What to do if my 3.5-year-old boy has constipation and refuses to go?
I’m about to go insane.
(warning - baby/toddler poo talk)
My 3.5 year old has been going pee on the potty consistently, with no accidents for about a month now. Pooping went from 2-3x a day in his diaper down to maybe once every two days in the potty, with two or three accidents in the last couple weeks.
Then, The flu hit myself in my husband on Saturday and my sweet SIL helped us by watching the kids while he and I battled it / stayed away from the children.
He hasn’t pooped since Friday.
he keeps complaining that his belly hurts… Seriously he’s probably told me 50 times just this morning, no exaggeration.
I called his pediatrician, and they acted unconcerned. Said as long as he’s not running a fever, a child his age could go up to seven days before it even becomes a blip on the radar.
Pretty much told us to just monitor for a fever & make sure he’s drinking fluids.
My issue is: obviously he’s regressing. he has gone through every single one of his pairs of underwear (and we have at least three different packs of seven that i can think of off the time of my head) since last night with little tiny streaks.. I know he has to poop. It got so bad last night with him complaining that I put him in a pull up (which I only use when we are in the car for longer than 30 minute drives, or bedtime.) He still wouldn’t go. He still hasn’t gone.
Just about 40 minutes ago I broke down and told him he just needs to be naked for the rest of the day. He had a complete meltdown.
The pediatrician recommended blowing bubbles, blowing eyelashes, or blowing a pinwheel (same muscles used.), but that’s literally been no help.
He’s been crying all day and it has been miserable.
he slept all night no problems, but woke up this morning right back to leaving little streaks in his underwear and refusing to go.
i’ve tried the constipation stuff for 3 doses now. Warm baths every hour. bicycling his legs. We went on two walks.
What can i do? I’m about to cry.
JenX·
He's constipated which is very common after having fever, because the water that would normally help keep your poop squishy and moving came out as sweat instead. He needs Pedialax chewables and to drink water/fluid with them. He likely has a giant poop plug and constipation is known to cause accidents. He literally probably has a turd boulder in there.
jenna tess··
I have the mamas Bliss constipation stuff, I’ve given him for doses now ( One right now), And I have them chugging water and apple juice… I’ll keep trying.. but also he hasn’t had a fever at all, he hasn’t shown any signs of being sick.
JenX··
sorry, I misread that and thought he had a fever. What is in mama's bliss? I am going to look it up now. Pedialax is just saline laxative that has been around for a hundred years, I don't recommend miralax for children.
jenna tess··
I believe it’s just a holistic version of like plum juice.
my bad, I definitely jumbled that all together!
JenX·
Seriously, go to the nearest CVS, get the watermelon flavored pedialax chewables and get it started, he will be 80-100% better by tomorrow. My kiddo had a nasty bout of constipation when she was about that age and it was similar to what you are going through now.
jenna tess··
going now! thank you so much!
JenX··
sure thing, sweetie. Was just reading an article from a children's hospital article for you and it said this: "
Traylor says that up to 70-80% of children who have accidents during the day due to physical reasons are constipated.
"The bowels are positioned close to the bladder. When the bowels are full and don't empty, the stool puts pressure on the bladder – so much pressure that the bladder cannot empty or fill completely," explains Traylor. "The pressure on the bladder causes many children to wet their pants." It said toddlers should poop once a day and anything less than 3 bowel movements a week is constipation.
Melinda Westad·
I went through this with my daughter. After 5 days she finally pooped in her pull-up while sleeping and I had to wake her up to change her. It’s shocking to me that the pediatrician didn’t seem concerned because this is a huge problem and definitely shouldn’t be left alone.
Since he’s constipated you will need to use a suppository in his butt to clear the blockage. Go to the store and pick up a Pedialax suppository and use it today. Don’t wait. Lay him on his side and just squeeze a little bit in, doesn’t need to be the whole amount. Keep him on his side for at least 15 minutes or until he has a strong urge to poop. It’ll come out easily.
Steph·
What ⬆️ said! A child suppository will do the trick!!! Having many nurses in my family and my mom being one that’s the fastest way to help relieve him. It will feel weird for him but be prepared to be near the bathroom or have towels down. They generally work fast. I had tp use them on my son because he would hold his poop in and not go.
Stephanie·
Omg, that doctor's suggestion was useless!!! 😵💫 He might not even be constipated and just scared and confused. Poop fright is real!! Giving him something will help and he will have no choice but to let it out! You can also use flaxseed or chia seeds. I just gave my 3yo some cause he woke up a few nights ago and was saying his tummy hurt. Good luck, he might backtrack for a hot min but hopefully everything goes back to normal for you guys!
JenX·
Keep us posted, thinking of you guys!
jenna tess··
it worked! thank you so much! but onlyyyy after i “found one more” diaper.
I bet that definitely backtracked us, but it was either that or urgent care.
i’m a firm believer in “don’t potty train until they’re ready”. and while he’s definitely ready for the pee aspect, he might not be for the poop … 3 and a half or not. ugh.
JenX··
I am so glad it worked! My kiddo was a very late potty trainer. She's stubborn like her mom and it didn't happen until one day she just decided to poop in the potty and that was that. She was close to 4.
I would suggest a maintenance dose of the pedialax for a few days, like half the dose, then a couple days a quarter dose. They break really easily. The colon essentially needs to shrink back down after getting enlarged with the backed up poop. It can recur if you don't. I learned the hard way.
So glad it helped and hopefully saves your sanity and he's not having tummy pains. Get some rest! <3