Dr Alison Vickers helps to sort out some of the facts for the one in three children who suffer from constipation!
It can be quite normal for children to poo only twice a week and breast fed babies every 7-10 days. Pooing less than 3 times a week may be one of the signs of constipation, but your child is only constipated is they have other signs like:
- Hard poos or hard lumps or nuts (like rabbit pellets). The Bristol Stool Chart is a great poster for the back of the toilet door. Perfect poos are numbers 3 and 4 on the chart.
- Tummy pains
- Decreased appetite
- Pain when doing a poo
- Holding off when going to the toilet because they are scored it will hurt
- Brown stains or accidents
The good news is if your child is constipated it’s not your fault. A diet with loads of fruit and vegies and water will help but constipation is not that simple. Some children have a slow moving bowel. Others are simply too busy playing to poo, or may feel nervous of the toilets so put off going. Putting off going means the poo gets harder and may hurt to pass, and so they avoid going more and it’s a vicious cycle. Occasionally there is an underlying medical problem.
So what can you do if your child is constipated?
Make sure they feel safe about the toilet they are using at home or school. They may need a foot stool or you may need to check out the kindy or school toilet situation.
Sit them on the toilet for 3-5 minutes after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just make it part of their routine, doesn’t matter if they don’t go, but just get them to sit there. Often a book to read will help and a sticker chart for just sitting there without a fuss is a great idea.
Plenty of water, and fruit and vegies that are rich in fibre. Some fruits and vegies are higher in fibre than others. Winners include oranges, peers, plums, raisins, prunes/prune juice, apricots (fresh or dried) and of course baked beans and Weetbix. Google “fibre and fibre supplements patient.co.uk” for fantastic information about fibre.
If you aren’t winning, see your doctor. They can check for an underlying problem, suggest a change in formula/reducing cow’s milk and sometimes prescribe different laxatives or even suppositories. Laxatives can break the cycle particularly if it is hurting to poo and if the bowel has been a bit stretched by a long bout of constipation.