Is your child constipated? No worries…..
It can be distressing to watch your child suffer from constipation and abdominal pain. But, Constipation is quite common that affects many children which cause hard and infrequent poops. The symptoms of constipation can also be like the loss of appetite, illness, abdominal cramps, and severe pain. However, sometimes constipation in children is temporary but can also be chronic as well.
Dr. Parameshwara C M helps to understand the reasons for constipation at the right time and prevent your child from severe complications. He also suggests the ways to avoid constipation to occur in the future.
What are the reasons for child constipation?
It is always best to follow home or natural remedies to cure and prevent constipation. This is because medications of constipation treatment can have side effects. If you notice constipation symptoms, try these home remedies to relieve constipation.
There are many possible reasons for childhood constipation. Often, some of the main reasons include:
- ● Poor Eating Habits: Most of the time, constipation in children results from the poor diet. Eating foods low in fiber, like processed and fast foods or junk foods, a lot of sugary foods can cause constipation.
- ● Not Drinking adequate Water: Water is an essential component of the body to keep the digestive system healthy by preventing the stool hardening. When the body becomes hydrated, the intestine steals water from stool to help hydrate the body which makes hard, dry and painful stools.
- ● Use of Medicines: Apart from diet some medications also result in causing constipation. So, while giving medication to your child, remember that they might hinder a child’s digestive system’s ability to function efficiently and cause constipation.
- ● Stool Holding Behavior: Many children don’t poop in playtime because they don’t want to stop playing and pass stools. If they are in the class, they feel embarrassed or afraid to ask the permission and use the toilet. Typically, toddler constipation often develops for social rather than physical reasons.
- ● Bacterial Infections
There are some bacteria’s which cause short-term illnesses like flu or colds. These bacterial infections efficiently attack your child’s digestion process which causes diarrhea and often constipation. - ● Lack of Physical Activity: The body requires physical movements for the well-being of the digestive system. Not enough physical activity slows down the digestion process and encourages bowel movements to stick around instead of passing along the digestive tract.
- ● Changes in Routine: While going on vacation or sleeping somewhere new, disrupts routines and usual bowel patterns. So, children will have an uncomfortable experience by avoiding going to the bathroom and resist the urge.
The longer you wait to do something about your toddler constipation, the harder the poop may get and the longer it may take to treat. Consult the best doctor for toddler constipation soon to cure and relieve child’s constipation.
How can I treat my child’s constipation?
Treatment for child’s constipation usually involves optimizing diet, developing good bowel habits, and occasionally using stool softeners. Treatment needs to be continued for a few months, to be effective.
- ● Diet: Give your child two to three serves of fruits or vegetables, whole grains, and beans each day to help the body anything that is stuck. Make sure that your child is taking 4 ounces of Prune juice, or pear juice and drinking enough water to help relieve constipation. Also, lower the amount of dairy intake of your child until the bowel movement returns to normal.
- ● Physical Exercis: Encourage your child to exercise more and be physically active. Get your child to run and increase physical activity to get things moving. Establish your child’s regular toilet routine to pass a poo, and properly empty their rectum.
- ● Stool Softeners: If your child’s poo is very hard, you will most likely need to soften the stools. Use softeners and laxatives that increase the fiber in the gut. These softeners literally work to just loosen and soften the poop.
If your child’s constipation is still norm after all these changes, the case could be more severe and suffering from chronic constipation. Don’t worry our experts for toddler constipation are ready to help you and give better advice.