Free guide · Scarlet Beast En español →
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 MedlinePlus and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) say: what is normal for a baby, the signs, why children hold it in, what to give to eat and drink, pausing potty training, why a laxative or an enema is not for a child unless a provider says so, and the signs that mean a call to the doctor. 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 who has gone 3 days without a stool and is vomiting or irritable? MedlinePlus says to contact your child’s provider right away. It makes an exception for babies who are only breastfed.
- A baby younger than 2 months who is constipated? MedlinePlus says to contact your child’s provider.
- Do not give a child a laxative or an enema without first asking your child’s provider. That is MedlinePlus’s line, and NIDDK says you should not give a child a laxative unless told to do so by a doctor.
- A baby who strains, cries and turns red is not always constipated. MedlinePlus says babies tend to do this because their abdominal muscles are weak, and that if bowel movements are soft, then there is likely no problem.
- 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.
- All our free tools.
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 two government websites, every page in English and in Spanish. On MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, one page of its Medical Encyclopedia: Constipation in infants and children (reviewed July 31, 2024). On niddk.nih.gov, five pages on constipation in children: Definition & Facts; Symptoms & Causes; Diagnosis; Treatment; and Eating, Diet, & Nutrition; each says “Last Reviewed May 2018”, so they are older than the MedlinePlus page. The page says whose words it is passing on, and what is marked “ours” is our own. 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. Where the sources differ, the page gives each: NIDDK counts fewer than two bowel movements a week, and MedlinePlus less than 3 (for children); NIDDK puts blood in the stool under seeing a doctor right away, and MedlinePlus under contacting the provider; NIDDK lists bloating both as a symptom and as a sign to see a doctor right away; the two lists of foods to avoid are not the same; and MedlinePlus’s English page says “non-breastfeeding infants” where its Spanish page says a baby fed by bottle. Amounts: the page repeats MedlinePlus’s amount of fruit juice for a baby over 2 months and NIDDK’s grams of fiber a day, in their 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 every product (the pages name a stool softener, laxatives, an oil, and kinds of suppository and enema); 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; MedlinePlus’s two patient pages (what to ask your doctor, and high-fiber foods); and anything about adults. We called no number. It saves nothing and loads no tracking.