Child Constipation Treatment Guide

Child constipation is a very frequent and exasperating problem most parents have. It is defined as the passage of hard and painful stools, or going four or more days without a bowel movement.

Constipation is often caused by a low fiber diet, too much milk and not drinking enough water or waiting too long to go to the bathroom.

Once your kid develops child constipation, they may tend to to hold back the bowel movements in an effort to prevent it from hurting again. Unfortunately, as a result of this, the cycle that promotes the constipation continues and only serves to exasperate the condition.Parents should be aware of the treatment for child constipation. First, making changes in your child’s diet until the constipation improves is the most positive long term approach to a problem of occasional constipation.

The goal of this treatment is for your child to begin having one to two soft stools on a regular basis.

Many of the medicines for constipation are available in your local pharmacy as over the counter so they do not require prescription. These can include Metamucil, Milk of magnesia, Citrucel, or mineral oil. Use them once or twice a day and work up on the dose until your child’s stools begin to soften. Keep a watchful eye on the consistency of the stools. If your child begins to go too often and even exhibits a bit of diarrhea, your dosage should be cut back or even terminated.

Once your child is having regular soft stools, you should continue to monitor them for the next few months while you work with your child on changing and adjusting the daily diet to a more non-constipating one.

As the diet transformation becomes more complete, you’ll most likely find the need for stool softeners will end. If stools begin becoming too loose, cut back on the fiber content of the new diet. Conversely, if the stools begin to become too firm then gradually increase the amount of dietary fiber. Over time you will be able to successfully adjust your child’s diet to successfully combat the occasional constipation.

Many times with children the use of the restroom (particularly if it’s a public restroom) is a source of anxiety for them. To avoid this and ultimately child constipation, encourage your child to have a regular bowel patterns and have them sit on the toilet for about ten minutes after meals, once or twice daily. Even using simple rewards or a daily calendar with stars or stickers for days that your child takes his medicine and has a bowel movement may be of big help to you.