“What is a safe laxative for a 5 year old?”
My son has been constipated for the last 2 days, and his doctor told us to wait it out. Is there a laxative that is safe to give a 5 year old?
3 Answers
In general, we do not use laxatives in children. It is safer to use a stool softener, something like MiraLAX or Colace.
A fiber gummy or colase will soften the stool. Make sure he is drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding cheese, peanut butter, and bananas. Make sure he is not too busy and takes time to go to the potty.
Miralax is safe. You can give up to 5 adult doses at his age in 20-30 oz of Gatorade over the course of an hour or so to do a “clean out” if you feel like it’s to that point. Or you can just do 1/2 an adult dose in 8-10 oz Gatorade with plenty of water throughout the day daily x 2-5 days until effect is achieved.
If constipaton is a chronic problem, should prob talk to your doctor about a regular stool softener daily for a period of time to prevent this from coming back. The colon gets stretched to accommodate repeatedly large stool volumes and thereby can perpetuate constipation if daily bowel movements are not maintained for a period of 3-6 months after a prolonged period of recurrent constipation.
If constipaton is a chronic problem, should prob talk to your doctor about a regular stool softener daily for a period of time to prevent this from coming back. The colon gets stretched to accommodate repeatedly large stool volumes and thereby can perpetuate constipation if daily bowel movements are not maintained for a period of 3-6 months after a prolonged period of recurrent constipation.
