Constipation in children

Constipation( difficult/hard stools less than 3 times per week) is very common in children who are being weaned from breastmilk and who are now having a diet of solid foods. Therefore we are looking at the age groups 6mths-1yr and 2yrs-4yrs. it is important to be vigilant and prevent constipation since the constipatipn itself is not the major problem in its early stage but the effects of the hard dehydrated stool is. I have experienced this with my friends and own children and these simple things have worked well.
Problems caused are
1.abdominal discomfort
2.bruising of the mucosa and anal region/bleeding
3.fissures (painful even after problem is resolved)

Prevention of constipation
1. Infants-After starting formula/new formula ensure baby stools at least once daily and it is soft. if no stool and /hard then it is time for 'action'- try more breast feeds than formula
-start water(boiled)1-2ozs.after each feed
- gentle abdominal massages right to left
2. Toddlers- just increase the water intake by encouraging sips of water after every feed and every opportunity
-give prunes and prune juice, hold bananas
In the event that you only became aware when 3-4 days have gone that there was no stool then we have constipation to Treat and is as follows:
1. Toddlers -abundant water and juices especially prune juice
- insist on fixed potty times
- abundant fibre diet
- mineral oil 1-2 teaspoon x2 per day
-if not effective suppositories may be neccessary and thus go to your paediatrician.

2.Infants- stop formula temporarily and breastfeed until passes stool then gradually introduce the formula again and if possible consider a different formula with less iron.
-if breastfeeds are not effective
may add water;small amount and even with a little bit of brown sugar, no improvement see your paediatrician may need suppositries.
Now if your child has developed a fissure then the same treatment applies but the bruise and pain persists longer and may need sitz baths(sit over/in warm salt water) and the aim is to keep the stools soft and frequent eg once every day.
I do hope this is helpful to moms and i did not scare anyone when i mentioned fissures.