Self-help Guides

Your child should see a doctor for constipation if he/she:

• has severe abdominal pain, or his/her abdomen looks swollen or bigger than usual
• has a temperature higher than 38°C
• is vomiting or not eating as much as usual
• is having problems passing stool for more than 4 days
• has blood in the stool
• has rectal pain
• is urinating more often than usual or has pain when urinating
• starts to soil his/her underwear or is losing bowel control
• recently started a new medication

Non-medication treatment

Diet and lifestyle changes are the best treatment for constipation. If your child does not have the signs and symptoms listed previously, you can try the following tips:

Make sure your child drinks enough liquid each day.

• Increase the amount of fluids your child drinks by one to two 250 mL-glasses a day.
• A 35-pound (16 kg) child should drink 7 cups of fluids a day and a 60-pound (27 kg) child should drink 9 cups of fluids a day.

Increase fibre intake.

• If your child is older than 4 months:
  • Try cereals or strained apricots, prunes, plumbs, beans, peas, spinach, peaches, or pears.
• If your child is older than 1 year:
  • Make sure your child has 4 to 6 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
  • Include bran in your child's diet (e.g., bran muffin, whole-wheat foods, brown or white rice, or graham crackers).

Use natural stool softeners.

• If your infant is less than 4 months old:
  • 30 mL (1 tablespoon) of apple, pear or prune juice once or twice a day can help to soften the stool.
  • Try 2 mL to 10 mL barley malt extract or corn syrup in 1 cup of milk or juice.

Encourage healthy bowel habits.

• Have your child sit on the toilet or potty chair every day for 10 minutes once or twice a day after a meal.
• Make sure your child's feet are flat on the ground while sitting on the toilet. If his/her legs are too short, you can use a footstool for him/her to rest the legs. This will help your child use the abdominal muscles properly for passing stools.
• Make sure your child keeps active. Exercise helps to keep bowel movements regular.
• Let your child know they should go to the bathroom once they feel the urge to go.

Over-the-counter medications

There are some over-the-counter treatments available, such as lactulose, PEG 3350, and glycerine suppositories.* You should speak with your doctor first to find out which is the most appropriate for your child before using any of them.

* All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®). The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen). A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article lists medications by their common names. For information on a given medication, check our Drug Information database. For more information on brand names, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.

Constipation can take weeks to months to go away.

Your child should see a doctor if:

• constipation does not get better in 2 weeks
• constipation is getting worse
• your child is feeling more uncomfortable or is having problems feeding
• any of the signs and symptoms listed previously appear