8 Ways To Naturally Help Your Child Poop.
When your toddler hasn’t pooped in three days, and you’ve tried everything —prune juice, dried fruit, probiotics, laxatives— and they just aren’t working, it’s hard not to feel frustrated. You know they’re running around plenty, eating a healthy diet, but the discomfort is written all over their face.
And you’re left wondering, “What else can I do to help them?”
If you turn to the internet, the usual solutions will pop up: fiber, water, exercise. But what happens when you’ve done it all, and your little one is still struggling to go?
I’m not going to tell you to keep trying the same old remedies. There’s another, often overlooked approach that can provide relief—osteopathy.
Osteopathy is a gentle way to assess your child’s body and figure out what is causing their constipation. It’s not invasive, and it respects their body autonomy.
Elimination 101
So what’s going on when your child is constipated? A lot of other online articles will look at lifestyle factors, but we can also look to our anatomy to understand constipation. Let’s look at the digestive system, and some of the surrounding structures.
The Lower half of our GI tract:
Let’s skip the top half of the digestive system and jump in when the food leaves the stomach.
From the stomach the food, now called chyme, travels through the small intestine. In the small intestine our body absorbs carbs, protein, fats, and other nutrients.
From there it passes through the ileocecal junction to the large intestine.
In the large intestine our body absorbs water, electrolytes, and vitamins out of the digested chyme. It now starts to look a lot more like poop.
From the large intestine the feces makes its way to the rectum.
Now that we know all the main players, let's have a quick look at how we poop.
Parasympathetic Nervous System:
Meet our parasympathetic nervous system. You may be familiar with it already, it is the part of our nervous system that is responsible for resting and digesting. The parasympathetic nervous system is the counterbalance to our stress (sympathetic) system.
The parasympathetic nervous system stimulates peristalsis and bowel movements. Peristalsis is the rhythmic contractions of the intestinal muscles, and it’s crucial for moving waste through our intestines.
The parasympathetic nervous system also communicates with our muscles, including with our pelvic floor and anal sphincters.
Some of the nerves of our parasympathetic nervous system are found around our sacrum, or the very end of our spine. (this will be important later!)
Stress (or how we don’t poop):
Stress activates our sympathetic nervous system. You may have heard of the “fight or flight” response. When this system is activated it tells our bodies that it’s not safe to defecate!
At Home Tips
The location of the parasympathetic nerves are a big reason why people say you should get your little one running around if they are constipated. The movement of their legs and hips can help activate the pelvic parasympathetic nerves. But! Vigorous exercise can also activate our sympathetic nervous system! This is why not all exercise is equally effective when trying to help your kiddo poop.
If you have already tried getting your little one running around, try getting them to do slow calming movements.
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Either sit in a comfortable position, or get into a cozy child's pose.
Take a slow breath in through your nose. Imagine the air filling up your legs and pelvis.
Gently, let all the air out.
Repeat til you feel quiet and calm.
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Sit on floor with the bottoms of your feet together
Bend your chest forward and to the right
Keep rolling til you are on your back! Then keep rolling till you back on your bum!
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Lay on your back
Bend your knees towards your belly
Hold on to your feet
You can rock side to side, or try gently straightening one leg at time
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Start lying on your back.
Hug both your knees into your chest.
Gentle drop your knees to the floor to the right.
Stretch your arms out wide, and look away from your knees.
Take some deep breaths here, then switch sides.
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Step your feet apart
Bend your knees and place your hands on the floor between your feet
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Lay on your back, bend both your knees
Open your feet wide
Let both your knees drop in the same direction
Bring them back to centre, and drop them the other direction
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Start standing, hold on to something! A wall, a chair, or a parent!
Lift one leg up in front of you
Then let it drop down to the ground, keep your leg swinging til its behind you!
Then let it drop again, this time keep it moving til its in front of you!
Keep this swinging motion going
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This can be done sitting, or even on the toilet!
Take a nice breath in, then on the exhale hum like a bumble bee!
Try to aim for a nice low relaxed tone.
Standing leg swings, squats, and humming on the toilet are my go to when I’m feeling slow!
Supporting your child’s parasympathetic nervous system can be a game-changer when it comes to relieving constipation. Slow deep breathing and humming are a great place to start, they activate the parasympathetic nervous system and promote relaxation and happy gut motility. The gentle yoga poses I’ve suggested encourage relaxation, massage the abdomen (and intestines), and stimulate the pelvic parasympathetic nerves. All these tips encourage your child to let go of built-up tension and allow for a more comfortable bathroom experience.
If your child’s constipation persists despite your best efforts, consider osteopathic treatment. Osteopathy can help address any deeper structural imbalances that may be impacting their digestive system, improving overall function and comfort.
Most importantly, trust yourself—you’re doing a great job supporting your child’s well-being. With patience, parasympathetic-friendly exercises, and maybe a bit of osteopathic support, relief is possible.
Have questions about elimination, gut health, or constipation?
Shoot me an email or book an appointment!
