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Constipation in children is a common problem. A constipated child has infrequent bowel movements or hard dry stools. Common signs your child might develop:

1. Less than three bowel movements a week
2. Bowel movements that are hard, dry and difficult to pass
3. Pain while having a bowel movement
4. Stomach pain, bloating
5. Stool leaking in the underwear
6. Blood on the surface of hard stool or when wiping with toilet paper
7. Crossing the legs, squeezing the buttocks, twisting the body, or turning red in face
8. Decreased appetite
9. Bedwetting, urgent peeing, recurrent urinary tract infection¹

• Offer your child high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole-grain cereals and breads.
• Do not give more than 120 to 180 ml of fresh fruit juice per day to children between one and six years of age; children older than seven years may drink up to 2x120 ml servings per day.
• Encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids.
• Promote physical activity.
• Create a toilet routine.  Have your child sit on the toilet at least twice a day, for at least 10 minutes, just after a meal.
• Reward your child's efforts, not results. Don't punish your child if he has soiled his or her underwear.
• Take a break from potty training until the constipation stops.
• Make sure your child’s knees are above the waist on the toilet by using a step stool.
• Use Over-the-counter fiber supplements or stool softeners.²
• Consult the pediatrician for the use of a laxative or enema.³

Your child should have 1 or 2 soft stools at least every other day. Be patient, it may take 6 to 12 months for your child to get back to a regular bathroom routine.⁴

Dr. Dany Hamod

Pediatric, Neonatologist

^{1Mayo Clinic. (2019, August 06). Constipation In Children - Symptoms And Causes. [online] Retrieved October 10, 2020, from <https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/constipation-in-children/symptoms-causes/syc-20354242>}

^{2Murren-Boezem, J. (Ed.). (2018, July). Constipation (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/constipation.html}

^{3Hopkins medicine. 2020. Constipation In Children. [online] Retrieved October 10, 2020, from <https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/constipation-in-children>}

^{4Community care. 2020.Kids and constipation [online] Retrieved October 10, 2020, from <https://www.communitycarenc.org/sites/default/files/kids-and-constipation-guide-parents-and-families.pdf>}