Canossa Hospital (Caritas)
Wellness Letter

Babies who are breast fed tend to pass bowel movements more often than babies who are fed on formula do. By about two years of age, most children pass one bowel movement every day. 95% of children who are two or older pass between one bowel movement every other day and two bowel movements a day.

What causes constipation?

  1. 1) In young infants, a severe case of diaper rash may cause some small tears or rips to develop at the anus. These are called anal fissures. These rips can be extremely painful. Older children may develop anal fissures following diarrhea or when they pass a very large bowel movement that forces the anal sphincter to open too wide. While anal fissures are not dangerous, they can be extremely painful and are often associated with some bleeding with bowel movements. This can be very frightening for parents and children alike.

  2. In young infants, when their diet changes from breast milk to formula, or from formula to cow's milk, their bowel movements often become much harder. The same thing often happens in older children when they begin eating solid foods.

  3. As toddlers go through toilet training, they may hold back too long causing their bowel movements to become large and/or hard. The same thing may occur when children enter pre-school or kindergarten because many children will not go to the bathroom at school.

All of above mentioned factors can cause the child holding their bowel movements. The intestine absorbs salt and water. The longer time the stool holds in the bowel, the bigger and harder the stool will be. Eventually, the child will pass a bowel movement, but it often is very large and very hard, so there will be lots of pain. The pain will just reinforce the child's fear of passing bowel movements so the problem will go on and on and on and on¡º