A possible TMI question about getting more fiber in a child's diet...

[melissel]

Or something? My DD5 has been having very firm BMs lately--as in, clog the toilet every single time. She doesn't like vegetables these days, with the exception of eda mame and corn. We have one or the other of those nearly every night. I started really pushing the fruit, and in the past week she's consumed a shocking amount of plums, blueberries, apples, and strawberries, but they made very little difference, which I found surprising. What else can I do here? More water? More exercise? A supplement of some kind? We've never had this issue before, so I don't know what's appropriate for kids.

TIA, and sorry for the gross out :D

[Claire]

The type of fiber in fruit and vegetables is primarily *insoluble* fiber which won't help. You need to add some *soluble* fiber to her diet. Metamucil (original type) is a very safe supplement for soluble fiber. Try putting 1/2 tsp in a small glass and adding enough water so she can drink it down. After a few days of that, you can increase to 1 tsp. Gradually increase until she is getting enough to be normalized. There are other supplements that are good for insoluble fiber. Organic acacia powder (http://www.helpforibs.com/shop/)is one of them. In any case, what you want to look for are sources for *soluble* fiber.

[Jean in Newcastle]

More water.

Refried beans work in our house!

Keep working on fruit - that's good for so many reasons!

Grains - whole grains esp.

[BamaTanya]

Miralax for our dc who had a similar problem. This kid is a meat-and-potatoes kid who was having a painful time in the bathroom.
The dosage was 1/2 the adult recommendation, but I was able to lower the dose for maintenance.
We had tried pushing more veggies and prune juice, but I wasn't able to keep it consistent.
hth

[Robin Hood]

[quote=Claire;58365] Metamucil (original type) is a very safe supplement for soluble fiber. Try putting 1/2 tsp in a small glass and adding enough water so she can drink it down. quote]

Metamucil might have to be gagged down the throat. It's soooo slimey. They make little cookies that my dd eats with a glass of juice. Two come in a package but one cookie for the little ones is enough.

If your dd likes hot cerial, any type will do, add a level tsp of flax meal. It has a nutty flavor and is easily disguised with brown sugar if she doesn't know you're adding it. It makes a very soft stool and it works like a charm. In our house the results are a little faster than the metamucil.

I have also hung a hanger discretely by the toilet. I told dd that if it's real hard, don't flush. Then I go and break it up before it goes down and the next meal has some sort of quick bread or grain that I can add some flax to. Gross, huh!

[Shannon]

I'd try prune juice. You might also want to keep a food diary to see what she is eating/drinking now to see if, perhaps, she is getting too much of something.

Good luck.
Shannon

[melissel]

If your dd likes hot cerial, any type will do, add a level tsp of flax meal. It has a nutty flavor and is easily disguised with brown sugar if she doesn't know you're adding it. It makes a very soft stool and it works like a charm. In our house the results are a little faster than the metamucil.

Oh, yes!!! How could I forget? I have a whole bag of it in the fridge right now. And I will look into the cookies, she'll think they're a big treat :D

I have also hung a hanger discretely by the toilet. I told dd that if it's real hard, don't flush. Then I go and break it up before it goes down and the next meal has some sort of quick bread or grain that I can add some flax to. Gross, huh!

Ahem! Not anymore gross than "the poop stick" ahem! LOL!

[melissel]

Lots of great ideas here. I forgot all about beans too--she does love them mashed in quesadillas--which, come to think of it, we used to eat a lot, and haven't been lately! Hmmm, maybe a food journal would be a good idea. I'd been thinking of keeping one for myself too.

Thank you all!

[kRenee]

I have given my kids (and myself) powdered Vitamin C every day for years. I use 1/4 tsp in juice for the kids. It takes a few days to accumulate, then it works like a charm. I found that Ester C worked best for us.

[Laura Corin]

A glass at every meal plus at snacks in between is the minimum. Gentle exercise also helps.

Best wishes

Laura

[Lorna]

A couple of prunes before she goes to bed each night will help the next day.
Lots and lots of water.
Smoothies are a great way of having larger quantities of fruit at a time; vegetable soups are helpful too. Try the Well Trained Mind Kitchen. Our children love the 'Double Tomato Soup' !

[kalanamak]

How much cheese does she consume? If she is a cheeseaholic and this won't change, I'd add metamucil as others have said.
Does she like tomatoes? That helps some people.

[TRILLIUM]

Here's a website you might want to read. http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/treatmentguides/constipation.html My dh is a pediatric GI doc. Know that for some kids this develops into a chronic difficult to treat problem. If you not website has a when to call you doctor section. An indication that your childs constipation is of the more severe type in encopresis. Here's a nice definition. http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/conditions/encopresis.html

BTW I had one kid that was on the more severe range of constipation. Its a trying thing.

[Robin Hood]

I am laughing with ya!

[Mandamom]

for some of my kids does this. We seriously reduced the amount of milk we were drinking and there was some dramatic improvements.

Good luck figuring it out.