LINKS
- Children's Hospital Colorado
- HealthyChildren.org: Infant Constipation
- HeathyChildren.org: Constipation
APPLICATIONS
Toilet Diary
CONSTIPATION
Constipation is a common problem that many children deal with every day. While pathologic causes for constipation exist, for the majority of children, constipation is routed in daily lifestyle choices. Consuming enough fluid, eating a diet high in fiber and regularly using the toilet are crucial steps to avoid constipation. While constipation may present acutely, it is typically a chronic problem that is not cured overnight but rather over many weeks to months.
Definitions:
- Constipation: a condition of the bowel in which the feces are dry and hardened and evacuation is difficult and infrequent
- Encoporesis (fecal soiling): when liquid stool leaks around the hard stool unknowingly
Signs of Constipation:
- Newborns - firm stools, less than once a day
- Toddlers - infrequent large hard stools every 3-4 days
- Abdominal pain that improves with bowel movements
- Blood with bowel movements
- Fecal soiling between bowel movements
Causes:
- Poor fluid intake
- Diet low in fiber (bananas, rice, cereal, breads, pasta)
- Excessive milk, cheese
- Limited exercise
Treatment:
- Increased fluid intake (milk, water, prune juice, pear juice)
- Increased fiber intake (prunes, apricots, plums, raisins, peas, beans, broccoli, whole grain cereal
- Laxatives (miralax)
- Suppositories
- Enemas
