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When your toddler has constipation, it can be upsetting for them and for you. You can feel helpless as they cling to you while crying and screaming in pain.

The good news is that preventing constipation is something you can work towards. Holding a screaming child while she tries to eliminate is not something I thought would be a part of parenthood. However, this scenario took place about once every two days until we asked our pediatrician for advice.

When I searched the internet to find a cure, I discovered that one site would say to avoid bananas while another said to eat them and so on.  Some said wheat caused constipation and others said the fiber in wheat bread could only help. It was exasperating not to know which advice to follow.

Needless to say, I was confused and decided to write about what steps worked for us.

1. Stop Serving Bananas: This food, which has a binding effect in the intestinal tract, should not be eaten by children with constipation troubles. You may already know that bananas form part of the BRAT (bananas – rice – applesauce – toast) diet that is recommended for diarrhea, because these food provide binding properties. You certainly want to encourage foods that will NOT bind such as water, watermelon, canteloupe, whole apples (not applesauce), and most veggies.

2. Stop Serving Wheat: This is a hard one to do, because toddlers love carbohydrates! However, a wheat free diet is completely possible. You can substitute rice or millet bread for wheat bread. Since so many people have gluten allergies, it’s become easier to find wheat free crackers and even cookies! You can also purchase wheat-free soy sauce and plenty of wheat-free flours if you prefer to make your own bread.

3. Encourage Pears and Watermelon: We had a great deal of success by encouraging watermelon. The high water content and fiber helped the toddler constipation situation. The doctor recommended peaches, and that works well, too.

4. Encourage Water: Water is not a food favorite of my toddler, but she’s coming around. I add some into her rice milk, but the doctor suggested we get her to drink it straight. To encourage the process, I’m using bendy straws only for increasing water consumption – anything to make drinking water fun and enjoyable.

5. Eliminate Cheese: Cheese (like bananas) is binding and slows down the digestive process, so cheese is completely out. Cow’s milk and other dairy products should be avoided. About 4 ounces per day of yogurt can be eaten according to our pediatrician.

6. Get Moving!: The process of walking and movement helps digestion. It probably won’t be hard to encourage your toddler to move around – they are always moving! – yet be sure you take some walks or run around after meals. I’ll ask my toddler to go get me something if it seems like she’s trying to eliminate. Every little bit helps.

7. Read a Book: After feeling pain with elimination, your toddler may start to hold it in to avoid the pain. This could cause problems later. An excellent book to read with your toddler is: “It Hurts When I Poop” about a boy named Ryan who hurts when he poops and overcomes it.

With time, and by following these guidelines, your toddler constipation woes should come to an end. It’s still a bit of a battle for us. It takes dedication and patience to heal the situation.