Other things to do along with the medicine

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How we treat constipation

There are two stages of treatment.

If the poo is really stuck your doctor will want to get it out. Doctors call this disimpaction.

Then, you have to keep using the medicine to make sure that the constipation doesn’t start again. You will also have to help your child to eat well, make sure they drink and exercise. Doctors call this maintenance.

Disimpaction Maintenance

The medicine should never be the only thing that you use for constipation.

Eating the right foods, drinking the right liquids and keeping active are also needed to help the child to have regular poos.

If you think your child has an allergy to food, speak to your GP. They can refer you to a specialist.

Foods

Getting vegetables and fruit into children can be a huge challenge. As a carer, you can only do your best. Here are some tips.

What kinds of food are good?

High-fiber foods bulks up the poo and keep it from drying out too much in the gut, making it easier to pass.

Here are a few good swaps to get some fiber into your child’s diet:

Choose…

Wholemeal bread

Oats or wholewheat cereal

Fresh Fruit

…instead of:

White bread

Sugary cereals

Processed foods from fruits

How much a day to aim for?

The official recommendation is at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. However, any vegetable that you can get into your child is good.

Go online and find some suggestions for swaps for lunchboxes, snacks, breakfast, etc.

A good one to look at is the NHS Healthier Families website ↪

My child won't touch vegetables.

Disguise vegetables. Chop bland vegetables like celery, cucumber or spinach, finely and add them to any soup, sauce or smoothie.

Give veggies that your child likes already. Lots of children like peas and carrots. These are perfectly good to give and have finer in them.

Drink

Drinking liquids helps to keep the poo soft, but many children say they don’t like water. There are choices, and often diluting their preferred drink works well.

What kinds of liquids are good?

Clear liquids will help soften the poo, but any liquid is better than nothing.

Clear liquids

Water

Well diluted sugar-free squash

Diluted milk

Sweetened liquids

Fruit juice, even if labeled 'natural' or 'no sugar added'

Squash (undiluted)

Fizzy drinks

How much a day to aim for?

This depends on the age of the child, but anywhere 1 and 1,5 litre.

It's a good idea to put a whole day's worth of liquid in a bottle. Encourage your child to drink, and they will see their progress as the water goes down.

My child doesn't drink while at school.

When children are distracted playing or learning, they tend not to drink a lot.

Talk to their teacher or ask your nurse to talk to the school about your child and encourage them to make your child drink.

Staying active

The bowel works better after having some exercise. If you feel that your child could be more active, find opportunities to include some activity.

Easy swaps for staying active

To get some activity in for your child consider walking or scooting to school, or swap the car for public transport on the weekends.