Constipation Treatment Guide

Constipation is a very common and frustrating problem in children. It is usually defined as the passage of hard and painful stools or going four or more days without a bowel movement. Constipation is most commonly caused by a diet that is low in fiber, but can also be caused by drinking too much milk (more than 12-16oz/d), not drinking enough water or waiting too long to go to the bathroom.

Once a child develops constipation and has hard and painful stools, he will then begin to hold in his bowel movements to prevent it from hurting again. This creates a cycle that makes the constipation continue and become worse.

Treating Constipation

Constipation is best treated by making changes in your child's diet. Until the constipation has improved with a non-constipating diet, your child will most likely also be on stool softeners. The goal of treatment is for your child to have one to two soft stools each day.
Diet Treatment for Children

Constipation in children is best done by making changes in your child's diet. Some things that you can do to treat and prevent constipation in your children include:
Increasing fluids: Increase the amount of water (minimum of 2-3 glasses) that your child drinks each day.

Increasing fiber: Increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables that your child eats. Raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables (especially beans, sweet potatoes, peas, turnip greens, raw tomatoes and corn) have the most fiber. Popcorn also has lots of fiber in it. Give enough grams of fiber to equal their age in years plus 5 each day. Vegetable soups are especially high in fiber and also add more fluid to your child's diet.

Increasing bran in your child's diet by offering bran cereals, bran muffins, shredded wheat, graham crackers, or whole wheat bread.

Decreasing constipating foods: The foods most notorious in causing constipation include pasteurized cow's milk, yogurt, cheese, cooked carrots, and bananas.