Need advice about a 4 year old!

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Replies

  • Vaanja
    Vaanja Posts: 163 Member
    Coconut water!

    It's delicious and always gets things going for me.
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
    All great ideas, but I can't do the squash or zuccini she is allergic to them... She loves raisins we do that often, and I am thinking maybe I should sneak some more veggies in her foods...
  • cabaray
    cabaray Posts: 971 Member
    Definitely get a new doctor. The diet changes will probably work, but might not do much good if she's already backed up. A new doc might be able to provide treatment for that.
  • Alexdur85
    Alexdur85 Posts: 255 Member
    I am demanding them to give her another allergy test, because we have done that too... I just think something else could be done but thank you for all the advice in the meantime!!

    You could try going gluten free.. sometimes it doesn't show up in allergy tests.
  • ritajean3
    ritajean3 Posts: 306 Member
    did you get her a blood test for the celiac gene?
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    Start watering down the juice. Start with 3/4 juice, 1/4 water for about a week. Eventually, you'll be able to work your way down to water with a splash of juice. Juice isn't great for kids - or for adults, for that matter. You lose a lot of nutrition when you lose the bulk.

    Does your daughter like popsicles? Freeze a 50/50 juice and water mixture. It's another great way to push to fluids.

    The bottom line is, young children shouldn't be constipated a lot of the time. Miralax or the like should only be an occasional solution. You may want a second opinion.
  • kbrogan78
    kbrogan78 Posts: 158 Member
    FYI- Miralax isn't a laxative. What it does is help keep the moisture from being entirely sucked out of her colon, thus keeping things "soft" and making it easier to keep everything moving. It doesn't affect the long-term function of your colon like a laxative would. A friend had her son on it (very low dose a couple times a week) from the time he was potty-trained until he was about 5 because he would refuse to go poop and then (obviously) get constipated. I've used it periodically for my daughter as well. Much more pleasant for both of us than having to deal with enemas because she got blocked up!

    While I think that adjusting her diet to try to alleviate the constipation is important, the Miralax can be a great tool to use as well.

    ETA- Once a child is potty-trained, constipation can get cyclical. After 1 episode of constipation- and the pain associated with it- she might start holding things in consciously to avoid the pain. Sometimes it isn't a physical problem but a mental one.
  • liltazmo90
    liltazmo90 Posts: 3 Member
    I would suggest getting a new doctor like the others have said. Sounds like they haven't got a clue and really no help at all.

    Have you tried going to a pharmacy and asking their advice, they should know if there is anything that you little girl can have and what the best things might be. I have gone to the pharmacy many times rather than the doctors, and they do give generally good advice.

    Give it a go and see what they say.

    Tanya x
  • Rae9911
    Rae9911 Posts: 200 Member
    My 13 yr old daughter will not drink plain water she would rather go all day without drinking at school then drink it. So to up her water content I have stopped buying squash and cola and only buy flavoured water. She is gradually starting to drink more, I know it works out expensive buying it but it may help her get started on the water thing. When my daughter was little if you tried to get her to drink water she would drink it but then heave and throw up all the water over you. It was quite funny when the health visitor tried to get bulshy about it and forced her to drink a cup of water. The health visitor looked at me and said she threw up on me I just smiled and said I told you she would.
  • Caz411
    Caz411 Posts: 2
    I can't stand the taste of tap water, so I can understand why my three year old is not too keen on it. However, I want him to have the fluoride in the water for the dental benefits. I think you can taste the metal from the pipes when water is at room temperature.

    My solution - serve water icy cold. Cold water has much less of the metallic taste from your pipes and additives used to ensure it is clean. My three year old wont touch room temperature water unless he is VERY thirsty, but will slurp down a whole drink bottle (600mL) of cold water. Same here - I wont touch tap water unless it is chilled, but will gladly drink a bucket of the stuff when it is cold.

    Even bottled water tastes a bit icky at room temperature - from the plastic - so serve that cold too. Flavouring it with some lemon juice works for a lot of people, but I find just making sure its nice and cold is the best solution.
  • Caz411
    Caz411 Posts: 2
    Coconut water!

    It's delicious and always gets things going for me.

    I seem to remember Tom Hanks saying coconuts were a natural laxative!
  • i_love_vinegar
    i_love_vinegar Posts: 2,092 Member
    Hey there,

    Didn't want to read and run. My daughter was the same with the juice, that was all she drunk at one point but now she is a bit older we have been buying the fruit shoots H2O drinks. Its flavoured water but tastier for children than other fruit waters.

    Also alot of the parents come to us about the same issues and I normally advice them the normal stuff like:

    Fruit
    - Oranges
    - Prunes
    - Apricots
    - Peaches

    Maybe you could also give her dried fruit such as raisins, high fibre cereals, like porridge.

    Juices such as Prune, Pear and Apple

    Also carrots, broccoli or peas. You could also try and give her butternut squash. A good way that we use for our children is mix potato and squash together and mash it, our children love it.

    I know you have probably heard all this before, but i was hoping to shed some light on some of the foods you could possible try.

    I hope I helped in some way.

    Tanya.x

    This is exactly what I was thinking. A lot of these fruit juices are supposed to help with constipation, and they contain water.

    I do not think you daughter needs to drink water instead of juice...the juice might even help.

    ^^ I did not regularly drink water until I was 18...I would drink milk and juice.
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    i would just give her juice.
  • julespickles
    julespickles Posts: 28 Member
    I'm from the UK, so not sure about this, but do you not have squash/cordial drinks in the states? eg http://www.amazon.co.uk/Robinsons-Double-Concentrated-Orange-Bottle/dp/B0052G9HNI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1321015348&sr=1-1

    We always buy no added sugar squash, which you dilute with water. I very rarely drink plain water, but do drink 2+ litres a day of squash (20kcal/litre if you dilute according to bottle, but I dilute it more). Less issues with fruit acids/sugar like real fruit juice, and much much cheaper. You can make it quite dilute too, for little ones.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    Is the Doctor a Gastroenterologist? If not you should take her to see a specialist.
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    the most important thing is that she gets her fluids. Not whether they are flavoured or not.

    Anything is good, milk, juice, water, but if she doesnt have enough fluids, it will make her constipation worse. Things like pure orange juice are great for helping with constipation. I make sure my 4 year old has it every day, as he is on medication for constipation too.
    Water is great, if theyll drink it, and its worth perservering with, but not at the expense of her not getting enough fluids in general. Its very very important to not let constipaion get out of hand
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Prune juice.
  • MzFury
    MzFury Posts: 283 Member
    I totally agree with:
    1) NEW PEDIATRICIAN, or at least second opinion;
    2) Add probiotics - if she's not already eating natural yogurts daily - which she may adore with some honey in. I liked plain european yogurt with honey and wheat germ on top, as a child. And banana. I mean, as a young child. You never know.


    I'd add that you might be careful to get rid of processed stuff - pedialyte's good for electrolyte imbalance, I'm sure, but I know pediasure and ensure both use high fructose corn syrup. Just something to think about.
  • asltiffm
    asltiffm Posts: 521 Member
    Someone in this thread (but I couldn't find it again) said that bananas are bad for constipation. Is that true?
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    i believe so. They can bind you up
  • gentsevetzak
    gentsevetzak Posts: 147 Member
    Coconut water!

    It's delicious and always gets things going for me.

    I seem to remember Tom Hanks saying coconuts were a natural laxative!

    To me Tom Hanks is a natural laxative.
  • jennabellaxoxo
    jennabellaxoxo Posts: 232 Member
    I have a juice drinker...start cutting the juice until you get it to at least half juice half water (or even more). If I tried to give mine coconut juice or something different he would freak!
  • prplhaz300
    prplhaz300 Posts: 26 Member
    I have a son who will not drink water, tells everyone that he hates water. Started buying him the Capri Suns Roaring Falls, it is fruit flavored water, minimal sugar and sodium intake but full benefit of water and he loves it. They have many different flavors. He's getting bigger now and has started drinking regular bottled flavor water. But at least it's not juice or soda. Good Luck!!
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