Services

Children's Continence Service

Constipation

Signs that your child may be constipated:

  • Having less than 3 poos per week
  • Difficulty or delay in passing a stool
  • Pain or discomfort when having a poo
  • Stools not necessarily hard
  • Rectum usually full
  • May have some soiling (overflow)
  • Check poo on Bristol stool chart

Up to 30% of children experience constipation at some point.

Early identification and effective treatment improves outcomes.

Causes of constipation can be:

  • ‘Holding on’, often initiated by passing a large painful stool. More water is then absorbed from the poo and the poo becomes harder and larger
  • Delay in passage of a normal stool
  • Toilet phobia/fear
  • School toilets
  • Lack of privacy

Treatment:

  • Do not use diet alone as a first line treatment
  • Visit GP for laxatives prescribing
  • Treat with laxatives including those children under 2 years of age
  • Use a macrogol as first line treatment (Movicol, Laxido)
  • How many sachets to use will be determined from the assessment
  • Wait for 20 minutes after meals and then sit on the toilet for about 5 minutes. Blow bubbles to help the poo come out
  • Toilet position is important. Children need to have their feet firmly supported and knees above their hips (use a footstool)
  • Use a reward system for sitting on the toilet as well as for poos down the toilet
  • Ensure child is having regular meals and drinking 6 to 8 water based drinks per day

Treatment needs to continue until a regular bowel habit is established. This may take several months.

Treatment needs to continue for several weeks after regular bowel habit re-established.