4 y/o constipated?

Question

My daughter is 4 and has not had a BM for 3 days. With the holidays, the doctor's office is not open. What should I do. I thought about giving her a laxative, but they take a while to work. My husband suggested an enema, but I don't feel that is the ight way of dealing with it. What do you think we should. Do you think we should give her an enema. If so, please tell me how to give one to a 4 y/o with out her being a pain. Please tell in detail each step from preperation to clean-up.

Answer 1

Whenever my toddlers were constipated, I would put them in a very warm (but not hot) bath and let them soak (or play) for at least 30 minutes. Sometimes the bowl would loosen and come out while in the tub. Nasty yes... but at least they had a bowel movement! Just sanitized and disinfect the tub afterwards.

Here is some advice I found on the net:

Diet Treatment for Children

Increase fluids:
Increase the amount of water and fruit juices (minimum of 2-3 glasses) that your child drinks each day.

Increase fiber:
Increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables that your child eats. Raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables (especially beans, sweet potatoes, peas, turnip greens, raw tomatoes and corn) have the most fiber. Popcorn also has lots of fiber in it. Give enough grams of fiber to equal their age in years plus 5 each day (check the nutritional label for high fiber foods and snacks with at least 3-4g of fiber per serving). Vegetable soups are especially high in fiber and also add more fluid to your child's diet.

Increase bran in your child's diet by offering bran cereals, bran muffins, shredded wheat, graham crackers, or whole wheat bread.

Decrease constipating foods:
These include milk, yogurt, cheese, cooked carrots, and bananas. Drinking too much milk (your child may only be drinking 2-3 cups a day, but it may be too much for his system to handle) is heavily associated with being constipated. Switching to soy milk has been shown to soften stools. If your child is unable to drink milk, then offer a daily multivitamin or other sources of calcium.


Stool Softeners

Most of these medicines are available in the pharmacy over the counter and do not require a prescription. They include Metamucil, Milk of magnesia, Citrucel, mineral oil or Senokot. Unlike laxatives in adults, they are generally not considered to be habit forming. You should use them once or twice a day and work up on the dose until your child is having a soft BM each day. If you child starts to have diarrhea, then you are giving too much and you should cut back on the dose.

Treating Acute Constipation

If your child has been constipated for a long time or he is having discomfort or significant pain with bowel movements then you may need to ‘clean out' backed up stool before the stool softeners will work by using an enema, a glycerine suppository or high doses of mineral oil. See your pediatrician for information on how to start begin this treatment.

Important Reminders

Be patient. This is a chronic problem that can take time to improve. Avoid embarrassing or punishing your child.

Avoid the frequent use of enemas or suppositories.

Call your pediatrician if your child is not improving in 2-3 weeks, is regularly needing to use enemas or suppositories, or is soiling his pants because of leakage of stool.

Answer 2

This is a hard question to answer. Alot of it depends on what she has been eating. I would avoid the laxative and enema. Watch the amount of cheese and milk she intakes. Prunes are nasty tasting, but you could give her grapes and cherries. These in a large enough quantity should be all she needs to clear her out. If she is running a fever or complaining a lot, maybe a trip to the ER is necessary.
Good luck.

Answer 3

It is generally not a good think to live laxitives to children...it is habit forming. You can help them along however in tow ways.

Short Term: Give a glycerin suppository. It is not as traumatic as an enema but yields the same, softening and sliding out the BM.

Long Term: Consider a stoll softener. There are liquids for children that help. Metamucil type of stuff. It makes the stoll less dense and painful.

Answer 4

The least invasive way is a Glycerin suppository. If it works, it causes them to go fairly quickly and is less likely to cause unexpected accidents like a laxative can. You just place in their bottom like you were taking their temp. when they were a baby.

You can get it at CVS/Walgreens. Look for child's size, or if you can't find it, use an adult size and cut it in have (but smooth any rough edges).

I've also found that trying to slip prunes and prune juice where they aren't expecting it can help a lot as well.

You may want to try a stool softener as well. It will make it less painful to go and prevent them from holding it in in the future because they are afraid of the pain.

Good Luck

Answer 5

The number 1 thing depends on her. Is she comfortable? Does she pass gas? Is she still eating? 3 of my 4 kids did this to me and worried me alot but it turned out to be 'normal' for them. As adults, it is still 'normal' for them.

Now, if she is complaining of a tummy ache you need to do something. Of all the answers above, I agree with suppository the most. It is sometimes difficult tho for her to understand that she can't push it out. It needs to stay inside to work. Definetly increase her liquids, such as juices. Apple, orange and prune juice can stimulate the bowel. If that doesn't work, and she is complaining and keeps trying to go but can't, you need to go to the E/R or call your dr somehow. My oldest, ended up with a impacted bowel when she was 5. She had always had hard stools and went every 3-4 days. This time tho, it was a little over a week, and one evening her bowel started to contract (similar to labor pains) and she was in agony. She kept saying she needed to poo. It got to the point that we called 911 because she was out of her mind in pain... as the EMT's walked in.. she passed a HUGE stool, the size of a large grapefruit. I have NO IDEA how it came out but it did. She saw a specialist after that and increased juices and fiber was what he prescribed. He didn't want to use drugs of any kind that young. It was scary. We learned ALOT from that. The specialist told me that BM's every 3-4 days is about the longest a young child should go. But because everyone is different, what is 'normal' depends on that person. Any time a child leaves the area of what has always been 'normal' for them, it means something has changed. No matter if they go more often, or much less, the parent must react accordingly. I never knew I was 'supposed' to keep track of my kids bowels more then my own! Best of luck!

Answer 6

no, don't give her an enema, you could do it wrong as cause her damage. Is she complaining about having a sore tummy?..Is it bothering her she hasn't had a movement? Not everyone has a bowel movement every day. Please do not give her a laxative either. That is way to harsh. If it is a reap problem, up her fibre intake..make sure she drinks lots of water to help her system more. Avoid somethings like cheese for ab it. Does she like prunes?..or prune juice?..ick..i know..but it might help. Try not to give her to many bulky vegetables just yet...giver her cereal that has fibre in it. Offer her bran muffins with raisins. Go the natural way, if that doesnt help..go see a Dr who can suggest other things.

Answer 7

Glycerin suppositories are helpful.
but first try a warm bath and massage the lower stomach and around the buttocks and rectum.
about 20 mins after she is out of the shower if she is still having that problem try a suppository they are not harmful.
an enema is okay too.
they don't hurt either.
just don't let her see it or she may make a scene.
if you don't have an enema or laxative handy try a q tip or rectal thermometer and wiggle it a bit in the rectum it should work
it always worked on my kids.

Answer 8

a glycerin suppository may work... just give her lots of water or orange juice. do some leg exercises, walking or bicycle. do not give her an enema, that makes her intestines lazier. and don't let her get constipated again, ask her every day if she has gone poo-poo.

Answer 9

If you want to do it the natural way I would give her prune juice.
Don't give her things like cheese. things high in fiber like raisins,
bran muffins,vegetables that have ruffage.
If not get some chocolate Ex-lax -she will eat that and not even realize that it's not candy. Here's a picture of it:

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp15078_333181_sespider/ex_lax_regular_strength/chocolate_stimulant_laxative.htm

Answer 10

Actually, yes, you should give her an enema. I had problems like this when I was her age, and this was the ONLY way to deal with it.

DO take her to the doctor once they re-open. Talk to him about the possibility of IBS or another disorder. Constipation is not normal in children this young, and it is best to catch any problems early so they don't get worse. (Trust me.)