Does anyone know any good remedies for constipation for a two year old child?

Answer 1

Offer fluids, fluids, fluids Plain water is definitely the best choice. Your child needs to have a cup of water available to sip on. When you get a drink for yourself, offer your child a drink. One way to tell if s/he is getting enough fluids is to look at the urine — it needs to be a very light shade of clear yellow. The darker the urine, the more likely s/he is not taking in enough water.

Similarly, do not wait till your child, or yourself for that matter, is thirsty. If someone is thirsty, s/he is already dehydrated, so offer it before. Just keep that bottled water or thermos handy.

Up the fruit 'n fiber
Add a bit more fiber into his or her food choices with whole grain breads, crackers, cereal, and lots of whole fruit (e.g., prunes, pears, plums). A healthy eating plan for a two-year-old includes (fyi: minimum serving size for toddlers is approximately one tablespoon per year of age or ¼ of an adult serving per year of age):



4 servings of grains — one serving equals 2 tablespoons of cooked rice, pasta, or cereal, or ½ slice of bread

2 servings of fruits — one serving equals 2 tablespoons of fresh or canned fruit, or fruit sauce

2 servings of vegetables — one serving equals 2 tablespoons of cooked vegetables

Avoid offering your child bran, however — your two-year-old is too young for that fiber source.

Cut back on constipating foods
These may include rice, cooked carrots, bananas, cheese, and yogurt.

Get on the move
Your two-year-old needs a reasonable amount of exercise time and movement — running, jumping, time with playground equipment, etc. Being a couch tater tot will increase the tendency to be constipated.

Give just enough milk
Stick with no more than 2 - 3 six-ounce cups of milk a day. Exceeding this amount may encourage more constipation. It's thought that constipation due to dairy products may be a form of allergy to the protein in milk; the sugar component (lactose) and fat percentage doesn't seem to make a difference in constipation.

If your child is still constipated with 2 - 3 cups of milk a day, cut back to 1 - 2 cups daily. If s/he is still having trouble with constipation, try a different source of calcium, protein, and fat; you can try soy or rice milk, although soy can often be an allergy source in children, as well.

Schedule some potty time
Try popping your child on the potty for five to ten minutes after each meal — sit yourself down as well, and make yourself comfortable while you chat or read a book to your child. This designated potty time can allow your child a calm routine to look forward to, where s/he can learn to relax and let nature take its course.

Some guidelines of when to head straight to your health care provider include:


1½ - 2 weeks have passed, and none of the simple fixes listed above is working.
Your child has gone three days or more without having a stool.
Your child is experiencing ongoing, unrelenting abdominal or rectal pain.
Your child passes blood in the stool.
Your child is occasionally leaking stool.
Your child is vomiting or has diarrhea.
Your child develops a fever.

Your health care provider may suggest using medication to help soften your child's stools. Do not use these products without consulting your provider first.

Hope these suggestions bring some relief for your two-year-old, and for you!

Answer 2

Just like several other poster have said, prune juice is excellent for constipation. If he needs help going right now, glycerin suppositories work great for infants and small children. You should be able to get those over the counter at any pharmacy.

If your son is a cheese eater, I would cut back for a few days.

Answer 3

The best thing you can do is to increase fluids. Constipation is caused by dry stool. If you make you child drink more then it should clear up. Another alternative is to increase the fruits and vegetables in his diet.

Good luck.

Answer 4

prune or pear juice or a combination of both plus plenty of water. A warm bath can help with tummy pains.

Answer 5

I would try like an apple, or feeding it lots of fiberful food. That helps keep poo regular. And an apple or two always gets rid or mine

Answer 6

Yes, put Karo syrup in the childs drink or water and u have results by mornin.

Answer 7

Glycerine suppositories for children does the trick, ASAP! You could also get them to drink prune juice if they will.

Answer 8

Apple juice works on my grandchildren, but real apple juice, not a juice box that is deluded.

Answer 9

Usually a butt torpedo does the trick. Makes em open the gate instantly.

Answer 10

I think Pedalite is supposed to work?