Stm's or beyond: constipation help?

clo1982

I will start this by saying dd is a terrible eater. Like standard toddler appetite of Mac n cheese, pizza, spaghetti, fruit and crackers....and a TON of milk. She has had constipation issues since she was a baby but we were always able to get her to eat prunes which really helped. It is pretty bad now and I feel awful for her (especially given that at this point I can totally relate!). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can help alleviate this for her? We started trying to cut back the milk and push a lot of water but I'm kind of at a loss since she is such a picky eater which makes it hard to add things to her diet that may be helpful to get stuff moving.

BoogieMonster629

Apple juice?

katykatykaty

We don't do juice yet, but my daughter eats one or two of those Plum/whatever brand pouches of blended fruits and veggies a day.  Usually she'll eat one with lunch and one with dinner.  Would she eat one of those?  I would look for one with pear as the first ingredient, too. 

ceh789

My niece (3 years) has chronic constipation as well - they've recently had some improvement from limiting the amount of fruit she's allowed to 1~2 servings per day and pushing veggies instead - why this is working, I don't know but it's what their pedi told them to do.  I know it's hard with a picky eater (she is...) but they are definitely noticing a difference after only 2~3 weeks.

jwls84

Lots of water, oranges, dried apricots or dried prunes. No bananas!! Pears sometimes help.

I remember giving him one ounce of OJ once because he was constipated and within a few hours he was good. We don't give juice often so when we do it's quite effective!

clo1982

We haven't done any juice to this point outside of when she was too young even for purees. The dr suggested adding a bit of prune juice to her bottle, which helped. I've been reluctant to add juice in at this point since milk is really the only healthy thing the kid consumes! I hate to add more sugar laden options to her diet. But if it will work, it's certainly worth a shot. @katykatykaty, she won't do the pouches or normal puree from a bowl anymore either. When she was willing to eat those without spitting them on the floor, they were a great option and really helped keep things regular. I will definitely try the other types of fruit. Right now she gobbles up apples, pineapple and watermelon but I haven't tried oranges, pears or kiwi. I'll definitely grab some of those to see if it helps!

jh&kh

Prune juice. I dilute it half water half juice and just 1/3 of a sippy cup will usually help. My daughter has had chronic constipation issues since I stopped breast feeding at 7 months. Prune juice has been the only thing that has helped. Pediatrician recommended any of the "P Fruits" to help. Prunes, pears, peaches. Apple juice and applesauce will actually make the constipation worse.

aLsMay24

Raisins make DS go like crazy. Also plum makes a prune pouch we've used when he gets backed up.

ring_pop

If you can find any way to hide it in something she eats, quinoa is amazing for regularity. Daycare puts it in their oatmeal.

clo1982

@ring_pop I will have to try quinoa. If I mix it with noodles, she may not notice it's there since it doesn't have much taste on its own. If I put it in front of her as a stand alone dish, it would be a no-go from the start! My mom says her eating habits are payback for how picky I was as a child. And I was totally the FTM who was preaching about how I was going to have this great eater since I was going to introduce her to all sorts of food early on and it would just automatically make her willing to try anything. She showed me!

PrincessPeach13

We occasionally have issues with DS.  After a lot of reading and asking around, we bought a bottle of Flax seed oil (in the natural food section of the grocery store), and give 1 tablespoon in a small glass of juice or some yogurt.  It works awesomely.  

katykatykaty

Just wanted to add that my daughter's diet sounds pretty much just like your daughter's, so I feel your picky eater pain.  We can't make it through a meal (even breakfast!) without her requesting chips or mac and cheese.  She goes through phases though, and some days are better than others, so I have hope that it won't always be like this.  I hope you find something that helps!

SurpriseAt39

Aside from fruit... Try a warm bath.
Tummy or low back rub.
Make it a game.

clo1982

katykatykaty said:

Just wanted to add that my daughter's diet sounds pretty much just like your daughter's, so I feel your picky eater pain.  We can't make it through a meal (even breakfast!) without her requesting chips or mac and cheese.  She goes through phases though, and some days are better than others, so I have hope that it won't always be like this.  I hope you find something that helps!

If I could somehow make chicken into a cracker or cookie, she would gobble it up. The kid is the most adventurous eater when it comes to anything with sugar as the #1 ingredient. The dr isn't concerned, and she is growing like crazy so I guess it isn't a big deal. Just frustrating!

jrw526

I would try to push fiber rich foods. I know you don't want her to eat junk, but could you try mini wheats if all else fails? We went on vacation and bought a box for a snack in the hotel room and DS pooped way more than normal. The the rest of his diet for the week was pretty typical for him.

lindsey1031

Will she eat prunes with some jelly on them?  A kid I nannied for had a constipation problem and he ate prunes with apple jelly every few days to keep it under control.

I would suggest beans and rice!  That always does it for all the cajun babies I know!

BabiesFTW

DD has had constipation issues since starting solids. She used to love the pouches of prune purées but will no longer reliably eat those. She won't try juices beyond OJ. Her doctor said to use miralax as needed so she has a bit in her milk nearly every day.
Good luck!