Children & Miralax — TMI Post

[GirlMomma]

TMI POST - Sorry! 🙃

Have any of you seen an uptick in children having hard BM’s and doctors advising parents to give their child Miralax every day for it?

My oldest daughter (7-8 years ago) had a tough time passing BM’s because her stool was so hard and compact. We had so many tests done & the only thing the doctors concluded was that she had passed a tough BM once, it hurt her so she was afraid to go. I was told to give her Miralax every day. I didn’t give it to her daily since I couldn’t find any research on children taking it daily… the bottle says it’s not for long term use for adults. Thankfully, she has since grown out of that so we no longer use it.

Fast forward to me opening my daycare - I currently have two 3YO boys that have a hard time passing bowels! Parents have both said “Doctors say give him Miralax every day.”

The first one (who is “potty training”) only drinks water at my house, parents don’t give him Miralax at all unless the boy hasn’t had a large BM for days. This is the little boy that is different, butI think he may be holding it in instead of it being too tough to pass. When he goes, it’s a teeny bit and OMG the smell is just awful, like it’s been held in.

The second boy is fully potty trained, parents give him Miralax as needed/daily. He will come in with milk and then drink water here all day. He has a hard time going, but he can pass it. Unfortunately, he can get a fever from time to time from it.

Has anyone else heard of this?? LOL Does this make sense?

[Cat Herder]

Kids who have enough natural fiber in their daily diets don't need this (unless they are drinking too much milk) and I would dump any pediatrician that prescribed meds over correcting their diet. It means they have given up having a logical discussion with the parent and just want them out the door. Drinking too much milk is also dangerous and can lead to anemia, poor brain development and poor growth.

I don't allow miralax before arrival. If they take it, they do it with dinner on their own time. Two loose stools and they go home. I have a poop chart that shows parents how to deal with BM issues. Let me see if I can find a copy online.

[Cat Herder]

This should help

[Cat Herder]

A milk resource to share

[GirlMomma]

Cat Herder thank you for the suggestions! The Miralax never set well with me & still doesn’t when the parents say the ped is still suggesting it. I know one of the families feeds their child whatever he wants, the other family I’m not so sure yet.

I do believe the milk was the issue with my daughter. Once I switched her to an alternative option (Keifer) once a day & cut her milk down to 1 cups/day, her issues improved.

[Michael]

I’m trying to figure out how you got Cat Herder’s avatar in your post.

[Alwaysgreener]

Michael that happens when you @ someone

[GirlMomma]

Michael yep! I’ve found that it notifies the user people. Sometimes I miss a users comment for a few days if I’m not tagged in it

[Alwaysgreener]

My nephew at ten was so backed up that he left 🐇 pellets everywhere he went. I don't even think he understood why but my mil insists that he was refusing to go. They eventually made him do a cleanse until he no longer had to go. Been 5 years and he hasn't had a problem since.

[GirlMomma]

Should I suggest that? My daughter had a colonoscopy & cleaning her out didn’t help it.

[Alwaysgreener]

I wouldn't but that's me. --- My dh use to use flax or chia seed or something else, don't recall, and he said that would clean out the pipes. Whatever it was had a reverse reaction on me and it came up and out instead of down and out. --- But you could research and try a supplement like chia or flaxseed for a cleanse.

[GirlMomma]

Thanks Alwaysgreener!

[Springvalley]

Sometimes a child can become immune to a fiber supplement if they've been taking it a long time and that can cause them not to go regularly

[GirlMomma]

That’s what I would think too!

[Blackcat31]

Michael now your avatar is in a post too! lol!

[Michael]

Well isn’t that neat Blackcat31

[Gemma]

TMI POST - Sorry! 🙃

Have any of you seen an uptick in children having hard BM’s and doctors advising parents to give their child Miralax every day for it?

My oldest daughter (7-8 years ago) had a tough time passing BM’s because her stool was so hard and compact. We had so many tests done & the only thing the doctors concluded was that she had passed a tough BM once, it hurt her so she was afraid to go. I was told to give her Miralax every day. I didn’t give it to her daily since I couldn’t find any research on children taking it daily… the bottle says it’s not for long term use for adults. Thankfully, she has since grown out of that so we no longer use it.

Fast forward to me opening my daycare - I currently have two 3YO boys that have a hard time passing bowels! Parents have both said “Doctors say give him Miralax every day.”

The first one (who is “potty training”) only drinks water at my house, parents don’t give him Miralax at all unless the boy hasn’t had a large BM for days. This is the little boy that is different, butI think he may be holding it in instead of it being too tough to pass. When he goes, it’s a teeny bit and OMG the smell is just awful, like it’s been held in.

The second boy is fully potty trained, parents give him Miralax as needed/daily. He will come in with milk and then drink water here all day. He has a hard time going, but he can pass it. Unfortunately, he can get a fever from time to time from it.

Has anyone else heard of this?? LOL Does this make sense?

I never had a child on this med, that I know of...I guess I'm one of the lucky ones

[Jo123abc]

My ped wanted me to get my (at the time) 6-year-old to take miralax. It didn't sit well with me so I did some research and found out it could cause behavioral problems so I got scared and never gave it to her. I started pushing fruits but one day we were at my dad's house and he randomly had individually wrapped prunes that he likes to snack on. She ate one and loves of them so then she started packing one with her school snack every day just because she likes them as a treat and I told her they might help with potty issues. Now both her and my four-year-old snack on them all the time. She doesn't seem to have any issues anymore! Worth a shot to feed your kids some of these "treats" 🙂

I attached a pic of the prunes. We found them at Walmart.

[GirlMomma]

I will look for those and try it

[Cat Herder]

Jo, my great aunt used to make a "tea" out of those for me, it had lemon and cinnamon in it, too. Stewed prunes, served in a fancy tea cup then I ate the prune at the bottom when I finished drinking it. I loved it and it solved the problem. That was back when everything we ate came out of a box or can, leftover habits from the 80's. lol!!!

[Jo123abc]

That sounds like a yummy way to solve a problem! I love herbal teas!

[GirlMomma]

Cat Herder I have a DCB who will be 2 in September that had a very pale green BM Friday. Today, it was very pale, whiteish/green again. Should I be concerned? Should I advise DCM? There is no way she or DCD didn’t see this over the weekend.

[Cat Herder]

White stool needs to see a doctor. With a stool sample. It has to do with the bile duct - biliary atresia. https://www.mayoclinic.org/white-sto...s/faq-20058216

[GirlMomma]

Cat Herder I advised parent of my concerns yesterday. I am hoping it gets handled. If it’s not handled by the parent, what would be my next step?

[Cat Herder]

If the poop stays white and claylike and they have not gone to the doctor, require a doctors note and casually remind them that you are a mandated reporter. Medical neglect is a big deal.

Doctors note will not be for attendance, it will be for "their records" as it is something you are required to have, just like developmental screenings or hearing/vision if they were in question. "I need it for my inspection, so they know I have not been negligent in my duty."

[GirlMomma]

DCM messaged me today, DCB had the palest BM she said she’d ever seen. She called the ped and he said it’s okay because DCB’s eyes aren’t yellowing, so there is no issue with the liver. Should I encourage her to get a second opinion? His BM have been pale since last Friday, they have a very strong, foul odor. A few days before the pale BM’s began, he was unexplainably throwing up.

[Cat Herder]

Require the doctor to put it in writing.

[Alwaysgreener]

DCM messaged me today, DCB had the palest BM she said she’d ever seen. She called the ped and he said it’s okay because DCB’s eyes aren’t yellowing, so there is no issue with the liver. Should I encourage her to get a second opinion? His BM have been pale since last Friday, they have a very strong, foul odor. A few days before the pale BM’s began, he was unexplainably throwing up.

Yes keep encouraging. Just because it is not the liver doesn't mean it is not something else. This is not a phone call diagnoses.

[GirlMomma]

Cat Herder and Alwaysgreener THANK YOU!
DCM said she wasn’t worried since he was eating and acting fine. I do not want to be liable for this, I know there is more of an issue here. She likely can’t have him seen now because he has RSV but when he returns I’ll request a note for my records.