What do you recommend for a child with seasonal allergies who also suffers with constipation? All over the counter products just make constipation worse with their drying effects.

Constipation is often one of the first signs of childhood celiac. This was the case with me. I am autistic,and up until the age of ten,I had acute constipation and fecal impaction. I would sometimes go almost two weeks without a BM. I was diagnosed as an adult with celiac of a pediatric phenotype.

how does one achieve normal daily movement for a child with digestive issues?

Oddly, "Dr. Baker" totally failed to answer the question, leaving the parent still in the dark about fixing the problem.

Tea of any kind or especially Snapple Peach Ice Tea ends constipation. It has just enough caffeine to fully fix the problem. Ensure the child or adult does not drink any past, say, 7:00 p.m. at night as doing so may create other problems.

Thank you Marie. I will try that with my son!

I have never heard of giving Snapple Peach Ice Tea to end constipation. I would give closer look to the route cause of the constipation most likely diet related or gut dysfunction. Is he on any probiotics or taking any other supplement? Has he always been constipated or did this start recently?

Is you son on a special diet, for example if he GFCFSF?

I think when posting questions like this about our children we need to be much more specific then the dialogue can really begin.

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Right now I am having the same problem. I have purchased the brand Traditional Medicinals Organic tea named Smooth Move. I hope it works! I will let you know.

My son is on the Gluten Free Casein Free diet also on the Feingold diet. He has had serial ear infections that with antibiotics messed up his natural flora giving him a yeast infection.

The result of the yeast infection is it impacts his stools. It has slowed his BM and the last time that occurred he ended up in the hospital with impacted stools. Everything was exploding all over the place. It was horrible. Now we are trying to keep ahead if the game.

I am frightened and hope the tea will work as plums are a no no on his Feingold diet. I also give him probitiocs and for the yeast trying to give him Saccharomyces Boulaardii. Klaire Labs sell those.

I'm an adult w/ aspergers with a 13yr old HF autistc son. I want to add my thoughts to this thread because both my son and I were retentive as young children. My poor mother was constantly under the impression that I was constipated and poured numerous remedies down my throat over the years. I outgrew it by age 6 or 7, in part because it became problematic to be retentive at school and in part because I came to learn that it was unhealthy for my body, so I simply stopped.

When I became the mother of another retentive, my own experience became my ammunition and I simply appealed to his overdeveloped sense of logic and explained that he needed to grow a healthy body, and this was not a healthy thing to do. It took repeating a few times and one trip to the ER w/ killer cramps from an "almost" impaction. He's been as regular as any NT child ever since.

I'm not at all suggesting that this is the case for others. I have no idea if it is common among the autistic population or not. It's not exactly dinner conversation, so I've never asked another adult, "Hey, did you intentionally withhold bowel movements as a kid?". I just wanted to throw that out there as something to consider.

One word of warning however. If your constipation prone child should develop diarrhea for any reason, do not give them an anti-diarrheal (kaopectate, immodium, etc.) as one dose is likely to throw things back the other way! We learned the hard way! As unpleasant as diarrhea can be, it's probably safer to ride it out and treat it with diet only.

I highly recommend the Traditional Medicines Smooth Move (Chocolate tastes great) tea that's mentioned above. It contains the herb senna leaf. I dose it down for my son and only give it to him occasionally when I know he's uncomfortable. (Laxatives shouldn't be used all the time or you may become dependent on them. I also remember reading about weakened adrenals...) But when I'm desperate it always works. It's great to keep on hand because of the long shelf life. With a little xylitol or stevia your child will think it's a treat!

The use of magnesium citrate can resolve constipation with the goal of achieving a stool that is easy to eliminate and avoids diarrhea. The other effects of magnesium is neurologically calming, reduces stims, irritability, hyperactivity, cramps and headaches.

I find that giving digestive enzymes and probiotics daily with food helps a lot. My homeopath also suggested adding omega oils always with food. Another solution is to take curcumin pill daily.

I appreciate the reminder about respect on this forum. We all have enough challenges without challenging one another.

As stated above, and in my experience, dairy and lack of good magnesium can be causes of constipation.

Loss of joint function (mobility) in the spine can also have a powerful constipating effect. Skillful chiropractic spinal manipulation can have remarkable effects in some.

My son was constipated considerably as a baby. He outgrew this when his diet became bulkier. He is Asperger's and is quite fussy about his bathroom habits, but like the smart mother above who suggested simply informing your child that having bowel movements daily is an important part of the body's healthy function is far better than artificially inducing a bowel movement. Still, I would never give an autistic person a stimulant which can increase anxiety. Instead it is safe to give a bulking agent (fiber- your choice) or a stool softening agent (again, your choice).

However might I suggest natural things like a salad? Cruciferous veggies? Some prunes? I've found if I don't call them prunes which sounds icky and old -person-ish and call them dried plums instead, they're eaten without hesitation. Warm prune juice is sweet, yummy and practically guarantees movement. Staying hydrated (with WATER), skipping on some dairy, and being sure to have enough minerals (calcium. In soy, other forms of "milks", spinach, etc) are also helpful. No "binders" like bananas, rice, potatoes, applesauce. Add some vigorous exercise. Also, people do NOT need to go every day. It's better for your kids if they are as part of growing- but it's not going to stunt them if they don't. A vetted pediatrician will only get worried after 6 days or so with infants. Your intestines, even as a child, are incredibly long. Sure it's TMI but my 9 year old's BM's are and have been bigger than mine and we eat the same stuff for the most part.

Rule of thumb- don't eat out of boxes (if it's in a box, skip it) and you'll be a healthier, more regular person.

For constipation in my 6 year old...his doctor recommended him eating an activia yogurt everyday. He has been struggling with constipation for years. He religiously goes now each day one to two hours after eating his yogurt. It was a better option for me than trying to make a 6 year old swallow some oil supplement. TRY IT parents!! :)

It took us a long time to figure this out, but the answer is simple: enema.
You gotta learn how to give the little one a small enema every now and then.

For constipation we have been using live kefir grains (not the powder version) with raw goat milk and SCD yogurt again using raw goat milk and it works, he goes within 1 hour!!
Its just amazing stuff all natural, probiotic and cheaper than purchasing loads of probiotic pills.

I agree with the above posts that probiotics, magnesium citrate, and elimination of dairy can really help. I also focus on a healthy diet with lots of fruits and veggies. Now that I've implemented these changes and my little one is having a daily BM the change is wonderful... better sleep, more engaged, no sensory issues, and overall so much more like a neurotypical kid :o)

Usually they hate the act hence try to refrain from it even if they get an urge, you should be watchful to know their urge and prompt them to pass the stool at that very moment which has given us a very good result. Also initially one can fix the an appropriate time for the act and stick to it so that the child is aware of the slot where he has to perform his act.