My 1 year old has recently been struggling with constipation. she cries everytime she wants to pass stools and is in alot of pain. her stools are very hard and her bottom is sore. it started so suddenly, is this normal at her age?

This is not unusual. At that age it often is aggravated as they try to avoid pain by avoiding a stool. This leaves poop to bulk up & dry more, potentially ballooning the large intestine which makes its pooping muscles weaker. I would make efforts to soften stools (Miralax is one product) and use it twice the duration of the problem. Stop too soon & it returns worse.

Sounds like she is getting constipated. You can offer her 2-4 ounces of prune or pear juice everyday. Add some fibers like puréed peas, offer barley, oatmeal or multigrain cereals and fruits pears, peaches, plums and prunes. Avoid bananas , rice cereals and carrots which can worsen constipation. Do not give more than 4-6 ounces of fruit juice or you can end up with the opposite problem- diarrhea.