Kids, Summertime, & That Fun Spoiler: Constipation

Kids, Summertime, and That Fun-Spoiler: Constipation |

What child doesn’t look forward to summer vacation? Freedom from school, more playtime, seasonal treats—this is every kid’s favorite time of year! But too often, painful tummy aches spoil the fun. Martha and I have some tricks up our sleeves for tackling constipation and other common digestive issues. Here’s a sneak preview of a few tips I’ll cover when I speak at the Moms Meet WOW Summit this November.

Summer vacation means new schedules, dietary changes, and playtime in the hot sun. All of these can play a role in causing constipation. A change in routine, sleep, and diet often causes a change in your poop. When your routine is not regular, neither are your bowels.

When Martha and I wrote, Dr. Poo: The Scoop on Comfortable Poop, our goal was to give a wealth of easyto-digest pooping pointers for everyone from infants and toddlers to tweens and pregnant/nursing moms.

Admittedly, “So, how is your poop?” is probably never going to become a favorite topic of dinner conversation. But everyone poops. And constipation is the most common gut pain at all ages. If constipation is interfering with your family’s summertime plans, it’s important to take action.

First, ask your kids to look in the toilet bowl and describe what they see. If it’s shaped like a pebble or pellet, they’re struggling with constipation. Poop shaped like a pickle or like playdough are the most comfortable. They slide out comfortably, without much pushing.

I’ve used one simple tip more than any other in treating patients of all ages for constipation: A daily

smoothie helps you poop more smoothly. Poofriendly ingredients to add to your daily smoothie include fiber-rich foods such as pears, berries, and papaya and fluids such as organic kefir, coconut milk, or vegetable juice. You can also add protein powder and a scoop of gut-friendly prebiotic fiber such as Sunfiber (which I like because it blends easily without changing the taste, aroma, or texture).

A diet that includes prebiotics and probiotics can often help kids avoid getting constipation in the first place. So, you may want to switch out the Sunfiber for Regular Girl, which is a combination of gutfriendly Sunfiber prebiotics plus probiotics. This can not only improve intestinal regularity in children but offer gentle relief when they experience constipation.

Parents, you also want to keep your kids well hydrated as they play in the summer sunshine. Not drinking enough fluids is a subtle contributor to problems with constipation, especially among youngsters. Many children need one ounce of fluid per pound.

Infants and children should also eat more poofriendly foods. Remember the four Ps: pears, prunes, plums, and peaches. Thankfully, these are fresh and delicious summertime favorites! The fiber in these fruits will help keep things moving. My recommended daily fiber intake for infants and children is simple to remember: age plus 10 grams. For example, a five-year-old should get 15 grams of fiber daily.

And one last poo pointer for dealing with constipation: Teach your kids to go as soon as they feel the urge. They may not want to stop playing but holding hardens poop.

William Sears, MD and wife Martha Sears, RN, authors of Dr. Poo: The Scoop on Comfortable Poop