How My Client Fixed Her Toddler’s Constipation Without Supplements or Cutting Out Dairy

Has your baby or toddler ever seemed uncomfortable, gone days without pooping, or struggled with constipation, and you’ve been left wondering if there’s something deeper going on than just a digestive issue?

If you’ve ever been told to immediately start a medication, cut out dairy, or eliminate foods from your child’s diet without really understanding why constipation is happening in the first place, you’re not alone. Constipation is one of the most common concerns parents bring up, but many families are never given the full picture of what may be contributing to the problem.

In this episode, Kathy shares a real client story that highlights why constipation is often about more than what needs to be removed from a child’s diet. She explains how nutrition is frequently about adding the right supports, identifying underlying nutrient gaps, and addressing the root cause rather than relying on quick fixes alone.

Tune in to hear:

• Why constipation is one of the most common concerns parents face with babies and toddlers
• The problem with relying on quick fixes before understanding the root cause
• Why nutrition is often about adding support rather than removing foods
• How growth concerns can unintentionally create stress around eating
• The connection between food variety and digestive health
• Why feeding pressure can contribute to mealtime struggles over time
• How limited food choices can create nutrient gaps that affect digestion
• The role hydration plays in supporting regular bowel movements
• Why constipation may be a symptom of a larger feeding pattern
• How nervous system regulation impacts a toddler’s willingness to eat and try new foods
• The vicious cycle many families unknowingly get stuck in when growth becomes the primary focus
• Why cutting out dairy is not always the answer for constipation
• How increasing food variety can improve both digestion and nutrition
• The importance of creating sustainable feeding habits instead of temporary solutions
• A real-life success story of improving constipation, growth, and mealtimes without supplements or medication

Masterclass link: https://angelic-brook-71978.myflodesk.com/zd9xyfb4bn

Connect with Kathy:

IG: @theminimedietitian

Website: https://theminimedietitian.com/ 

Watch my FREE 60-minute Masterclass: The 5 Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Toddler's Nutrition (and what to do instead)

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi there, welcome back to Food for Taught. Today I'm going to talk about something that I see a lot in practice with babies and toddlers, and that is constipation. Just as a general disclaimer, information shared in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes and does not replace individual recommendations that may be necessary for your child. So as a pediatric dietitian, I talk a lot about poop. All about it. Colors, shapes, textures. There is literally nothing that feels TMI to me. And a common struggle that I hear from parents and work on frequently with my clients is constipation. And what I hear most often is parents being told as a simple solution, right out of the gate, to start Miralax or start a medication. And a lot of times the recommendation that comes right after that is cut out dairy, or we're starting to look at what we need to take out of the diet when a lot of times what we actually need is more things added in. And that's what I want to talk about today, is because nutrition for little ones is so much more about what's needed than what should be avoided. That's something I say a lot. And treatment for constipation is a prime example of that. So often I'm hearing doctors or Google or Chat GPT, right? People are telling me all the avenues that they're going down to get answers or get solutions for their little ones. And a lot of times the answer is to cut this out or stop this. When in reality, what we need is a better picture of what's going on in the full diet so that we can address the root cause and fix the root cause of it in a way that then you have sustainable habits to continue on moving forward. So instead of a quick fix, we're looking at a long-term solution. And this is exactly what I was able to do for a client of mine who came to me actually out of growth concerns for her little one, not even primarily for constipation, but we were also able to fix her constipation after realizing that that was a contributing factor to her growth struggles and improve her growth without supplements, medications, or cutting out dairy because we were able to put the focus on specific nutrition strategies that were actually going to address that root cause and fix the problem. So I think it is truly so cool how our little ones and our own bodies give us signals that nutrition either is or is not where it should be. And this is a prime example of that. And that's exactly why I want to share this story with you today because these are the kinds of examples that just give us proof that okay, looking to a deeper root cause oftentimes is the true solution that we need and is going to actually give us long-term habits to help down the road. So my client, when she came to me, her daughter was 19 months old, and she was all consumed by her growth chart. Her daughter's entire life, she had kind of been preached at that she was on the low end of her growth chart, and growth needed to be her primary focus. So she had gotten to this place of making multiple meals every day just to get her toddler to eat something. There was a lot of pressure around getting enough calories in. And as a result, she was making the same foods on repeat. It felt like she was feeding her toddler all day long because anytime there was any remote interest in food, she was like, Yes, please eat so we can get the calories in. But mom was totally exhausted by food. She felt like she was just surviving day to day and knew she needed more variety in her diet, that her daughter needed more variety in her diet, but she also felt so restricted because she just needed to get calories in her body so that she could grow. So her goals when we started working together were to help her daughter to explore more foods, to increase that variety, for mom to not feel so stressed at mealtimes and to be able to have enjoyable family meals together while also supporting her daughter to have a long-term healthy relationship with food. Because the focus had been so much on her growth chart her entire life, her mom felt like they didn't have the joy of eating, that her daughter was just always kind of being forced or pressured to eat so that she could grow. And they weren't even able to focus on things like constipation that had been happening because all of the focus was just on getting her to eat and kind of surviving. So when we started working together, we were able to uncover and discover together through my framework all of the different layers that were actually impacting her little one. And constipation was one of those underlying factors, and it was caused by the vicious cycle that they were stuck in. And let me be very clear that this vicious cycle was nobody's fault. She did not set out to be in this, she was truly just doing what she knew how to do to get her daughter the nutrition that she needed and help her to grow and thrive. And so often I see this with my clients, with other families. I hear it all the time. And mom's intentions for their little ones are so good. We want our babies to be healthy, to get the nutrition that they need, to grow and thrive. But a lot of times the habits that end up being created out of those really good intentions can actually cause us to create nutrient gaps or to get stuck in cycles that we never intended to be in. So mom was anxious and worried about growth. She was sticking to what she knew her daughter would eat to get calories in, and as a result, this had limited the variety of foods she was willing to eat. So anytime mom was trying to introduce new foods or try to get her to eat a wider variety of foods, there were huge meltdowns, there was a lot of food refusal. At the end of the day, she didn't need to cut out dairy or start a medication to improve her daughter's pooping habits. What she needed was a way to break the cycle that she was stuck in. She needed a way to regulate her little one's nervous system at the table, to have a supportive method to increase variety in her daughter's diet, and someone to hold her accountable through all of the changes. Because anyone who has fed a toddler before knows that making change is not easy, but it is possible. So today, after working through my framework, her toddler is now pooping regularly, trying new foods on a regular basis, eating foods from all food groups. Her hydration has improved. And we did it all without supplements, medication, or cutting out dairy. And I share this because I know how defeating it can feel to be told something is normal when you're watching your baby or your little one be uncomfortable or struggle to gain weight and it feels like you're failing. I want you to know that you are not failing and there is more support for you. If you want to learn more about my proven framework and the specific nutrition strategies I use with my clients to improve digestion, moods, growth, and meal times, I'm going to link my free 60 minute masterclass in the show notes below. When you register and watch the replay, you'll learn the five everyday habits that could be getting in the way of your toddler's nutrition and exactly what you can do to start fixing them today. Thanks so much for tuning in, and I'll see you next time.