Why Does Constipation Impact Eating? A Guide for Parents
Constipation is a common concern among kiddos and can significantly affect their eating habits and overall well-being. If your child is dealing with hard, infrequent, or painful stools, it can affect not only their digestion but also their appetite, energy, and overall opinion of food.
Let’s break it down and talk about why constipation impacts eating and how you can help get things moving…literally!
Understanding the Link Between Constipation and Eating Habits
Several factors connect constipation to changes in children's eating behaviors, including:
Appetite Suppression: When stool builds up in the intestines, it can cause bloating and discomfort, leading to a decreased desire to eat.
Association of Eating with Pain: If a child experiences pain during bowel movements, they may begin to associate eating with discomfort, potentially leading to food avoidance.
Selective Eating: Some children may refuse certain foods they associate with constipation. Or, they choose to eat less fiber-rich foods because they don't taste as good as beige crunchy carbs. This can result in an unbalanced diet and make the issue worse.
How to Help Relieve Constipation Through Diet and Lifestyle
The good news is constipation can be manageable with a few key changes in diet and daily habits. Here’s what can help:
1. Increase Fiber Intake for Picky Eaters
Fiber is your gut’s best friend! It helps keep things moving through the digestive tract and prevents stool from getting too hard. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this easy rule of thumb:
"Your child's age + 5 grams" of fiber per day (for kids 3 and older).
To help your child get enough fiber, try incorporating these fiber-rich foods into their meals and snacks:
Opt for whole wheat bread, pasta, and cereals, when possible (and tolerated)
Beans and lentils (or bean/lentil pasta)
Brown rice
Oatmeal
Chia seeds
Vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, green beans, and bell peppers
Fruits with edible skins, like apples, pears, and berries
Nuts and seeds (age-appropriate to avoid choking)
Pureed fruits & veggies
Canned pumpkin
Avocado/Guacamole
Smoothies
Here’s a recipe for a high-fiber avocado chocolate mousse!
Tip: Make fiber fun! Try pairing veggies with a tasty dip (like hummus or ranch), or dress up whole wheat toast with a favorite topping like peanut butter and banana.
2. Ensure Adequate Hydration
Water helps fiber do its thing by softening stool and making it easier to pass. However, chasing your kid around the house with a water bottle is not effective, practical, nor enjoyable for anyone. If your child needs a little extra motivation to stay hydrated, try making it a fun and engaging experience with these creative ideas:
- Cheers
Some kids LOVE clinking cups together to “cheers” before taking a sip of water. This is one of my BEST tips to getting kids to enjoy drinking water again, and it’s super cute when toddlers come running across the house to “cheers” you before taking a drink.
- Let Them Pick a Fun Cup
Take your child to the store and let them choose a special water bottle or cup with their favorite character, color, or design. When they have a cup they love, they’ll be more excited to use it!
- Use Silly Straws
Curly, twisty, or light-up straws can turn an ordinary drink of water into a fun adventure. The sillier, the better! It can also help with oral motor skills because the more twists/bends in a straw, the more resistance, the more a child needs to exercise their cheek muscles to draw the water up. Bonus!
- Flavor It Naturally with “Spa Water”
Give water a little flair by adding slices of cucumber, lemon, berries, or mint. Experiment with different combinations to find flavors your child enjoys.
- Freeze Water into Popsicles
Make hydration feel like a treat by freezing water, coconut water, or even coconut milk blended with fruit or other mix-ins into fun popsicle molds. This is a great way to encourage water intake, especially on hot days. It also doesn’t feel like “drinking” to them. Coconut milk + mango is a personal favorite!
- Hydration Doesn’t Mean Just Water
On that note - hydration doesn’t necessarily need to mean “water”. Every food we eat or drink that contains fluid - think cucumber, watermelon, pouches/purees, soups, juice, milk, smoothies, etc - is contributing to hydration!
3. Regular Physical Activity
Physical movement helps stimulate intestinal motility, reducing the risk of constipation. Encourage active play, such as running, jumping, or dancing. The more they move, the more their gut does, too! This is partly why we use “bicycle legs” when babies who cannot walk are constipated.
4. Consider a stool test
If your child struggles with constipation, a stool test can help uncover the why. Here at Nourished Pediatrics, we use microbiome testing through Vibrant America to look at the balance of bacteria in your child’s gut. Sometimes, constipation is linked to an imbalance called dysbiosis — when there aren’t enough helpful bacteria, or there’s an overgrowth of certain microbes, it can actually slow things down. Slower motility = more chance for water to be absorbed = harder to pass stool.
This test looks at hundreds of gut microbes and checks for signs of inflammation, food sensitivities, and digestion issues. With this information, we can create a targeted plan with supplements (probiotics, fiber, enzymes, herbs) to support your child’s gut health and get things moving again, naturally and effectively (and ideally - WITHOUT Miralax). Learn more about our approach and to see a sample test here.
When to Seek Professional Help
If constipation persists despite these interventions or if symptoms include severe abdominal pain, blood in the stool, or unexpected weight changes, consult a pediatrician or registered dietitian for a tailored treatment plan. Danielle is also a Certified Gastrointestinal Nutritionist!
As a Pediatric Registered Dietitian + Certified Gastrointestinal Nutritionist, I help families navigate constipation and other GI challenges every day. At Nourished Pediatrics, I create personalized, effective solutions to support your child’s digestive health so they can feel their best!
Schedule your initial evaluation today and take the first step toward relief! www.nourishedpediatrics.com/apply
Written by Taylor Katz, Dietetic Intern, BS Nutrition Science, MS/DI Viterbo University
Edited & reviewed by Danielle Zold, RD, LDN, CLC, CGN
References
Easing your child’s constipation. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: eatright.org. Accessed March 20, 2025.
Philadelphia TCH of. Food as medicine: Food therapy for constipation. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Accessed March 20, 2025.
Colleen Sloan P-C. Beyond laxatives: Modern dietary approaches for managing childhood constipation. Contemporary Pediatrics. January 14, 2025. Accessed March 20, 2025.
How to add more fiber to your diet. Mayo Clinic. December 11, 2024. Accessed March 20, 2025.
Eating, diet, & Nutrition for constipation - NIDDK. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Accessed March 20, 2025.
