You might like to check the constipation page first [1]
Fruit juice (and in particular KiwiCrush), and some of the medicines used to treat constipation, are high in sugar. Make sure you or your child brushes their teeth after the juice or medicine.
Fibre makes the poo softer and easier to do. Giving your child more fibre in their diet can help prevent constipation and also treat short-term or very mild constipation. Fibre is also important long-term for regular bowel functioning. If your child has had constipation a long time, just increasing fibre without other treatment is unlikely to fix their constipation.
To add more fibre to your child's diet, you can:
It is also important to give your child plenty of water with the increase in fibre.
Encourage your child to sit on the toilet for 5 minutes twice a day about 10 minutes after a meal (breakfast and dinner). Even if they don't do a poo, still encourage this.
You should take your child to your doctor if:
If your child has any of the above, it usually means their constipation is more severe and they need medicine for constipation.
Laxatives are medicines that help the body to get rid of poo. They are an essential part of the treatment of long-lasting constipation and soiling. Most are available to buy at a pharmacy but it may be better to go to your family doctor first. Your doctor can give you advice about the best laxative for your child and how much to give them. Your doctor can also give you a prescription which usually means you won't have to pay for the laxative.
There are 3 ways laxatives for childhood constipation work:
For as long as it takes. Children often need laxatives for months to years rather than weeks.
Remember that the purpose of laxatives is to allow your child to develop a normal habit of pooing regularly.
Ideally, your child should aim for 1 soft formed poo that is not painful to do, every day. Laxatives are necessary until the body can manage this without help. You may need to adjust the dose over time, but it is important to continue the laxative treatment.
Often children get sick of taking medicine, or dislike the taste. Try to make the medicine taste better by putting it with milk or juice, or ask your doctor or nurse about an alternative laxative. Incentive or 'star charts' can be a good way of encouraging your child to take medicine regularly.
These are medicines given into the bottom to help to empty the lower bowel. This can be an unpleasant experience for children, causing pain and embarrassment. They are generally avoided in children and should only be used under medical direction.
If your child has had constipation for a long time, your doctor may recommend emptying the bowel of poo. This is often necessary to allow the bowel to return to a normal size. It is called disimpaction - a washout of the bowel contents. A bowel washout is always just one part of your child's overall treatment - the first part. It is never a standalone treatment. In fact, if your child needs a washout, they will usually need a long course of laxatives. Eventually, they can be weaned off the laxatives and on to a high fibre diet.
A bowel washout usually involves giving a powerful laxative solution (such as sodium picosulphate or macrogol). Your child will need to drink the solution until the bowel is emptied. Because of the volumes necessary for some of these treatments, your child may need to go to hospital to have the laxative solution through a nasogastric tube.
This page last reviewed 07 March 2022.
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Links
[1] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/constipation
[2] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/laxatives
[3] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F2383