Constipation
What is constipation?
When your child is constipated, your child may:
- Have a hard time having a bowel movement (BM).
- Have a painful BM.
- Go 3 or more days without a BM.
This could happen because your child:
- Does not eat enough fiber.
- Drinks or eats too many milk products.
- Remembers painful BMs. That can make some children hold
back.
How can I take care of my child?
For babies less than 1 year old.
- If your baby is over 2 months old, give fruit juices
(such as apple or pear juice) twice a day.
- If your baby is over 4 months old, you can add
strained, high-fiber foods twice a day. Cereals,
apricots, prunes, peaches, pears, bananas, apples,
beans, or peas are good fiber foods.
For children over 1 year old.
- Feed your child fruits or vegetables at least 3 times a
day.
- Give more foods rich in bran and fiber. Try bran
flakes, bran muffins, shredded wheat, graham crackers,
oatmeal, brown rice, or whole wheat bread.
- Decrease the amount of milk products (such as cow's
milk, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt) to 3 servings per
day.
For children who are toilet trained.
- Have your child sit on the toilet for 10 minutes after
meals. This will help your child have a BM every day.
Call your child's doctor right away if:
- Your child starts to have very bad rectal or stomach
pain.
Call your child's doctor during office hours if:
- Your child has not had a BM after you have fed your child
fiber foods and reduced milk products for 3 days.
- You are using suppositories or enemas for your child.
- You have other concerns or questions.
Written by B.D. Schmitt, M.D., author of "Your Child's Health," Bantam Books.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
Copyright © 2006 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.