Constipation in toddler

aj9648

Hi

My 20 month old has got really bad constipation for the last 3 months or so.

Went to the doctor and was given movicol sachets which seemed to work a treat and got back to a regular routine. Her dosage finished on Thursday and ever since then she has been really struggling.

She spent 2 hours this morning trying to push and in the end it was huge and hard (sorry for the graphic)

I'm not sure what to do....go and ask for more movicol - although I'm not sure effect of this on her body. I've tried prune and orange juice.
She is not a great eater any way and she doesn't have any junk either. Loves her milk though!! And also her fruit.

Any tips on next port of call?

Poppy9

She may be intolerant to diary so try switching her to a non dairy milk. There are lots of options but check with HV which are suitable for toddlers.

Have a look at this link and this one

Elsewhere

Do you live in a soft water area? People are less likely to be constipated in hard water areas. I don't know if you can give small children bottled mineral waterthough...

Too much milk can also cause constipation so if she's drinking milk to quench her thirst maybe it would be better to encourage her to drnk water (or possibly watered down milk if she's reluctant to drink plain water?)

Is the fruit she loves high in fibre? You could try her with some raspberries and blackberries - or some fresh figs.

Tigsteroonie

There are many children who are on Movicol long term - constipation is particularly an issue with autistic children!! Our son has had Movicol for a couple of years now, but we are fortunate that he only needs dosing occasionally (once a month or so), I have heard of many others in the community whose children take Movicol every day.

If you want to try something before returning to the GP, the following may work - but this is not advice, this is simply based on experience and discussions I've had elsewhere - Lactulose (over the counter but don't tell them it's for a child), glycerin suppositories, Califig, orange juice, pineapple juice.

building_with_lego

My two have occasional constipation and I find that a handful (literally 5) dried apricots a couple of times again gets them moving again.

missbiggles1

If he likes prune juice, I'd try him on the prunes themselves which have more fibre.

CRANKY40

When mine was small and struggling I read that a warm drink with brown sugar in would help... so I made him milky tea with a spoonful of brown sugar on the days that he was having problems. It did seem to work and now he's 11 he is trouble free but has to have a pot of tea for one if we go to a cafe as he loves tea so much.

bossymoo

Hi my youngest has movicol daily for chronic constipation. She was also milk protein intolerant.

Your GP may be able to refer you to a child nutritionist to help. Milk is in an awful lot of products. They may also want to advise on calcium intake if you do need to cut out dairy products.

Mupette

seek professional advice from the GP / HV

Kynthia

Definitely go to the GP or health visitor for proper advise as it's a common issue and if it continues they can check if here's an underlying cause.

In the meantime the very general advice is to ensure she is having enough fibre and water. Fibre keeps things moving along in the digestive system and water will reduce the chances of very dry and hard poo. So lots more water if possible and diluted fruit juices. However fruit juice is very sugary and it's good to have the actual fruit which is less sugar overall and more fibre. I know someone who bakes her girl little cakes with finely chopped prunes in and dried apricots are a great high fibre snack for when out and about. The occassional smoothie is fine. Having a wholegrain breakfast cereal or porridge is good and putting some fruit with it means you've already started tge day well.

rach_k

I'd get straight back to the GP and get more Movicol. I wouldn't just stop it, I would have thought you'd be better to gradually decrease the dose. If you get to a point where she's having trouble again, increase the dose slightly and work on diet and water intake until it's enough to decrease the dose more. If you have to wait a while to get to the GP, try getting a prescription done over the phone maybe or, as suggested by another poster, Lactulose can be bought over the counter (and the pharmacist here will give it for children so you can ask about dosage if you want).

I avoid medications when possible but childhood constipation is one where I wouldn't mess around. If the child gets the idea that pooing is painful it can lead to withholding which is a LOT harder to crack and can lead to all sorts of behavioural issues as well as physical ones. I'd not hesitate to give meds first and then work out the issues.

For my daughter, increasing water intake was the key really. She was eating normally (quite well for a toddler) and drinking what should have been plenty, but as her doctor said, it doesn't matter what should be enough - if it's not enough for your daughter, get her to drink more. A book that I found helpful was 'Constipation, Withholding and Your Child: A Family Guide to Soiling and Wetting' by Anthony Cohn.