Cleanout Planner

Your child's weight

lb kg

Use a recent weight from a scale or your child's last visit.

Which bedtime medicine did your provider choose?

Choose one.

When are you starting?

Day 1 of the cleanout

Optional: change dose times or how long to continue

Already set: Miralax at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, bedtime medicine at 8:00 PM, then daily Miralax at 8:00 AM for 6 months.

Cleanout Miralax, morning

Cleanout Miralax, evening

Bedtime medicine

Daily Miralax (after Day 3)

Daily Miralax for

What to do today

Your child's plan

Part 1 · 3-day cleanout · Days 1, 2 and 3

Part 2 · Daily dose (maintenance) · Starts Day 4

Give the daily dose once a day (not twice). It is usually needed for at least 6 to 12 months, often longer. You can raise or lower the dose as needed to get soft, mashed-potato-like stools, but do not give more than 2 capfuls a day for daily (maintenance) dosing unless your provider tells you to.

Get dose reminders on your phone

Day by day

Show the full schedule

Important tips

Mixing and giving the medicines

1 capful of Miralax (polyethylene glycol, also sold as Glycolax or PEG) = 17 grams. Use the cap that comes on the medicine bottle.
Mix Miralax in a clear liquid such as juice, water or tea. Do not use milk. It is important to mix it in the full amount of liquid listed.
Have your child drink lots of liquids during the cleanout to prevent dehydration.
Check the strength on your senna or bisacodyl package. It should match the strength shown in your plan. If it does not, ask your provider or pharmacist before giving it.

What is the goal?

Soft stools the consistency of mashed potatoes every day, with no stomach pain and no soiling. See the stool chart at the bottom of this page.
After the cleanout, you can increase or decrease the daily Miralax dose as needed to reach mashed-potato-consistency stools. Do not give more than 2 capfuls a day for daily (maintenance) dosing unless your provider tells you to.
If needed, the 3-day cleanout may be repeated in two weeks, or as directed by your provider.
If your child is in a lot of distress, ask your provider whether an enema should be added.

When to call your child's healthcare provider

Severe stomach pain, or pain that keeps getting worse
Vomiting, or a swollen, hard belly
Blood in the stool, or black stools
No bowel movement by the end of the 3-day cleanout
Signs of dehydration: very little urine, dry mouth, no tears, or unusual sleepiness
You are not sure about the dose or how to give a medicine

If your child seems very sick, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Stool chart

What should my child's stool look like?

Type 1 Separate hard lumps, like pebbles. Hard to pass.

Type 2 Sausage-shaped, but lumpy.

Type 3 Sausage-shaped, with cracks on the surface.

Type 4 Smooth, soft sausage or snake.

Goal during maintenance Type 5 Soft blobs with clear edges. Passes easily.

Goal during maintenance Type 6 Mushy, fluffy pieces with ragged edges.

Type 7 Watery, with no solid pieces.

The goal: soft, mushy stools every day

Aim for Type 5 or 6 on the chart above: soft blobs or fluffy, mushy pieces that pass easily, with no pain and no soiling.

During the 3-day cleanout

Very soft or watery stools (Type 6–7) are expected. This means the cleanout is working.

After the cleanout: adjust by what you see

Type 1–3 (hard or lumpy): daily Miralax may need to go up
Type 7 (watery every day): it may need to go down
Do not give more than 2 capfuls a day for daily (maintenance) dosing unless your provider tells you to

Not sure? Ask your child's provider.

Keep the planner on your phone

Add the planner to your home screen

iPhone: in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.

Android: in Chrome, tap the ⋮ menu, then Install app or Add to Home screen.

After the first visit, the planner also works without signal. With signal, you always get the newest version.