Potty training nutrition + how to make pooping easier for toddlers

Need two quick tips to help your constipated, potty training kiddo?

1. Help them drink more water with some new silly straws.
2. Add pears, kiwis, or peaches daily until they are pooping on a regular schedule.

Want more tips and tricks (plus some nutrition science behind it) to add to your potty training methods?  Then read on! 👇 Want a FREE video course about constipation in kids? Check that out HERE on YouTube.

In this article, I will answer:

• Why is nutrition important during potty training?
• What foods should you include in your child’s diet to help keep them “regular”?
• Why does my picky eater struggle with potty training?  And what should you do about it?
• Can potty training cause constipation?
• How much fiber should my kid be eating?
• How much water should my kid be drinking?
• What are magical poop fruits and why should I have them on hand? 

Keep in mind: A kiddo’s poop habits are determined by a large number of factors, including fiber intake, water intake, and picky eating habits.  And, when you’re dealing with a process that can sometimes be… well… shitty, you want to optimize your potty training methods as much as possible.  So let’s dive into these nutrition factors that influence a child’s poop habits, and what you can do to optimize it during potty training.

Why does fiber help you poop?

Fiber is a magical nutrient, and my personal favorite of all the carbohydrates.  It’s nature’s broom.  And it’s found in lots of fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains.  Fiber is also a very important part of a child’s diet.  It helps regulate bowel movements, supports the development of a healthy gut microbiome, is often accompanied by lots of awesome vitamins and minerals, and helps keep those little tummies full until their next snack or meal.

Fiber rich foods can be found in fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Getting a variety of these foods into your kiddo’s diet is the best way to ensure you are getting many different types of beneficial fiber — all to help maintain regular bowel habits.  However, it is VERY important to ensure adequate water intake for your kiddo while you increase their fiber intake because a diet high in fiber and low in water is a recipe for constipation.

Before we go on, let’s review some fiber terminology.  There are three main ways to categorize fiber: solubility, fermentability, and viscosity.  Solubility is the ability to “hold” water.  Fermentability is how much your gut bacteria will break it down.  Viscosity is the ability to form a gel when mixed with liquid.  Each of these aspects of fiber has different health effects, but here in this blog post we are going to focus specifically on poop.

The large intestine (aka colon) is great at absorbing water.  This water regulation is a very important mechanism that prevents dehydration in healthy people AND helps you poop.  In general, fiber helps your kiddos poop by drawing water into the colon through two different mechanisms: (1) soluble fibers absorbing water and (2) insoluble fibers causing water secretion from the lining of the large intestine.  Let’s talk through each process.

Soluble, gel-forming fibers hold on to water (like a sponge) in the large intestine.  With this kind of fiber, your kiddo’s poop will retain water.  More water in poop causes soft poops, and soft poops are easier to pass.  They also move faster through the large interesting (i.e. your kids will poop more often).

Big, coarse insoluble fiber particles (like wheat bran) irritate the walls of the large intestine (“irritate” doesn’t necessarily mean bad in this context).  This irritation causes your large intestine to secrete water and mucus.  Again, more water in poop causes softer poops, which make these poops easier to pass and move faster through the large intestine.

The fermentability of fiber also impacts our gut microbiome.  However, we still have so much to learn about how the interaction between gut bacteria and fiber affect bowel movement quality and frequency.  This is complex because the different kinds of bacteria interact with the different kinds of fiber… differently.  We know that having a diverse gut microbiome full of “good bacteria” has lots of health benefits (particularly for our gastrointestinal system), and the way to get that diverse gut microbiome is by eating a diet rich in prebiotic fiber (the fermentable fiber that bacteria eats), probiotics (live bacteria in foods like yogurt and kimchi), and lots of veggie variety.  So, while we can’t say for certain that fermentable fibers are going to help keep your kiddo pooping like clockwork, we can say that fermentable fiber certainly isn’t going to make the situation worse.

*Note: In some cases, certain fermentable fibers can cause discomfort if a child has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  If your child is living with IBD, chat with your child’s dietitian before increasing the amount of fermentable fiber in his/her diet.

How water helps you poop.  And how do I get my kid to drink more water?

A child’s water intake is very important in the potty training process – especially when it comes to poop.  Adequate hydration is essential to keeping stool soft and easy to pass.  One of the most important jobs of the large intestine is preventing excessive water loss through stool (aka diarrhea).  Water is absorbed from the stool as it travels the length of the large intestine, even when there is minimal water to absorb (like in the case of dehydration).  In an attempt to conserve body water during dehydration, so much water will be absorbed from the stool that the poop will become hard and difficult to pass.  And… voila!  Constipation will result.  Thus, children who are not drinking enough water tend to struggle with constipation.  Adequate water intake is SO IMPORTANT in preventing constipation and making the poop potty training process go smoothly.  I cannot stress the importance of this enough.  If your kiddo is struggling with poop training or constipation, DO NOT SKIP THIS PART.  Water intake is so important and a very common cause of constipation in kids.

Lots of parents struggle to help their tiny human increase their water intake.  Some tips and tricks to help your child increase their water intake include:

• Use crazy straws or silicone straws in fun colors.
• Purchase a new water bottle (my favorite kid’s water bottle) for your kiddo.  Encourage them to take ownership in this process, including picking out a color and going with you to the store or clicking the buttons to order online.
• Have your child decorate a special water bottle or cup with stickers or markers.
• Always keep your child’s water accessible and at eye level for a visual reminder.
• Encourage regular water breaks during activities.

How does picky eating affect potty training?

Picky eating and constipation are intertwined issues that can have a significant effect on the potty training process.  In certain cases, picky eating can cause constipation.  Kiddos who are selective eaters often have diets lacking in vegetables and fiber, which can cause constipation.  In addition, if a child is a selective eater AND a less-than-fabulous water drinker, we really have a recipe for constipation.  Unfortunately, constipation can also be a cause of picky eating, leading to a cycle of selective eating and constipation.  Kiddos who are constipated may become selective eaters because they are uncomfortable, in pain, or not feeling hungry.  This is a very predictable outcome, as most people (not just kids) feel less inclined to be adventurous at the dinner table if they are not feeling well.

Picky eating can also be a result of sensory needs.  And children with sensory needs (both sensory seeking and sensory avoiding) may have trouble with potty training.  Kiddos with sensory needs may have trouble processing the sensation of needing to poop or relieving themselves on the potty.  Thus, many of these children can struggle with potty training or constipation, independent of diet.

Can potty training cause constipation?

Although there are certainly many medical reasons for constipation that have NOTHING to do with a child’s eating behavior, diet choices often have a significant impact on a child’s risk for developing constipation.  Constipation is hard and can be a strain on your kiddo (and the family). No parent wants to see their child uncomfortable. And constipation is just plain frustrating for everyone.  All too often, the first steps to address constipation are things like supplements or removing a food group from the diet. And I TOTALLY DISAGREE with this approach.  The hard truth? Adding a supplement or taking 1 food out of your child’s diet is EASIER than addressing the picky eating.  The hard(er) truth? Supplements or elimination diets are just a band-aid (most of the time) and do not address the REASON for your child’s constipation.

So why is constipation relevant to potty training?  Constipation is painful.  And pain for kids is scary.  And often avoided.  This causes a few problems:

• Constipated children may avoid pooping until they absolutely cannot wait any longer, causing accidents.  So, YES.  Potty training can cause constipation.
• Children who are constipated may have pee accidents more frequently because: (1) they may have difficulty fully emptying their bladder or (2) they may confuse the sensations of a full bladder and constipation. 
• Children struggling with constipation may grow to associate pooping with pain.  And they then may struggle with a fear of pooping, and cling to the comfort of a diaper.
• Children with sensory needs may especially struggle with the sensation of constipation or may be scared to poop, which can make potty training exceptionally difficult for these children.  So, can potty training cause tantrums?  Yes.

The 4 steps to optimizing your child’s diet for potty training

1. Address your child’s picky eating.  A list of “poop foods” is not helpful for any family if a child won’t eat them.  Picky eating can increase frustration in potty training, increase the risk of constipation, cause mealtime stress, and contribute to disordered eating behaviors as teens and young adults.  Addressing your child’s picky eating behaviors will be helpful for the potty training process, AND you will be helping to set your child up for a lifetime of healthy eating habits.  A win-win. 

2. Ensure your child is drinking enough water.  There are several different equations used to determine recommended fluid intake in a clinical setting.  According to the National Institute of Health, the adequate intake (AI) of fluid for healthy 1-3 year olds is approximately 4 cups (0.9 L) and approximately 5 cups (1.2 L) for 4-8 year olds.  However, there are many factors that may increase water needs, such as activity level, altitude, and climate.  Keep in mind that these recommendations are population level recommendations, and your child’s specific needs may differ.  If your child is constipated or regularly having hard stools, it may be a clue that they need to increase their water intake.
3. Get that fiber in!  Veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes are all great sources of fiber.  According to the 2020-20205 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, toddlers ages 12-23 months should be consuming a minimum of 19 g/day of fiber, while children ages 2-3 years should be consuming a minimum of 14, and children ages 4-8 years should be consuming a minimum of 17-20 g/day.  YES, these numbers are wonky.  A general goal of 15-20 g/day of fiber is a good place to start.  Once you have achieved this, increase fiber intake as needed depending on your child’s bowel habits.  Include fiber rich foods in every meal and snack to help you meet these goals.  To help you visualize fiber content of popular fruits, vegetables, grains, and seeds, check out this list:
   1. 1 cup of chopped broccoli = 2.4 g fiber
   2. 1 medium banana = 3.1 g fiber
   3. ¼ cup applesauce = 0.75 g fiber
   4. ¼ cup blueberries = 0.9 g fiber
   5. 1 cup cooked oatmeal = 4 g fiber
   6. 1 Tablespoon chia seeds = 4 g fiber
   7. 1 Tablespoon ground flax = 2 g fiber
   8. ¼ cup pinto beans = 7.5 g fiber
4. Last but not least, magical poop fruits (aka foods to help kids poop).  Certain foods like pears, peaches, nectarines, apricots, prunes, and plums (often referred to as “P fruits”) are excellent choices for regulating bowel habits.  These fruits help kids poop because of the sorbitol content.  Sorbitol is a type of sugar that is poorly digested by humans and draws water into the colon, keeping stool soft and bigger, both things that help increase the ease and frequency of poops.  The sorbitol content is why prune juice is famous for helping with constipation too!  However, I personally prefer pear juice over prune juice for constipation in kids.  Kiwi is also an excellent constipation buster, but the mechanism for why is still being investigated.  It is likely a combination of the type and volume of fiber in kiwifruit, plus the presence of an enzyme called actinidin (shown in some animal studies to increase the frequency of poops).

Summary!

Proper potty training nutrition (adequate fiber and water) is very important in maintaining healthy bowel habits and keeping constipation at bay.  Healthy and regular bowel habits may make your potty training methods go more smoothly due to predictable poops and avoiding constipation.  Picky eating can play a HUGE role in fiber intake and developing constipation.  Thus, addressing picky eating may help ease frustration in the potty training process too.  Finally, magical poop foods are… magical.  Keep these on hand or in your regular rotation to promote easy and regular poops. 

Sending you positive vibes for easy potty training poops 💩

❤️ Dr. Taylor

Note: Links to items for purchase are affiliate links.  This means that I earn a small portion of the sales if you purchase any items through these links!

Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition, or to provide medical nutrition therapy. If you are concerned about yours or your child’s nutrition or eating habits, contact your dietitian.