Constipation
What are the causes?
Many things contribute to constipation but infants and children who get well-balanced meals typically are not constipated. Switching the type of milk or formula can also cause constipation.
What are the symptoms?
Constipation is a very common problem in children. Many children normally pass stools as far apart as every few days. Regardless, you should treat hard stools that are difficult to pass as constipation.
Breastfed infants will generally have more stools per day but occasionally can pass normal soft stools only once a week. Their stools vary more in frequency when compared to bottle-fed infants. For example, breastfed infants produce anywhere from 5 to 40 bowel movements per week.
How is it normally diagnosed
& treated?
Ask your health visitor for advice. In rare cases, constipation can be due to an underlying illness, so if the problem doesn’t go away in a few days, it’s important to talk to your GP.
