Probiotics and your child

Is your child constipated?

If you spend most mornings watching the clock as your child tries to get the job done in the bathroom, you won’t be surprised to hear that up to 30% of children suffer from constipation. It’s not too difficult to work out why: our refined diet and the sheer horror with which most kids approach vegetables are the main culprits.

It’s long been known that certain types of probiotics – live bacterial cultures that occur naturally in our digestive tracts – help speed up a young child’s recovery from diarrhea, but a pilot study carried out in the Netherlands and reported in the UK publication Nutrition Journal suggests they could also be a solution to constipation. And they’re not just the key to a two-minute morning pit stop for the kids: scientists believe they have a beneficial effect on the immune system, and may also reduce your child’s risk of eczema. Other studies have suggested they may help ease the symptoms of colic in babies, and some formula milks are fortified with them.

The link to constipation underlines the fact that not all bacteria are bad – and your child’s digestive system relies on some types to help it work efficiently. Constipation is no fun for children and can lead to a vicious circle where painful bowel movements result in your child holding on to avoid the pain – thereby worsening the underlying problem. While laxatives can be useful in extreme cases, ensuring your child consumes plenty of probiotics via her diet may help prevent the problem from occurring in the first place.  

How to tackle constipation

There’s a lot you can do to help your child maintain healthy, regular bowel movements…

• Improve her diet One of the best ways you can help ease your child’s constipation is by ensuring she consumes plenty of fiber, which helps to soften and bulk her stools, via whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid junk foods made from highly-refined ingredients, as these are usually low in fiber.
• Consider probiotics The easiest way to get your child to consume more probiotics is by giving her yogurt and yogurt drinks which contain them; some baby foods also contain prebiotics, a type of fiber that helps stimulate the growth of probiotics in the digestive tract. You can also get probiotic supplements for children (such as Florastor Kids and  but always check with your pediatrician before supplementing your child.
• Increase her fluid intake If she isn’t drinking enough, stools will be hard, dry and painful to pass. Ensure she drinks plenty of water; prune juice can also help. If she drinks a lot of milk bear in mind that this can aggravate the problem.
• Use a laxative if necessary If it gets to the point where your child is refusing to even try, speak to your pediatrician about whether a laxative might help to ease her discomfort and help get her back in the habit.

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