Gentle ways to ease your child's constipation

Constipation is one of the most common digestive issues faced by children, and can be one of the most difficult issues to resolve. In children, constipation can create a harmful cycle that impacts their overall wellbeing not just digestive health and can cause social problems as they get older that can be very concerning for parents. The bright side is that there are simple measures you can take to alleviate your child's constipation. So what could be causing your child's constipation and what can you do to help your child?

Main 6 causes of constipation in children:

Dehydration: This is super common in children, and can be a common cause of dry, hard stools. Teaching children to recognise dehydration by looking at their urine colour and stool type can be helpful. Urine should be a light straw colour and stools should maintain their shape but still be soft. If your child has dark urine or a dry or cracked stool then they may be dehydrated.

Diet: Diet is the primary factor contributing to constipation. The types of food children consume can influence their bowel movements in various ways. Generally, two main factors are involved for most children: insufficient fibre intake and a high consumption of high sugar processed foods can have a negative effect on gut health.

Gut health: An imbalance in the gut microbiome can play a key role in constipation. Healthy bacteria promote digestive motility, making their balance vital for regular bowel movements. Research shows a correlation between healthy stool consistency and greater bacterial diversity, indicating that constipation may reflect a need for improved gut health in children.

Medications: Many medications can cause constipation, particularly in children, with the most common being reflux medications (antacids) and antibiotics. While these medications may be necessary, it's important to monitor their use and watch for any side effect such as constipation. Especially for antibiotics it would be advised to replenish gut health with probiotics and prebiotics afterward.

Physical Activity: Lack of movement can contribute to constipation. Movement and exercise will naturally stimulate the muscles in the gut. So if you have a child who is spending a lot of time sitting around or watching TV and is constipated, getting them moving might be the key to relief.

Withholding: This is something that is usually triggered by a bout of constipation but can become the driving force over time if not rectified. When a child experiences discomfort they can become afraid of going to the toilet, and start withholding, which just worsens their constipation. This can be a hard cycle to break and in many situation would require support from a doctor or nutritional therapist.

So what can you do?

Start with diet and hydration, try to ensure your child is drinking their age recommendation for water, check the colour of their urine to make sure they are having enough. Adding high fibre foods into the diet is also key, these include varied fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds (especially flaxseed and chia seeds), wholegrain, dried fruits such as prunes and dates.

Then improve your child's microbiome diversity by feeding the good bacteria, this can be done through prebiotics and probiotics but also through fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha, kimchi, miso, apple cider vinegar and greek yogurt.

Make sure they are moving enough, this does get a lot easier this time of year when the evenings are long and warm and the sun is shining. Make the most of it by getting outside whether it’s playing in the park, messing about in the garden or some family walks or bike rides, every little bit counts.

So what about supplements? Supplements can be very helpful for constipation, but they should come after all the above suggestions have been implemented. There are so many supplements aimed at children’s health on the market that it can be hard to know where to start. Initially you could try a prebiotic fibre such as inulin or PHGG, a probiotic for children (try to avoid the ones with lots of sugar and sweeteners) could help and magnesium citrate can also be beneficial. There are lot’s of others you can try but it would be best to speak to a nutritional therapist who can help work out what would be suitable before adding more.

It’s important to remember that constipation can take a long time to resolve, especially if you are dealing with psychological as well as physical issues.

If you have tried all of this but nothing is working then book a free chat here so we can discuss your child's health and make a plan to help relieve their constipation for good.