A lot of parents have concerns about their toddlers who might be showing signs of constipation and want to know, "When is it actually constipation, when is it concerning, and what can you do about it?". And constipation is pretty normal for everyone at some point. Maybe it's because we've changed the way we're eating, maybe it's because we've changed our activity, or we're not drinking enough water. Those are definitely things that can play into it, but there are people that have chronic issues with constipation.

What you're looking for in your child is a drastic change in the number of bowel movements they're having. For toddlers, if they're going 3 to 4 days between bowel movements, then that might be a sign. Although, some kids may have 1 or 2 bowel movements a day, but they're difficult to pass, they're hard and dry, and maybe they bleed when they have bowel movements, and so those are also signs of constipation, and it's definitely worth doing something about it to alleviate the pain and discomfort that your child is having. One of the worst things that you can do is avoid the issue all together, because, especially, take a potty-training child for example or a child that's had a traumatic experience going to the bathroom. It's going to scare them and they won't want to go, so then they hold it, and it all builds up in the colon and collects, and it gets even bigger, and even harder, and more dry, and that makes it harder to pass. And so that just makes the problem with constipation even worse.

So one of the best things to try first is increasing fluid intake and increasing fiber intake. Encourage lots of water. This is for children over the age of 1. You can give your child 4 to 6 ounces of juice each day until they seem to be having regular bowel movements again, and apple, prune, and pear are best. Give it with meals, and wash it down with some water, and brush their teeth after so it doesn't cause issues with their teeth. Also bump up the fiber content in your child's diet, so apricots, prunes, pears, peas, beans, broccoli, whole grain bread. Cut back on things like bananas, and rice, and more milk than what's recommended. Children should drink 2 to 3 cups of whole milk between 1 and 2 years of age, but if they're drinking a lot, that may also be contributing to constipation. Give them milk with meals, and water in between, when they say that they're thirsty.

If this isn't enough, then you should talk to your pediatrician, and they may recommend laxatives or medication. Don't give these medications unless recommended by your doctor though. For children who have chronic constipation issues, Miralax is frequently prescribed. And studies have shown that this is effective for children who have constipation 95% of the time, so it does work. But some parents are concerned about longterm effects or having to be on it for a long time. And a lot of studies have been done on this, specifically for children who are under 24 months of age. And so far, we haven't found any adverse effects with it, meaning that we can say, as far as we know, it's safe. But if you have more concerns about it, talk with your pediatrician. If you've already talked with your child's doctor and they have specific advice for you, I do suggest following that. And if the remedies they've suggested aren't helping, call them back and let them know, and they'll decide what else can be done. If you have any other questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at [ Ссылка ]..., and recommend us to your friends and family too.

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