Nasty Constipation Issue

[LittleAsMom]

My dd, Caitlyn, who has just recently entered the potty training phase of her life is having a nasty constipation issue today. First of all, know that I in no way am pushing her to train. She is simply doing so well and kinda training herself. However today she has been really struggling to go #2. She can't really go more than 2 days before her bm gets too hard. It's been 3 days and not only is it hard it is huge. She has been trying so hard to pass this huge stool for about 3 hours now. She sits on her little potty and strains and strains. I have tried liquid suppository, which she didn't like at all, to try and soften the bm and vasoline around her little bottom area to help ease it out. She isn't having any luck. She just keeps straining and straining and saying her poo is stuck. Any other suggestions? I have a really miserable toddler on my hands this evening.
Thanks.

I've been reading this thread with interest as my 10-mo dd2 has just started to eat solids, her favourite food being toast and cheese, and she's now had a nasty bout of constipation. I've literally given her just breastmilk and water for two days and she is now going again, but I am worried about re-introducing them again, especially as she doesn't eat a lot of fruit.

I'd really welcome any advice.

Try giving her Warburtons soft grain bread - My 2 love it and it's really good fibre. Have you tried giving her diluted fresh orange?

Yurtgirl, a suggestion may be if the child sits on the potty, to give some books to look through, or read to them, anything to hold their interest for a while!!

I am intending to put up a white board and markers on a string near our toilet so my girl who has the encopresis will hopefully sit long enough to start the retraining process.

I have been told any thing that will hold their interest, even mobiles in the bathroom etc,to keep them sitting, so they just get used to having a routine, and also to try to get them on the pot about 10 minutes after food when the gut is working often helps to get the pattern going.

Regards to constipation issues, I was told by my specialist that giving either a balloon or a whistle to blow may help with the correct muscles and gets them working in the correct coordination, ...it may be a bit annoying, but if it helps things,.... well its worth it.Of course the child has to be old enough to do these things.

Hope someone may glean something from this.

Message withdrawn

I used a star chart and reward at the end of the week for DD1. She always got 1 star for trying and another if anything appeared - in the potty, not on the floor. It made pottie time a bit more fun.

VERY embarrassing though when we had the builders in and DD came in to the bathroom with me and shouted "Well done Mummy!!!...2 stars for you!!!

Oh, classic wondermom... Love it!!.....Don't worry if those guys heard, always remember they go to!!! We are all only human...

Yurt girl, I think if he was mine I would make it so he can't hold, how long does he hold at a time?

He is obviously going though when you say he'll do it on the floor or in his pants, so is he constipated??, I guess you must know the answer to this, how often is he pooing? and is it hard knobs or a nice formed stool?...maybe he has no constipation issue at all, maybe he just has an aversion to the pot? don't know, have a chat with plunket nurse or who ever is your equivalent over there...sound to me like you may have to bribe him to sit...thing is the more pressure they have put on them the more it often puts them off, so try not to lose it, just be as encouraging as you can be...and even if it is in pants etc, it is coming out!!!..reality is that is more important than where, he'll get the go on it all eventually, does he go to playgroups or anything, they often love to do as they see others doing...

There would be nothing wrong with trying a gentle softener, I would suggest you talk to your pharmacist/chemist.

My girl used to hold often 4-5 days, sometimes longer, through the fear of doing a hard poo after having had fissures she knew it would hurt, is it something like this that maybe putting your wee guy off?

All the specialists etc we have seen really pushed the need to sit, and having said that sit correctly, with feet supported on a stool if the child sits on toilet, not dangling in midair, my girl is tiny for her age, and still actually fits and sits on a potty, she is 5 1/2,and yep this is fab for her as her legs are parallell to the floor etc.

It puts the pressure going in the right direction etc and really opens the way for that movement to take place.
Having told you this I realize, very much so, that you can't make them sit if they don't want to.

K went for many months not sitting for poo,mind you of course she had no idea when it was there anyway,(encopresis kids loose all feeling of poo) but she would only sit long enough for pee.She would poo at weird hours of the night obviiously after she was relaxed enough and had no idea, she'd then yahoo out to me, I didn't care at least that was another one out!

Have any of you tried homeopathy. My daughter has just been given 'silica 30' for constipation and it worked a treat. If you do try it remember not to let the toddler eat or drink anything either side of giving the remedy.

Rosebudz very interested in your last post. My dd runs and hides behind curtains, under tables, in downstairs loo when she is trying to keep poo in. When we try and take her to sit on toilet or potty, sometimes her legs are immovable - stiff as a board. Other times she will sit but small poo already escaped (walnut size), nice and soft but she can this 8-10 times a day (which means 8-10 pairs of knicks a day). She is 3 now - been like this for a year. Lactulose every day, tried charts, blowing balloons, princess knickers. She just says "I'll do it when I'm as big as you Mummy!" Can't wait that long! Help

My 21 month old had a bad bout of constipation a while ago and started witholding. We went to a homeopathic remedy (a different one to mumof3kidz) and it's worked brilliantly! Don't know how it works and don't really care, but she goes at least every other day now and doesn't make a fuss of it!