{"id":4212,"date":"2023-01-30T12:31:08","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T12:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theguthealthclinic.com\/?p=4212"},"modified":"2023-08-21T18:58:52","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T17:58:52","slug":"constipation-in-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/constipation-in-children","title":{"rendered":"Constipation in Children"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>Constipation can be very common in childhood, often affecting children when they are being potty trained. This can be troublesome for all, so it\u2019s often best to tackle symptoms when they first appear!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is constipation?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>There are many different symptoms of constipation, which may include the following:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Irregular bowel movements with less than 3 per week<\/li>\r\n<li>Small, hard pellet-like stools<\/li>\r\n<li>Hard and large poo which can sometimes cause bleeding<\/li>\r\n<li>Pain during bowel movement or having to strain<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How common is constipation in children?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>We can see symptoms of constipation quite often throughout childhood, affecting 5-30% of all children.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What causes symptoms of constipation?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Reduced intake of fibre including fruits and vegetables<\/li>\r\n<li>Reduced fluid intake<\/li>\r\n<li>Stress or anxiety<\/li>\r\n<li>Occasionally related to delayed (non-IgE mediated) allergy<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Unfortunately discomfort or pain when pooing may exacerbate symptoms further so trying to reduce these as soon as noted may help.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can we minimise symptoms of constipation?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Encourage daily activity<\/strong>:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It is recommended that all toddlers and children under 5 years\u00a0 have 180 minutes of activity per day. This may include vigorous activity, but also activities like walking, tummy time and active play like hide and seek.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Regular fluid as a drink including between meals:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Aim to give water or milk only to encourage good dental health.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Encourage a varied diet:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Try aiming for 30 different plants per week &#8211; think of gut health ?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Normalise pooing:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It may help to read books about toilet training with your little one, let them watch you and encourage the \u201cperfect poop position\u201d.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"463\" data-id=\"4216\" class=\"wp-image-4216\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-edited.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-edited.png 1020w, https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-edited-740x336.png 740w, https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-edited-768x349.png 768w, https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-edited-50x23.png 50w, https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-edited-360x163.png 360w, https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-edited-480x218.png 480w, https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-edited-770x350.png 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" data-id=\"4214\" class=\"wp-image-4214\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/30th.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/30th.png 225w, https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/30th-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/30th-50x50.png 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">(Guidance on teaching perfect poop position!)<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A final note<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Should constipation symptoms persist in your child, it would always be advised to speak with your GP or health care professional who may be able to review your little one\u2019s symptoms and action an appropriate plan for your family.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>If you have any questions regarding the above, or would like to discuss your child\u2019s diet, please <a href=\"https:\/\/theguthealthclinic.com\/team_member\/hannah-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">book here<\/a> for an initial appointment with myself or one of our expert team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Constipation can be very common in childhood, affecting 5-30% of all children (often when they are being potty trained).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,29],"tags":[55,56,57],"class_list":["post-4212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-or-nutrition","category-gut-basics","tag-diarrhoea","tag-ibs","tag-toddler","tghc-authors-chloe-elliott"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Constipation in Children | The Gut Health Doctor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Constipation can be very common in childhood, affecting 5-30% of all children (often when they are being potty trained).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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