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How to Relieve Toddler Constipation: Foods to Help & Home Remedies
June 2022
Last reviewed: June 2022
Author:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Coauthors:
Katie Kaenkumchorn, MD
About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Author:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Coauthors:
Katie Kaenkumchorn, MD
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Inside: Toddler constipation can be frustrating and difficult for parents to resolve. This article will walk you through some safe strategies and remedies to help your child with constipation, plus it will teach you the causes and how to prevent it.
A constipated toddler is a fussy toddler! Here are the foods you can feed your toddler when they’re constipated to help them feel better as quickly as possible, even if they are a picky eater. Plus, learn about the causes of constipation, how to prevent it in your kids and so much more.
If your toddler is mildly constipated, focus on feeding them plenty of fiber and having them drink lots of fluid. Fiber and fluid help your child have soft stools that are easy to pass. Ensure that you are modifying the foods to prevent toddler choking.
“P” fruits for toddler constipation
In the short term, you can give your child “P” fruits:
Plums
Prunes
Pears
Prune juice or pear nectar can be helpful as well. “Nectar” products sometimes have a lot of added sugars. If you would like to avoid added sugars, you can check the labels for “juice blend” which sometimes is juice with pureed fruit in it (for example, pear juice with mango puree is called “mango 100% juice blend”).
More high-fiber foods to help constipated toddlers
Other higher fiber foods that can help you constipated toddler include:
Greens like spinach, lettuce, broccoli, kale or collard greens
Serving high-fiber foods at all meals and snacks can help prevent constipation.
If your toddler is a picky eater, they might have trouble eating foods with fiber in them. Our free picky eater guide can help your toddler get on the road to trying new foods – even fruits and veggies!
Hydration is also important when relieving constipation
Make sure your toddler is drinking plenty of water. Fiber without fluids can make your child more constipated.
If your toddler has not stooled in several days, has abdominal distension, vomiting, is in pain, or if you are concerned they may have a blockage, contact your child’s qualified healthcare provider right away.
What relieves constipation quickly for toddlers?
You can try moving things along quickly by serving your toddler a constipation smoothie. A constipation smoothie can contain several different types of high-fiber foods, plus they contain fluid.
It’s important not to include milk in your constipation smoothie. Milk can fill up your child, but does not provide any fiber to help their constipation.
Make sure to use juice or water in your smoothie to help with constipation.
Toddler constipation smoothie
This is a quick home remedy you can use to help a toddler who’s constipated.
1 cup prune juice ½ cup water ½ pear ½ cup frozen blueberries 1 Tbs. flax seed Small handful spinach
Blend all ingredients in a blender and serve to your toddler.
How do I prevent my toddler from becoming constipated?
To help prevent constipation in your toddler, focus on these three strategies:
Fiber
Fluids
Physical activity
Include plenty of high-fiber foods such as those listed above in your child’s diet. Also serve water with all meals and snacks, and freely in between meals and snacks.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends taking your child’s age in years and adding five to that number. That is the number of grams of fiber that your child should eat per day. (1)
For example, if you have a two-year-old, your toddler would need approximately 7 grams of fiber per day.
In order to meet that amount of fiber, you can focus on serving your child five fruits and vegetables per day plus whole grains and other high-fiber foods such as those listed above.
It is not necessary to count all of your child’s grams of fiber intake each day. Just aim to have him or her eat a varied diet that includes fruits, vegetables and water.
The signs of constipation in toddlers may include the following (3):
Hard, pebble or rock-shaped, or difficult-to-pass stools
Infrequent stools
Stomach aches
Nausea or decreased appetite
Bleeding from hard or large stools that can cause a tear
Soiling. Soiling is when there are wet, brownish spots in the underwear
Very large bowel movements
Ultimately, if you have any concerns about your toddler’s stooling pattern, contact his or her pediatrician.
How often should toddlers poop?
Toddlers may have different stooling patterns. Some toddlers may have a bowel movement every day, some may only go every 2 to 3 days.
Once you know your toddler’s normal pattern, you will know if they are going longer than usual between bowel movements.
What causes toddler constipation?
Constipation can be caused by several different factors. Here are four factors that may cause toddler constipation:
Diet
Holding back or withholding stool
Illness
Changes to a toddler’s environment
Diet
Constipation is not typically caused by diet alone, but a diet low in fiber can contribute to or worsen constipation.
Consuming enough high-fiber foods is important for healthy bowel patterns. A toddler may have less frequent bowel movements if they do not consume the recommended amount of fiber or water.
As mentioned above, diet and foods can help a child resolve constipation and continue to help things move along.
If a child does not want to have a bowel movement, they may hold in their stool. This can cause constipation in toddlers.
There are several reasons that children might hold in bowel movements:
It hurts to pass a hard or large stool. This leads to harder and larger stools, creating an ongoing cycle.
A child doesn’t want to stop playing to go to the bathroom.
A child might not like having a bowel movement away from home.
Illness
Sicknesses can throw off children’s digestive systems. If your toddler has experienced a sickness and lost their appetite, or required a medical treatment that affected the digestive tract, they might become constipated.
Medical conditions, such as thyroid disease or celiac disease, or certain types of medications may also cause constipation.
Finally, if there is a change in a toddler’s environment, it might also cause constipation. Travel, stressful situations or even hot weather may affect your toddler’s bowel function.
Can milk cause constipation in toddlers?
Diet is not usually the root cause of constipation, although there may be some rare cases in which a dairy allergy or intolerance may cause constipation. (2)
Cheese and milk can contribute to constipation. Cow’s milk does not contain fiber. If toddlers drink more than the recommended amount of milk, this may limit their intake of fiber-containing foods.
Green bananas can cause constipation in toddlers. Green bananas have more starch. The starch is difficult to digest, which can make constipation worse. However, there is some contradictory evidence regarding green bananas. (4,5)
Ripe, yellow bananas and brown bananas can help loosen stools. The reason for this is that as a banana ripens, the amount of starch breaks down. Bananas contain soluble fiber which absorbs water. This makes stools easier to pass.
When should I worry about chronic toddler constipation?
Constipation can become more serious in toddlers. Chronic constipation can lead to rectal distension, decreased rectal sensation, and loss of urge to pass a stool.
Encopresis is when a child is so constipated that there is a blockage of hard stool in the GI tract, and liquid stool flows around it. This creates diarrhea or solid smears of stool which a child may or may not have control of.
If your child is having any of the following symptoms, they may have more serious constipation:
Chronic constipation symptoms
Persistent diarrhea
Very painful bowel movements
Chronic stomach aches
Blood in the stool
Encopresis
It is important to contact your child’s healthcare provider if you suspect ongoing constipation or signs of more serious constipation.
Your toddler can recover from constipation and encopresis. But this can take several months and may require laxative treatment. The child’s rectum needs time to heal and go back to normal size. Then it needs to resume normal function.
Laxatives and Miralax for toddler constipation
If your child has serious constipation, your healthcare provider may prescribe laxatives to help resolve their constipation.
Miralax or other laxatives can help resolve the constipation by softening the stool and causing regular bowel movements. Other laxatives help give kids the urge to pass a stool. These allow the digestive system time to heal, return to its normal shape and normal function.
Laxatives may be required for many months while the rectum heals. You can work directly with your child’s medical provider to determine how long they need to take a laxative and how they will stop taking the laxative.
Additional child nutrition information
To learn more about feeding your toddler a balanced and nutritious diet, check out these articles from our team of experts.
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Jennifer Anderson is a registered dietitian and has a masters of science in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. In 2019, she founded Kids Eat in Color®, a public health resource that improves child and family nutrition and mental health. Prior to starting Kids Eat in Color® she coordinated youth nutrition programs at a food bank, performed research in inner-city food deserts, and consulted for the USDA national office SNAP-Ed program. Her academic background is in public health nutrition, cultural anthropology, and economics.
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Inside: Toddler constipation can be frustrating and difficult for parents to resolve. This article will walk you through some safe strategies and remedies to help your child with constipation, plus it will teach you the causes and how to prevent it.
A constipated toddler is a fussy toddler! Here are the foods you can feed your toddler when they’re constipated to help them feel better as quickly as possible, even if they are a picky eater. Plus, learn about the causes of constipation, how to prevent it in your kids and so much more.
Article contents:
What foods help a constipated toddler?
What helps constipation quickly for toddlers?
How do I prevent my toddler from becoming constipated?
How much fiber do toddlers need?
How do I know if my toddler is constipated?
How often should toddlers poop?
What causes toddler constipation?
Can milk cause constipation in toddlers?
Do bananas cause constipation in toddlers?
When should I worry about chronic toddler constipation?
Laxatives & Miralax for toddler constipation
What foods help a constipated toddler?
If your toddler is mildly constipated, focus on feeding them plenty of fiber and having them drink lots of fluid. Fiber and fluid help your child have soft stools that are easy to pass. Ensure that you are modifying the foods to prevent toddler choking.
“P” fruits for toddler constipation
In the short term, you can give your child “P” fruits:
Prune juice or pear nectar can be helpful as well. “Nectar” products sometimes have a lot of added sugars. If you would like to avoid added sugars, you can check the labels for “juice blend” which sometimes is juice with pureed fruit in it (for example, pear juice with mango puree is called “mango 100% juice blend”).
More high-fiber foods to help constipated toddlers
Other higher fiber foods that can help you constipated toddler include:
Serving high-fiber foods at all meals and snacks can help prevent constipation.
If your toddler is a picky eater, they might have trouble eating foods with fiber in them. Our free picky eater guide can help your toddler get on the road to trying new foods – even fruits and veggies!
Hydration is also important when relieving constipation
Make sure your toddler is drinking plenty of water. Fiber without fluids can make your child more constipated.
If your toddler has not stooled in several days, has abdominal distension, vomiting, is in pain, or if you are concerned they may have a blockage, contact your child’s qualified healthcare provider right away.
What relieves constipation quickly for toddlers?
You can try moving things along quickly by serving your toddler a constipation smoothie. A constipation smoothie can contain several different types of high-fiber foods, plus they contain fluid.
It’s important not to include milk in your constipation smoothie. Milk can fill up your child, but does not provide any fiber to help their constipation.
Make sure to use juice or water in your smoothie to help with constipation.
Toddler constipation smoothie
This is a quick home remedy you can use to help a toddler who’s constipated.
1 cup prune juice
½ cup water
½ pear
½ cup frozen blueberries
1 Tbs. flax seed
Small handful spinach
Blend all ingredients in a blender and serve to your toddler.
How do I prevent my toddler from becoming constipated?
To help prevent constipation in your toddler, focus on these three strategies:
Include plenty of high-fiber foods such as those listed above in your child’s diet. Also serve water with all meals and snacks, and freely in between meals and snacks.
Related: Set up a meal and snack routine for your child.
How much fiber do toddlers need?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends taking your child’s age in years and adding five to that number. That is the number of grams of fiber that your child should eat per day. (1)
For example, if you have a two-year-old, your toddler would need approximately 7 grams of fiber per day.
In order to meet that amount of fiber, you can focus on serving your child five fruits and vegetables per day plus whole grains and other high-fiber foods such as those listed above.
It is not necessary to count all of your child’s grams of fiber intake each day. Just aim to have him or her eat a varied diet that includes fruits, vegetables and water.
Related: Learn the best fruits and vegetables for kids.
How do I know if my toddler is constipated?
The signs of constipation in toddlers may include the following (3):
Ultimately, if you have any concerns about your toddler’s stooling pattern, contact his or her pediatrician.
How often should toddlers poop?
Toddlers may have different stooling patterns. Some toddlers may have a bowel movement every day, some may only go every 2 to 3 days.
Once you know your toddler’s normal pattern, you will know if they are going longer than usual between bowel movements.
What causes toddler constipation?
Constipation can be caused by several different factors. Here are four factors that may cause toddler constipation:
Diet
Constipation is not typically caused by diet alone, but a diet low in fiber can contribute to or worsen constipation.
Consuming enough high-fiber foods is important for healthy bowel patterns. A toddler may have less frequent bowel movements if they do not consume the recommended amount of fiber or water.
As mentioned above, diet and foods can help a child resolve constipation and continue to help things move along.
Related: Make sure your child’s diet has enough fiber by serving balanced lunches and healthy snacks.
Holding back or withholding stool
If a child does not want to have a bowel movement, they may hold in their stool. This can cause constipation in toddlers.
There are several reasons that children might hold in bowel movements:
Illness
Sicknesses can throw off children’s digestive systems. If your toddler has experienced a sickness and lost their appetite, or required a medical treatment that affected the digestive tract, they might become constipated.
Medical conditions, such as thyroid disease or celiac disease, or certain types of medications may also cause constipation.
Related: Learn the most important thing to feed your child when they are sick.
Changes to a toddler’s environment
Finally, if there is a change in a toddler’s environment, it might also cause constipation. Travel, stressful situations or even hot weather may affect your toddler’s bowel function.
Can milk cause constipation in toddlers?
Diet is not usually the root cause of constipation, although there may be some rare cases in which a dairy allergy or intolerance may cause constipation. (2)
Cheese and milk can contribute to constipation. Cow’s milk does not contain fiber. If toddlers drink more than the recommended amount of milk, this may limit their intake of fiber-containing foods.
The best milk for toddlers may look different for different children. There are a few non-dairy milks that might contain some fiber.
Do bananas cause constipation in toddlers?
Green bananas can cause constipation in toddlers. Green bananas have more starch. The starch is difficult to digest, which can make constipation worse. However, there is some contradictory evidence regarding green bananas. (4,5)
Ripe, yellow bananas and brown bananas can help loosen stools. The reason for this is that as a banana ripens, the amount of starch breaks down. Bananas contain soluble fiber which absorbs water. This makes stools easier to pass.
When should I worry about chronic toddler constipation?
Constipation can become more serious in toddlers. Chronic constipation can lead to rectal distension, decreased rectal sensation, and loss of urge to pass a stool.
Encopresis is when a child is so constipated that there is a blockage of hard stool in the GI tract, and liquid stool flows around it. This creates diarrhea or solid smears of stool which a child may or may not have control of.
If your child is having any of the following symptoms, they may have more serious constipation:
It is important to contact your child’s healthcare provider if you suspect ongoing constipation or signs of more serious constipation.
Your toddler can recover from constipation and encopresis. But this can take several months and may require laxative treatment. The child’s rectum needs time to heal and go back to normal size. Then it needs to resume normal function.
Laxatives and Miralax for toddler constipation
If your child has serious constipation, your healthcare provider may prescribe laxatives to help resolve their constipation.
Miralax or other laxatives can help resolve the constipation by softening the stool and causing regular bowel movements. Other laxatives help give kids the urge to pass a stool. These allow the digestive system time to heal, return to its normal shape and normal function.
Laxatives may be required for many months while the rectum heals. You can work directly with your child’s medical provider to determine how long they need to take a laxative and how they will stop taking the laxative.
Additional child nutrition information
To learn more about feeding your toddler a balanced and nutritious diet, check out these articles from our team of experts.
References