Symptom

• Less than three bowel movements a week
• Bowel movements that are hard, dry and difficult to pass
• Pain while having a bowel movement
• Stomach pain
• Traces of liquid or pasty stool in your child’s underwear — a sign that stool is backed up in the rectum
• Blood on the surface of hard stool

Causes

Common causes include early toilet training and changes in diet.  Some common diet and lifestyle causes include:

• Diet:- Eating too many foods that are high in fat and low in fiber. These include fast foods, junk foods, and soft drinks.
• Not drinking enough water and other fluids
• Having a change in diet. This includes when babies change from breastmilk to formula, or when they start eating solid foods.
• Lack of exercise
• Children who watch a lot of TV and play video games don’t get enough exercise. Exercise helps move digested food through the intestines.
• Emotional issues
• Not wanting to use public bathrooms. Children may then hold in their bowel movements, causing constipation.
• Busy children
• Some children don’t pay attention to signals that their body gives them to have a bowel movement. This can happen when children are too busy playing. They forget to go to the bathroom.
• Underlying physical problem

In rare cases, constipation can be caused by a larger physical problem. These physical issues can include:

• Problems of the intestinal tract, rectum, or anus
• Nervous system problems, such as cerebral palsy
• Endocrine problems, such as hypothyroidism
• Certain medicines, such as iron supplements, some antidepressants, and narcotics such as codeine