CONSTIPATION IN CHILDREN

While signs and symptoms of constipation can appear during the first year of life, symptoms tend to peak at the time of toilet training, somewhere between the ages of 2 and 4 years old.

In fact, childhood constipation is a common and distressing problem with approximately 30 percent of children continuing to struggle with it even beyond puberty.

Constipation in your young child can quickly become more than a gut problem. Anxiety and stress can worsen the symptoms and, in addition to infrequent and painful stools, a child may demonstrate withholding posture and behaviour.

You can help by increasing fluids and including more fibre in their diet. If this doesn’t work, stool softeners are next. Also make sure your child has enough time (three to 10 minutes) to relax on the toilet and isn’t feeling rushed.

Apart from the usual treatments mentioned above, you can give your child a daily probiotic to address a possible imbalance in gut flora. This will play a role in restoring the balance and in turn improve the movement of food through the gut.