Constipation
Constipation in Kids: Why Miralax Isn’t the Only Answer
What’s Normal—And What’s Not
Let’s get clear on one thing: daily bowel movements are normal. Sure, the occasional missed day isn’t the end of the world, but when your child is going days without pooping—or worse, when you’re told that your exclusively breastfed baby can go a week without a bowel movement because “breast milk is just that efficient”—that’s not okay. Just because something is common doesn’t mean it’s normal.
Anyone who has had a baby go that long between bowel movements knows that they aren’t happy and relaxed!
And if you’ve been told to just wait it out (“they’ll grow out of it”) or manage it with medication, we’re here to challenge that narrative and give you a real solution.
You’ve Tried It All—So Why Is Nothing Working?
Most of the parents we meet at Thrive have already done a lot. Maybe you’ve cleaned up your child’s diet, removed dairy or gluten, increased hydration, added fiber, and tried probiotics or magnesium. When none of this was working you may have even resorted to Miralax or Ex-Lax and all of their not-so-fun side effects.
But despite all that effort, your child is still struggling.
All of these approaches seek to address the symptom of constipation without addressing the underlying root cause! While making sure our kids are eating a healthy diet is important, there’s often more to the story.
The Hidden Cause: Nervous System Stress
Here’s what’s rarely talked about: for many kids, constipation has a neurological root. When the nervous system is stuck in a state of stress—what is called the “fight or flight” mode—digestion shuts down.
Think about it: if your body thinks it’s running from a bear, it’s not going to stop to digest lunch or have a bowel movement! It’s going to divert all energy to survival.
Even though kids aren’t actually running from a bear, we see this stress affect them all the time. Kids dealing with constipation are often also navigating things like anxiety, sensory challenges, emotional dysregulation, or even developmental delays. These issues are connected by the same underlying thread: a stressed, dysregulated nervous system.
How Chiropractic Can Help
Our job at Thrive isn’t just to manage symptoms—it’s to help kids thrive by getting to the root cause.
Using safe and non-invasive scans we assess your child’s nervous system to see if it’s stuck in stress mode. If it is, we create a customized care plan that uses gentle pediatric chiropractic adjustments to bring that system back into balance—back into rest, digest, and healing mode.
The result? Poop happens. Regularly.
But that’s not all! The “side effects” of chiropractic are immune system improvements, calmer behaviors, better sleep, and increased emotional resilience. When a child’s nervous system is functioning the way it’s designed to, everything works better.
Your Child Deserves More Than Symptom Management
We don’t believe constipation is caused by a lack of Miralax in your child’s body. We believe they were created to function at a high level—and when their nervous system is in balance, it can do exactly that.
If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of trial-and-error—switching diets, trying supplements, relying on medications—it might be time for a new approach. Let’s help them move out of survival mode, and into a life of ease, health, and regular wins (yes, even in the bathroom).
Contact our team today to schedule your child’s consultation and scans!
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