Best Kids Laxatives, Ranked by What the Label Covers

Why oral comes first. Pedia-Lax Kids Laxative Chewable Tablets are a saline laxative in a watermelon-flavored chewable, sold as three 30 count boxes for $16.98. Nothing about the rectal route is more effective as a category; it exists for children who will not, or cannot, take something by mouth. If your child will chew a tablet, that is the easier road for both of you.

Flavor matters more than adults expect. Owners report the watermelon chewable is generally accepted by children who refuse other formats, and a laxative a child refuses is not a laxative. At about 19 cents a tablet this is also the cheapest thing on the page, which is a reminder that the expensive products here are expensive because of their delivery format rather than their ingredients. The whole Pedia-Lax range is covered in the Pedia-Lax review.

If the oral route fails or a pediatrician asks for something faster, the rectal option from the same house is Pedia-Lax Liquid Glycerin, labeled ages 2 to 5, and the full comparison of oral against rectal is suppository vs oral laxative.

What the panel states. Pedia-Lax Liquid Glycerin Suppositories relieve occasional constipation, generally producing a bowel movement in 15 minutes to 1 hour, with directions covering children 2 to 5 years and sending children under 2 to a doctor. Glycerin draws water into the lower bowel and softens stool rather than stimulating the bowel wall, which is the reason it, and not bisacodyl, is the pediatric rectal laxative.

At $12.81 for 6 this is about $2.14 an applicator, and the 3-pack at $21.11 for 18 drops that to about $1.17. The whole pediatric glycerin shelf, including the solid alternatives that print 1.2 g in their titles, is ranked in best glycerin suppositories for kids. For the mechanics, see how to use a rectal suppository.

What senna is. Senokot Kids Mixed Berry Laxative Gummies use senna extract, a stimulant laxative, in a 40 count gummy at $15.99, about 40 cents each. A stimulant works differently from everything else on this page except the mini-enema: rather than drawing water in or softening what is there, it prompts the bowel to move.

The candy format is genuinely double-edged. It solves acceptance, which is the main practical failure of pediatric laxatives, and it creates a storage problem, because a mixed berry gummy is exactly what a child will help themselves to. Keep it high and out of reach. Senokot's adult range is covered in best senna laxatives, and the osmotic alternative class is in best osmotic laxatives.

Read the directions before anything else. MiraLAX Laxative Powder is polyethylene glycol 3350, an osmotic laxative that works by holding water in the stool. Its Drug Facts directions cover adults and children 17 years of age and older, and state that children 16 years of age or under should ask a doctor. That is the label, verbatim in substance, and it is the reason this product sits where it does on this page rather than at the top.

MiraLAX sells several sizes, including a mid size at $13.98 and a large at $14.29, none of which publish a dose count in the listing title, so we compute no cost per dose. Our full write-up is the MiraLAX review, the class comparison is best osmotic laxatives, and the rectal comparison parents ask for is suppository vs MiraLAX.

What it is. Enemeez Kids is a mini-enema whose active is docusate sodium, a stool softener, delivered in a small single-use unit. The listing title states ages 2 to 12, which is a wider band than any pediatric glycerin product here, and the reason it is useful for an older child who has aged out of the 2 to 5 labels.

The count is not published in the listing title, so we compute no cost per use. Enemeez also lists a DocuSol Enemeez Kids version at $14.79 at our September 5, 2026 check. Our brand write-up is the Enemeez review, and the wider pediatric enema shelf is in best enemas for kids.

What it is and where it belongs. Fleet Enema for Children is a 2.25 fl oz pediatric saline enema at $6.52. Saline enemas are labeled to work in 1 to 5 minutes, which is by far the fastest thing on this page, and they are labeled for occasional use only, with the carton stating how often it may be used.

Pedia-Lax sells the equivalent product, and the value comparison is worth knowing: the Pedia-Lax children's enema 3-pack was $8.88 at our September 5, 2026 check, about $2.96 a bottle, against $6.52 for a single Fleet bottle. The head to head is Pedia-Lax vs Fleet children's enema, the shelf is ranked in best enemas for kids, and the format question is suppository vs enema.

Check the math before you click. The Pedia-Lax bundle is $38.09 for the liquid glycerin 3-pack plus chewables. At the same September 5, 2026 check the 3-pack alone was $21.11 and the chewable 3-pack was $16.98, which totals $38.09 exactly. There is no bundle discount at that moment, only a single order instead of two.

The tablet count inside the bundle is not published in the listing title, so we compute no combined cost per unit. If you only need one route, buy that one. The full range is in the Pedia-Lax review.