Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Prep — Under 15 kg
Under 33 lb · saline enema given by staff
← Other weight bands
📄 Download printable PDF
Procedure Location
Surgery Center of Carmel
Arrive 1 hour before your scheduled procedure
⚠️ Important — small child
Because your child is small, the enema will be given by a nurse or doctor using a syringe with normal saline (salt water) — not a store-bought enema bottle. Your care team will tell you whether the enema will be given at home or at the hospital before the procedure.
Do NOT buy or give any store-bought enema (including Fleet enemas) unless specifically instructed by your doctor.
💊 About Medications
- Tell your doctor about all medicines your child takes.
- Stop ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, Aleve and other anti-inflammatory medicines 2 days before.
- Stop iron or anti-diarrhea medicines (Imodium, Kaopectate) 7 days before.
- Give routine morning medicines with a small sip of water or breast milk unless told otherwise.
📅 1 Day Before the Procedure
If your child eats solids, follow a low-residue (“white”) diet through lunch — then clear liquids only after 2:00 PM. If your child takes only breast milk or formula, continue feeding normally until the fasting times below.
| AVOID |
OK to give |
| Whole-grain breads & cereals |
Plain rice cereal, white bread, plain crackers |
| Raw fruit with skin or seeds (berries, grapes, oranges) |
Banana, applesauce, plain yogurt or vanilla pudding |
| Beans, corn, popcorn, nuts |
Scrambled or boiled eggs, plain chicken |
| Anything red or purple |
Apple juice, water, Pedialyte (no red or purple) |
After 2:00 PM — clear liquids only (no dairy)
OK: water, Pedialyte, apple juice (no pulp), white-grape juice, plain Jell-O (no red/purple), plain popsicles (no red/purple, no fruit chunks), clear chicken broth.
Avoid: anything red or purple, milk, formula (unless your care team says otherwise), yogurt, ice cream, juice with pulp, orange or grapefruit juice.
💊 Day of the Procedure — Enema
1–2 hours before leaving
Give a normal-saline enema by syringe — about 5 mL per kg of your child's weight — about 1 to 2 hours before leaving for the hospital. Have your child try to hold the enema for 5 to 10 minutes if able. If there is no stool output after 30 minutes, you may give one additional enema.
- Have your child try to hold the enema for 5 to 10 minutes before going to the bathroom, if able.
- If there is no stool output after 30 minutes, you may give one additional enema.
- Some watery output and a few bowel movements after the enema are expected.
⏱️ Day of the Procedure — Eating & Drinking (NPO)
For your child's safety, anesthesia requires an empty stomach. Stop each food or liquid below by the time listed, counting back from your child's scheduled arrival time:
| Food or liquid |
Stop this many hours before arrival |
| Solid foods | 8 hours |
| Formula or milk feedings | 6 hours |
| Breast milk | 4 hours |
| Clear liquids (water, apple juice, plain Jell-O) | 2 hours |
- Keep your child well-hydrated on the morning of the procedure — offer small sips of clear liquids every 30–60 minutes. Each drink: no more than 1 cup (8 oz / ~250 mL). Frequent small drinks beat occasional large ones — better hydration, easier on the stomach.
- Stop all clear liquids 2 hours before the procedure.
- Bring comfort items for your child (toy, blanket, tablet, etc.).
⚠️ If the prep or fasting times are not followed, the procedure may be delayed or canceled.
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