How to Cure Toddler Constipation

Toddler constipation is something you can work towards preventing, and doing so will save you heaps of worry. Holding a screaming child while she tries to eliminate is not something I thought would be a part of parenthood. However, this scenario plays out roughly once every two days. In addition, my toddler clings to me, contorts her face in agony and tightens nearly every muscle in her body.

My heart breaks in two when this happens. When I searched the internet to find a cure, I discovered that one site would say to avoid bananas while another said to eat them and so on.

Needless to say, I was confused, so I decided to write about what actually worked for us. We got advice from a pediatrician and then took steps to change our toddler's diet.

1. Remove Bananas from the Diet: This food, which had a binding effect on the body, should not be eaten by children with constipation troubles. You may already know that bananas form part of the BRAT (bananas - rice - applesauce - toast) diet that is recommended for diarrhea. You certainly want to encourage foods that will NOT bind.

2. Remove Wheat from the Diet: This is a hard one to do. However, a wheat free diet (http://wheatfreediet.wordpress.com) is completely possible. You can substitute rice or millet bread for wheat bread. Since more people have discovered their wheat allergies, there are a number of delicious products to replace the desire or need for wheat. You can get wheat-free soy sauce, wheat-free cookies, and plenty of wheat-free flours.

3. Encourage Pears and Watermelon: We had a great deal of success by encouraging watermelon. The high water content and fiber helped the toddler constipation situation. The doctor recommended peaches, and that works well, too.

4. Encourage Water Drinking: Water is not a food favorite of my toddler. I'd add some into her milk, but the doctor suggested we get her to drink it straight. To encourage the process, I'm using bendy straws only for increasing water consumption - anything to make drinking water fun and enjoyable.

5. Reduce Yogurt and Eliminate Cheese: Cheese (like bananas) is binding and slows down the digestive process, so cheese is completely out. About 4 ounces per day of yogurt can be eaten according to our pediatrician.

6. Get Moving!: The process of walking and movement helps digestion. It probably won't be hard to encourage your toddler to move around - they are always moving! - yet be sure you take some walks or run around after meals.

7. Read a Book: After feeling pain with elimination, your toddler may start to withold it to avoid the pain. This could cause problems later. An excellent book to read with your toddler is: "It Hurts When I Poop" about a boy named Ryan who hurts when he poops and overcomes it.

With time, and by following these guidelines, your toddler constipation woes should come to an end. It will take dedication and patience to heal the situation completely.

Hopefully, these guidelines help you improve your toddler's constipation, so she will feel healthy and comfortable - and so she won't be scared to use bathroom.