Toilet Tips for Parents: How to Prevent Constipation

Toilet training is an exciting and important milestone for your little one.

But toilet training can be hard on parents. It requires near-constant vigilance. It involves a good deal of mess. Above all, toilet training needs a super-natural level of patience.

Things can get more complicated if you suspect your toilet training child may also be constipated.

This article will help you learn to recognise the signs of constipation when your little one is toilet training and give you tips on how to prevent or manage it.

Understanding Constipation in Children

Constipation is when you have hard stools that are difficult or painful to pass. A constipated child may also not poo regularly. Normally, children poo between once a day and 2-3 times per week, but normal habits may vary.

And around 1 in every 3 children will experience constipation.

For many children, constipation happens when there are big life changes, such as starting solid food and toilet training.3 It may also happen when your little one:

• Is not eating enough fibre as part of their healthy diet
• Is not exercising or moving enough
• Is not having enough water to drink
• Ignores the need to do a poo (such as when they’re busy playing)
• Holds on because they feel worried or scared about using the toilet or potty
• Holds on because pooing feels uncomfortable (such as when there’s a tear in the skin next to the anus)
• Has a naturally slow gut movement.

Usually, the underlying reason for constipation during toilet training is not serious.

However, some underlying medical conditions may affect the gut and cause constipation. Your doctor may want to investigate these if there’s no other apparent cause of your child’s constipation.

Recognising Constipation Symptoms

Your child may not yet have the language to tell you if they are having pain or discomfort when they use the toilet. So, it helps to know some signs of constipation. Look out for:

• Hard stools in your child’s nappy or potty
• Signs of holding on, such as squatting, running around, crossing legs, avoiding sitting on the toilet
• Crying or irritability, particularly when using the toilet or trying to poo
• Not eating as much as usual
• Signs of tummy bloating
• Soiling their pants (this happens with ongoing constipation)

Of course, if your child tells you they’re in pain when pooing, it’s important that you act on that information.

If you’re worried that your child is constipated, check in with your doctor for diagnosis, treatment and prevention options.

How to Prevent Constipation During Toilet Training

While constipation during toilet training can be expected, there’s plenty you can do to help prevent or manage it.

Focus on your child’s diet, fluid intake, exercise and regular toilet habits to help prevent constipation in children. And if you’re concerned that your child is constipated, seek medical advice.

Encourage a healthy diet rich in fibre and fluids

There are a few ways you can increase fibre intake, which may help with your childs constipation, including:

• Add more servings of fruit (at least two per day) and vegetables (at least three serves per day).
• Increase fluid intake (water is best).
• Avoid giving too much cow’s milk in children over 18 months, as it can make your
• child feel full and stop them from consuming enough fibre-rich foods.
• Offer more wholegrain foods such as rice, oats, bran, and wholemeal or wholegrain bread.
• Make dietary changes gradually to avoid upsetting your child’s tummy.

Promote physical activity

Encourage your child to move more. Movement and exercise may help ‘gut motility’ or gut movement. When food moves more slowly through the gut, stools are harder. That’s because your gut takes water from your food and into your body. When we move more, our bowels respond by moving more as well. This can help food move through the gut more quickly and limit the amount of water absorbed by your body from the stool.

Establish a regular toileting routine

Creating regular habits during toilet training can help your little one avoid constipation. You could try:

• Getting your child to sit on the potty or toilet when they get up in the morning
• Taking your child to the toilet shortly after snacks or meals
• Offering to take your child to their potty or to the toilet if they’re wriggling, squatting, or passing wind
• Avoid forcing your child to sit on the toilet or potty: it shouldn’t feel like a punishment

Use positive reinforcement

Try to keep the toilet experience as positive as you can. Negative experiences of toilet time can result in toileting troubles, including constipation.

Here are some helpful tips for positive potty time:

• If your child attempts to use the potty or toilet, praise them. Your child will love to hear encouraging words like ‘You did so great on the toilet!’ or ‘Well done on
  sitting on your potty!’
• Clean up messes calmly, using positive comments like ‘Oops, there’s a mess, let
  me clean that up!’
• Keep potty time short and sweet. Let them move off the potty if they haven’t done a poo after 3-5 minutes.

Patience and positivity are a must for parents who are toilet-training their little ones. Don’t forget to take deep breaths if you’re feeling stressed.

Seek medical advice

If you have any concerns about your toilet-training child’s stools or bowel habits, reach out to your child’s doctor sooner rather than later.

While most cases of constipation during childhood are normal and manageable, it’s best to seek medical advice. Your doctor is best placed to help guide you through the ins-and-outs of bowel health in your child.

Consider using a stool softener if needed

If your child does suffer from constipation, good news is that there are helpful treatments for constipation during childhood, such as Osmotic laxatives that help soften the stool like Coloxyl Macrogol for Children.

Celebrating Happy Tummies

The adventure of toilet training — while an exciting milestone for you and your child — can be a bumpy ride.

While constipation is fairly common for toilet training tots, you can take positive steps to help prevent it. Help your child have a happy tummy by promoting a healthy diet, encouraging physical activity, establishing a toilet routine, and offering positive reinforcement.

Seek medical advice if you’re unsure, and always follow your healthcare professional’s directions when using treatments to manage constipation.