Toddler constipation
Knowing when your tot's constipated
-How you will know if your toddler is constipated
If your toddler doesn't have a bowel movement (poop) every day, do not worry. Not having a bowel movement every day is not constipation. If he goes longer than a couple of days without pooping, and then passes hard, dry stools, that's evidence he's constipated.
- Symptoms of toddler constipation are:
- Straining
- abdominal or bottom pain with or before a bowel movement
Painful defecation and constipation can lead to stool withholding and soiling of underwear (encopresis) when stools leak around the harder poop.
- Constipation can be caused by a number of factors including:
- too much milk
- too little water / fluid
- too little fiber
It's important to monitor your toddler's diet, especially he or she is learning to use the toilet.
Adapted from Nurturing with Nutrition by Dr. Melanie Bezarte and Lucille Beseler, RDN