You’ve tried more water. You’ve tried more fibre. Maybe your child is already on Macrogol or Osmolax, and it’s helping — until it isn’t. If constipation keeps circling back no matter what you try, this episode is for you.
Sonya Reynolds is a Sydney-based, degree-qualified Clinical Nutritionist with 17 years of clinical experience, specialising in children’s digestive health, constipation, and epilepsy. Her focus on paediatric health stems from her own family’s journey — in 2012, her daughter was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of epilepsy, an experience that shaped Sonya’s practical, evidence-based approach to helping families navigate complex health conditions.
This isn’t about tossing out the laxative your child has been prescribed. It’s about understanding what osmotic laxatives can and can’t do on their own — and what else needs to happen alongside them so your child’s bowel can eventually do the work itself.
GUEST BIO
Sonya Reynolds is a Sydney-based, degree-qualified Clinical Nutritionist with 17 years of clinical experience, focused on children’s digestive health, constipation, and epilepsy. Her interest in epilepsy stems from her own family’s journey following her daughter’s diagnosis in 2012 — an experience that shaped her practical, evidence-based approach to helping families navigate complex health conditions. Alongside her private clinic, Sonya works in Sales and Practitioner Education for children’s supplement brand I’m Nutrients. In June 2026, she launched her inaugural Paediatrics in Practice conference, bringing together leading experts in children’s health education.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT CHILD CONSTIPATION
This conversation explores the real, often-overlooked drivers of constipation in children — and what it takes to move a child’s bowel function forward long-term, rather than just managing symptoms week to week.
— What’s actually driving most cases of child constipation: fibre, hydration, movement, and withholding behaviour
— What fecal impaction is, and why it can look like diarrhoea to a confused parent
— How the nervous system plays a role in toileting — and why daycare or school can trigger withholding
— Why osmotic laxatives don’t teach the bowel to work on their own, and what to layer in alongside them
— Sonya’s food-first approach: starting with water and warm baths before fibre, and which foods to introduce first
— Why texture matters more than nutrition science when it comes to getting fibre into fussy or sensory-sensitive kids
— The specific probiotic strains Sonya uses clinically, and why she finds probiotics genuinely effective in this population
— How to safely wean a child off long-term laxative use without stopping cold turkey
— The red flags that mean it’s time to refer to a GP for further investigation
— Whether there’s really a “critical window” for shaping a child’s long-term gut health
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER:
✅ The most common causes of constipation in kids, and how it differs from adults
✅ What fecal impaction actually is, and why it’s often mistaken for diarrhoea
✅ How withholding behaviour develops, and how to support kids through it
✅ Sonya’s food-first approach, starting before fibre even enters the picture
✅ Why partially hydrolysed guar gum (PHGG) works well for sensory-sensitive kids
✅ When to reach for lactulose vs. Macrogol, and how to avoid long-term dependence
✅ The specific probiotic strains Sonya reaches for clinically, and why
✅ The red flags that mean it’s time to refer to a GP
✅ Whether a “critical window” for gut health really exists
Sonya is also the founder of Paediatrics in Practice, a practitioner education conference addressing the gap in clinical training around children’s health.
If your child’s constipation keeps circling back despite doing “all the right things,” the missing piece is rarely just more fibre. It’s often the layer underneath — nervous system regulation, targeted prebiotic and probiotic support, and a plan to help the bowel relearn how to work rather than relying on an osmotic laxative indefinitely.
Whether you’re a parent trying to get through this stage, or a practitioner working with paediatric clients, this conversation offers a practical, evidence-informed framework you can start using today.
LISTEN HERE
SHOW NOTES
🔬 Interested in gut microbiome testing? Visit Lynda’s Gut Testing page
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This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your health routine.