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Constipation in a baby or child: what helps, and when to call
For anyone looking after a baby or child who may be constipated: a parent, a grandparent, a sitter. This page passes on, by name, what five pages of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) say: the signs, why children hold it in, what to give to eat and drink, pausing potty training, why a laxative is not for a child unless a doctor says so, the little those pages say about babies, and the signs that mean a doctor right away. It builds the questions to ask. Take only what you need today.
Right now
- Take your child to a doctor right away if there is constipation and any of these: bleeding from the rectum, blood in the stool, bloating, constant pain in the abdomen, vomiting, or weight loss. That list is NIDDK’s.
- A baby? The pages we pass on give no age and no number of days for a baby. For a baby in the first months of life, call the baby’s provider and ask. That line is ours.
- Do not give a child a laxative unless told to do so by a doctor. That is NIDDK’s line.
- See a doctor if the symptoms last for more than 2 weeks or do not go away with at-home treatment. That is NIDDK’s line too.
- The pages we read give no list of signs for 911 for constipation. NIDDK says that in most cases constipation in children lasts a short time and is not dangerous.
If you cannot reach a provider and you are frightened for your child, go to an emergency room or call 911. That line is ours. This page is not for emergencies.
More help
- Throwing up or diarrhea instead: Vomiting and diarrhea in a baby or child: fluids, and when to call.
- A fever with it: Fever in a baby or child: when to call, and what helps.
- Counting dirty diapers and feeds: Baby log. Writing down what happened and when: Symptom diary.
- A baby who will not stop crying: Crying baby: when the crying won’t stop.
- Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding: when it hurts, or you’re not sure it’s working.
- For a visit: Get ready for your appointment. No insurance: When you need a doctor and can’t pay.
- A newborn at home: Pregnant, or with a new baby.
- An adult who is constipated: Constipation in adults: the signs, what helps, and laxatives.
- All our free tools.
An upset stomach, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for throwing up, diarrhea, heartburn and constipation, on one list.
Looking after a baby or child? The pages on this site for a baby or child, on one list.
Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Hirschsprung disease (a birth defect of the intestine): the signs, the tests, surgery, and after: Hirschsprung disease, a birth defect of the intestine: the signs in a newborn and an older child, enterocolitis, the tests, surgery, and after.
- Chronic diarrhea in children: the signs, dehydration and when to get care right away, the common causes, how doctors find the cause, treatment, and food: a baby, a child or a teen with loose, watery stools for weeks: the signs, dehydration and when to get care right away, the common causes (infections, celiac disease, toddler’s diarrhea, food allergies and intolerances, IBS, IBD), the tests, treatment and food.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor, nurse or pharmacist has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 9, 2026 on niddk.nih.gov, the website of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health: five pages on constipation in children, each read in English and in Spanish: Definition & Facts; Symptoms & Causes; Diagnosis; Treatment; and Eating, Diet, & Nutrition. Each says “Last Reviewed May 2018”, so they are not new. The page says whose words it is passing on, and what is marked “ours” is our own. Changed on October 9, 2026. When this guide was first published, earlier the same day, it also passed on an article from a medical encyclopedia. That article belongs to a company whose notice does not allow its text to be reused, and we should not have used it. We took out every line that came from it: what is usual for a baby by age, why babies strain, the juice amounts and the foods for a baby, the lines about a baby under 2 months and a baby who has gone 3 days without a stool, a second list of signs and a second list of foods to avoid, the lines on stool softeners, suppositories and enemas, and the line about holding back to resist toilet training. We have not found a government page to replace the lines about babies, so that part is now short and says so. The pages give no signs for calling 911 for constipation, and this page does not make any up; the one 911 line is ours and says so. NIDDK lists bloating both as a symptom and as a sign to see a doctor right away, and the page says so. Amounts: the page repeats NIDDK’s grams of fiber a day, in its words, and says that what is right for your child is the provider’s to say. What we left out or did not read: the name of the one product NIDDK names; the amount of every medicine; NIDDK’s figure on how many doctor visits are for constipation; bowel function tests, CT scans and rectal biopsy; how a doctor treats a rectal prolapse; NIDDK’s page on clinical trials; and anything about adults. We called no number. It saves nothing and loads no tracking.