Ever worried about your preschooler um, not going poop for over a week? Or wonder if your pre-teen's taste for cheeses over carrots will affect how things will move down below? You're right to be concerned. "Constipation is a very common problem for children," says William J. Cochrane, MD, vice-chairman of the department of pediatrics at the Geisinger Clinic, in Danville, Pennsylvania. And to complicate matters, figuring out why constipation is an issue for your child can call for Columbo-like deduction skills because the issue could be a physical one (for example, it hurts to defecate) or a mental one (for example, your child refuses to go at school). Read on to find out what the constipation issues are age-by-age and how to deal with them.

What is constipation? How often should your child be going, anyway? "Most kids who are up to 7 years old are going to defecate every day to every other day," says Dr. Cochrane. "But when they go, even if it's every other day, their stool should be soft, and not very large--smaller than a quarter inch in diameter. If it's usually larger than that, or hard little balls, your child is constipated." And if you're not changing their diapers and therefore getting a hands on look at their bowel movements, there are other signs of constipation: children usually complain of belly pain, but also watch out for vomiting or nausea. This collection of symptoms might point to the fact that your child is having a problem pooping.

If the constipation persists, it may be a sign of a chronic problem, so talk to your pediatrician, who may refer you to a pediatric gastroenterologist or possibly a pediatric dietitian.