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When your kid won't 'go': Managing Childhood Constipation

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When your kid won't 'go': Managing Childhood Constipation

Constipation is a common childhood problem. It happens often at two points early in a child's life. The first time is generally around the time when baby starts eating solid foods and starts to shift from a full fluid diet to having milk/formula and solids. The second time it commonly occurs is around toilet training. Sometimes children don't like the experience of toilet training, start to hold their bowel movements, thereby causing constipation. Beyond these two more common times, constipation unfortunately, can strike at any point.

The Importance of Iron: Powering Your Child’s Growth and Brain Development

Iron is more than just a mineral; it’s the fuel that keeps your child’s body moving and their brain growing. As an essential component of hemoglobin—the protein in red blood cells that gives blood its color—iron is responsible for carrying oxygen to every muscle, organ, and brain cell.

When iron levels drop, hemoglobin declines, and the body’s delivery system slows down. This can lead to iron-deficiency anemia, a condition where red blood cells become small and pale, leaving your child feeling depleted.

Signs of Iron-Deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency can be sneaky. Because it happens over time, the signs are often subtle. Watch for:

  • Physical changes: Pale skin, especially around the fingernails, lips, or the lining of the eyelids.

  • Behavioral changes: Increased irritability, fatigue, or difficulty paying attention.

  • Growth & Appetite: A noticeably low appetite or difficulty gaining weight.

 

Iron Requirements: The 6-Month Shift

Healthy, full-term babies are born with a "savings account" of iron gifted from their mothers in the third trimester. For the first six months, breastmilk or iron-fortified formula provides exactly what they need.

However, around 6 months of age, those natural reserves begin to deplete. This is why current health guidelines emphasize that first foods must be iron-rich. Delaying solids beyond 6 months significantly increases the risk of deficiency during a period of rapid brain development.

Age DRI for Iron

0-6 months: 0.27 mg

7-12 months: 11 mg

1-3 years: 7 mg

4-8 years: 10 mg

9-13 years: 8 mg

14-18 years: 15 mg (females)
11 mg (males)

 Heme vs. Non-Heme Iron: What’s the Difference?

Not all iron is created equal. To help your child meet their daily goals, it helps to understand the two types of iron found in food:

  1. Heme Iron (Animal-Based): Found in meat, poultry, and fish. This is "high-efficiency" iron; it is highly bioavailable, meaning the body absorbs it easily.

  2. Non-Heme Iron (Plant-Based): Found in beans, lentils, fortified cereals, and leafy greens. This iron is a bit "shyer"—it binds with other nutrients, making it harder for the body to absorb. If your child follows a vegetarian or vegan diet, they may need to consume nearly twice the DRI to ensure they are absorbing enough.

 

Pro-Tip: The Vitamin C "Key"

You can actually "unlock" plant-based iron by pairing it with Vitamin C. Vitamin C breaks down the bonds in non-heme iron, making it much easier to absorb.

  • Try this: Serve lentil pasta (iron) with a squeeze of lemon or tomato sauce (Vitamin C).

  • Try this: Offer iron-fortified oatmeal (iron) with mashed strawberries (Vitamin C).

 

Iron-Rich Foods to Add to Your Grocery List

To ensure your child is hitting those 11mg (for infants) or 7mg (for toddlers) targets, aim for a variety of these sources:

Top Tier (Heme, best absorption):

  • Beef: Ground, slow-cooked strips, or thin patties.

  • Poultry: Dark meat chicken or turkey (moist and easier to chew).

  • Fish: Salmon, sardines (mashed), or white fish (ensure no bones).

  • Eggs: Well-cooked omelet strips or hard-boiled and mashed.

Top Tier (Non-Heme):

  • Lentils & Beans: Red lentils (they mush easily), black beans, or chickpeas.

  • Tofu: Firm tofu cut into "fingers" or silken tofu mixed into purées.

  • Nut Butters: Peanut, almond, or cashew butter thinned with water or yogurt (never serve thick or by the spoonful).

A Note on Cow's Milk

While cow's milk is a childhood staple, too much can actually cause iron deficiency. Cow's milk is low in iron and can fill a child up so they don't eat iron-rich solids. Furthermore, it can interfere with iron absorption. Limit cow's milk to no more than 16–24 oz (500–750 ml) per day for toddlers over 12 months.

First Fruit and Vegetable Purees

When the time came to introduce solids to my son, I was excited about all the different foods I would get to expose him to. However for many busy parents, adding this to their list of daily tasks isn’t always viewed as an exciting one.

We all want what's best for our children, but sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. I can relate! When my son was only eating a couple tablespoons of food each day, the added “meal prep” that he required really wasn’t much. However, this didn’t last long for my little foodie. Very quickly his intake increased and we went from one small meal to two pretty significant meals each day (and then increased further from there). As a dietitian mom, I know the importance of giving variety and frequent exposure to children starting solids, so preparing just a handful of foods wasn’t an option any longer.

Enter my short cuts!

I chose to use some frozen fruits and vegetables for a few reasons. Frozen foods are often overlooked when in fact, can be more nutritious options than fresh, when those foods are not in season. Fruits and vegetables that are available in a frozen format are picked when ripe then flash frozen to retain nutrition (and flavour!). For some of my simple, single purees, I thawed the frozen foods in the fridge, added water and/or cooked the foods to help soften them, then purred them until a nice, smooth consistency was reached in my vitamix. I did this on weekends when I had some extra help at home, so my son would be entertained while I got some meal prep done. My shortcuts allowed me to add more variety to my son’s fruit and veggie rotation, and the whole process could be finished in a couple hours.

We hope you and your kiddos enjoy some of our favourite recipes!

Coconut-Mango Puree

Author: Andrea Carpenter, RD

Recipe Type: Baby Food; Sides, Snacks, and Apps

Serving: 8

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup coconut water or coconut milk

  • 2 cups frozen mango, thawed with juices

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Allow the frozen mango to thaw, and add the mango with the juices to a blender. Add plain water, coconut water, or coconut milk to the blender and puree until smooth.

  2. Store in glass air-tight containers for 3 days in the fridge.

Berry-Banana Puree

Author: Andrea Carpenter, RD

Recipe Type: Baby Food; Sides, Snacks, and Apps

Serving: 8

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 2 cups frozen strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry, thawed with juices

  • 1 medium ripe banana

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Allow the frozen berries to thaw, and add the berries with the juices to a blender. Add plain water to the blender, a ripe banana. Puree until smooth.

  2. Store in glass air-tight containers for 3 days in the fridge.

Coconut-Butternut Squash Puree

Author: Andrea Carpenter, RD

Recipe Type: Baby Food; Sides, Snacks,
and Apps

Serving: 8

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup coconut milk

  • 2 cups frozen butternut squash, thawed

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Allow the frozen butternut squash to thaw. Bring to a heat in a small saucepan and cook until heated through and tender. About 5 minutes.

  2. Add coconut milk to the blender and puree until smooth.

  3. Store in glass air-tight containers for 3 days in the fridge.