My 4 year old won’t poo on the toilet and very constipated.

[Aoife98]

This is a bit of a long post sorry, I am literally at my wits end. My son is 4 for the last I say 2 years he has been very constipated to the point he is screaming and he is in so much pain when he goes.. it’s horrible and heartbreaking. At first I thought it could be his diet maybe. But his diet has never been bad like he’s always had a good balanced diet. The doctors have prescribed him a lot of different laxatives and they just don’t work for him at all! A lot of it with him now is psychological he is scared to go now because he knows it will hurt him I have literally tried everything I can to help him you name it I’ve tried. All this evening I’ve sat him on the toilet every time he would get the urge to go but he just isn’t going. I just don’t know what more I can do. He can hold it in for at least a week. It’s horrible.

I don’t really know what I’m expecting from this post. But Thankyou

[Alicass]

He needs disimpacting if he's constipated and Senekot to help the poo out. If you disimpact him you'll know he's poo free. Then find his maintenance dose.

It sounds silly but have you tried making the toilet 'entertaining'? Make him relax on the toilet so the poo slips out. Blowing bubbles, whistles, balloons, playing games, tablet etc. Feet up on a stool helps too.

[Aoife98 in reply to Alicass]

Yeah I had tried making toilet time fun.. a lot of it with him now is psychological. He just won’t go on the toilet. I notice when he needs to go because he will look very uncomfortable. I just don’t know what more I can do it’s heartbreaking.

[laurendyer90]

Try a suppository

[LylaRose]

Hi, has your son had Movicol? In my experience, where senokot, lactulose, good diet, tons of fibre, water etc all made no difference and it got really bad, a little like your description, suddenly on day 2 of Movicol we had success - that was age 2. I don't know but maybe it may take a little more at 4(?). Now years later, although my child has spent months and months at a time on Movicol and is actually back on it now for about the 4th time, things have never been that bad since.

[Aoife98 in reply to LylaRose]

Yes he has tried movicol it worked for the first time then once he started taking it in a routine it just wouldn’t do nothing no more.

[HanCM in reply to Aoife98]

HiI’m not sure if this will help but I’ve had the same issue with my son for the last two years and have spent a small fortune seeing a paediatrician. We are not at the stage (almost 4years old - potty trained with wees and knows when he needs a poo but won’t pop in a potty. He gets a nappy out on does and poo and then it’s taken off. It’s not ideal but it’s a lot better than constipated children. My son was prescribed paediatric movicol chocolate (finally I found this after so much difficulty getting him to take the medicine). When he was very constipated we did up to 5 sachets a day (2 in the morning, one at lunch, 2 at night). I mixed these into milk with a little chocolate powder so he thinks is chocolate milk. You stay in this dose for 3 weeks - even if he’s doing really wet poo a lot - it clears him out. Then reduce to 4 per day for 3 weeks, then 3 for three weeks. We are now at 2 a day which he goes every day pretty much at the same time each day. I found before this advice I was up and down with dosage and he was unblocked then constipated. You could try and see if this works for you. Also, while the instructions say water, the fundamental is that they drink it - mix it as you need to. Hopefully this helps. X

[HanCM in reply to HanCM]

Sorry I meant we are at the stage!

[Katiemae9]

My 3 year old daughter is exactly the same!!! She stands and holds on to the couch or anything really and screams in pain, she's currently on movicol and it's helping but not much, she's currently straining now! She can hold her poo for a week and more of she wanted, she's too scared to poo because she knows it's going to hurt, her belly goes so swollen

[Aoife98 in reply to Katiemae9]

It’s heartbreaking isn’t it.. and that is exactly what my son does he will hold on to the sofa and scream! And yeah my son tried movicol it worked the first time then once he got in to a routine of taking it it just didn’t work anymore.. and that’s like my son he could hold it in for a week if not more because he is to scared to go! And then the more he holds it in the worse the pain will be but it’s hard trying to explain that to him because he’s 4 either way to him it’s going to hurt so he would just rather holding it in. I just don’t know what else I can do..

[Katiemae9 in reply to Aoife98]

My daughter is on 6 satches of movicol a day, it's awful! She doesn't understand she's too young and it's horrible! She will hold it in for as long as she can until it literally forces out! The specialist she has is brilliant she understands how hard it is and she told me to come on this site as it helps a lot of parents!

[Hidden]

I am literally crying with relief. My soon to be 5 year old daughter is witholding, then becomes so constipated it forces itself out.. she would rather hold and hide poop in her knickers all day than ask for help, or get clean knickers.She gets so so worked up, and stressed. we havent tried medication yet, we even found an App called Poo goes to Pooland and occasionally that has worked, altho it does do my head in.

I am going to try some of the ideas out on her.. she has already completely rejected going back to baby nappies as she calls them, as she is in big school. I think in the last 8 months we have bought over 100 pairs of knickers, as she stains them so bad, so to save her embarrassment we buy new. #queenofbulkbuyingknickers

[14crosstitch14]

I had this for over 12 months with daughter and it was hard as she lives half at her mum's and half at her dads. So getting her uesing the toilet when she was at 1 and not the other was so stressfull. Then we finally got her on the movicol as it was hurting her to poo. She's 5 so explaining things for her understanding wasn't eady and very repetitive. I explained every other week she needed to listen to her body. Plenty water/ fluids to soften him up. Figs really help, if you know the signs of him needing to go before he stops himself it won't hurt as much. I had a poo story child loved it as poo goses to poo party. Make it fun or relax him with favourite music. We'd of been sorted sooneer if her mother had carried on the routine we had and she wouldn't be still behind.

[14crosstitch14]

Its not easy and frustrateing. Have you tried prunes and chia seeds in his food. Toilet routine and a toy/ music to help relax him so he dosen't even notice and a bottle of water while on the loo/exercise before hand may help. Get some music on dancing about for about half an hr after tea. Should help. Good luck