Jump to content

Recommended Posts

What type of laxatives did you try? Lactulose is a very gentle laxative that is well tolerated with few side effects, IMHO. Definitely steer clear of anything containing senna for mild constipation, as this can cause terrible cramps. For older toddlers/children, you could try a few sips of cooled tea in the morning. The caffeine can help stimulate the bowel.


What do you mean by "doesn't drink enough"? Despite constant messages to the contrary, most of the 'water' content from our diets should come from our food, this includes things like whole fruits and vegetables. If children don't have lots of sugary/salty/fatty snacks, they don't need massive amounts of water to drink. Speak to a dietition if this is an ongoing concern?


Adding fibre to the diet is good in general, but it won't have an immediate effect if the constipation in the lower bowel is quite profound. What about glycerine suppositories? We have used the adult ones on Little Saff a few times. Just cut them in half with a clean pair of scirrors or knife. However, if the constipation has gone on for 3+ days, then sometimes the glycerine just gets pooed out before it can do any good (sorry, TMI, we have a lot of personal experience with this!). So, try to get your LO to 'hold on' to it for a few minutes. Although, even if the glycerine comes out mostly whole, just the physical stimulation in the bowel sometimes seems to have helped.


Despite a good diet Little Saff only has a bowel movement twice a week and is prone to occasional constipation. Even when she was a breastfed baby, she only pooed once a week -- and what a nappy-filler it was!) We talked to the Paed's Consultant and more recently the HV about it. Both said it's normal. If constipation has gone on for 5+ days, the advice from our current HV (who is actually fabulous) is to see the GP for a prescrition for Movicol. Otherwise it's best to let the bowel sort itself out.


A very warm bath also helps sometimes... be prepared with a net. Good luck. :) xx

Our little girl (now a big girl) used to get this badly at around the same age. It sounds awful but we found encouraging her to keep upright (the tummy pains made her want to lie down & slowed the inevitable process) really helped i.e Mr S had to hold her upright in his arms while she tried to wiggle out to lie on the sofa, as did dried apricots (luckily she liked them) and the usual high fructose fruit juice things that have already been mentioned.

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> By the way, how did the mathmatical genius get

> over his constipation?

>

> He worked it out with a pencil!

>

> Heh heh.



It's nearly come to that here a couple of times with Little Saff!


Seriously though, it sounds like you're doing all the right things. This seems to be a physiological phase that many children go through, which is probably why GPs are reluctant to interfere unless constipation has gone on for more than 5 days.


Do you have a smoothie maker or good quality blender? Your LO might have fun making fruit and live yogurt smoothies. You can add psyllium husk, ispaghula, or ground flax seed to aid digestion and peristalsis. These are all natural 'bulk' laxatives that soften stools. They often come in powdered/ground form and need to be taken with liquid, hence the smoothie idea.


Lactulose is a synthetic bulk laxative which comes in liquid form. You can give it without much additional liquid, although liquid will help.


None of these bulk-type laxatives are very effective for acute constipation in the lower bowel, as far a I've found with Little Saff. They need to be taken regularly several times a week.


Maybe worth carefully considering how much fluid your daughter actually needs, then implementing a sticker chart for reaching small goals, eg 1-2 oz of water 4x daily with a sticker for each cup finished?


Really hope your LO is feeling better soon. xx

Much better today, we gave her one Movicol this morning in 65ml of water, and she's had a couple of hundred ml or either water or fresh squeezed OJ. Things seem to be moving a bit.


We've had ongoing issues with her, and are taking her to see someone in a couple of weeks. It's meant we've had absolutely no joy with potty training, which I don't really mind, but I want it done in the next 9 months before she starts school, as I don't want her teased by other kids for wearing nappies.

we are also struggling with poos and potty training (as I think I've posted before), 3rd attempt, wees are fine, she takes herself off to the potty and is very proud of herself, poos she's got some kind of mental block where she simply won't use the potty, and eventually we have to put her back in nappies, together with the lactulose. Not even the promise of Peppa chocs is helping, and normally she'd sell her soul for chocolate. Sigh. I guess they must all get there in the end, it just seems such an epic journey, with nary a Thorin Oakenshield or Kili in sight to ease the way (though Miss Oi prefers Bombur, weirdo).
No real experience with proper constipation, but I do find a good long soft play energy session gets things moving for my rather reluctant 3.5 yr old. Poos really held him back with potty training too OM - had to give up on first attempt. Books helped - 'everybody poos' and 'poo goes to pooland' (http://www.scribd.com/doc/28743654/Poo-Goes-to-Pooland-1-1) seemed to help, although I did feel like I was losing my mind talking about 'mr poo' the whole time...
not medical or scientific in any way, but we had our first poo in the potty yesterday and I think this might have been helped by the piece of very rich and squidgy chocolate brownie Miss Oi had in a cafe (as well as pea soup at lunchtime)! Not an ongoing solution but might help as a one-off?
  • 4 weeks later...

My daughter is now 16months and has suffered very badly with constipation since she was weaned.

Her diet has always been very healthy and I'd included fluids, prune juice, lentils etc. but she would still have major problems with every bowel movement and this would lead to inevitable poo-holding, distended belly, discomfort, limited appetite etc.

On my third visit to GP, a new Dr practically whispered whether I'd like to try suppositories, together with half a sachet of movical morning and night.

Well, all I can say is that she is now cured from that evening!

The suppository cleared the stubborn bit of poo straight away and since then I've only needed to give her half a sachet of movical every day and she has had no probs at all.

I'm so relieved that I was compelled to share :-)

  • 1 month later...

just bumping this as on day 5 of what seems to be chronic (and first case of) constipation of my 4.5 year old . she is in pretty bad pain. yesterday we went to the doctor and got some movicol - and i also got fig syrup - so 2 teaspoons of fig syrup yesterday and today, one sachet of movicol half yesterday, 2 today, and it is not budging. She was up most of last night in pain. Have tried massaging her with some warm wet cotton wool while she pushes. tried it on potty watching tv. she is really in such a lot of pain. it's all been brought on by holding it at school and after being told off for taking too long , the first time she went after months of holding it. suffice to say i shall be having words on monday. I think i need to see the school nurse too if nothing hapens this weekend as she will def need helping sorting herself out if it finally lets rip in the week. But would really like to clear it this weekend.

any ideas?

susypx

Poor thing, my 2 year old is constipated too and wanders round farting miserably saying 'poo poo' and clutching her bottom. we've been trying to get her to eat dried apricots all day as they usually help and she won't take syrup of figs. Have you tried prunes, dried apricots, lots of sunflower seeds, fruit juice, drinking lots of mugs of warm water (as warm as she can drink it) and a warm bath?

Hope something shifts tonight...

oh thank goodness i looked at some websites and read about how they have to sit on the toilet for 15-20 mins and have their knees higher than their hips - so dug the old potty out - put the telly on - sat next to her and encouraged her to sit and breathe through the pain - took a few attempts but in the end the position meant she had no choice and the biggest thing I have ever seen came out of her. Poor love she had gone completely white with the pain - then she just lay on the sofa looking relieved. A good nights sleep tonight after 3 nights of hell. It hurt when she broke wind earlier after wards so clearly all very sore inside. We have lots of movicol left so i think the advice is is to continue with it to give her bowel a chance to contract again and also to get her over the fear. Harder with a 2 year hello sailor- a friend of mine with same age kid said she put her finger in and dug it out but that seems a little extreme - hope she gets sorted out soon.


going to see the school nurse on monday as this simply can't go on - we had the autumn term with 3x urinery infections as she wouldnt wee at school - now seems ok with that but the poo thing is a problem now - i cant beleive she got told off for taking too long. Absolutely no support for her at all - i know they have to grow up but i can't have her ocnstantly having toileting issues - she had no problems at all before starting school.


It was absolutely awful the past few days as she has been in so much pain. She screamed the house down when it was coming out but i was just so excited it was coming! (remind anyone of anything!)


susypx

Oh...sigh.... we're back here again - last 2 days has been very uncomfortable but not on scale of last week .


Having 2 teaspoons of easifig a day, and 2 sachets of movicol half - the school nurse suggested today we up it to 3 sachets so going to try that tomorrow. It's really telling on her now - she looks very peaky and tired and is super grumpy!


want to try swimming at the weekend as i could imagine that getting things a bit more sorted but a bit concerned about doing it while she is taking laxatives ! So will have to see how it goes this week.


i've got some flaxseed coming, we make our own bread so going to try and put it in there - she's having to put up with proper brown bread too rather than the half and half we normally make to keep her happy!


Eating carrots, apples, broccoli - even a banana a day which she detests. Just bought a load of grapes which someone told me are good cos of the skin ( she won't eat apple skin).


any ideas? help!


susypx

How ripe are the bananas? I find bananas bung me up - apparently not so ripe ones (the only way I like them) do that.


Is she drinking enough? My youngest won't drink and ends up bunged up. A big dish of grapes really ran through her last week though.


Definitely speak to school though - they really shouldn't be telling kids off for taking too long. I mean at that age they can't really have anything that is so desperately pressing to do anyway.

Have you tried lactulose and glycerine suppositories? Weaning gave my daughter appalling constipation for months and nothing would get her to go (no amount of water, figs, prunes, dried apricots etc.) other than a suppository. They work pretty quickly (within 15 mins) to make you go, but it can be painful if the poo is very hard. The lactulose makes the poo softer by trapping water in it, so it only really works if you can persuade your daughter to drink lots as well.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • The issue must be everywhere at the moment. I was visiting a friend last week in Bermondsey, think we were walking  down Linton Rd & we dodged 7 dog poos. It was disgusting. 
    • Thanks for your message — I actually took the time to look into what CityHive does before posting my original comment, and I’d encourage anyone with questions to do the same. Yes, the Companies House filings are overdue — but from what I’ve gathered, this seems likely to be an accountant or admin issue, not some sign of ill intent. A lot of small, community-based organisations face challenges keeping up with formalities, especially when they’re focused on immediate needs like food distribution. Let’s not forget CityHive is a not-for-profit, volunteer-powered CIC — not a corporate machine. As for the directors, people stepping down or being replaced is often about capacity or commitment — which is completely normal in the voluntary and community sector. New directors are sometimes appointed when others can no longer give the time. It doesn’t automatically mean bad governance — it just means people’s circumstances change. CityHive’s actual work speaks volumes. They buy most of the food they distribute — fresh produce, essential groceries, and shelf-stable items — and then deliver it to food banks, soup kitchens, and community projects across London. The food doesn’t stay with CityHive — it goes out to local food hubs, and from there, directly to people who need it most. And while yes, there may be a few paid staff handling logistics or admin, there’s a huge volunteer effort behind the scenes that often goes unseen. Regular people giving their time to drive vans, sort donations, load pallets, pack food parcels — that’s what keeps things running. And when people don’t volunteer? Those same tasks still need to be done — which means they have to be paid for. Otherwise, the whole thing grinds to a halt. As the need grows, organisations like CityHive will inevitably need more support — both in people and funding. But the bigger issue here isn’t one small CIC trying to make ends meet. The real issue is the society we live in — and a government that isn’t playing its part in eradicating poverty. If it were, organisations like CityHive, The Felix Project, City Harvest, FareShare, and the Trussell Trust wouldn’t need to exist, let alone be thriving. They thrive because the need is growing. That’s not a reflection on them — it’s a reflection on a broken system that allows people to go hungry in one of the richest cities in the world. If you're in doubt about what they’re doing, go check their Instagram: @cityhivemedia. You’ll see the real organisations and people receiving food, sharing thanks, and showing how far the impact reaches. Even Southwark Foodbank has received food from CityHive — that alone should speak volumes. So again — how does any of this harm you personally? Why spend time trying to discredit a group trying to support those who are falling through the cracks? We need more people lifting others up — not adding weight to those already carrying the load.
    • Well, this is very disappointing. Malabar Feast  has changed its menu again. The delicious fish curry with sea bass no longer exists. There is now a fish dish with raw mango, which doesn't appeal. I had dal and spinach instead, which was bland (which I suppose I could/should have predicted). One of my visitors had a "vegetable Biriani" which contained hardly any vegetables. Along with it came two extremely tiny pieces of poppadom in a large paper bag.   This was embarrassing, as I had been singing Malabar's praises and recommending we ordered from there. The other mains and the parathas were OK, but I doubt we will be ordering from there again. My granddaughters wisely opted for Yard Sale pizzas, which were fine. Has anybody else had a similar recent poor (or indeed good!)  experience at Malabar Feast?
    • Another recommendation for Silvano. I echo everything the above post states. I passed first time this week with 3 minors despite not starting to learn until my mid-30s. Given the costs for lessons I have heard, he's also excellent value.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...