Is your toddler not growing so well and running to the toilet a lot? Perhaps he or she is eating too much dietary fibre? Sometimes this happens with super-health conscious parents – including the occasional dietitian!

Fibre is the stuff that fills us up and keeps us regular. It prevents over-eating and keeps cholesterol and blood sugar levels normal. Your children can easily get enough fibre simply by eating a good variety of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains.

Where we can go wrong is assuming that our little ones need as much fibre as we do. They don’t. We should have 30-40 grams of fibre a day but a toddler only needs about 10-14 grams. A couple of pieces of fruit, a cup of vegetables and about four serves of bread and cereal will more than cover their daily fibre needs.

For children over the age of five there’s a simple guide to work out how much fibre is enough: age + 10. This means a seven year old needs about 17 grams fibre.

Children who don’t eat enough fibre are more likely to become constipated and spend hours on the toilet straining. At the other extreme children, especially toddlers, who eat too much fibre will be so full they won’t be able to eat enough food for their rapid growth needs.

The three keys to a healthy, regular bowel are fibre, fluid and exercise. Make sure your children get all three – but remember that just because a little is good, more is not always better.