The Hidden Culprit: Could Constipation Be Affecting Your Child’s Health?

Constipation is a common but often overlooked issue that can significantly impact a child’s overall health and well-being. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of constipation early can help in addressing the problem before it escalates into more severe health issues.

Signs and Symptoms of Childhood Constipation

Common signs of constipation in children include infrequent bowel movements, hard or dry stools, straining during bowel movements, and complaints of abdominal pain. Other symptoms may include bloating, irritability, and even changes in appetite. Some children may also exhibit behavioral changes, such as withholding stool due to fear of painful bowel movements. Your child may also experience “hidden constipation”, where your child will have symptoms more resembling diarrhoea or loose mushy stools. This can be overflow, meaning that the bowel is so backed up that it is trying everything it can to expel that backed-up stool.

The Bristol Stool Chart

The Bristol Stool Chart is a helpful tool for assessing stool consistency. Ideally, a child’s stool should be type 3 or 4, which is considered normal and indicates a healthy bowel movement. Type 1 and 2 suggest constipation, with type 1 being separate hard lumps and type 2 resembling a lumpy sausage. Types 5, 6, and 7 are looser stools, indicating a need for dietary adjustments.

What is Normal?

A healthy child should have at least one bowel movement per day, although this can vary. What’s important is the consistency and ease of the bowel movements. If a child is experiencing discomfort or straining, it may indicate constipation, even if they have regular bowel movements.

Foods to Relieve Constipation

Diet plays a crucial role in alleviating constipation. High-fiber foods such as fruits (like apples, pears, kiwi fruit, dragon fruit, and berries), vegetables (such as broccoli and carrots), whole grains, and legumes can promote healthy digestion.

The key to a healthy functioning microbiome, your child needs to have a varied and diverse dietary intake of plant foods; aiming for 30 different plants per week is key!

Water Consumption

Adequate hydration is essential for preventing and relieving constipation. Children should consume water throughout the day, with the recommended amount varying by age; the golden rule of thumb is 250ml/day/year of age. Example: a 4-year-old should be consuming 1L/day.

Healthy Transit Time

A healthy digestive transit time should be around 24-48 hours. This means the time it takes for food to travel from consumption to elimination should ideally be within this range. Longer transit times can indicate sluggish digestion and potential constipation.

A quick and effective way to test your child’s transit time is by completing a Stool Transit Test. Simply get your child to consume EITHER 1 small tin of corn kernels or 2 TBS of white sesame seeds mixed into water. Note down what day and time they consumed them, then keep an eye out in their poo to see when they come through! Note down the day and time you see them come through, this will equal their transit time.

Creating Healthy Poo Habits

Having a consistent toileting schedule can also help to promote healthy poo’s. The more regular the routine, the more positively the bowel will respond. Making sure that while building the routine, you focus on supporting your child’s habits by encouraging them to use the toilet before and after school (particularly if they have a history of withholding behaviour and won’t use the toilets at school), encourage them to not rush when using the toilet- we want the bowel to relax and to settle in to allow adequate time for poo to pass.

Adding in a “poop stool” or Squatty Potty to raise their legs up into a deep squat position and having their feet flat on a surface will make a huge difference to the ease of pooping. Once introduced, make sure they use it every time!

If there is anxiety around pooping due to pain, bad experiences with constipation etc, there will more than likely be tensing of the bowel muscle (which as you can imagine, is counterproductive for what we want to achieve). To help relax your child and their bowel, try getting them to blow bubbles when using the toilet! The slow, controlled breaths required for bubble blowing is fantastic for reducing anxiety and helping your child relax into pooping.

By understanding and addressing the signs of constipation, encouraging a balanced diet rich in fiber, ensuring adequate hydration, and monitoring bowel movement consistency, you can help your child maintain optimal digestive health. If you suspect your child is suffering from chronic constipation, consulting with a practitioner who is familiar with a child’s microbiome is recommended for personalized advice and treatment. Your practitioner will also be able to talk you through proper testing that may be required to discover the cause of your child’s; microbiome imbalances, heavy metals, poor diet, inflammation etc.

If you’re interested in discussing your child’s microbiome, reach out.

Casey x