As a loving and caring child care provider, you constantly monitor your students and learn about their health as you fulfill your day. Discovering that one of your students is struggling during potty time because of constipation can be very painful to watch, especially if you don’t have the means to aid their symptoms.
Below are a few tips you can incorporate at daycare to ease potty time and help regulate your child’s bowel.
Use a step stool
Encouraging your child to change the position in which he or she is sitting during potty time is very effective in helping your child have an easy and less painful bowel movement. As soon as you notice that the child is doing his potty dance, indicating his need to go, have the child use a step stool to raise his or her feet and knees as a helpful method to move the colon into the proper position. This method will encourage an easy bowel and help avoid any straining. Ensure that you also involve the parents by communicating with them through Child Journal to get their approval on your plans and ensure that they are ok with the methods you want to incorporate during potty time.
Have them sit on a potty chair
Feeling the urge to visit the potty can be very frightening for a child, especially if they have already experienced the unpleasant splash when sitting on the stall to do their business. Constipation can stem from the fear of these types of uncomfortable moments. And a child may feel hesitant to do his business. Therefore, it’s essential to find ways to dissolve the anxiety that emerges during potty time so that a child doesn’t feel fearful when having to go. Potty chairs are an excellent substitute for toilets, and children who fear the toilet’s splash can find it more comfortable to use, at least until they are emotionally ready to use the bathroom stall.
Incorporate stool softening foods
Sometimes, all it takes to regulate a child’s bowel is to incorporate healthy food items that encourage a natural and easy bowel movement. Fiber-rich cereals and fruits and vegetables with high water content should be incorporated into your child’s daily meals. Talking to the child’s parents is an excellent way to start so you can learn what types of foods can potentially alleviate his or her constipation so that you can offer them at daycare. Once you start noticing some positive changes in the child’s bowel, it’s highly encouraged to note the specific food items that are making a difference and communicate them to the parents so they too can incorporate them at home. A good way to keep them informed of their child’s daily intake is to register the meals through Child Journal, where they can learn the types of food the child consumed, the quantity, and the time the food was served.
Encourage physical movement
Regular physical activity is just as important as eating the right foods and can activate the digestive system to support one’s bowel. Ensure that you are incorporating activities into your lesson plans that encourage your littles to move around. Set some time for them to dance, jog, or even jump around to help stimulate the need to visit the potty. Ensure that you are registering the child’s regimen on Child Journal for parents to refer to when answering questions about the child’s intake and activities in the event of a doctor visit.
Constipation is a very debilitating and troubling condition, and it can hinder both a child’s health and education, but a few changes in lifestyle and eating habits can go a long way in decreasing the symptoms to raise a happier and healthier child.