It’s easy to assume that since children are so fresh and new into the world, that they suffer from fewer problems when it comes to the body but this is completely false. Children are actually prone to a lot more medical conditions than you might think. One reason is due to their immune system still developing since it’s not as strong as an adult. A child’s brain is fresh and just now experiencing the world and all of its germs. Another reason why children might be susceptible to illnesses and diseases is because their body hasn’t developed the way it needs to in order to function properly. There can be a multitude of reasons why your child may be struggling with something when it comes to their body functioning but why is that? Could it be or lead to something serious? Could your child struggling to poop now lead them to future complications?
When it comes to pooping properly, realistically everyone should be able to poop a few times a day but there are some factors that may change that, which is fine because everyone’s body is different, but what about children?
How are children and bowel movements supposed to work? Like this: for newborns you should expect four soft bowel movements every day.
For the first three months of breastfed children, there should be three soft bowel movements every day, and formula-fed children for the first three months, there should be two to three soft bowel movements every day.
Six months old to a year should be two bowel movements every day, toddlers (1-3 years) one to two bowel movements every day and four years and up you should expect one bowel movement a day.
Your child’s stool should look soft and seedy or thick but smooth when they are babies depending on whether they are formula-fed or breastfed. As they get older, how their stools look depends on their diet but their everyday stools should be soft and kind of shaped like a banana.
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Constipation in a child is normal, especially in preschool-aged children but can happen in older children as well. Fortunately, there are no medical causes as to why your child may be constipated or suffering from large, hard, and uncomfortable bowel movements but there are reasons why it can be happening.
One reason is your child’s diet. Just like you as an adult have to be mindful of what you eat so it can be easily broken down and processed out of your body properly, it is the same thing for children. They are little humans.
Another reason why they may be suffering from trying to poop is due to potty training. When children start using the toilet, they can withhold their bowel movements if it’s too painful or they’re just not ready to go to the bathroom at the moment. Being in different environments such as school and having a lack of privacy can cause them to hold their poop as well.
If your child is struggling with using the bathroom because of constipation, it can lead to complications in the future. One serious condition it can lead to is encopresis.
Encopresis is when a child will soil or have a leak with their bowel movements due to withholding them. When a child holds in their poop, it fills up their lower colon, and over time, this can cause it to turn into an abnormal shape.
The more a child holds in their poop, the more the colon muscles begin to stretch to the point where the colon can no longer hold in the poop and it will begin to leak out of the body (soiling). This can, later on, lead to something such as ulcerative colitis as an adult.
Yes, children can develop ulcerative colitis even without developing encopresis but if your child is constantly holding in their poop, they’re keeping toxins and bacteria in their body, which can later cause inflammation and mess with the immune system. This is precisely how ulcerative colitis starts.
If you notice that your child is struggling with constipation and their bowel movements, then there are a few ways to help rectify the situation.
The first thing you can do is start with a change in diet and exercise. Add more fruits and vegetables, fiber, whole grains and water to their diet and limit the amount of whole milk and caffeine they consume.
Get them to move their body more and exercise since exercise helps with digestion. Also, reach out to their pediatrician about your concerns and what you’ve noticed so you all can come up with a better plan to help your child.
Gut health is important no matter the age so it’s best to understand it now so you’re not struggling in the future.
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