Constipation is a change in a child's bowel pattern, which includes harder stools and longer periods between stools. Children do not necessarily have a bowel movement every day.
Many children have a bowel movement only once every three or four days.
This is normal if the stool is soft and not painful when passed. A child's normal bowel pattern may change according to his age and what he eats. Breast fed babies may have a bowel movement with every feeding until one month of age. When changed to formula or milk, they may have only one or two stools a day. When infants stool, many strain for short periods.