Meal Ideas + Food Switches You Can Make To Help Your Constipated Toddler - Low Stress Motherhood

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Meal Ideas + Food Switches That Will Help Your Constipated Toddler

Constipation can be a painful experience for your child and hard for you to watch them go through.

Some common times for constipation are starting solids and potty-training.

Depending on diet, much of toddlerhood can be filled with bouts of constipation, especially if your toddler is a picky eater who eats a limited variety of foods.

{Related:} Learn about how The Picky Toddler Challenge can help you transform your picky eater

The overall key to minimizing constipation, is to keep things soft and moving through the body.

If you do this, even if your child withholds poop during potty training, they’ll have to go, because they’re body is working properly.

I have one additional (and unusual) trick that works wonders for quick relief listed below, and it’s not prunes…

fiber-rich meal ideas to help you see some relief

*For the avocado toast – choose whole grain breads, as white flour breads can constipate further.

A couple other things to try

Have more liquids available all day, around the house. Place different bottles around for them to access easily at anytime. Or, offer them drinks with a straw or out of an adult water bottle/cup to pique interest and encourage more drinking.

Belly massage 2+ times a day. Another thing that can work magic, especially when potty-training. Often times the child will poop right as you massage (yes!) and other times it may take a few more massages. If your child is fidgety or uncomfortable with the belly massage, you can tickle them or invite them to massage your belly too and tell them this will help the poop come out and not hurt their tummy anymore.

Limit their intake of foods that constipate. Processed foods, dairy, red meat, low fiber foods and fast foods can all constipate.

Switch white breads and white flour snacks to whole grain breads and snacks.

Swap bananas for apples with the skins on (for the most amount of pectin which is what aids in constipation woes). Peaches, kiwi, pears are also great.

Chia to the rescue! Chia seeds are a good source of soluble fiber, which absorbs water to form a gel that softens and moistens stool for easier passage. One study found that chia seeds could absorb up to 15 times their weight in water, allowing for even easier elimination. -Healthline.

one unusual trick i swear by

My last assistant was from Algeria and she swore by it, and introduced it to me:

Add a splash of olive oil to their milk. Might sound strange, but it has worked magic for me for even severely constipated babies and toddlers who were taking stool softeners and/or enemas. No child seems to mind/notice the taste and usually they’ll poop within the day of having the added olive oil.

Keep these things in mind when building out your child’s menu for the week ahead if the are constipated. With a focus on getting things soft and moving, you will see improvement and hopefully a poop, soon.

If your toddler is picky and has a hard time with food switches, it can be helpful to have a heart to heart chat with them about what is happening to their body and why it’s important that ‘mommy switches some food so your tummy and bottom can feel better.’

Depending on your toddler’s age, you’ll want to use simple wording to portray the more complex thought.

Toddlers are very sensory from birth, so a genuine heart to heart chat can absolutely convey the seriousness of the situation and your concern for them as their mom.

Change picky eating behavior & avoid constipation

If you need help with ideas for helping your toddler become less of a picky eater, check out this article: How To Get Your Picky Toddler To Try New Foods – 9 Tips That Work Wonders and see the other posts I’ve done on the topic below for more ideas: