Constipation in Children: Ways to help your little ones from getting backed up

If you are a parent then you know how daunting it can be to help your child when they don’t feel good. Children who experience constipation are no exception. They feel miserable and it is not fun to watch as a parent. You want to help them so bad but can sometimes not know how to.

You are not alone. In this post we will go over some ways to help your kiddos who experience irregular bowl habits so that everything will be smooth flowing.

Hydration

Number one on the list is a very important one. Hydration. Even in adults this can be a common thing we don’t think about. If your kiddo is not getting enough water then their bowels will suffer. Our bowels require hydration to keep things moving and regular. According to Healthy Kids kids should be getting as follows: 5 glasses for 5 to 8 year olds. 7 glasses for 9 to 12 year olds. 8 to 10 glasses for 13+ years.

It may seem like a lot but our bodies require this amount to maintain healthy function. This is a simple fix for those constipated kids. Juice and other sugared drinks do not count in water intake.

Probiotics

Next on the list is probiotics. Our guts house healthy bacteria that help to maintain normal function of our bodily functions. When these healthy organisms are destroyed by processed foods and chemicals then the ratio of good to bad bacteria is skewed. Probiotics can help repopulate the healthy bacteria to restore function. I recommended Metagenics brand of probiotics for kids. It is liquid so kids are more than likely to ingest this rather than mixing powders. You can find these supplements where natural health practitioners do business.

Another way to get good probiotics is to have your kids drink kombucha. It is a drink that has many healthy probiotics in them. If you have never heard of kombucha, it is a fermented drink that utilizes a bacteria to make the healthy probiotics. You can make it yourself and add flavoring to it so your kids will love it! We make it at home and our kids love drinking it. It is almost a healthy pop!

Massage

Next up is massage to stimulate the normal direction of the colon. By massaging the stomach area it will help to stimulate those muscles that help with moving things along. To do this follow the diagram below. Make sure it is moderate depth to stimulate the bowels. Do this for 10 times.

There you have it. A few ways for you to help your kids who deal with constipation. Try these for a few months and see the benefits!