Severe Constipation in Children

Constipation is very common in children. It is directly related to not consuming sufficient amount of fluids, diet high in constipating foods like milk, cheese, etc. and low consumption of fiber. A person is said to be constipated, when the bowel movements are infrequent and he finds it difficult to pass stools or passes hard stools. If your child passes stools infrequently, but has soft stools and does not have any difficulty in passing them, then you need not be worried. Severe constipation in children is when the child has constipation problem for about 2 weeks. Let's now see what causes constipation in kids.

Causes

It is noticed that constipation is common in children and it usually goes away on its own. Constipation in children is seen when the child is introduced to baby formula milk or whole cow milk and also when the child is introduced to solid food. Another cause of constipation in children is when the child consumes less fluids in the form of water, milk or any other fluid. Like it is necessary for the adult diet to be rich in fibers, it is equally important that your child, also have a diet rich in fiber. Very often it is noticed, that a child's diet is rich in fat and refined sugar. This is also one of the possible reasons, why the child is often constipated.

If your child has been sick and on some medication, the medications can give rise to constipation. If your child is being given some vitamin supplements or iron supplements and the consumption of fluid is less, it will give rise to constipation.

Very often it is observed that children ignore their urge of a bowel movement. This condition is commonly observed in children that suffer from chronic constipation. The child does this as he does not want to interrupt his play or if he is at school and is embarrassed of asking the teacher to use the washroom or if he does not want to use a public washroom. Due to regular avoidance of passing stool, they build up in the lower abdomen and become hard. Then passage of these stools can be very painful for the child and he avoids bowel movements all the more.

Symptoms

To ascertain, whether your child is indeed constipated, you will have to closely monitor the bowel movements and eating patterns of your child. Children who are constipated usually pass very large, hard stools, resembling a hard pellet. Bowel movements are very irregular and also painful. Along with all the above mentioned symptoms, the child can also have cramping abdominal pain. Among other signs of this condition is decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, frequent urination, bedwetting, reappearing urinary tract infections, etc.

Treatment

When your child is severely constipated, you will have to give your child some stool softeners. You may want to give your child apple juice or prune juice, as they bring about immediate constipation relief. If your child is old, you may want to give your child soy milk. An important step to undertake while treating constipation in children is to include food rich in fiber in your child's diet. The fiber rich food is cereals, grains, vegetables and fruits. Make sure that the child does consume sufficient amount of fluids as well. If none of the home remedies work, you may have to take your child to the pediatrician. The doctor may prescribe a laxative, depending upon the age of the child and severity of the problem.

Severe constipation in children should not be neglected. You may want to prevent the recurrence of the problem. Giving your child toilet training and getting him to get into a regular toilet habit will help in avoiding the problem in the future. Along with it, it is important that you make sure that the child's diet is rich in fiber, as I have previously mentioned and also cut down on refined sugar.