No one likes to see their child miserable. So when your child is constipated and uncomfortable, it’s hard to figure out what will work best to help them. I know we want quick relief for our children, but constipation takes time to improve – so when using these remedies, be patient, relaxed, and consistent. And your child can and will get relief in time. Here are 7 natural ways to help relieve your child’s constipation and move things along naturally.

Make sure your child stays hydrated.

When your child drinks enough water daily, it will help promote regular bowel movements and prevent future constipation. Make sure your child is drinking water with meals, snacks, and in between those times. If your child doesn’t like plain water, consider offering smoothies, sparkling water, and water-rich produce like melons, berries, mangos, grapes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and more.

Dr. Rydland recommends at least ¼ ounce, but preferably ½ ounce of water daily for every pound your child weighs. Do not exceed 1 ounce per pound of body weight.

Increase your child’s fiber intake.

Fiber keeps your child’s gut moving things along, so it’s important to include lots of fiber-rich foods in your child’s diet. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are all great sources of fiber – so long as they aren’t overly processed. High fat and processed foods lose their fiber content and can contribute to your child’s constipation. There is a higher fiber content in fresh, raw, crunchy foods. It’s important to include these in your child’s diet to help correct and prevent constipation. The recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables are 5 or more servings daily.

You can even consider giving your child a fiber supplement to help add fiber to their diet and ease constipation.

Decrease your child’s dairy.

Kids love their milk but can have a hard time digesting dairy products – which can contribute to your child’s constipation. The fermented lactose produces methane that slows down the time food takes to travel through the gut. Look at cutting out all forms of dairy until their constipation is alleviated. 

Plus, when your child drinks milk, the body uses it as a food rather than water. By cutting out milk and offering water, you can help your child stay hydrated. 

Usual natural laxatives.

Fruits like apples, pears, and prunes contain a natural sugar called “sorbitol,” which draws water into stool and softens it to help make pooping easier. You can give these fruits to your child in juice form – but make sure the juice is low or free of added sugars. Dr. Rydland recommends pureeing the fruits and giving it with a high-fiber food like oatmeal or eating it all on its own. However you choose to serve these foods, make sure to serve them with lots of water to help these natural laxatives provide relief.

Get your child moving.

Exercise is a great way to alleviate constipation in both kids and adults. So, get your child outside to run, jump, and play. Mrs. Rydland had her children do bicycles on their back or squats – all great movements for babies when they’re constipated and can help provide relief even for older kids.

Keep potty breaks stress free.

Stress can trigger constipation, so make sure your child’s trips to the bathroom are calm by providing uninterrupted potty time. Additionally, make your child comfortable on the potty. If your child’s feet don’t touch the ground yet, provide them with a stool to rest their feet while they potty.

Also, look at making a potty schedule at a specific time of day for your child if you’re finding they don’t go regularly or are prone to holding it.

Try natural and safe herbal supplements.

Try a herbal supplement like senna or cascara sagrada bark which are naturally occurring laxatives used to treat constipation. 

Dr. Rydland's Adult & Children’s Constipation Formula contains both supplements and will help relieve constipation or irregularity. When supervised by a pediatrician, our formula can also treat chronic constipation and wean your child off of over-the-counter laxatives (like MiraLAX). Our wild-crafted, organic home remedies are safe for infants, toddlers, and older kids.

Need help treating your child’s cough? Check out 5 Simple Home Cough Remedies for Kids and Toddlers for helpful tips!

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