It’s never a fun time when your kids are having trouble pooping; in fact, for them, it can be really painful. You may have already had one or two issues with your kids experiencing some kind of blockage and are looking for ways to prevent it from happening again. Well, here are some helpful tips and information that can go a long way to making sure they stay regular and letting you keep your sanity.
How often should it be?
The cycle of pooping differs depending on the diet of the child. A child who has a consistent healthy diet of no junk food and mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains and some meat proteins will usually poop once to twice a day. The ideal poop should resemble long slender strands of sausage or look like chicken nuggets.
However, if they don’t it doesn’t mean that they’re constipated. Constipation in a child results when s/he has not pooped in about 3 days or they are straining to poop and nothing comes out (that can usually be sooner than 3 days). The poop that is trapped in the rectum can begin to solidify making it even harder and more painful to pass. Children can even be pooping little pellet-sized poops and be constipated because the idea is to completely expel all fecal content from the body, not in small quantities.
What causes childhood constipation?
Physical Health Causes & Solutions
Let’s start with the obvious, and that is diet. Doctors and nutritionists are now discovering that as little as one “bad” meal a day can throw a child’s digestive system completely out of whack. What does “bad” mean anyway—here are some of the worst offenders:
Lack of Water. It’s that simple sometimes. Making sure your child gets enough water and not soda or sugary fruit juices can help keep the body stay constipation-free and make the stools soft and easy to pass.
Solution:
If your child is on a healthy diet with lots of fruits and veggies, chances are, they will get most of the water they need from the food. Bottled water with electrolytes can also help maintain hydration, especially if they eat fast food or have been ill.
Foods that are loaded with sodium/salt are at the top of the list and include all fast food and processed foods from boxes.
Solution:
Ban fast food and processed foods at your house, at first; scale back modestly until you can phase them out completely. These types of food do more harm to your child than just constipation. Increase fresh fruits, beans, nuts and vegetables to your child’s diet.
Foods with little to no fiber, including ice cream, pizza, chips, kid cereals and fries.
Solution: Look for little ways to sneak in fiber rich food; mix in fruit with your dessert—whole fruit, not juice, has lots of fiber. Use recipes for goodies that include incorporating vegetable puree as an ingredient. There are some online cookie and brownie recipes that call for carrot, cauliflower or broccoli purees. Get creative, make Friday night veggie bean chili with fresh cornbread instead of pizza; and you can always add a cup of mixed frozen vegetables to mac-and-cheese.
Cut back on high protein diets full of saturated fats like beef, milk, cheese and to some extent chicken.
Solution: Beans, nuts, fish and soy based foods made to look and taste like hamburgers and chicken fingers are also loaded with protein but have more fiber, especially beans which are also heart healthy.
Lack of exercise coupled with a poor diet can give your child the express ticket to constipation.
Solution:
Exercise is good for the digestive process and promotes stool regularity. Turning off the video game system and taking a twenty-minute walk around the neighborhood with your kids can go a long way to keeping them regular while also teaching them healthy exercise habits.
Mental Health Causes & Solutions
Kids can develop some pretty awful hang-ups about poop. They can develop fears about doing it in public restrooms or have been constipated once and carry that lingering unpleasant association into all future pooping efforts. This kind of stigma can make them poop-avoidant and thus lead them down the road to constipation. Here are some common problems and solutions:
Embarrassed to use public toilets. Who taught your child to fear using a public toilet? It may have been you, and it may be why they are holding their poop inside giving them constipation. You, the parent, are the most powerful voice on earth to them, whatever you say…they believe.
Solution:
Vocalize how important it is to for them to poop whenever they feel they need to and that it’s perfectly natural. If you have public toilet issues, teach them some basic steps for hygiene, like building a ring of toilet paper on the toilet seat before pooping, and washing their hands with soap and water after finishing. Giving them a travel pack of wet wipes to use might also signify to them that it’s OK to use a public toilet.
Doesn’t like going in general. Sometimes children for a variety of reasons do not like going. That’s when you need to have a discussion with them—is it psychological, physical or both.
Solution:
If it’s psychological, try to have fun with the discussion. Explain to them everybody poops, even the furry cute little animals and birds do it. Tell them it’s part of being healthy and happy and that there’s nothing wrong with it. Encourage them to talk about the issue whenever they need to and that it’s perfectly welcomed.
When it’s Chronic
Even after doing everything “right” your child may still have “poop” issues. Here are some remedies that can help unblock the problem. Chronic constipation is usually defined as your child having at least two to three bouts with constipation in a two-week period.
Relieve the painful pressure and straining: If a child has been straining and it hurts, try a hot bath (as hot as they can handle). The heat will release the muscles in the sphincter and relieve the terrible pain and discomfort, instantly. Creams with hydrocortisone can also help with the burning and throbbing after a painful expulsion.
Try Natural Laxatives and Softeners:
Senna Leaf Powder is natural and a powerful laxative that can help cleanse the system. Making a tea and adding some honey can make it more palatable. Even allowing the child to simply smell the brew can be enough to make them go. Olive oil and olives are also natural stool softeners.
Any kind of laxative should only be used as an interim measure and not be used as a routine method for defecation.
Visiting your Pediatrician:
If your child suffers from chronic constipation, it’s always best to include your pediatrician in the equation. There might be something else that is underlying the issue that a trained medical professional can detect. In addition, chronic constipation may also require medicine or advanced treatments that should only be performed under the supervision of doctor.
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