What can I give a finicky 15 month old for constipation?

Answer 1

Here are some things to try:
• Avoid giving your child too many foods that have a binding effect. These include bananas, cooked carrots or squash, and large quantities of dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Two to three servings of dairy per day are adequate for a toddler. (One serving equals 1/2 cup milk, for example.) For more guidelines, see our age-by-age guide to feeding your baby and toddler.

• Boost your child's fiber intake. Give her plenty of whole wheat crackers, cereal, or bread, and fruits and vegetables such as prunes, apricots, plums, peas, beans, and broccoli.

• To help keep your toddler's stools soft, increase the amount of fluid she drinks. Water is your best choice, but a little prune or apple juice might also help. However, you'll want to limit your toddler's juice consumption to about 4 ounces per day, to prevent tooth decay and a ruined appetite. She should wet four or five diapers a day or, if she's toilet-trained, pee at least once every five to six hours.

• Encourage her to crawl, cruise, or walk every day, to get the blood flowing to all of her organs.

• Massage your toddler's belly. Measure three finger-widths below her navel and apply gentle but firm pressure there with your fingertips. Press until you feel a firmness or mass. Maintain gentle but constant pressure for about three minutes.

• Don't pressure your toddler to toilet train before she's ready. Pushing her to use the potty can make her afraid or resentful, and she could wind up withholding bowel movements. If you notice your toddler doing this, increase the amount of fiber she eats (see above), back off on the training, and wait to try again until you've spotted the signs she's really ready.

• Encourage your child to use the potty as soon as she feels ready to poop. If she says she never feels ready, try having her spend five to 10 minutes on the toilet after breakfast and dinner. (Children who've been constipated for a long time may have lost the ability to perceive that their rectum is full.) Try to make this a pleasant experience by reading a book with her while she's sitting there. But don't force her to stay there if she doesn't want to, or she'll come to think of using the toilet as a punishment.

• Talk to your toddler's doctor about treatment options. She may suggest an over-the-counter stool softener, a lubricant such as mineral oil, a suppository, or laxatives if your toddler is very constipated. A glycerin suppository will stimulate the rectum and help your toddler pass a stool. While using a suppository occasionally is fine, don't do it on a regular basis, or your toddler could wind up relying on them to have a bowel movement.

Note: If your child is deliberately holding back her stools, treating her with suppositories or an enema could be extremely upsetting to her. Always check with your doctor before resorting to this type of treatment.

• If your toddler is passing such hard, dry stools that she tears the delicate skin near the opening of her anus (you may be able to see these tears, known as anal fissures, or a little blood), you can apply some aloe vera lotion to the area to help it heal. Be sure to mention the tears to your doctor.

Answer 2

If it's really bad, there's some stuff called Fletchers Castoria. It's mild and just for kids. If it's not that bad usually some apple juice will do the trick. Try to push the veggies if at all possible. I know how hard it is to get a finicky one to eat those though. My oldest son is a very picky eater. If all else fails and the Dr. ok's it get some glycerin suppositories made for kids. But be ready for a mess.

Answer 3

Symptoms to watch for in case of constipation:

- Lack of appetite and complaints about pain in abdomen

- Long gaps between 2 occurrences bowel movements

- Foul-smelling dirtying, mixing of traces of dried stools with the fresh ones

- Blood stains on underwear, nappy or in stool

- Frequent bed-wetting at night

- Highly inactive

- Very large and hard stools, when a bowel movement occurs

Answer 4

An effective all natural laxative is canned pumpkin. Whip a little with a little cool whip to sweeten it and it's like moose. Try to add some fruit every day just a bite or two a couple times will help.

Answer 5

Try fruit juice or other high fiber foods or a stool softener will work if it is an on going problem you should contact a doctor my son had problems with constipation and it caused some major problems....Good luck

Answer 6

raisins and prune juice. If its not that bad then raisins will do. If the constipation last longer than 3 days then you need to take him/her to the hospital because a blockage of the intestine can cause serious problems.

Answer 7

Watered down juice, or straight juice if you please, a few times a day, push the fruit and veggies...for serious constipation and fastest relief, go buy BabyLax from Walgreens or any other brand of light laxative (your pharmacist will know what they have), and that will definitely do the trick and it's very mild. For non-medicinal ways, try the fruit, veggies, fruit, and you can also try a tablespoon of Kayro syrup in his/her bedtime bottle/sippy.

Answer 8

Both are good for you, each fruit/vegetable has different vitamins. And so as more variety, as better. Vegetables have generally less sugar than fruits.

Answer 9

I have a 4 month old and I give her little tummys laxative, it works really well for her. You can also bicycle the babys legs and massage the babys knees. Hope the baby gets better!

Answer 10

Fruit, prune juice mixed with apple or somethin sweeter. If all natural ways fail then ask a doctor to recommend something.