How to Prevent & Treat Constipation
Let’s talk about what to do if your child becomes constipated. First of all, you want to rule out any medical issues. You want to have him tested for food allergies, food sensitivities or food intolerances. If there aren’t any medical concerns, then you can move on to the bowel training process. First of all, you want to determine a pattern. When does your child typically have a bowel movement? Does she typically go at the same time? The same place? Is the same person always around? Or is related to a food or a drink? Once you determine a pattern, then you know when to sit your child on the potty. Approximately ten minutes before her typical bowel movement time, you want to get her settled on the potty. And you want to give her something to do so that she remains content and happy while she’s sitting there. It could take ten minutes for her to poop, or it could take two hours for her to poop. You want to make sure that she’s content and happy with lots of things to do. You also want to make sure that there are rewards for her if she does have a success on the potty. As soon as she does, she needs to get her reward, and she needs to receive praise. “Wow! You went poop in the potty. Here’s your reward.” And that’s how you deal with constipation and bowel training issues.