Switched to Whole Milk Now Constipated...

I had the same problem. Have you tried organic? what i ended up doing was 1/2 organic soy (plain) and 1/2 milk, that seemed to really help. I also had her start drinking more water, Good luck

We tried all those things. Fought the pediatrician because he said the baby was normal. Finally at 9 months took her to a pediatric gastroenterologist who said "no one should cry when they poop". He said she was too young for us to start trying to eliminate foods from her diet since she was just learning to eat. He prescribed miralax and she's taken it successfully for five years.

bulk up on fiber-rich food: fruit, vegies, etc.

BUT, eliminate all bananas, apples, rice....all elements of the BRAT diet for curing diarrhea.

Ooops, AND, eliminate all sugary products.

Just because they strain or cry while pooping does not mean they are constipated. Pooping is hard! Is the poop hard little rabbit pellets? That means constipation.

I would definitely try to make sure he is getting a high fiber diet: whole grain carbs only, 2-4 ounces diluted prune juice every day, fresh fruits and raw vegetables. Beans also do wonders. :)

Be sure he gets to drink plenty of water, and limit whole milk to 12-16 ounces a day. I think he will be fine. You can also put him on a probiotic/multidophilus supplement. Ask at your health food store.

Hi M.,
I am going to assume your little guy is close to or around a year old since that is roughly when you switch to milk. I have a 16 month old and the transition over to milk went pretty smooth, but they (wic) had me try something I had never heard of. I added milk to his formula gradually. I started with 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk for at least 3-4 days, then 1/2 formula and 1/2 milk 3-4 days and 1/4 formula and 3/4 milk 3-4 days and then to whole milk. They told me this helps the stomach and digestive system get used to the milk and it would help prevent serious constipation problems and no laxatives or Karo should be needed. It worked great for me, so maybe this could work for you as well. Good luck.

Try giving him a little castor oil. It helps my daughter go within about an hour or so and it softens it up. also just pay attention to how much dairy products your son eats that usually is the cause of the constipation along with the sudden switch. my daughter has been on whole milk since 10 months. I usually only give her two sippy cups full of milk each day. the first one is with breakfast and the last one right before bed. Otherwise she drinks water and juice. But she also eats plenty of cheese and yogurt stuff. its all in finding the right balance for your boy.

My oldest daughter started having constipation issues when she was only about 2 months old and at that time she was totally breastfed! After months of trying everything, our dr. finally had us use Miralax...it was a lifesaver! We used it until just a couple of months ago, so until she was about 17 months. We used less and less as she got older and was able to eat larger amounts of fruits and veggies to help her go naturally. It's totally safe b/c it just adds water back into the stool and you don't need a prescription for it anymore. Good luck!!

Drop back from whole to 2%. My kids couldn't handle whole either. WIC nurses went ballistic over this switch but my theory was SOME milk was better than no milk because it didn't take the kids long to figure out that the milk was making their bellies hurt.

Keep up the fruits and the juices (like you've been doing). We did the Karo for awhile in the bottles but we honestly didn't see that much progress with it. There is a product called Pedi-lax on the market and they have even devloped the tongue melters for a laxative for kids. I'd think they'd be worth a try. Also, Little Tummies Gas Drops can help with the gas as well.

Try pineapples. They are a nature laxative and he will love them.

You can try giving him pedilax or miralax. You can call your peditrician to find out if its ok to give the miralax.

We had the same issue with my son when we tried milk. We ended up switching him to soy and eleminating some dairy from his diet and it helped greatly. He is now a littl eover 2 and we still have to have him on Soy. It does not matter if we push fruits and veggies or give him juice. If we give him regular milk he gets extremely constipated every time. The soy is more expensive but totally worth it when they are not in pain.

Good luck to you!

M.,

We had the exact same problem with our son (now 8). We tried EVERYTHING possible and nothing seem to work. We finally did use Miralax which worked but I don't like giving my kiddo's unnecessary medications. Anyway, we started Juice Plus and I don't know if that helped or if he just grew out of it. If it gets too bad and your son is straining we also used the babylax (I think it has another name now) a lubricant that you squeeze in their bottom. I know it sounds gross but sometimes it's the only option. Just keep on the fruits, vegetables and limit dairy somewhat. Good luck! It's not a fun thing!!

Try giving him organic juice. My daughter drank the Gerber juices and everything was great. Then Grandma accidentally picked up some Gerber Organic juice. Within an hour of drinking it, my daughter would have a movement, usually a very runny one. I asked about it on this site and the majority of the Moms responding told me that it was not uncommon for organic juice to do that and I should dilute it with water to prevent it from happening again. Diluting it worked. So my advice to you is to try the organic juice and don't dilute it. Just be prepared for a possibly explosive and usually runny movement. Good luck!

How old is your son? I would suggest taking him back off of it for awhile, as dairy can be hard on the digestive system of little ones, and could possibly even be an allergen. If you are worried about protein needs, there are a lot of other options to try. And of course try them one at a time, and wait for a few days to see if there are any further negative reactions. Plain, unsweetened yogurt can be easier to digest than milk (and I would recommend organic, or at least hormone-free.) Beans and whole grains are another option, as are soy products such as tofu, tempeh, and unsweetened soy milk. All of these things can be prepared to the consistency that if safe for your son's age. Nut and seed butters are another great source of protein if your son is older than one and has no know nut allergies -- tahini, unsweetened peanut butter, almond butter, etc. And for the immediate constipation, water and diluted fruit juices, more fruit and veggies; mashed or whole bananas might work. good luck.

Hi M.
Both of my Granddaughters have had a constipation issue too since they were born. Their pediatrician recommened not using apple juice as that can constipate them even more, as can Gas Drops. They told us to give them Miralax in their juice or milk. It has no taste, nor does it gas them up and cause cramping. Depending on their age and size is how you measure what to give them. Another good juice you can give them is Pear Juice, that works wonders on my granddaughter who are now 14 months and just turned 3. Hope these ideas help you out and most importantly your son.

My daughter was ALWAYS constipated even from a very young infant. No matter what we gave her or didn't give her she was so my Ped. said white grape juice (ounces depend on age and you don't want to give juice alot because of the sugar content)is a very good natural laxative and especially if you can warm it a little, not too much it works better. As far as the whole milk thing, my Ped also said after a year she could have 1% or fat free which is what we drink and she'd still be getting the nutrients just not all that fat. Although she has never drank whole milk or even 2% at home when we are out at hotels or other peoples homes who do have it, it does cause her to get a little irregular I've noticed.

So when she was younger we tried that and it seemed to work for a while but then not so much as she got older. Then we were back to square one on what to do. I didn't want to give her laxatives with something in it that she'd get addicted to and also didn't want to always give her a stool softener either. So I found babylax suppositories. These are bulb syringe type things that have a glycerin liquid in them that you insert rectally. Nothing addictive in them. I'm telling you right now this SAVED us on many occasions!!!!! Especially since she was about 2 1/2 and starting to potty train and was getting afraid and holding it because it was hurting.

Of course we had to hold her down to do it, but I dont really think on every occasion it was the liquid doing it's job I think it was just the feeling of having something inside that made her push differently to get it out because there were times she went really well only a couple minutes afterwards so I know it didnt' have time to work. Also, sometimes it was just the act of putting the plastic part in her bottom that made her go too. I have not been without at least one single use syringe since she's been about that age and she's almost 3 1/2 now. I don't have to use them much anymore because if I can tell she hasn't gone lately and probably should she might be starting to hold again I just ask her if she needs medicine in her bottom and she will say no and go try to potty.
Good luck

I have a four month old who's always been constipated. Her doctor recommended putting a tablespoon of Kondremul in her bottle a couple of times a day. He said that this laxitive is not habit forming and won't hurt her even if I need to use more than the tablespoon to get it to work. You can get it at Target. You don't need a prescription but they keep it behind the pharmacy counter so you'll have to ask them for it. It's only about $11 for a big bottle. My friend also used this until her son was about two and it worked for him too.

A.

Good Morning M., not sure how old your little prince is, oatmeal, toast, apples,etc are good fiber sources for little ones, water drinking is also very good. Also when Corbin (4) got so constipated he didn't go for days, then cried when he did, we gave a dose of the Fletcher's for children for one day. Worked well. Corbin is milk and water drinker, mostly water all day long. I give him & his brother Zane 2% milk, but they have whole milk at home. Their Dad ( my son) thinks there is a taste difference and won't touch 2% at all. Little did he know his mama used to always buy 2% and put it in a whole milk jug. He drank Milk constantly. Didn't stunt his growth at all, he is 6'1 240.

When your little guy does go poop, go in with him and tell him you know it hurts, but only for a short time. Need to get the nasty stuff out. Then play the Push it out game.
(sounds silly I know but its like the cheer in School, push um back push um back way back)
Just encourage him to keep trying and you do understand sometimes it does hurt our hinnys, even Mommy's sometimes.

Any type of change in diet M. can cause constipation also, might not just be his milk drinking.
God Bless M.
K. Nana of 5

Miralax has been what works the best for my daughter! She gets a little in every milk with dinner and it keeps her regular:) Good luck.

If yogurt is safe for him (mine are older, not sure if there is a rule about yogurt and age) try a few helpings of activia yogurt if you can get him to eat it. You could also try getting flax seed (near the yeast at my store) and put it in his oatmeal or another kind of yogurt or meatloaf or something. It is full of fiber and a natural laxative.