My 3 1/2 year won't poop....

[Frank123]

My daughter is having such a tough time with #2, she holds it and holds it because she is scared that it will hurt. She is on Miralax and has been for months now and it helps but there are times that she just holds it for days until she can't anymore. Then she eventually goes but it hurts her because it is so hard and so then she is afraid to go again and the cycle continues. So how do we break this cycle?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Frank

[Jayney]

I would say to make it to where she has to poop. Give her prune juice at dinner, limit binding foods, do everything you can to make it as mushy as possible. She won't be able to hold it in and it won't hurt when it's coming out.

Also, you can try just making her sit on the toilet. If you know she is constipated, just make her sit down until she goes. This sounds gross, but sitting there with her cheeks open, she shouldn't be able to hold it in while in that position.

Good luck!

[Frank123]

Thanks for the reply, I did try prune juice but she didn't like it so we got prunes, which she'll eat here and there. She refuses to sit on the potty and we don't want to make it a fight. I may try setting up a "potty tent" where she can have privacy with the potty in a cool little room.

Any other suggestions or experiences?

[Jayney]

Well, if it were me...I think I'd go ahead and make her sit on the potty, fight or no fight. It's either that or she becomes so constipated that it makes her miserable while she needs to go and it hurts her when she finally does go. It's your decision though, good luck.

I think your tent idea is neat...but...I think that if she has a fear of it hurting, having privacy isn't going to make a difference.

[jd12782]

Have you tried giving her suppositories? They usually relieve constipation in a matter of minutes.

[tanat11]

My oldest daughter went through this exact thing when she was little. She always had poop problems, even when she was a baby. Always constipated and we didn't know what to do. Our ped finally referred us to a GI specialist and he ended up just writing a prescription for Lactulose.
She was on Lactulose for maybe 2 years and now, she's since older (5yrs) we regularly give her Miralax just to "keep things moving".
Your ped can write you a prescription for Lactulose - it's basically just a sugar-based liquid that helps absorb water to make her bm's regular and soft.
Worked AWESOME and was a life saver.
I strongly suggest you ask your ped about this!!

[tanat11]

My oldest daughter went through this exact thing when she was little. She always had poop problems, even when she was a baby. Always constipated and we didn't know what to do. Our ped finally referred us to a GI specialist and he ended up just writing a prescription for Lactulose.
She was on Lactulose for maybe 2 years and now, she's since older (5yrs) we regularly give her Miralax just to "keep things moving".
Your ped can write you a prescription for Lactulose - it's basically just a sugar-based liquid that helps absorb water to make her bm's regular and soft.
Worked AWESOME and was a life saver.
I strongly suggest you ask your ped about this!!

[u21980]

If i know my daughter is constipated or hasn't gone in a while i give her apple juice and within a couple of hours she has to go. When i was potty training her she would have no problem going pee but would never go poop, so i would watch her and i got pretty good at knowing when she had to go because she would want privacy and she would try and hide somewhere. So when i noticed this I would take her to her potty and sit her on it with me there and she would try and hold it but i was consistent and we would not leave the bathroom until she went. I never yelled or made her sit on the toilet but i would take her diaper and pants so she would be naked and most kids dont like to go on themselves and i would keep a magazine in the bathroom for me so i could still give her some privacy and it only took me two times doing this before she relaxed and felt comfortable going #2 on her potty. She's 3 now and goes to the bathroom by herself in her bathroom.

[wingsgirl]

I gave my daughter who ended up with anal prolapse from the constipation mineral oil. That worked fantastically. 3 times a week , one tablespoon.

[yayamom]

My son was the same way. He still takes Miralax and he's now 6. Have you tried to explain to her that the more she holds it in the more it will hurt? I did with my son and kept reminding him, it worked. Also this book: Once Upon a Potty (girl for you, I had the boy of course) by Alana Frankel. Its a wonderful book, humorous. I read it to him only when he was on the potty. He thought it was a real treat. And when she actually does do something, just go crazy over it. He loved that too. I also had an Elmo potty doll that stayed in the bathroom and he only got to play with it when he was on the potty. Good luck!