Toddler Constipation Symptoms
There are many toddler constipation remedies available for you to choose from. Before starting any remedies for toddler constipation you need to find out if your child has the symptoms of toddler constipation. Constipation can be caused by a few major factors
- Dehydration
- Poor diet
- Holding back bowel movements
- Lack of exercise
Although the causes may be different they often share the same symptoms
- Abdominal bloating
- Hard Lumpy Stools
- Pebble like Stools
- Refusing to go to the Bathroom
- Crying when they pass a stool
Toddler Constipation Remedies Karo Syrup
Many health websites recommend karo syrup as a toddler constipation remedy. With the large variety of treatments available and also due to potential negative effects we don’t recommend Karo Syrup. Karo Syrup (dark corn syrup) may have been an effective remedy for children and infants in the past, but the current commercially produced Karo Syrup may not have the chemical structure left which draws fluid to the intestines helping relieve toddler constipation. Additionally, it may be a cause of a serious form of food poisoning, Infant Botulism.
Toddler Constipation Home Remedies
The best place to start with toddler constipation remedies is in your home. Evaluate your toddlers diet and change what is not a healthy balanced meal
Increase:
- Water (1 cup for each 10 pounds is recommended 35 lbs= 3 ½ cups daily)
- Increase fresh fruits and vegetables
- Fiber
Decrease:
- Processed foods
- Foods or drinks with additives
- White Flour Sugary Snacks
Toddler Laxatives
An over the counter laxative should be used as a last resort and only if they have been holding their bowel movements for so long that their colon is weak and stretched out. There are many delicious laxatives and toddle constipation remedies for your children based on fruits:
- Fresh Squeezed Kiwi or a whole Kiwi
- Fresh fruit before meals (plums, peaches, apples and pears)
- Vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, tomato consumed raw before a meal
If you are having trouble getting your child to eat raw fruits and vegetables try blending the fruits with the veggie into a smoothie and put it in their favorite cup. For additional help you can freeze the blended fruit/ vegetable mix in popsicle trays. This will kill about 30% of the enzymes but will still be very beneficial to aid their constipation. It is also a delicious snack for the whole family.
Toddler Constipation Treatment
The best constipation treatment will involve a variety of different approaches.
- Painful Constipation: If your child has learned to fear the toilet, make it more pleasant for them. Do not have a stressed demeanor as this will affect their ability to relax. Read them a favorite book or play their favorite songs. Do not pressure them and allow them to relax as much as possible. This is extremely important after you have begun to make dietary changes and maybe use a natural laxative.
- Exercise: Normal childhood activities such as playing outside and running around are necessary to keep your toddler healthy. Just as in adults, children with constipation tend to be those which are less active. An additional exercise to help massage their abdomen and increase the ability to pass a movement is to lay them on their back, press their needs towards their chest and then straighten them back towards you. Repeat this five times and allow a short rest. If this causes them pain do not continue. It should help to relax your toddler and naturally push the bowel movement.
- Follow the dietary advise given and use fruits as a laxative as needed. Let you children learn to enjoy food not as a temporary bad pleasure which will cause them discomfort later, but as yummy fuel for their bodies.