What to do for toddler with constipation and nappy rash?

[Rainatnight]

Sorry in advance for all the poo talk. DD (2.5) has been constipated for a week or so. Some v small poos, and a couple of those big ones that are part soft/watery. Alongside this, she seems to have developed some nappy rash.

This evening, she did a small poo and was very upset when I tried to clean her bum. When I was getting her ready for bed there was a tiny poo stick between her cheeks (sorry!) and I suggested she sit on the potty to finish it off. (She's not fully toilet trained but will use a potty from time to time)

She wouldn't get off the potty for absolutely aaaaaages, but nothing was happening. She got incredibly upset when we eventually took her off the potty and then absolutely hysterical when we tried to clean her bum and put sudocreme on.

I felt absolutely awful but I couldn't leave her with a poo-y bum because that would just make her rash worse.

I've got no idea what to do. Help?!

Hopeful bump before I go to sleep

Nappy rash, get Weleda Calendula Nappy cream from Amazon. It is amazing. Will calm and soothe nappy rash in half an hour. A thousand times better than metanium, genuinely. Ds is nearly 2 and I use it every day still as a preventive.

Constipation, id probably give apple juice/orange juice and some strawberries for breakfast.

Poor little mite, hope she's feeling better soon.

Is the constipation a new thing or has she always been prone to it ? If it's a new thing then I'd get some medical adt- HV or GP.

*advice

Hi OP.
Any nappy rash/barrier cream is good. Metanium is excellent-be careful it’s hard to get out of clothing.
But you must never use water or wipes to remove a barrier cream, only oil. They are made to resist water (hence their purpose!) so you irritate or tear the skin of you use water/wipes. Any oil, we use Baby Oil at work ( nurse).
Fresh OJ, squishy fruits, plenty of water, you can get mild laxatives from GP too.
With constipation sometimes the poo higher up the bowel is hard, and soft liquidy faeces slides down. This makes you think they are no longer constipated but you need to make sure you clear the pipes fully, IYKWIM?
Hope it resolves soon.

Both of mine suffer with chronic constipation and nappy rash as a result. We use yellow metanium at every change when the rash is up, and white metanium as a barrier cream when the rash has gone.

Thanks very much, everyone. Got some metanium today and am pouring juice into her.

Eleanor do you mean you use oil to wipe after a nappy change? How does that work?

Gertrude - it's not entirely new. She had it a lot when she was around 11/12 months but not recently.

She was in hysterics again tonight when we changed her nappy and seemed in so much pain. I got a better look at the rash and it's bright red. Never seen anything like it.

@rainatnight, when using meta noun what you should do is clean the bottom using oil on cotton wool pads - we used to use olive oil (ex-children’s nurse) or baby oil if no olive oil available. The other thing we did was mix equal parts of metanium with Sudocrem and use that on baby’s bottoms (especially if they had bleeding nappy rash); it seemed to heal quicker.

Agree with the suggestions of fruit juice as well as increasing water intake; also worth trying acidic fruit such as orange if she’ll eat it as the acid can promote bowel movements. Abdominal massage can help get things going too as can (less pleasant but also effective) getting her to try and open her bowels while in a warm bath as the warm water can relax things and make it less painful to pass.

Hi, sorry, yes, you use the oil.
OK, cotton wool, squirt on some Johnson’s baby oil, wipe away barrier cream. Let it dry ( pat or air) then apply more barrier cream very generously. Really layer it on.
You only remove the barrier cream if they have done a poo. If they are just wet leave the cream on, apply more if necessary. But they assist in healing and are protecting the skin. Do not remove unless poop about.
If they have pooped use the cotton wool and oil again.
Nappy rash is bright red, the skin becomes inflamed, and can start to bleed.
Sometimes it can be a fungal infection, if it isn’t healing seek professional advice. A pharmacist can help.
Has she done a poo today?

My daughter's was particularly awful just before hand, foot and mouth set in just FYI.

Thanks everyone, she did a big poo last night that was part hard, part soft, so I think things are at least moving.

Bum looks a good deal less red this morning after the metatanium, thank goodness. Fingers crossed it continues to improve

That's good. I would go for lots of nappy free time. If she is potty training then I would keep her bottom half naked at home.

Even though we did blw and DD is the same age as yours we still keep a supply of Ella prune pouches as needed.

Sometimes it does take a long time to poo especially if constipated so unless absolutely necessary to go somewhere I would leave her on the potty until she is ready to get off. I would say something like if you poo is not ready yet you can try again later so she knows she can get out off the potty.