Culturelle probiotic + fiber was a game changer for our constantly constipated kid

Stone fruits -- plums, peaches, pears, mango, etc.

More water, and when he has milk, make sure it's whole milk.

Warm baths. A stool to rest his feet on when he's sitting on the toilet.

We had a very strong-willed kid, so eventually used Miralax, on the doctor's advice, until she was going regularly for a couple weeks and had experience with it not hurting.

We had this... it was not fun. He would cry and say "no poopy" over and over again even though he clearly had to go. Our ped said to really try to get him going daily-ish. She said miralax until he wasn't afraid to go, then dial it back. also I think our nanny may have given him lolly pops as a bribe. anyway, this all worked and a couple months later he's very excited to poop in the potty.

If you think he's withholding for psychological reasons, consider talking up how awesome it is to poop and get rid of all that trash, make room for more food in the tummy, etc. Also consider bribing, with gummy bears or cartoons. Also if prunes don't work, try fresh plums or dried apricots. They have similar effects.

Two anecdotes from my experience:
I hated changing poopy diapers and it seems my daughter picked up on it bc she would hide when she pooped. So I spent two weeks telling her poop is good, I make a yucky face because the smell is yucky, but that's good, we're getting all that smelly trash out of our body, good girl for pooping! Let's change that smelly diaper, with a big smile, and it wasn't a problem anymore. This was at almost 2.

Layer when my daughter was 2y2mo was super ready to potty, knew what to do, but was afraid of doing it. When she had to pee really badly I made her sit on the potty and as soon as she peed made her sit on the potty, and as soon as she started there was tons of praise and a treat, and that really got the potty training going. I double rewarded for poops.

Anonymous wrote:One weird thing that helped my kid was going to the swimming pool and playing in deep (from his perspective) water with me. I think there was lot of movement, and it just got things going.

We had an indoor pool membership when he was that age and it was a godsend.

My DD has constipation issues, and her ped GI specifically suggested swimming, although apparently any exercise is good.

We're in the midst of this with a potty-trained 3yo. We are doing Miralax and it does seem to help, along with big rewards for pooping in the potty.

We added a multivitamin with probiotic when my oldest was about that age. Pediatrician had recommended miralax but we didn’t want to go that route. It helped. I think back then we used culturelle. Now we’re doing an olly gummy with probiotic.

We also couldn’t get her to eat prunes but we limit dairy and push dried fruits - raisins, dried blueberries, mango leather, craisins, etc. We offer daily and she can have as much as she wants. We also do bran flakes - she likes that for her cereal now (she’s almost 7) but at 2.5 we made bran muffins at home with zucchini or carrots, and flax seed. Basically however we could increase her fiber intake. And lots of water.

Our pediatrician continues to mention miralax as an option but we’ve been successful enough paying attention to her diet, and now that she’s older she is able to communicate with us more about it. I know for some kids miralax is really the best option, but one of my nephews had a miserable experience with it so we keep wanting to avoid it if we can.

One weird thing that helped my kid was going to the swimming pool and playing in deep (from his perspective) water with me. I think there was lot of movement, and it just got things going.

We had an indoor pool membership when he was that age and it was a godsend.

I’d first add “poop foods” to his daily diet. Aim for one at each meal. Diced pears in water; diced peaches in water; blend fiber rich smoothies with berries and spinach; fresh kiwi; mashed sweet potato etc. Also, take a good look at his liquids intake, especially as you say you think he’s withholding. You can’t poop with out enough liquid in your body.
Keep offering milk and water, but don’t be afraid of offering other drinks, like low sugar Gatorade and Honest Juice. I bet a combination of adding in some of these foods that will get things moving in his tummy and really increasing his liquids will help you see a change. I think you are 100% right to tackle this issue before you start potty training. You really won’t be able to have potty success if your little guy is constipated and having illumination issues in a diaper.

Also, some doctors will prescribe MiraLAX. I think you could definitely go that route, but I would first try natural ways through diet to get him more regular. The problem with MiraLAX is that it is meant to be short term for discomfort, not as an every day thing that becomes a requirement in order to have a bodily function.

Our pediatrician suggested Miralax.

OP here - Of course, he hates prune juice and refuses it

Prune juice.

It's magic.

Check for constipation. Can happen even with some BMs and stool that isn’t hard.

Hi! DS isn’t potty trained yet, mostly because I want to tackle his issue with poop first.

He won’t poop for days, sometimes even a week. After say 3 of not going, he’s clearly uncomfortable (lying on his stomach, asking to be carried rather than walking, whining more than usual). He eats a healthy, varied diet. While I think he could drink more water, I think he’s intentionally withholding. Our doctor doesn’t seem too concerned, because his stools aren’t hard. His discomfort and the length of time seem concerning to me. Have any of you been through this? Any tips or tricks?

Thanks!