Infant To Toddler With Constipateion

by Kelly
(Massachusetts )

My child has gone from infant to toddler with constipation problems.

My 15th month old has been dealing with constipation since he was a month old.


We at first tried different formulas and nothing worked. His doctor then put him on Mirilax once a day in his formula and that helps soften it up.


I thought once he was on food that would help, but it made no change. I kept hoping he would grow out of it but at 15 months if I miss one day of Mirilax, the next day he will try to poop and will tear.


I have have tried prune juice, lots of fruits, and nothing is working.


We are seeing a GI doctor who has ran some blood tests on him and ran stool samples. His stool test results came back fine and his blood work came back with a couple positives (High thyroid and inflammation) but we are going to re-run them to make sure that it wasn't a false positive.


Has anyone ever run in to this? Any suggestions?

---

Hi Kelly,

Your poor little fellow! It does seem unnatural that he should suffer with constipation for so long. I understand your concern as you don't want him to be dependent upon Miralax forever to make his bowels function properly.


Because he has been on Miralax for so long, I think it will take more than a day or two off of it to determine if his bowels will function on their own. He is already dependent on the Miralax, so it's not surprising that he gets harder stool when he stops it at first.


Have you gone for longer than a day to see if his bowels will naturally regulate themselves once he is weened from the Miralax?


Also, try to get plain water in him as much as you can. I know most little ones would rather have milk or juice, but water is important to hydrate the bowel and keep the stool soft.


I would suggest that you try using Salba grain instead of the Miralax. Salba is basically chia seeds and is a whole food. It provides natural essential fatty acids that the body needs for natural lubrication. It also helps reduce inflammation (if that turns out to be a genuine concern).


It really works well for constipation in most toddlers (and adults, too). We've used it in our own family with great success.


The added benefit is that it is tasteless so you can easily mix it in his food and it is not something you have to worry about so it is safe to be giving him long term.


I hope this helps and that you are able to get his bowels functioning correctly soon.


Blessings,
Angie