What will I do to my 3 year old son who will not have his regular bowel?

Question

My son always has constipation. Sometimes it will take him 5 days before he will have his bowel. he would also put a suppository to his behind for him to eliminate his waste. The doctor advised us to use suppository. But it hurts him. What are the other options?

Answer 1

I totally know what you are going through, my soon to be 3 year old is going through the same thing right now.  

The doctors didnt do nothing but told me to give her prune juice...which is hard cause it tastes awful regardless if you mix it with sweeter juices...tried everything...but cant eliminate the bad taste.  

Give him a lot of water and other juices.  Get him to eat broccoli and other fiber related foods that are fresh...steamed or baked

I tried wheat grass from jamba juice...half shot mixed in orange berry blitz...and gave her a good amount of fresh peaches and blueberries and apples and pinto beans during  the whole day and she went p**p 2 hours later.   Try a diet where you know you will p**p after eating it.  

ITs really awful to see my daughter cry everytime she has to go but cant...very frustrating...good luck.

Answer 2

You need to get some fiber into his diet.  Some fruit, and veggies.  if he won't go for the actual fruit and veg, see what you can find in the mixed juices at the grocery store...not the 10% real juice kind either.  The good stuff!

And change to whole wheat bread if he will eat it...if not, use the 'smart' white bread that's half and half.  Better than nothing.

Poor little guy...

Answer 3

he needs to be drinking heaps of water, and having plenty of fruit and veggies, make sure he is getting extra fibre in his diet...if he still doesnt respond well you need to take him to the doctor and get him checked out!!!  there are other constipation medication...it doesnt have to be a suppository, you can get liquid that he drink...!! talk to your chemist and see what they recommend!!!  dont let him eat cheese..it will clog him up

Answer 4

Do your best to use the suppository. If not they can give him something to be taken by mouth, it just takes longer to kick in.

Up how much water he drinks, monitor the food he eats and limit foods that cause constipation. Have him drink juices that help rid him of constipation.

Answer 5

oranges

Answer 6

u should tell him wat will happen if he does not do that or maybe scare him.

Answer 7

I don't now what will you do?  What about feeding him more fiber foods?  He could be lactose intolerant, how much milk/dairy products does he get?

Answer 8

Normal bowel function is promoted by eating well-balanced, regularly scheduled meals.

Give him plenty of high-fibre foods:

Increase his fibre intake gradually to allow his body to adjust and to minimise potential abdominal gas or discomfort.

Cereals are good fibre sources if they contain 3 g or more of dietary fibre per serving.

Increase the fibre content of low-fibre foods by adding two to three tablespoons of 100% bran cereal or unprocessed wheat bran to cereal or soup. Add bran and whole grain cereals to casseroles, home-made breads and other baked goods to provide additional fibre.

Cooked and raw vegetables and fruits are good choices. Cooking does not greatly reduce the fibre content.

Choose fibre-containing snacks, such as whole grain crackers, fresh and dried fruits (apricots, peaches, pears, raisins, figs, prunes, and dates), raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower), popcorn, nuts and seeds.

Pulses (dried peas, beans and lentils) and nuts are high in fibre and protein. They may serve as high-fibre substitutes for meat, fish or poultry, which have no fibre content.

Avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar. Constipation may worsen with diets high in fat, sugar, protein or diary products.

Drink enough fluids: .

Prune juice may be helpful as a mild laxative.

Answer 9

My 3 year old son has also had issues with constipation.  He never went 5 days so we didn't have to use suppositories but we did use Miralax which is available over the counter.  Check with your pediatrician before giving any medication.

Miralax is a powder that has no taste and can be mixed into any liquid that he will drink.

We also mixed 1 mineral oil into one drink a day for a while.  Again check with your pediatrician before giving any medication.

Our pediatrician explained that it is a lot harder to clear up constipation than it is to prevent it.  Once the Miralax and Mineral oil got his bowels moving we used his diet for prevention.  Below are the diet tips that our pediatrician recommended that we try.

Dairy can also be a problem.  Discuss it with your pediatrician but you could try cutting dairy out of his diet for a few days after the suppository is given.  Then slowly introducing it back in.

Make sure that he is getting plenty of liquid, dehydration will cause constipation.

Several people have said fruits and vegetables but, it has to be raw fruits and vegetables.  When they are raw the fiber is soluable and will help.  Once cooked the fiber becomes insoluable and can actually make the problem worse.  Carrots are particularly good.  If he can't yet chew raw carrots try shredding them with a cheese grater and giving him a tablespoon or 2 with meals.  You can also puree the shreds and add a little dark corn syrup for sweetnes.  The corn syrup will also help with the constipation.  Fruits and fruit juices are also good.

You can try Prune juice.  If he doesn't care for the taste of it try adding 2-3 ounces of prune juice to 5-6 ounces of a juice that he does like twice a day.  You can also try "Plum Smart" you will find it in the grocery store next to the prune juice.  It has other juices in it and doesn't taste bad straight.  It's not as strong as prune juice but, won't need to be diluted.

Dried fruits are also very good, prunes, raisins, craisins etc...

Good luck.

Answer 10

My son had the same problem when he was 3. He would hold it so that he can play.

I didn't want him to be on medication so I decided to do the follwoing:

1 - I gave him plenty of fiber rich food

2 - Put him on the potty at the same time (6pm) everyday even if he didn't want to. We usualy read a book or tell him a story.

He became regular a few weeks later.

He is 4.5 years old now and he is still on the 6pm schedule.

It worked for him. Good luck.

Answer 11

I second supamom's suggestions - a nearly (or totally) vegetarian diet improves digestion and elimination in a lot of people.

But if you need a "chemical crutch" don't use Miralax - it's been linked to so many debilitating conditions (see the Yahoo Group for gory details).  In fact, even if they "hurt" him  it's better to go on using the suppositories than any oral stimulant-laxative.