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My 4 yr old has constipation. I have been giving him 1 small square of ex-lax every now and then, but wanted to see if there is anything non-chemically I can give him which might help. Did a search online, and saw Karo Syrup being recommended. What do you all use?
My daughter had horrible issues with this for several years. You can use mineral oil- it is disgusting and a last resort...
Also- GRAPE JUICE/ APPLE CIDER- they seem to do wonders- prune juice as well as prunes... cherries too... Keep away from dairy- believe it or not it can cause constipation....
My daughter had horrible issues with this for several years. You can use mineral oil- it is disgusting and a last resort...
Also- GRAPE JUICE/ APPLE CIDER- they seem to do wonders- prune juice as well as prunes... cherries too... Keep away from dairy- believe it or not it can cause constipation....
Thanks for the tip, will go get grape juice AND apple cider...at this point, whatever works as long as it is not medicine...
You basically need fiber, which is why dairy is known to be the wrong way to go. It follows that you'll want to cut back on meat, too, as that won't help either.
You'll want to give him a lot of fruit and vegetables. If he'll eat raw vegetables, then even better. Think salads! Good sources are broccoli, cabbage (does he like sour kraut?), carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, and, again, raw is best. Spinach and beans are good, too, but will a 4-year-old eat them? Fruits such as apples, peaches, tangerines, raspberries, prunes, grapes, pears and oranges work well. It seems like most fruit is just good for that. Might be an exception or two. Push lots and lots of water, of course.
Let's see - keep sugar (other than the natural fruit kind) out of his diet as much as possible. I've read that you can have a glass of warm water mixed with two teaspoons lime juice in the morning. Finally, regarding medicines, I'd ask the pediatrician. When my 1-month-old infant was constipated, they had me give her a suppository and it worked like a charm. Good luck!
I highly recommend ground flax seeds or flax seed oil. It is a known laxative.
Make sure that he drinks lots of fluids, eats a lot of fruits/vegetables (if possible ) and cut down on simple carbohydrates.
eta: I would have to be completely desperate to give my DS Karo syrup. I avoid anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup.
But I'm one of those crazy ones, so don't judge by me.
My daughter used to suffer from constipation when she was a baby so I've always kept her on a high fiber diet (and fortunately for me she doesn't resist what I feed her). I have found that prunes work very well. If your child doesn't like the taste of prunes, you can try the Sunsweet ones that come in other flavors (orange, lemon, cherry). I know parents who use Miralax (I believe it's a prescription laxative), but I don't have any personal experience with it.
My son (now 4 yrs old) had a terrible time going to the bathroom!! He would hold it as long as possible, until he'd have to wake in his sleep to relieve himself!! Poor baby! My doc said to try some Mineral Oil. I used to mix a tsp or a tbsp into his chocolate milk in the evening - it's super important to do it at night, so they can go the following AM - and it worked! Any time he'd have troubles lasting more than a few days, I would do that, and he'd be fine! He has now grown out of it!
It is a messy clean-up, but worth it for the little one to finally go!
I would NEVER give my child Ex-lax unless the doctor told me to. I had to deal with this with my daughter. In spite of giving her the foods and drinks, she still had a problem. I put Karo syrup in her bottle from time to time. They don't digest it, it just makes it easier for them to go.
Ask your doctor what to do.
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) and cut down on simple carbohydrates.
Mineral Oil
