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The Naturopathic Approach to Constipation in Children

Constipation in children is quite common and often times simply adding in more fiber-rich foods or fluids can be an easy fix. However, a number of children struggle with constipation for months or years even after trying a variety of treatments. In these cases, I have to “think outside the box” when it comes to determining the underlying cause of the constipation.

What are the signs of constipation?

Your child is constipated when they aren’t having daily bowel movements or their bowel movements are painful and hard. Some children have very large stools every 2-3 days, which is also a sign that your child is constipated. Some children can have associated…

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  Bristol Stool Chart

Type 1 has spent the longest time in the bowel and type 7 the least time. A normal stool should be a type 3 or 4, and depending on the normal bowel habits of the individual, should be passed once every one to three days.

  Laxatives for Children: Are They Safe?

Children are constipated and it’s becoming a growing issue. Paediatric constipation makes up 25% of the referrals to gastroenterologists and most commonly, doctors are recommending over-the-counter laxatives for children to deal with what is largely a mechanical issue. This means that kids are being given a bandaid solution to something that most often has a very clear root cause.

  Constipation – It’s a dirty job, …

Disimpaction (for those with h/o stool withholding and fecal mass present), Oral, rectal, or combination are effective, Rectal enemas may not be the best 1st option as they may exacerbate the psychologic problem, Glycerin suppositories (< 6yrs – one infant suppository), Milk of Magnesia (<2yr – 0.5 mL/kg/Day; 2-5yrs – 5-15mL/Day; 6-12yrs – 15-30ml/Day), Mineral Oil (>4yrs – 15-30 mL/ year of age), MIRALAX (<18mos – 0.78g/kg/Day; 2-11yr – 8.5g/4 oz water; >12yr – 17 g/8 oz water).

 Constipation Supplements, Laxatives and Stimulants. Oh My!

If you’ve ever gone to the digestive health section at the pharmacy, you likely have been overwhelmed with all the available products and rightly so! There are so many digestive health remedy options to choose from that are used to attain a variety of results that it really could make your head spin.

 Let’s Get Medical

Before trying remedies that you find on the internet or hear from someone in your mom’s group, its most important to uncover WHY your child is constipated. The solution for your child’s constipation lies in figuring out WHY they are constipated in the first place. If you try a slew of treatments without figuring out why it is happening, you may just be putting a band aid on the problem rather than fixing it long term.

 Managing functional constipation in children

Constipation is a common childhood complaint. Despite its prevalence, it remains a challenging affliction for paediatric patients, their families and health care providers.

 Oh, Crap!

You CAN get your child to poop easily, on her own! You CAN heal his intestines from the inside out! When kids come to my office, I recommend several different things to help resolve their constipation once and for all, and not just put a bandaid on their symptoms.

 Should You Give Constipated Kids an Enema or PEG Therapy?

Only limited data exist comparing a single enema in the ED setting versus home PEG therapy for disimpaction of children with constipation and fecal impaction. In a single pediatric emergency department study, an enema in the emergency department prior to discharge frequently demonstrated improvement in symptoms at day one, but was not superior to oral PEG home therapy at days three or five.

 Treatment & Management Of Constipation

Treatment of constipation and fecal soiling is a three-step process that may take several months to a year to improve, if not longer.

 Why is my Child Constipated?

To help relieve constipation, you need to know what you’re dealing with. A child who has hard stools, but can feel the urge and desires to go, will need a much different course of treatment than a child that is afraid to poop, withholding or leaking stool.

Articles of Interest

Dr. Aviva’s Top 7 Steps for Treating Children’s Constipation Naturally (& Avoiding Miralax)

Constipation can be treated naturally. There is reliable scientific data on both the safety and effectiveness of the tips I’m about to share with you. I’ve used these in practice for 30 years.

How to Help a Constipated Baby

Like Grandma said, “it’s important to stay regular,” and that’s especially true for babies. Fortunately, breast-fed babies almost never get constipated, or hard stools. They may skip a few days between poops, but even then, the consistency is pasty to loose. Bottle-fed babies on the other hand, can get hard poop, but a couple of commonsense ideas can usually correct the problem and provide baby constipation relief.

What can I do for my baby's constipation?

Almost all formula-fed babies, at some time between the ages of 2 weeks and 4 months, will go for 2-4 days without a bowel movement. (Breast-fed babies may do this as well but it is much less common.)

Why is my child constipated?

This is a very common problem -- sometimes we just don't admit it! Every child will occasionally have a hard stool. Hard stools can be painful to pass. If they are very hard, they can even cause tearing and bleeding of the rectum. Children who have a lot of hard, painful stools will try to wait as long as possible before going. This can develop into a vicious cycle.

Childhood constipation as an emerging public health problem

Functional constipation (FC) is a significant health problem in children and contrary to common belief, has serious ramifications on the lives of children and their families.

Constipation Most Common Cause Of Children's Abdominal Pain

Acute and chronic constipation together accounted for nearly half of all cases of acute abdominal pain in children treated at one hospital. The study also suggests that physicians should do a simple rectal examination for constipation when trying to determine the cause of abdominal pain in children.

Doctors’ Tips for Childhood Constipation

If your child is on Miralax or a PEG generic, check in with your doctor every three months to ask about cutting dosages, and increase roughage in the diet, Dr. Swanson said. She added that some parents are reluctant to give up laxatives. “Constipation is awful for kids, it’s humiliating, awful and painful,” she added. “People are scared to go back to that place.”

Doctors’ Tips for Childhood Constipation

Though they might be harder to get children to take, other stool softeners exist that do not include polyethylene glycol (PEG is the active ingredient in Miralax and its generic equivalents), like milk of magnesia, lactulose and mineral oil.

Does Your Child Have Daily Brown Bananas…in the Toilet?

Find out from our MD guest why magnesium is the best natural remedy for constipation and what form to give children.

Evaluation and Treatment of Constipation in Children and Adolescents

Childhood constipation is common and almost always functional without an organic etiology. Stool retention can lead to fecal incontinence in some patients. Often, a medical history and physical examination are sufficient to diagnose functional constipation. Further evaluation for Hirschsprung disease, a spinal cord abnormality, or a metabolic disorder may be warranted in a child with red flags, such as onset before one month of age, delayed passage of meconium after birth, failure to thrive, explosive stools, and severe abdominal distension.

One weird trick that might help you poop better

You probably don't give much thought to the position you strike while sitting on your toilet seat for a poop. But according to the medical blog Evidently Cochrane, how you sit really matters for your bowel health.

Parents Share Advice for the Constipated Child

Miralax — an odorless, tasteless laxative — has become a go-to response for childhood constipation. For constipated children in excruciating pain, Dr. Tricia Jean Gold, a pediatrician in Brooklyn, has no problem recommending Miralax or a PEG generic laxative, which draws water into the colon to soften stool.

Slate’s Definitive Guide to Potty Training

Just kidding—we have no idea either.

Surprising Natural Remedies for Constipation in Children that Work

I am not a nutritionist and don’t specialize in this per say, but wanted to share the natural remedies for constipation in children that I’ve learned so it might help you.

The Pain of Constipation

The highest rate of constipation, he said, was found in boys around 10. “My experience is the kids don’t like to go to the bathroom at school, so there’s a sort of voluntary retention that exacerbates itself.”

The Pain of Constipation

Constipation is often attributed to deficiencies in our modern diet — not enough fiber, not enough fruits and vegetables — or to the same combination of overprocessed foods and sedentary lifestyle that puts children (and adults) at risk for obesity. So there is often something judgmental in the air when the subject is raised. And mind you, it isn’t always raised. It is not, shall we say, a sexy topic.

What to do if your child is constipated

Constipation is a very common problem in children. Whether it’s something temporary after an illness or diet change, or something more chronic, up to 20% of children suffer from it at one time or another. As much as it makes people uncomfortable to talk about poop, having trouble pooping is even more uncomfortable. Luckily, it is generally a very treatable problem.

What to Do When Your Child Has Chronic Constipation

When dealing with chronic constipation that does not respond as well to typical laxatives and medications, Senna can be a great option

Resources

5 Common Mistakes (and Solutions) When Dealing with Kids’ Chronic Constipation

To accomplish this desired state, parents often tackle the problem with fiber, laxatives and more. But if not administered properly, those strategies can backfire. Here are five common mistakes (and solutions) I encounter when parents attempt to solve chronic constipation...

7 Myths About Kids & Constipation

If your child was chronically constipated, would you know it? You might think, “Of course!” Yet chronic and severe constipation often goes undetected in children. This is a big deal, since constipation is by far the top cause of belly pain, bedwetting, pee accidents, and poop accidents–conditions that are epidemic among children in Westernized countries.

The Constipation Gurus

We provide natural, non invasive solutions to childhood constipation that actually work.