Constipation in toddlers

[Ana]

How do you treat constipation in toddlers?

[ljmarsden]

Hi Ana,

I was in this situation recently with my toddler but I am pleased to say he is pooing much easier now!....The things you say when you are a mum!

The main way in which this was resolved was by offering him more drinks of water throughout the day. He doesn't tend to drink much in one go so I now offer him very frequent sips of water throughout the day. We have also started making fresh smoothies - which he loves. You can put: strawberries, raspberries, greens, oranges, prunes, apricots etc in them and they seemed to help.

When a toddler is constipated it is useful to increase their intake of fruit and veg and decrease the amount of foods they are having which can cause the stools to become more solid. So, whilst you are waiting for the stools to return to normal, you will want to avoid offering your toddler: wholemeal bread, bananas, pasta, yoghurt etc. It is also useful to encourage your toddler to eat little and often throughout the day.

If it is an ongoing problem then it is advisable to check with your doctor/ health visitor.

Also, if your toddler is currently finding going to the toilet uncomfortable then they may put off doing a poo which will unfortunately mean that the food stays longer in the intestines and gets harder, thus, the constipation worsens. It can become a viscous cycle. To break this cycle you need to help your toddler to learn to relax during pooing and to not stop themselves pooing. You can help them to do this but letting them poo in a warm bath if they are very constipated as this will help them to relax and make it easier. You can also massage their tummy and move their legs in a cycling motion to help things along.

Let us know how you get on,

LJ

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Hi Ana,

LJ had some excellent suggestions!

I've actually had to resort to inserting a suppository in the rectum when my child has become constipated. But I only have to do this once, then it relieves the "congestion" and they go normally after this.

Prunes and prune juice are excellent to get things moving along. You can soften prunes (make sure they don't have pits) in warm water for 30 minutes, then cut up into little bites. Or, if your child likes applesauce, you can mix pureed prunes (or babyfood prunes) in with some applesauce or give it to them without the applesauce - just pureed prunes. I didn't try this when my children were young (might have solved the problem without having to use a suppository), but it works very well.

More water, more fruits and vegetables, less crackers/cookies/white rice and everything else LJ mentioned above should help to keep your toddler from becoming constipated.

Warm regards,

Kate

[Ana]

Hi LJ & Kate,

I'm really very happy to have joined this forum. I am learning a lot. I'll get back to you if the "pooing situation" gets better.

Thanks,
Ana

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Hi Ana,

Any update on the constipation? Have you tried anything yet, and is it helping at all? If you haven't tried anything yet, let us know and we'll try to give more ideas.

Warm regards,

Kate

[Ana]

Hi Kate,

My daughter is better now, thanks to all your help! I tried increasing her water intake but I didn't see major results right away so I tried offering her some prune juice (while still continuing her water intake). That did the trick! I'm watching what she eats now and I'm observing if there are any particular food that may change her poo. I'm still letting her drink more water now.

Thanks,
Ana

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Great - sounds like you're on the right track! Thanks so much for posting an update.

Warm regards,

Kate

[ljmarsden]

Excellent news Ana!

[mom2many]

Glad to hear everything is resolved! Was going to advice apple or prune juice and an increase in water. That usually does the trick for my little ones. I have also heard to add a little bit of corn syrup to their drink, though I do not know much about it and would probably save it for a last resort.

-Angela