simple>
Have your child sit on the toilet for a few minutes after each meal.Give your child rewards for sitting on the toilet, whether he or she has a bowel movement or not.Keep track of when your child has bowel movements (figure 3) " “ This gives you and the doctor more information on any problems.Stay positive and calm, even if your child still has fecal incontinence sometimes " “ Avoid scolding your child. This can be stressful and make the problem worse.
If another medical condition is causing fecal incontinence, doctors can find and treat it. If stress is the cause, good bowel habits can help. ‚
Ask your doctor if some simple diet changes could help your child. For example, it might help to: ‚
- Give your child more fruit, vegetables, cereal, and other foods with fiber (table 1)
- Avoid milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream
- Make sure your child drinks plenty of water
But if your child has fecal incontinence, making diet changes alone probably won't fix the problem. ‚
Can fecal incontinence in children be prevented? " ” If constipation or stressful situations are the cause, you can reduce your child's chances of getting fecal incontinence again. You can: ‚
- Give your child any medicines the doctor prescribes, exactly as directed.
- Make sure your child keeps up good bowel habits.
- Be patient. It can take several months or longer for children to get over fecal incontinence.
If the doctor or nurse prescribes laxatives, don't stop giving them to your child without asking the doctor. Some parents worry that laxatives are not safe or will cause problems for their child in the future. But the fact is, laxatives prescribed for children are very safe. Stopping them too early could make fecal incontinence come back or get worse. ‚
All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. ‚
This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. ‚
Topic 86715 Version 2.0 ‚
Release: 22.8 - C22.206 ‚
‚ © 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. ‚
figure 1
Constipation and bowel retraining
Encopresis (fecal incontinence) in children is when a toilet-trained child often has bowel movements in the wrong place. Constipation is the most common cause. This diagram shows how constipation can make bowel movements build up and how treatment works.
Graphic 69473 Version 4.0
View Originalfigure 1
Constipation and bowel retraining
Encopresis (fecal incontinence) in children is when a toilet-trained child often has bowel movements in the wrong place. Constipation is the most common cause. This diagram shows how constipation can make bowel movements build up and how treatment works.
Graphic 69473 Version 4.0
View Original
figure 2
Anatomy of the urinary tract in children
These drawings show the parts of the urinary tract in a girl and a boy. Urine is made by the kidneys. It passes from the kidneys into the bladder through two tubes called the ureters. Then it leaves the bladder through another tube, called the urethra.
Graphic 65630 Version 4.0
View Originalfigure 2
Anatomy of the urinary tract in children
These drawings show the parts of the urinary tract in a girl and a boy. Urine is made by the kidneys. It passes from the kidneys into the bladder through two tubes called the ureters. Then it leaves the bladder through another tube, called the urethra.
Graphic 65630 Version 4.0
View Original
figure 3
Stool diary (sample)
Graphic 67114 Version 1.0
View Originalfigure 3
Stool diary (sample)
Graphic 67114 Version 1.0
View Original
‚
table 1Amount of fiber in different foodsView Largetable 1Amount of fiber in different foods
Food
Serving
Grams of fiber
Fruits
Apple (with skin)
1 medium apple
4.4
Banana
1 medium banana
3.1
Oranges
1 orange
3.1
Prunes
1 cup, pitted
12.4
Juices
Apple, unsweetened, w/added ascorbic acid
1 cup
0.5
Grapefruit, white, canned, sweetened
1 cup
0.2
Grape, unsweetened, w/added ascorbic acid
1 cup
0.5
Orange
1 cup
0.7
Vegetables
Cooked
Green beans
1 cup
4.0
Carrots
1/2 cup sliced
2.3
Peas
1 cup
8.8
Potato (baked, with skin)
1 medium potato
3.8
Raw
Cucumber (with peel)
1 cucumber
1.5
Lettuce
1 cup shredded
0.5
Tomato
1 medium tomato
1.5
Spinach
1 cup
0.7
Legumes
Baked beans, canned, no salt added
1 cup
13.9
Kidney beans, canned
1 cup
13.6
Lima beans, canned
1 cup
11.6
Lentils, boiled
1 cup
15.6
Breads, pastas, flours
Bran muffins
1 medium muffin
5.2
Oatmeal, cooked
1 cup
4.0
White bread
1 slice
0.6
Whole-wheat bread
1 slice
1.9
Pasta and rice, cooked
Macaroni
1 cup
2.5
Rice, brown
1 cup
3.5
Rice, white
1 cup
0.6
Spaghetti (regular)
1 cup
2.5
Nuts
Almonds
1/2 cup
8.7
Peanuts
1/2 cup
7.9
To learn how much fiber and other nutrients are in different foods, visit the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.
Graphic 52349 Version 3.0
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you.The use of UpToDate content is governed by the UpToDate Terms of Use. ‚ ©2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. ‚
Copyright
‚ © 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. ‚