Constipation In Kids – Causes, Signs, And Red Flags

Around 10-30% of kids do experience constipation due to various different reasons like

·         Toilet training

·         Dietary habits and changes

·         Bad toilet experience

·         Stool-holding habit

·         Less physical activity

·         Emotional disturbance

·         Lack of awareness in parents

·         Low water intake

Besides these common causes, there might be some health-associated factors too that can lead to constipation in kids like medicinal side effects. Intestinal problems, thyroid, brain or spine-related problems, etc.

To identify constipation and important things to know is to pay attention to how your child is passing stool. Some of the signs of constipation in kids (1 year or below) include

·         passing hard stools

·         passing ribbon-like stools

·         passing stool 4 times a week or less

·         fissure around the area of passing stool

·         loss of appetite, frequent stomach aches

·         strain while passing stools

·         holding the stool because the child is feeling the pain to pass the stool

Besides these signs and symptoms, there are a few Red Flags linked to constipation in kids that need immediate attention which include difficulty in passing stools from birth, difficulty in walking, green-coloured vomit, passing extremely hard ribbon-like stools, urine leakage, inability to pass stool for a long period after birth, and growth restrictions.