Constipation as an adult is usually no big deal. You can probably easily identify the symptoms and you’ll likely know what will help. But if your child is constipated, they won’t necessarily understand and be able to tell you how they’re feeling. While it can be easy to spot the signs of constipation in your child, it’s not as easy to figure out what might get things moving again – but there’s usually a simple solution.
Here, we’ll give you tips on how to relieve constipation and explain how to prevent it in the future. We’ll also go over common causes of constipation in kids and the symptoms to watch for in your child.
Signs and behaviors that might indicate your child is constipated
Constipation is a very common and normal gastrointestinal (GI) issue that can happen to kids of all ages. Bowel movements vary for each child, and there isn’t just one way to define what a normal bowel movement looks like. However, it’s usually easy to see the signs of constipation in children.
If you think your child is experiencing constipation, you’ll likely want to help them find relief fast. Some signs that your child may be constipated include:
They seem to be having trouble pooping
They complain about stomach pain
They have liquid or pasty traces of poop in their underwear, which can mean they’re backed up
Their poops are hard and dry
They’re not pooping regularly or enough
There are a lot of at-home remedies that you can try to help clear things out so your child can get back to pooping easily. Plus, there are effective ways you can adjust their routine to help prevent constipation in the future.
Possible causes of constipation in kids
Constipation doesn’t usually need a doctor’s diagnosis unless there are complications. You can usually self-diagnose at home by noting your child’s symptoms, as well as any possible changes in diet and routine. Common reasons your child might be constipated include:
Trying to potty train before your child is ready
Withholding, where your child doesn’t want to take a break from playing, is afraid of the toilet or doesn’t want to use public bathrooms
Changes in diet or routine
Taking a medication that can cause constipation
For infants and babies, introducing solid foods or cow’s milk, and changing from breast milk to formula
Family history of constipation
Metabolic or digestive system medical conditions
Possible complications of constipation in kids
If your child isn’t responding to at-home treatments or lifestyle changes and is experiencing constipation symptoms for longer than three weeks, it’s important to reach out to their doctor to lessen the chance of complications such as:
Blood in their stool
Frequent potty accidents
Anal fissures
Painful poops
Fever, vomiting or stomach pain
Hemorrhoids
What your child eats and drinks has a big impact on how healthy their poops are. For instance, it’s important to increase their intake of foods with insoluble fiber and skip foods that are low in fiber and highly processed, like fast food. Other changes to their diet, such as upping their water intake or incorporating more fruits and veggies into their diet, can help too.
If your child has any food allergies or food intolerances, keep those in mind before you add anything new to their diet.
Make sure your child is drinking enough water
Water is an effective option when your child is constipated because it has a positive effect on bowel movements. Drinking enough water helps keep your child hydrated and, in turn, can help soften their poop to make it easier to pass. It can also help your child be more regular.
While certain types of juices – like pear, prune and apple juices – can help with constipation, they can be very high in sugar. It’s better to stick with plain water.How much water your child should drink in a day depends on their age, weight and level of activity, but there are general recommendations:
Infants ages 6 months and younger – Infants shouldn’t be given any water. Their liquids should come from breast milk or formula only.
Babies ages 6 months to a year – At 6 months, you can introduce your child to water. While most of their liquids should still come from breast milk or formula, you can give them 4 to 8 oz. of water per day.
Children ages 1 to 2 – At a year old, you can begin transitioning your child to drinking water as their main source of hydration. Aim for at least 8 to 32 oz. of water per day.
Children ages 2 to 5 – Try to have your child drink 8 to 40 oz. of water per day, and more if they’re active or the weather is warm.
Children and teens ages 5 and up – Older children should drink 48 to 64 oz. of water per day, which is the equivalent of 6 to 8 glasses. They should also drink more to stay hydrated while doing activities, like sports.
These recommendations come from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), but they’re not rules. Speak with your doctor for their recommendations when it comes to liquids, especially before introducing liquids other than breast milk or formula to your baby.
Make sure your child is getting enough fiber
Fiber is a kind of carbohydrate that your body can’t digest, and it’s important for your child’s overall health for a number of reasons. The two types of fiber can help regulate and maintain your child’s poops, lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels.
It’s important to know that dairy, like milk or cheese, naturally has little to no fiber in it, so it may be helpful to decrease your child’s dairy intake. While dairy is important as part of a balanced diet, it can cause constipation.
Insoluble fiber
Insoluble fiber helps make large, soft stools that move through the digestive system quickly, and can help with constipation. Some examples of insoluble fiber include cucumbers, carrots, celery, tomatoes and whole grains, like whole wheat bread and brown rice.
Soluble fiber
This type of fiber is slow to move through the digestive system, helping your child absorb more nutrients and making them feel full. Soluble fiber can prevent overeating, as well as help lower cholesterol and maintain blood pressure. Some examples of soluble fiber include apples, strawberries, pears, oatmeal, nuts and seeds.
The amount of fiber your child needs per day depends on their age. A helpful way to calculate is to take your child’s age and add five or 10 to it. For example, a 5-year-old would need 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day, while a 10-year-old would need 15 to 20 grams per day.
Your child’s main source of fiber should be the food they eat, but if it’s not possible to get the recommended amount of fiber each day, speak to your doctor about a fiber supplement. Keep in mind that a fiber supplement taken without the recommended amount of water can make constipation worse, so make sure you’re following your doctor’s instructions closely.
Add more vegetables into their meals
It can be tough to get your child to eat their veggies, but you can make it fun (or sneaky). Vegetables with insoluble fiber include potatoes with the skin left on, peeled sweet potatoes, kale, raw carrots, Brussels sprouts, soybeans, lima beans and artichokes. Here are some tips to get your child to eat more vegetables:
Add more salads to their diet
Put pureed vegetables – like spinach, pumpkin, avocado or sweet potato – into a smoothie, pasta sauce or soup
Serve cut-up veggies, like carrots, with their favorite dip
Fruits that can help relieve constipation
There are plenty of delicious fruits that contain insoluble fiber, including blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, apples, pears, mango, kiwi and apricots. While eating fruits whole is an easy way to get your child to eat fruit, you can also up their fruit intake by:
Using fresh or frozen fruit in smoothies
Treating fruit like a dessert, or giving them desserts that have fruit in them
Adding fresh or dried fruits to yogurt and cereal
Adding dried fruit to trail mix
Whole grains can help with constipation
Incorporating more whole grains into your child’s diet can sometimes be as easy as swapping one kind of grain for another. Examples of whole grains that contain insoluble fiber include oatmeal, cooked and dry quinoa, whole grain pasta, cooked brown rice and wheat bran. Include these whole grains by:
Looking for products that have whole grain as the first ingredient
Using whole grain bread or whole grain tortillas
Using quinoa or brown rice in place of white rice
Giving them high-fiber cereals for breakfast
Using whole grain flour when baking (if the recipe allows for it)
Giving your child popcorn as a snack
Seeds, nuts and legumes that can help get things moving
There are a ton of seeds, nuts and legumes that have insoluble fiber, including almonds, flaxseed, sesame seeds, lentils, kidney beans, black beans and garbanzo beans. There are a lot of ways to add more into your child’s diet, sometimes without them even knowing. Try:
Using nut and seed butters as spreads, or adding them to soups or smoothies
Adding nuts or seeds to trail mix
Adding ground flaxseed to oatmeal or smoothies
Using chia seeds to thicken smoothies
Other ways to help your child relieve and avoid constipation
Diet is a big part of avoiding constipation, but it’s not the only thing that can help. Getting your kid to move more, making sure they have good bathroom habits, and understanding when and how to use over-the-counter products can all help your child’s constipation.
Help your child get more exercise
This is a good tip in general, but did you know exercise can aid in digestion and help if your child is constipated? If your child is up and active, it’s easier for gravity to do its job and keep their digestive tract working properly. Going for a bike ride, playing on a playground and just running around the yard are easy ways to include movement in your child’s day to help with digestion and relieve constipation.
It’s not just kids and teens that can benefit from exercise. If you have an infant or a baby that’s constipated, you can use a bicycle motion with their legs to stimulate their bowels.
Make sure your child practices good bathroom habits
It can be helpful to get your child in the habit of going to the bathroom regularly. For older children, encourage going to the bathroom after they eat a meal. For children that are potty training, it can be helpful to have them sit on the toilet for 10 minutes at the same time each day, without rushing them. And if your child’s feet can’t reach the floor, give them a stool to rest their feet on, as the squatting position can help your child poop more easily.
Take caution when it comes to over-the-counter products
While over-the-counter medications like laxatives, suppositories and stool softeners can be helpful, there may be side effects. You should always try at-home methods first and talk to your child’s doctor before using any over-the-counter medications.
Some studies have shown that probiotics and prebiotics can help with constipation, but there’s not enough research to conclusively prove it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them – they’re important for overall gut health.
Ways to get quick relief from constipation
The most effective way to help relieve your child’s constipation is to make long-term changes to their routine and diet, but sometimes you want to help your child find relief fast. Some examples of how you can help with your child’s constipation include:
Take a quick, brisk walk to help poop move through the colon
Immediately increase fiber and water intake
Change their bathroom positioning so their knees are above their thighs in a squatting position
Massage your child’s colon with light pressure from your hands:
Starting at the lower right abdominals, make sweeping strokes in a rectangular motion up toward the ribs
Sweep across their stomach, just under their ribcage to the right side
Sweep down toward their lower left abdominals
Make one more sweep across their lower abdominals, ending where you started, then repeat 5 to 7 times
Speak to your child’s doctor before you try this method, but adding prune juice to a baby’s bottle (if they’re 6 months and older) can help
When to talk to your child’s doctor about their constipation
Usually, constipation is nothing to be worried about. With small lifestyle and diet changes, constipation will often clear up on its own, and your child will get back to their regular pooping schedule.
If your child is frequently constipated or constipated for long periods of time, it’s best to reach out to their doctor. They may recommend further testing and treatment beyond home remedies to help your child feel their best.
If you have questions or you’re concerned about your child’s constipation, HealthPartners board-certified pediatricians and primary care doctors can help diagnose and treat constipation in kids of all ages.
