealthy colons (those that are constipated quite a bit and soemwhat stretched out), the chemical was absorbed into the system because of how porous the intestinal tract became with stretching. And that's in adults! What about our youngsters?
So I searched high and low for something medicinal that was meant to fight constipation (we had used pear, prune juice, prunes, dates, etc. he loves this stuff, but it just wasn't getting it this time). I found Philips Milk of Magnesia. It is magnesium and has guidelines for younger kids on it's label. It worked wonders immediately and actually worked faster than the Miralx which had shown no result over several days of trying it. Your child will have to drink a glass of water with it though, or at least alongside it.
It comes in cherry flavor which is what sold my son on it. We can get him to chug the water for us though. You may try telling him that he gets a cherry medicine to help his bottom so that the poop won't hurt coming out. Not sure if he's old enough to reason that out yet, though. I jsut wanted to put my two cents worth in on the Miralax and steer you towards the M.O.M. that has worked so well for us.
I'm not knocking those that have had success with Miralax, it just wasn't for us.
Works wonders. I give it in the 1st drink of the morning and make sure my dd finishes it.
My sweet daughter has had problems with her bowels since the day she was born. I'm talking 10 days between bowel movements then sever constipation. We tried every natural and several over the counter remedies to help her. Nothing helped. FINALLY she was sent to a GI specialist at 2 and was prescribed Miralax. She has been on Miralax ever since, we use 1/2 a capful everyday in her juice and she drinks it until its done. Sometimes she doesn't get around to drinking it all at once so I put it in the fridge and she drinks it later. She will be 6 in May and we have no plans on taking her off the medicine. It is very safe and has worked wonders for us.
Good Luck!
That's the best way to use miralax. Put how ever much you need in his favorite juice and let him sip it all day if necessary. My 6 year old was constipated and I took her to the doctor and was recommended the same thing so I purchased the packets and gave her half of it on a daily regimen in her favorite juice and she can't taste it (she's very aware of medicines that I try to sneak in her food) so it has definitely helped us alot. Also if he eats any type of oatmeal or mashed potatoes, you could also mix it in there and serve it to him like that. Miralax has worked wonders for us.
I would absolutely say Miralax is both safe and effective...does not work like a traditional laxative, which the body can become dependent upon and can cause other issues. I would also research anything you consider using that is herbal/natural just as you would anything else OTC or Rx. They can be every bit as dangerous as the alternative(s). We used Miralax with our daughter when she was between the ages of 2 and 3 years old...just to get her through her constipation, which was caused by her reluctance and withholding bowel movements. Although I would encourage you to work with your son to drink increased amounts of fluids, which may be part of the issue, you can refrigerate what he does not consume throughout the day until he finishes it. Hope this is helpful and good luck!
Like, A.S, I would not give miralax to my son, for the same reasons. What ended up working for us was lactulose. It's basically sugar, totally safe, and it really helps. It draws water into the colon, so you have to keep them well hydrated while on it, but you should keep constipated kiddos pretty well hydrated anyway.
I agree with the A.S. below - Magnesium Citrate works like a charm and it's much more natural. There is a cherry flavored kind you can get at CVS or Walgreens. I just add it to my kids' juice. Good luck...no fun :(
You have gotten some good advice. I just want to add that after the stools are under control, I recommend using a tbs of mineral oil. That is what my pedi recommended for my little guy and it works great!
i give my little girl herbalife herbal aloe and works great and it's natural is aloe vera with chamomille works great and does not have a bad taste
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You can also try Fleet's PediLax Fiber Gummies. I get them at Target and my kids both get one a day which helps keep them regular. We are giving my daughter iron supplements for anemia and we used Miralax once to help with the initial constipation- a little goes a long way- and then I increased her Fiber gummies after that to help her out.
Maybe you could mix it into applesauce or yogurt - or something similar that you know he will finish?
LOVE Miralax. It's good stuff.
I have used it for my son and I know many others who have used it too. It works wonders. Would add a small dose to his juice every day. I also tried adding a fiber supplement to his food.
Rather than giving him the whole serving and having him sip at it all day, try giving him only a 1/3 of a serving at a time.
My daughter suffered from severe constipation for a few years. Miralax helped a lot.
