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Starting or going back to school is a mixed bag for most kids. There’s the excitement of something new, meeting new teachers, and making new friends. However, there’s always some stress about it, too. For kids with constipation, encopresis, or enuresis, their (and your) stress levels can skyrocket at the thought of going to school.

We’ve got seven easy ways for you and your child to prepare and take the fear and stress out of a new school year. Constipation in kids shouldn’t put a stop to excitement about the new school year.

Preparation is key to getting ready for your child to go to school. This may seem overwhelming, so we’ve made this article to help you figure it out.

1: Have a Plan

There can be a lot involved with planning to get your child ready to head back to school. There’s getting all the school supplies, new clothes, realizing your child’s foot grew over the summer and now you’re scrambling to find sneakers that fit (tell me I’m not alone in this one!). The list goes on. In addition to all those things, there’s also the planning for your child’s bowel and bladder issues.

This article lays out many things you can include in your plan, so you’re not starting from scratch.

In addition to these seven things, spend some time thinking through what your child might need at school. This doesn’t need to be organized starting out. Just brainstorm everything that comes to mind on a sheet of paper or your computer, and put similar things together.

For example:

A change of clothes, gloves, and wipes to clean up in case of an accident
A stool or squatty potty
Free access to water
A private bathroom
Planned sit times (for example, visiting the nurse’s bathroom 20 minutes after lunch to try to go)

You can also get a watch for your child with vibrating alarms to remind them to go to the bathroom and drink water. Our clients have had good luck with the Wobl watch and Watch Minder 3.

2: Visit the School Before School Starts

See if you can visit the school with your child before school starts. You can visit their classroom and lunchroom. You can even explore the available bathrooms. This helps your child get over the fear of the unknown. You can also schedule a time to meet the teachers, school nurse, and anyone else your child needs to know. Dealing with constipation in kids can be nerve-wracking, but planning with the school admin your child’s needs is step one to help them.

3: Let’s Talk Bathrooms

The condition of the school bathrooms may stop your child from using them. They’ll probably look good before school starts. However, once school starts and other students use them, the bathrooms may get dirty and smell differently from what your child is used to at home.
A bathroom with multiple stalls can be frightening because your child may be concerned about other kids hearing them. Your child may even fear the possibility of someone looking under the stall walls.
If there’s a bathroom in the classroom, that can be better but still not problem-free. Talk with your child about what happens if someone else needs to use the bathroom and knocks on the door.
**Now is the time to talk this through with your child and find out if anything can be done to help them be more comfortable using the bathroom at school.** This can help allay your child’s fears.
If using a shared bathroom or the classroom bathroom isn’t comfortable, consider the nurse’s bathroom as an option (more about this below).

4: Get to Know School Allies and Advocates

Identify who your child’s allies at school are. Usually, these include their teachers, other teachers they may interact with (like a teacher who monitors the playground during recess), nurses, assistant principals, and the principal.
Working with your child’s teacher(s) is key. **The teacher can be one of your child’s biggest allies and advocates, especially when it comes to kids with bowel and bladder issues.**
In some grades, like kindergarten, the teachers are used to working with concerned parents and children having “accidents” is common.
One way to make things easier for both the teacher and your child is to have a signal for when your child needs to use the restroom. A signal can look like putting a lego on their desk. This signal lets the teacher know your child is leaving to go to the bathroom rather than having to raise their hand and ask.

5: Formal Plans

You may have heard about 504, IEP, and IHP plans and wondered if your child needs any of these. Let’s break them down, so you know which, if any, will help your child. Knowing your child’s needs will help you decide if these plans need to be implemented.

504 Plans - Accommodations for Success

504 plans are put in place when a child needs accommodations, such as unlimited access to the bathroom, timed sits, use of a stool with the toilet, and help with cleanup in case of an accident. There aren’t any academic goals or requirements with a 504 plan.

Developing a 504 plan happens with a team of people at the school. And, a 504 plan can follow your child through their school years, including college, and into their workplace, if needed. A 504 plan can be updated as your child’s needs change.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

An IEP has a treatment(s) that the child needs, like physical therapy or occupational therapy. There’s an academic component. To get an IEP, the child is evaluated by a multidisciplinary team who develops educational goals and identifies services and any special instruction the child may need to succeed academically. IEPs are not used for children with bowel and bladder issues.

Individualized Health Plan (IHP)

An IHP has a medical component that the 504 and IEP don’t have. The nurse leads the development of an IHP because they’ll be involved in helping the child with their medical needs. For a child with bowel issues, an IHP helps by laying out the times that medications (for example Miralax, magnesium, or ExLax) or medical treatments required during the day. An IHP can also specify that a cleanup kit be kept in the nurse’s office and use the bathroom in the nurse’s office. Having free access to water so they can have a water bottle with them is another component we often identify for IHPs.

Combining Plans

These three plans can be put in place individually or together. For example, having an IHP and 504 Plan together for a child with bowel and bladder issues is common. This ensures your child gets the accommodations and covers any medical issues your child might need help with.

If you want more information about the different plans and combing them, check out our article and video.

6: Planning for Eating and Drinking at School

Changes in eating habits and stress around eating at school can compound bowel and bladder issues. If your child doesn’t like the fruits and vegetables available in the cafeteria, pack some they like so they have something available that you know they’ll eat.

You and your child can also review the school lunch menus and decide if there are days they’ll need to take lunch instead of eating at the cafeteria. Working on it together can help them take ownership of their meal choices.

Hydration is still key during school. Chocolate milk, while yummy and a favorite of many kids, can make constipation in kids worse. This is because the dairy and high sugar content make the stool harder in the intestines, which means it is harder to pass. So, encourage your child to choose white milk if your child tolerates dairy or make sure they have a water bottle during lunch if your child is dairy free.

Water intake is also vital. Getting them a special water bottle* with marks and times so they know how much they need to have drunk helps them be in control of their water intake. For more hydration tips and ticks, check out some ideas here.

7: Your Child’s Continence Care Plan

Putting together a Continence Care Plan helps you think through everything your child needs. We’ve put together a FREE Continence Care Plan you can download and fill out. You can take it with you when you meet with teachers, school nurses, and anyone else your child needs on their team for the school year.

Bonus: Weekends and Holidays Are the Time for Trying New Supplements and Laxatives

Starting a new supplement or laxative on a school day isn’t a good idea. The unknown of how and when they will kick in can cause anxiety and worry for both you and your child. This goes for when you need to make increases in the amount your child needs as well. Save these changes for the weekend or a school vacation week. That way, you and your child don’t have to worry about unanticipated consequences at school. Long weekends are a perfect time for clean outs as well.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Want Some Help?

Consider purchasing a Constipation Solution Package We can help take you from the overwhelm of planning for your child’s success in school to having a solid plan.

Packages include an initial session with both Jessica, our dietitian, and Annette, our pediatric pelvic floor specialist. In this 45-minute session, we’ll help troubleshoot common school challenges when it comes to constipation in kids. This is your time to ask us specific questions that can help your child succeed in the bathroom, both at home and away from home.

You also get to choose whether to have one or two 30-minute follow-up sessions where you can check in and get more support for you and your child.

Our packages include our extremely popular Poop Boot Camp. This self-guided course has helped so many families just like yours. If you’ve already purchased the course, and you’re interested in meeting with Annette and Jessica, we’re happy to credit the course toward the cost of a package. Just email us and we’ll send you a code to use when checking out.

Happy back to school to all the kids (and parents!). We hope it’s a fun and accident-free year.

*This article includes affiliate links. We receive some compensation when you purchase through these links.

Constipation in Kids: 7 Easy Ways to Take the Fear Out of Starting School