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Dreamer0311 12:52 PM 07-12-2019
How do you deal when kids are constipated? Sorry for all the posts but started my daycare about two months ago and just have a lot of questions. I have two that come and are constantly constipated. One rarely ever eats and all he wants when he is hungry is junk which I don’t allow it he either eats what I give him or just doesn’t eat. The other eats and eats and eats but never goes and I know that for certain because his mom just had surgery so I have had him overnight for a few nights. How do you handle the tummy pain for one and what else can you do to help besides telling the parent I have done that many times.
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Ariana 12:59 PM 07-12-2019
Lots and lots of fruit, especially blueberries. All of the kids I have are constipated but parents use Restoralax religiously rather than natural remedies so I don’t do anything.
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Dreamer0311 01:12 PM 07-12-2019
Originally Posted by Ariana:
Lots and lots of fruit, especially blueberries. All of the kids I have are constipated but parents use Restoralax religiously rather than natural remedies so I don’t do anything.
Ok thanks I have only ran into once with my own personal kids but a lot now that I run a daycare. The only one I don’t is one where his mom is very strict with food and allows no junk food at all.
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knoxmomof2 01:22 PM 07-12-2019
During the daily rundown, I discuss their potty habits as needed, I tell them they were straining but never pooped, etc. What the parents do after that is on them in general. If I have a child sitting on the potty, trying to poop and crying, for instance. I'll get them a cup of apple juice to drink and tell them it helps them poop. It does help in the long run, and it makes them feel better in the short term. After they're done, I remind them not to hold poops in because it just gets bigger and hurts more, or whatever will help them.

What is done beyond that is on the parents, but if it's been several days and they haven't pooped here I'll ask when they pooped at home last and if they haven't at home either I'll point out that it's been several days and they'll want to watch for signs of constipation. I'll only offer advice or tips on how to treat it if they ask. I discuss eating and drinking habits early on so that parents know what is normal for their child here. If anything changes, I let them know. Otherwise, it is what it is.

If you're seeing the child suffer on your watch (like the tummy pain you mentioned), tell the child it's because he needs to poop and send him to the potty to sit for a bit. If nothing comes of it, tell Mom that he was suffering from stomach pain again and you're quite sure he's constipated. Suggest some foods or drinks she should offer him at home. If he does poop, tell Mom what happened so that maybe she can follow suit at home. Beyond that, it's outside of your control.
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Dreamer0311 01:27 PM 07-12-2019
Originally Posted by knoxmomof2:
During the daily rundown, I discuss their potty habits as needed, I tell them they were straining but never pooped, etc. What the parents do after that is on them in general. If I have a child sitting on the potty, trying to poop and crying, for instance. I'll get them a cup of apple juice to drink and tell them it helps them poop. It does help in the long run, and it makes them feel better in the short term. After they're done, I remind them not to hold poops in because it just gets bigger and hurts more, or whatever will help them.

What is done beyond that is on the parents, but if it's been several days and they haven't pooped here I'll ask when they pooped at home last and if they haven't at home either I'll point out that it's been several days and they'll want to watch for signs of constipation. I'll only offer advice or tips on how to treat it if they ask. I discuss eating and drinking habits early on so that parents know what is normal for their child here. If anything changes, I let them know. Otherwise, it is what it is.

If you're seeing the child suffer on your watch (like the tummy pain you mentioned), tell the child it's because he needs to poop and send him to the potty to sit for a bit. If nothing comes of it, tell Mom that he was suffering from stomach pain again and you're quite sure he's constipated. Suggest some foods or drinks she should offer him at home. If he does poop, tell Mom what happened so that maybe she can follow suit at home. Beyond that, it's outside of your control.
Thank you it just makes me feel so bad I understand things happen and it is something that can happen to anyone, but when it is so constant my heart goes out you know. I tell the mom all the time, but nothing changes so just gotta hang in and comfort is all.
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AmyKidsCo 01:32 PM 07-12-2019
I serve mainly whole grains and little processed food, which I think helps overall. When a child is constipated I push fruits and water, and encourage them to move around a lot.
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e.j. 04:44 PM 07-12-2019
If it were my own child, I'd increase servings of water, whole grains and high fiber foods. (When my son was young, he had Encopresis and we were told to serve him "P" fruits - pineapple, pears, plums, peaches.... and because he was old enough to eat popcorn, that, too. We were also told to give him mag. citrate or mineral oil which he drank with Coke because it's the only way he would drink it.) For day care kids, I serve my regular, well-balanced meals with fruits and veggies as usual. I make sure they're served milk at meals and water in-between but other than that, I step back and let the parents parent. I make them aware of any problems I see, including constipation, but I leave it up to them to figure out what needs to be done.
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