Don't know what to do-different toddler symptoms

[Toddlermum2]

Don't know if you can post this for members?
Hi, I need some help and can't seem to find answers online anywhere.
So I will try my best to cut a long story short!
2 year old daughter- she has always been fussy with food, even as a baby she was really difficult to feed and as a result has suffered on and off with constipation, until a few weeks ago I could just adjust her diet a bit to help her (mix some puréed prunes into her porridge!) and it didn't bother her. Over the last month she has got more and more irritable(I think some of this is just due to her age but she's always been such a happy girl) she started complaining of sore tummy/sore bottom so about a week and a half ago I went to the dr who put her on movicol for a month to help clear her out. Getting it into her is tricky but after a week or so it does seem to be working but poos are still erratic (4 one day and none the next). She is still in nappies, not ready for potty training yet. However, she literally has zero appetite-won't eat anything (has had half a slice of toast all day), has constant wind and is now complaining of a sore back. Not sure whether to go dr or wait it out? Are the symptoms linked? Coeliac and diabetes run in the family so that is also on my mind. For the last 6 months she has also been crying when we put her to bed so she's been generally moany-it's hard to distinguish between normal toddler-ness and an illness. Just after a bit of advice if anyone has come across this before, thanks in advance.

 

[6lilpigs]

How does she go down to sleep at night, any waking and discomfort, I just want to rule out worms, is she a thumb sucker?

 

[Toddlermum2]

She doesn't suck her thumb. She screams at bedtime when we leave her for anything from 2-10 mins but will settle and sleep all night, this is what makes me think she can't be in that much pain as surely she would wake in the night?

 

[petite ping]

You could treat her for worms and see if that does something. And then adjust her diet for a few weeks at a time.

DD2 has diarrhoea for about 3 months for no reason what so ever. She lost a huge amount of weight. In the end, it only cleared up after we treated her for worms but there was really no evidence that she had worms. She slept normally and was no more irritable than usual (she was a pretty irritable at that age in general)

We did think that it could have been coeliac or an intolerance. But as worms was the least serious of the possibilities we thought it was better to eliminate that possibility first.

The next step would have been to eliminate lactose for a few weeks to see if she improved and then test for coeliacs if nothing changed. You could try and see an allergy doctor.

My GP told me that one of the signs of gluten was a failure to put on weight which was the case of DD2. Coeliac would have been a pain as DD2 is a picky eater and one of the few things she does eat is bread.

 

[VALiz]

Sorry you're dealing with this! I've gone thru something similar. So heartbreaking to see them struggle. I'd maybe ask for an xray to assess the constipation and make sure there is no impaction, etc.

 

[LoveCakes]

Could it be recurring uti or kidney infections?

 

[Toddlermum2]

I will try and treat for worms as I guess it won't do any harm! Can worms cause pain/not be seen?
She had a serious uti which turned into sepsis and she was in hospital for over a week when she was 6 months old so it's something I am always a bit wary of-she doesn't seem to cry when peeing and doesn't have a temp or anything like that.
Thanks so much for the replies-makes me feel less like I'm feeling in the dark for answers.

 

[petite ping]

DD2 really didn't have any symptoms apart from really runny poos and a burning bottom from the diarrhoea.

Nausea, tummy aches, bloating and lack of appetite and often go hand in hand with constipation. You could try making her some mixed soup with lots of green veggies (avoid carrots) or some fruit puree (no bananas as they can lead to constipation). They should help hydrate her and get some fibre into her system. Get as much liquid in her as possible. If she's only eating toast try and swap in brown bread instead of white bread.

It sounds normal that she doesn't do a lot of poos as she isn't eating much.

The french use water with high magnesium content to relieve constipation in babies. Typically the bottled water used for losing weight. It's not really recommended for kids as their kidneys are developed enough to deal with high mineral contents- so they only use it for very short periods of time - around a week. They generally dilute it with other liquids (about a 1:4) and only once a day - so not for every drink. It does works quite well.

If the idea of using high magnesium water doesn't do it for you, you could try increasing her magnesium intake naturally by feeding her high magnesium foods (in a soup!!!) - spinach, lentils etc... these also have the advantage of being high fibre. BTW even my picky eater loves lentils.

I hope this helps

 

[6lilpigs]

For mine I know if we have a case of worms in the house as mine will have bed wetting episodes, so if one of the toddlers has an accident I treat for worms, they can aggravate children differently, its worth having a google and ruling it out

Did you see the Dr with her?

 

[Toddlermum2]

Sooo...I treated her for worms just to rule it out. Not much difference, she basically hasn't eaten or pood for the last 48 hours, she had a temp yesterday so dr checked her over and said she was fine just to keep offering food. Today she seemed really weak and unsteady on her feet so took her to emergency dr who just said she could be weak from not eating and have now given me suppositories to clear her out completely 😬 Hoping that will get her appetite back!

 

[BlingyGal]

Our daughter has issues with constipation and wind fairly regularly. We use a type of movicol but we also take her for chiropractic adjustments. At this young age, the adjustments aren't the same as what is done for adults. It's very gentle. If you go this route, just make sure you see a chiropractic with pediatric specialization.

Sorry you're going through this, it's very worrisome.

 

[Teri7489]

How is she for taking fluids? Pear/apple juice are great for helping with constipation. Generally kids who are backed up won't eat and it also explains why she isn't pooing much too. If she isn't taking much in then her bowels are being encouraged to move. My daughte4 suffered for over a year will it and fruit juice really helped (I'm not a fan of movicol) once we cleared her out we encouraged a high fibre diet (both soluble and insoluble) to bulk out the poo and keep it soft. Being lethargic and needing you near her is normal too as she won't have the energy and probably will be having sensations she can't explain. If you need any more advice feel free to pm me xx

 

[CharruaS]

Don't know if you can post this for members?
Hi, I need some help and can't seem to find answers online anywhere.
So I will try my best to cut a long story short!
2 year old daughter- she has always been fussy with food, even as a baby she was really difficult to feed and as a result has suffered on and off with constipation, until a few weeks ago I could just adjust her diet a bit to help her (mix some puréed prunes into her porridge!) and it didn't bother her. Over the last month she has got more and more irritable(I think some of this is just due to her age but she's always been such a happy girl) she started complaining of sore tummy/sore bottom so about a week and a half ago I went to the dr who put her on movicol for a month to help clear her out. Getting it into her is tricky but after a week or so it does seem to be working but poos are still erratic (4 one day and none the next). She is still in nappies, not ready for potty training yet. However, she literally has zero appetite-won't eat anything (has had half a slice of toast all day), has constant wind and is now complaining of a sore back. Not sure whether to go dr or wait it out? Are the symptoms linked? Coeliac and diabetes run in the family so that is also on my mind. For the last 6 months she has also been crying when we put her to bed so she's been generally moany-it's hard to distinguish between normal toddler-ness and an illness. Just after a bit of advice if anyone has come across this before, thanks in advance.

I have a 2 year old as well and some of it may be normal toddler behavior. My son some days eats very little and other days devours everything in sight. I would encourage you to try to get her to eat by experimenting with different foods and textures. Is there a specific food that she loves? Will she eat sweet things if you offer it and not eat "normal" food? Is a consistency of yogurt easier than chewing meat for her? I think if she has been like this for a while though I would try to get her to a doctor for a full check up. If something in your gut is telling you that there's something there, listen to it. Something that helps my son is to eat is to have meal times and actually sit down and eat meals. I try to sit down with him as much as possible and eat something myself. I hope your daughter feels better soon!