Does anyone else have a kid who... (TMI?)

[sarahsthreads]

...absolutely cannot eat a banana without getting constipated?

DD2 has always been a little chronically stopped up (her preferred diet sort of predisposes her to this) but I thought it was mostly under control. It's been months since we've had an issue...and months since I bought bananas - I've been doing most of my produce shopping at the farmer's market and bananas don't grow around here!

I gave her a banana three days ago.

She didn't manage to poop until today. (And, more importantly, was complaining of lower stomach pain that whole time - so she was clearly uncomfortable.)

She loves bananas, but after this I feel like I should entirely ban them.

Is there some way I can let her eat bananas and still keep her regular? (You know, like how my lactose intolerant friend can eat ice cream if she takes Lactaid pils - maybe DD2 can have something *with* the banana so she can still eat one?)

Thanks!
Sarah :)

[ABO Mama]

Prunes?

[sarahsthreads]

Prunes?

Alas, she will not eat prunes. Pears and peaches, yes, and those help. I tried buying the individually wrapped prunes and passing them off as "fruit gummies" but no dice. ;)

Sarah :)

[LMPC]

Alas, she will not eat prunes. Pears and peaches, yes, and those help. I tried buying the individually wrapped prunes and passing them off as "fruit gummies" but no dice. ;)

Sarah :)

Sorry, but the "fruit gummies" strategy made me LOL!

Does she drink enough water? What about "hiding" the prunes in a smoothie?

[gatorsmom]

Constipation is something we deal with regularly here, unfortunately. It's been my constant companion since high school days. :(

If you give your dd a banana, try to avoid starchy foods the rest of the day. No sandwiches, avoid rice and pasta. Give her plenty of juicy, sugary fruits that day. Sugar of any type draws water into the digestive tract making it easier for her to pass the banana. Fruit juice is also good to flush the banana out. And give her lots of liquids that day. I'd stick to fruits vegetables and protein on the days she has a hammering for a banana.

You might want to think about giving her half a banana per day and no more.

[sarahsthreads]

Sorry, but the "fruit gummies" strategy made me LOL!

Don't be sorry, it's pretty funny. The funniest part is that I thought it would work, honestly! (They should make packaged fruit gummies that *look* like fruit gummies, *taste* like fruit gummies, but are made with enough prunes to have the same affect. I would let her have those every. single. day.)



Does she drink enough water? What about "hiding" the prunes in a smoothie?
We don't ever really make smoothies, but I suppose I could try that. Water is a challenge, but it's the main drink option in our house.

Sarah :)

[KpbS]

I know I've mentioned it before but our kids are really similar! We do bananas rarely and with blueberries (or pears) and some diluted juice for extra liquids. Ds1 is allergic but I've read kiwis help too if she likes those.

[sarahsthreads]

Constipation is something we deal with regularly here, unfortunately. It's been my constant companion since high school days. :(

If you give your dd a banana, try to avoid starchy foods the rest of the day. No sandwiches, avoid rice and pasta. Give her plenty of juicy, sugary fruits that day. Sugar of any type draws water into the digestive tract making it easier for her to pass the banana. Fruit juice is also good to flush the banana out. And give her lots of liquids that day. I'd stick to fruits vegetables and protein on the days she has a hammering for a banana.

You might want to think about giving her half a banana per day and no more.

These are great ideas! The only problem is that sandwiches, rice and pasta are pretty much her diet. (Along with applesauce, naturally.) Basically, BRAT.

I think I'll trying giving her an apple juice box along with a half a banana next time and see if that helps. And try to get her to eat more veggies. She'll eat carrots, cooked or raw, cucumbers, some lettuces - generally the crunchy, non-bitter kinds - cauliflower, and green beans. She just won't necessarily eat them if there are other, "yummier" foods on the table. And since we try to follow a "we provide the food, they decide how much and what to eat" philosophy, it's hard to get her to eat more of a particular type of food.

Sarah :)

[sweet_pea]

Have you tried prune juice? DD has a cup of diluted prune juice daily to "help things along." I used to give her prunes but I think she got tired of eating them every single day.

[PunkyBoo]

Fyi our pediatrician said carrots can be binding. Maybe stealthily mix some miralax into her juice on banana days?

[BabbyO]

My kids LOVE prune juice...even undiluted (Which according to my MIL will kill them). We used to have it everyday to help with the constipation. I don't know what's changed lately, but neither kiddo seems to be having any problems...so no prune juice or miralax...

[goldenpig]

I never let DD eat bananas anymore because she has the same problem. She will get so constipated and has hard stools that make her cry and bleed. So, yes, she has no bananas. :banana:

I do give her fiber gummies every single day, and occasionally liquid stool softener and Miralax if she has problems (like she was complaining for several days last week that her tummy hurt after eating so I finally gave her a small dose of Miralax).

[happymom]

Yup, DD has the same problem! I do not buy bananas anymore because she loves them and it just seems cruel to have them in the house if she cannot eat them. She views them as a major treat that she only gets once in a while at someone else's house. Since she was 2, she tells people that she can't have bananas because they make her "consipated". LOL.

[lilycat88]

Yup...DD is 8 and she still has problems with constipation with banannas. We're finally to the point we can allow her to have them periodically because she can be reasoned with and she knows the importance of letting us know if she hasn't had a BM in 24 hours.

[Katigre]

Don't be sorry, it's pretty funny. The funniest part is that I thought it would work, honestly! (They should make packaged fruit gummies that *look* like fruit gummies, *taste* like fruit gummies, but are made with enough prunes to have the same affect. I would let her have those every. single. day.)


We don't ever really make smoothies, but I suppose I could try that. Water is a challenge, but it's the main drink option in our house.

Sarah :)

They do - fiber gummies.

Sent from Katigre's Galaxy S3

[karstmama]

hm. never knew bananas had this reputation/effect. interesting!

i was also going to suggest miralax on the day of a banana. ds is taking 1/4 dose a day to keep things going since he's going through a 'holding back' phase.

[wencit]

When I was a kid, my mom made me drink a glass of prune juice every time I had a banana. That seemed to prevent constipation for me.

Both boys know they can't have bananas because it makes their "poo poo ow," as DS2 says.

[indigo99]

Be sure that the bananas are really ripe. The starch in unripe bananas can cause constipation in even regular folks. It changes over to sugar as the banana ripens though. DH likes his bananas more firm with green around the top of the peel, but I wait until all the green is gone before giving them to the boys.

[goldenpig]

Don't be sorry, it's pretty funny. The funniest part is that I thought it would work, honestly! (They should make packaged fruit gummies that *look* like fruit gummies, *taste* like fruit gummies, but are made with enough prunes to have the same affect. I would let her have those every. single. day.)

They do! These are the ones that DD has every day:
Vitafusion Fiber Gummies (http://www.amazon.com/Vitafusion-Fiber-Gummies-90-Count-Bottle/dp/B002NPCMJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352430227&sr=8-1&keywords=fiber+gummies)
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/en_US/images/ItemImages_SW/images_Xl/VFS001_Xl.jpg
The only downside is they are "sugar free" and contain sucralose, but she only has 2 a day and she really needs them. It's the only way I can get her to take fiber (she's not a big fan of prunes).

[elliput]

Constipation is a big issue with DD- bananas or no, so she gets OJ with a 1/4 to 1/2 dose of Miralax generic equivalent every day. Bananas do tend to make things worse though.

[logan's mom]

KIWI!!! My boys can only eat bananas on the same days they have kiwi. One serving (2kiwi) has more potassium than a banana, the vitamin c of 2 oranges and all the fiber of a bowl of bran.

http://www.superkidsnutrition.com/superfoods/sf_kiwi.php

[mom2beofboy/girltwins]

Constipation is a big issue with DD- bananas or no, so she gets OJ with a 1/4 to 1/2 dose of Miralax generic equivalent every day. Bananas do tend to make things worse though.

Yup, this. Miralax everyday.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[sarahsthreads]

Thanks for the fiber gummy suggestions!

I got the Wegmans brand (http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=749039&storeId=10052&langId=-1) that have 4g of fiber each and are not sugar free. I gave her one this morning with a cup of water and told her she had to take her vitamins with a whole cup (kid-sized, 6oz?) of water. She's been doing better at drinking water today with plenty of reminders. It's too early to know whether anything else is improving. ;)

We'll see how it goes! Thanks for the suggestions (and commiseration - poor kids. :( )

Sarah :)

[Karinyc]

Just like the pp, I was going to suggest kiwis. If she likes them, then you should definitely make sure she had a serving every time she eats a banana. Or have them be part of her diet. Healthy & they work.