Baby Constipation
What Causes Constipation?
More than 95 percent of child and baby constipation cases are due to chronic functional constipation, which means that no identifiable disease is at fault. Rarely, is a true pathological condition causing your child or baby’s constipation.
Three main causes of child and baby constipation are functional, pathological and behavioral.
Functional Causes of Constipation
- Inherited tendency toward slow movement of the feces through the bowels.
- Too little fiber from fruits, vegetables and whole grains in the diet.
- Not enough daily fluid
- Ignoring the need to have a bowel movement, such as when a child doesn’t want to interrupt play or ask a teacher to use the toilet
- Psychological issues, such as too much pressure to become toilet trained or a fear of public bathrooms.
- Avoidance of painful defecation caused by huge bowel motions, which leads to further stool retention.
Pathological Causes of Constipation
- A history of the baby not passing meconium in the first 24 to 48 hours of life.
- Any suggestion of an abnormality of the spinal cord, such as problems with the movement of the legs or passing urine.
- Some hormonal or electrolyte disorders, such as a low thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) or high blood calcium (hypercalcemia)
Behavioral Causes of Constipation
Behaviors, often arising around the time of toilet training, can lead to constipation. Some children fear having a bowel movement on the toilet. Others are fearful of passing large, painful bowel movements, further contributing to constipation. Children who are fearful of having bowel movement will often withhold stools for several days, creating a cycle of infrequent, large, painful bowel movements. This stretches out the bowel wall, which in future will make it more difficult for the child to know when they actually need to empty their bowels. This cycle must be broken to prevent long-term problems with constipation.
Meet Our Expert
Dr. Jeremy Friedman is the chief of the division of Pediatric Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. He is an associate professor in the department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Friedman is the associate editor of the Canadian Pediatric Society's journal, Pediatrics and Child Health and has co-edited five bestselling books for parents, including Caring for Kids; The Complete Guide to Children’s Health, The Baby Care Book and The Toddler Book. His most recent book The A to Z of Children’s Health is packed with great information (like what’s given here) from birth to 10 years.
