Constipation in Children - Dr. Harsh J Shah

It depends on how old he or she is:
- In the first week of life, most babies have 4 or more bowel movements each day. They are soft or liquid.
- In the first 3 months, some babies have 2 or more bowel movements each day. Others have just 1 each week.
- By age 2, the majority kids have at least 1 bowel movement each day. They are soft but hard.
- Every child is different. Some have bowel movements after each meal. Others have bowel movements every other day.

In most children with mild or brief constipation, the problem generally gets better with some easy changes. Have your child:

Eat more fruit, vegetables and other foods with fiber.
Drink some prune juice, apple juice, or pear juice
Drink at least 7-8 glass of water and drinks that aren’t made from milk, each day (for children older than 2 years)
Avoid dairy foods
Sit on the toilet for 5 or 10 minutes after meals, if he or she is toilet trained. Offer rewards just for sitting there.
Stop potty training for a while, if you are working on it

You should have your child seen if:

He or she is younger than 4 months old
He or she gets constipated often
You have been trying the steps listed above for 24 hours, but your child has still not had a bowel movement
There is blood in the bowel movement or on the underwear
Your child is in serious pain