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.