1 year old struggling to poo

[MotherOfLittlePeople]

My one year old is really struggling to poo. We were given movicol two weeks ago after she was screaming in pain and couldn't go. GP said to stop it as soon as she had managed to go, so we did. A few nights later I took her to the OUt of hours because she was screaming in pain and we didn't know why. They said we shouldn't off stopped the movicol because it causes cramps and to start giving her it again until she becomes regular. So we started again and now have stopped it again. But now we have stopped she's constipated again and struggling to go.

Has this happened to anyone else's little one? I'm going to try get her back in at the GP if it persists. She's managed to go a bit today but clearly constipated as she's straining. The poo is soft though.

Slightly different as I'm an adult but I was on movicol for a couple of months and I found it really difficult to stop using because I'd stop and then have the same problems going the loo again! You do have to cut down rather than stop although (found this advice on Mumsnet rather than from my GP) so reduced the dose and then took it every other day before stopping altogether. It's probably worth going back to the GP for advice on this though. She might have a little tear so it hurts when the poo comes out.

I'm sure you're doing this already but plenty of water, avoid foods that can cause constipation and eat plenty of fruit & veg (if she will that is!).

i mix ella's kitchen prunes into mines ready brek i find this helps

We had movicol for our DS 10 months since about 3 months and had to use it every day, the GP said it does absolutely no harm to use this regularly however we didn’t really want him on it if he didn’t have to be and so weaned him off it a few times, but the issues would come back. When seeing another GP about something else he said movicol can be quite harsh for little children and prescribed lactulose which has been much gentler for our little one. i tend to give him a dose when he needs it rather than every day and when he does go he does it quite easily rather than straining heavily which he would do on movicol. I’ve found it to be much better for him. I agree with the above re lots of water and fruit!

DD (1) struggled with constipation since starting solids. I found a recipe online for a puree that works wonders.

3 Pears (I find ripe yellow Williams pears or asian pears work best. Green/hard pears don't taste good and have no fragrance)
4 Prunes

• Chop pears into cubes and steam 10mins until soft
• Meanwhile place prunes in a bowl of boiling water to soften for 10mins
• Puree until smooth, makes 2 portions and freezes well

If I suspect she's becoming constipated again then I give her this puree until something goes. Pears, plums and prunes contain sorbitol which is a sugar with a laxative effect. They work much better than other fruits, including apples.

I also found that I have to carefully limit constipating foods including bananas, rice, apple sauce, meat, potatoes, white carbs, cows milk, formula. She's a terrible water drinker, so I end up spoon feeding her a cup of water if necessary. Liquid water is the best against constipation, more effective than water content in milk or purees.

I also make her wholegrain porridge with fennel tea or plain water which is less constipating than cows milk or formula. Her diet is a bit limited atm because I keep having to supplement with anti-constipation foods :(. I'm hoping this will get better with time or once she learns to chew and swallow more raw, high-fibre foods.

Strongly recommend you join a Facebook group called Movicol Mummies. Absolutely life saving advice and support for parents or constipated kids.

The general wisdom there is that you need to play around with the Movicol dose to find one right for your child. The difference between not enough and the right amount could be half a sachet. Some kids are just prone to it and if you don’t tackle it, kids begin to associate pooing with pain, which opens up a whole world of problems as they begin to withhold.

Also be careful with advice re fibre. Soluble fibre (Eg porridge) is much better for constipation-prone kids than what we’d consider ‘roughage’.

Ellas prune pouches are fab.

Lots of water fruit and lactulose I've found a small daily dose of lactulose helps me loads rather than taking things like movicol as like you said as soon as i stop taking it the problem starts again but with lactulose it works on a long term basis

Thank you for the replies, couldn't get in to see the GP today so I gave her half a sachet before bed which will hopefully help.

She is an incredibly bad eater. We are really struggling with what she will eat and won't. Loves prune pouches and fruit but won't eat veg or much else tbh, although I keep trying.

Is she on cows milk? Sorry I had a quick read but wasn’t sure. My one year old was weaned onto cows milk three times and every time we had to go back to formula as it constipated her so badly. She was also a terrible eater who would not eat baby foods or purées (nightmare) and seemed content to only eat crunchy things (ie crisps crackers etc). Movicol helped but lactulose we didn’t like. I did everything I could to try and get fibre into her diet. Bran flakes, prune juice mixed into things like milk or yogurt. Chocolate covered raisins (not ideal but needs must). Good luck x

@BumboBaggins no she's on stage 3 milk just to make sure she gets all the nutrients she needs and on vitamins. I was worried she's not getting enough as she's such a bad eater. She's the opposite, she hates having to chew anything really.

Prunes.

Have tried prunes and unfortunately it doesn't work