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The factors listed here can increase your child's chances of getting constipation. But keep in mind that even if your child has one of these risk factors, it doesn't mean they will get constipation for sure. It just means your child's more likely to get it than a child who doesn't have the risk factor.

What you child eats or drinks can affect their chance of getting constipation.

• Not drinking enough water and not eating enough high-fiber foods: These things make stools harder, drier and more difficult to push out. However, there isn't any evidence that drinking more water or eating more fiber will ease your child's constipation. (This might be because the right kinds of studies haven't been done yet.) To learn more, see Eating more high-fiber foods.
• Drinking too much milk: If toddlers drink too much they may feel full and not want to eat solid foods. If they don't have enough bulky food in their bowels, they may not get the urge to pass a stool.¹ Some parents think their child's constipation is from an allergy to cow's milk, and there's evidence that this might be the case for some children.² Bottle-fed babies are more likely to get constipated than breastfed babies.
• There's not enough evidence to know whether bottle-fed babies are more likely to get constipated than breastfed babies. But bottle-fed babies may get constipated if they don't drink enough water. And breastfed babies often have delays of many days before passing normal stools.³
• Children who are very overweight (obese) are more likely to have constipation and soiling.⁴

Putting off passing a stool can increase the chances that your child will get constipation. Your child may try to hold in stools because they:

• Had pain when passing a stool⁵
• Have a sore or cracked anus (doctors call this an anal fissure). This can make going to the bathroom hurt
• Don't like smelly bathrooms or bathrooms away from home, and may want to wait until he or she gets home
• Are too busy playing to take a break
• Have a very active imagination, for example, one study found children didn't want to go because they worried their stool would drown.¹

About 1 in 5 children start to hold in stools when they begin potty training.⁶

Taking a vacation, moving or changing schools can trigger constipation in your child. For babies, it can happen with a change from one formula of milk to another.

Not being active enough can make your child's bowels sluggish, so food passes through them more slowly.

Constipation can run in families. This might be because of how the bowels work. In some families, people need to have a lot of stool in their bowels before they feel the urge to go.

Your child can get constipation as a side effect of these medications:

• Painkillers
• Certain cough medications
• Anticonvulsants (drugs to control seizures)
• Antihistamines (drugs for treating allergies)
• Corticosteroids (drugs for treating asthma or other problems with inflammation).

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.