This post is strictly to help concerned parents like me in the event that they google something about helping to naturally treat toddler constipation. This will be a welcome respite from the hoards of people who find my blog by searching for snake poop. What can I say? Maybe a better title would have been “the one about poop”. Maybe I have issues…
But seriously, if you are not interested in treating infant or baby or toddler or child or pediatric constipation with a more natural remedy please move right along 
This is NOT the post for you. And I don’t really need comments unless you just feel passionately about regular bowel habits. Or find it helpful. This is a public service, of sorts.
Okay, getting to the point:
We had tried everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) to help with Ben’s constipation. It started when he was 6 months old and only ever got worse. By the time he was 3 it was an emotional ordeal for the entire family and terrible to watch. It hurt, so he’d retain and it would take him 3 days to finally go. I am a dietitian and pulled all the tricks out of my hat – pears, prunes, fiber, water, dairy free….etc. Nothing helped.
On the advice of our pediatrician (who never really seemed to think it was a big deal) we tried:
- Dark karo. Nice. Who wants to give their infant corn syrup. Not me, but I couldn’t bear to watch him struggle and vomit as he tried to go.
- Milk of Magnesia. Also nice. Doesn’t make them go any more often – but sure can make them incontinent. Poor dear.
- Miralax. I am ashamed to say. Yes. I gave my son all those nice chemicals. It’s a huge dose, by the way. Worked the same as MOM. No more frequent, just softer.
- and finally, after a 3 day stand off and a miserable little boy – baby lax. This was not only humiliating for him, but very uncomfortable. It did work but again, like all enemas, made him unable to control himself. So sad.
I will tell you after all of that my little boy was pale, gaunt and had developed very dry skin. It was sad. And it was apparent that all those “aids” were causing him to lose nutrients with his giant stools. He just didn’t look healthy. I called the GI department at Children’s and started the necessary steps to get him seen. I searched the internet. I just happened to be reading Dr. Sears’ baby book at the time – for an unrelated sleeping issue with our other child 
and he had a section on constipation. He said his practice had most success with flaxseed oil. Yes, duh, dietitian. That makes total sense. That will help him go and provide him with nutrients – not leach them out of his body. So off to the health food store we went. I asked the clerk which flaxseed oil I should give him and at what dose. She told me that it would work, IF I could get him to take it, because it isn’t very palatable. And she said I should give him this. Yes, aloe vera juice. She said another employee had used it on her 6 year old and it worked wonders. Get this: the dose? ONE TEASPOON. That’s it. (MOM or Miralax?? MUCH bigger dose) I was skeptical but desperate. So I bought the orange papaya flavor and crossed my fingers.
Within days (like the next day or 2) he was going every 2 – 3 days. This was unheard of prior to this. He was once a week at best. Within a month or 2 his skin was improving and he had rosy cheeks. In the past week (we started it 6 months ago) he has been going almost every day. He’s got his nice round cheeks back, his eyes are bright and he just looks healthier. Jason and I were talking about it the other day. It’s a wonder-juice that.
So that is my experience. I’ve been meaning to write it down for a while but haven’t taken the time. I hope it is able to help someone because that is NOT a fun problem to have.
Some words thrown in to aid searchers:
natural remedies for constipation treatments holistic remedies for chronic constipation in toddlers or toddler hard stools constipated toddler
We didn’t have that problem with Cason. In fact, it’s opposite of that. One night at McAlister’s (mmm…sweet tea) he was eating grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese (healthy, yes?) and my father in law said, “That’s going to stop him up.” And I said, “With any luck!”
Anyway, the other night, I was changing Kendall and she has a small, pebbly, crusty diaper. SO not good for an infant. So I’m wondering if we are going to have these sorts of problems the older she gets. Thanks for the info. Good to know. I’m always up for natural remedies.
Awesome Jen! Thanks for posting that! We had some of these problems with Madeline when she was younger and our doctor had using baby laxatives. They worked, but man was she uncomfortable. I’ll keep a mental note of this one.
I will attest to the wonderful remedy for Ben – it was like night and day! I have been his “poop doula” many times, poor thing. That was a stellar recommendation on the part of the lady at Sprouts!
Thanks so much for writing about poop. I really needed some answers for my daughter who’s 2 and in serious need of poop help. Thank you!
What a relieve to have read Jen’s blog. As it happens, I am also a mother of a 3 year old (girl) and also a registered dietitian. My daughter has been constipated since aged around 8 months and it has really gone from bad to worst. And yes, being a dietitian actually even made the ordeal more frustrating, as I feel that I should be able to come up with wonderful ways of helping my daughter. During July this year, she contracted Rota-virus (uncommon at her age) and a week later developed severe acute colitis – spent two weeks in the hospital and the diagnostic tests included a systogram, barium enema, colonoscopy, gastroscopy, vaginoscopy and a biopsy of the duodenum.
While we anxiously waited the results of the above tests, we eliminated all potential allergins in an attempt to provide relief, as the paediatrician at this point in time thought that underlying allergies may be aggrevating her condition. Well, it’s now almost five months later and the only allergies we “discovered” are for sodium bensoate, sodium salicilate and monosodium glutamate. It seems as if the colitis was caused by a combination of the allergies, the Rota virus infection, mega-dosis antibiotics and presumably also the fact that she was born premature.
Back to the constipation – we have also been around the block a few times, starting with changes in her diet, using glycerin suppositories (no effect at all), paediatric laxative (successful, but I can never put her through the agony again – it was pure horror to watch her in so much pain and discomfort). I have found Pediasure with FOS to provide some relief (have replaced her twice-a-day milk with this), due to the combination of pre- and probiotics. Unfortunately, we’ve been “back to square one” for the last two weeks. I will definately try the Aloe product immediately and hope for the best!