Toddler Constipation: Natural Remedies

Making your way through toddlerhood can be difficult. Toddlers are learning their way around life, how to manage their emotions, and how things work. Throw in toileting troubles and a constipated child, and you have a lot on your hands. While no one wants to struggle with toddler constipation, it’s a reality some of us have to face. It doesn’t have to be all bad though, there are effective ways to help your child poop regularly and easily as they eat more solid foods.

Symptoms of Constipation in Children

Constipation may be tricky to identify in children because they can’t always tell you what they are experiencing. This list may help you figure out if your child is suffering from constipation. Constipation in children may present as:

• less than three bowel movements in a week (ideally your child poops daily, but not always the case)
• hard stools that are dry and difficult to pass
• painful bowel movements
• complaints of abdominal pain
• traces of liquid or pasty stool in their diaper or underwear if they are potty training
• blood on the surface of their stool

If symptoms continue for several weeks or progress, please be sure to see your medical health care provider. You want to avoid anal fissures or a worsening medical condition.

Common Causes of Constipation

Constipation can stem from many things but the root cause in children seems to be their diet and poor gut health. They most likely aren’t eating enough fiber or drinking enough liquids. There may be food sensitivities or intolerances at play. And certain conditions (such as Hirschsprung disease or celiac disease) can contribute to constipation. Medications can also contribute to a child’s irregular bowel movements.

What We Recommend for Gut Health

Most toddler constipation can be helped by focusing on feeding your child gut friendly and nutrient-dense foods, fiber-rich foods and lubricating foods. Focus on your child’s gut health to ensure they are getting an appropriate and healthy diet to ensure regular bowel movements. You should not have to give your child laxatives regularly to get them to poop.

It might seem challenging to work these foods into your child’s diet, but our Toddler Constipation Course can help. You will get everything your toddler needs to ease their constipation. Within the course are:

• A Detailed Instructional Video: Dani (our certified nutrition consultant) and Erica (our course creator) teach you everything you need to know about toddler constipation and how to keep it at bay.
• Real Food Tips: We’ll tell you which foods to serve and which foods to avoid. We will also give you tips for slowly increasing the amount of fiber your child is consuming.
• Fun Recipes: You’ll get access to recipes that kids will love. These recipes are nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, and super healthy to help improve your child’s bowel movements.
• Supplementation & Lifestyle Tips: Also included are natural remedies to help with optimal digestion and to help your toddler feel more comfortable when they have infrequent bowel movements.

Our Toddler Constipation Course

Below you will see a breakdown of what is offered in our course and how it can help your child.

What is Constipation and What Does it Mean?

By taking our Toddler Constipation Course, you will learn what constipation is and what it looks like in children. You will also learn how it relates to their gut health. Through the course, you will see what the frequency and appearance of your child’s bowel movements mean. Using that information, you will be able to shift their diet and eating habits to support their digestion.

A Real Food-Based Approach

When we talk about a real food approach to constipation, we refer to 3 things: foods that are nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, and lubricating. Within the course, you will find out which foods to eat and which foods to avoid. Since many foods that contain fiber aren’t a child’s favorite, you’ll see how we recommend slowly increasing their fiber intake.

There are 15 recipes you can use with your kids. The recipes of course are super healthy and supportive of your child’s gut health. These include breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and treats! Learn how to incorporate these into your child’s diet without giving them painful stools.

Hydration & Why It Is Important

Just like many things, water is good for your child’s health. It’s important to stay hydrated to increase their digestion and promote comfortable bowel movements.

The course will tell you how much water they should drink each day and provide you with creative tips to get them to drink enough water. Many parents want to hand their kids sugary drinks like fruit juice drinks to add fluids to their diet, but some can be harmful.

Supplemental & Other Natural Remedies

While eating real food is key to a great gut-healthy diet and regular bowel movements, chronic constipation may still present itself. Supplemental action or remedies may be needed to keep your child comfortable. Our nutrition consultant, Dani, has some tried and true recommendations that are meant to get to the root of your child’s discomfort and get them back on track.

These recommendations help with your child’s gut microbiome, proper digestion, loosening stool, lubricating the intestines, gas, bloating, and tummy aches. The course will also give you remedies that use castor oil and magnesium flakes to help your toddler get more comfortable.

Our Thoughts on Laxatives

As we have stated, our primary focus is giving your child a gut healthy diet that will naturally promote regular bowel movements. With that being said, there is a time and a place for laxatives. Overuse of them, like anything, can be problematic.

Use our course to see when it is appropriate to use laxatives, which are the safest and most natural, what time of day is best to administer them, and why prune juice shouldn’t be used regularly to stimulate bowel movements.

Withholding Vs. Constipation

When a child starts having constipation issues and begins withholding from pottying, it can be a painful experience for both parents and the child. We never want kids to become afraid or upset when it’s time to poop.

This can be especially disheartening when it comes to toilet learning in young children. It is a common problem for kids to be scared to poop because they are afraid it will hurt. It can become a power struggle.

Our course will help you see the difference between constipation and holding back from having a bowel movement. You’ll be given simple steps to take to avoid using laxatives or stool softeners, as well as tips and tricks to help with the constipation journey.

Our goal is to improve your child’s gut health, use natural remedies when necessary, and make your child comfortable again!

Grab Our Toddler Constipation Course

Our Toddler Constipation Course is sure to bring you and your child less stress as you continue on your regular toilet routine. Help your child’s bowel habits as well as their healthy diet as they grow. Join our Toddler Constipation Course now, and get back on track to healthy bowels and gut health!