Constipation is a symptom when there’s difficulty in evacuating the bowel. Having a toddler with constipation is no picnic especially when the uncomfortable and painful effects make your child cranky or even unbearable to be around. Also constipation poses as a health threat to your child therefore it’s important to treat the condition as soon as possible. There are several effective toddler constipation remedies on hand and you will find these remedies useful when it comes to relieving your toddler from constipation.
You’ll find a lot of remedies to treat your toddler’s constipation. This varies from natural remedies to the use of over the counter stool softeners. Natural remedies are known as old housewives remedies. They use herbal concoctions from common plants – these are quite effective in treating constipation. Over the counter remedies on the other hand can be easily availed in drug stores and pharmacies and need to be used with caution.
Prevention is the Best Cure
When it comes to treating your toddler’s constipation, you’ll find prevention much easier that actually curing it. This can be done by modifying your child’s diet. If your child has already experienced several hard stools or has frequent complaints of constipation, then you might want to check a few things that go in to his mouth. Does he take enough fiber rich food? Does he take medication that causes his stools to harden? Is he drinking a sufficient amount of water? By asking yourself these questions you will see where you might have gone wrong with his diet.
Aside from a proper diet, you might also want to consider the activity levels of your child. Mobility is seldom a problem with toddlers as they love to play around or even horse around the house all day. Mobility in active kids keeps their intestines mobile as well. If your child though has an illness that keeps him immobile for a long time then you can also expect constipation. You can encourage him to move around or if this is impossible, develop a turning schedule and passive exercise.
Natural Remedies for Constipation
Increasing your water intake is the most natural way to cure constipation and the easiest constipation in toddlers remedies. This is done by increasing your water intake to 8 glasses per day or more. You might have to consult with your child’s pediatrician if your child has a heart or renal condition because this may be contraindicated. Also, you can increase the amount of fluids such as juice and milk. Milk can help loose the bowels but be sure you follow the proper steps in milk preparation.
You can also increase bran in your child’s intake. Good sources of bran include bran muffins, cereals, shredded wheat, graham crackers, and whole wheat bread. You might also want to increase raw fruits and vegetables in the diet. Examples are peas, beans, sweet potatoes, corn and even nuts. You can also let your child drink a cup of diluted prune juice. This works as an excellent remedy for constipation. You can also give them cherries or diluted cherry juice. A mild stool softener can also come in the form of aloe vera juice.
Medical Management
There are many over the counter laxatives and stool softeners available but you have to use them with the consent of your child’s pediatrician. There might be pediatric doses for those drugs. An overdose may lead to extreme bowel movement and may make your child dehydrated. Also, when using these preparations, you might want to give them electrolyte supplements and increase their water intakes. Eating bananas helps nourish the child. Constipation remedies for toddlers need constant evaluation to see if they are effective for your child.