Children and constipation: Ways to cope and when to worry
source: Mayoclinic

Does your child put off going to the bathroom because he or she is busy doing more important things? Or is your child avoiding the bathroom for fear of a painful bowel movement? This may be a sign of constipation.
Parents often think their worries about their children's bathroom habits will end with the final diaper. But successful toilet training doesn't prevent occasional troubles with bowel movements. Constipation is among the most common.

To the rescue
If constipation is persistent, it can be difficult to manage. Fortunately, parents can detect warning signs and take early corrective action. So just as in those diaper-changing days, it's mom or dad to the rescue again.
Constipation refers to infrequency or difficulty in passing stool, or the passing of hard stool at every bowel movement for two weeks or longer. If your child is constipated, he or she may have the following signs and symptoms:
• Abdominal pain, gas and cramps.
• Lack of appetite.
• Increased irritability.
• Soiled underwear. Some children, out of embarrassment, might hide or throw away their underwear. A large amount of stool leakage in your child's underwear may be a sign that your child has encopresis, a more serious type of constipation that you should alert your doctor about.
• Large or blood-streaked stools.
• More frequent urination because of pressure on the bladder.

What's the cause?
Here's a list of things that commonly contribute to constipation in children. Often, two or more of these factors in combination exacerbate the problem.
• Eating mainly low-fiber, high-fat and high-sugar foods.
• Drinking too little water.
• Ignoring the urge to go to the bathroom.
• Having a condition such as hypothyroidism or an illness that reduces hunger and thirst. Conditions associated with reduced muscle tone also may cause constipation.
• Taking a tricyclic antidepressant medication, such as doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan) and nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), or taking iron supplements.
• Being inactive.

Children are most likely to become constipated when their routines change — for example, when they shift from pureed to solid foods or start school. Even changes in season can disrupt your child's bowel habits. To recognize the problem early, monitor your child's bowel movements during periods of adjustment to any changes.

Tips for prevention and relief