Children are always constipated, parents should do these

Constipation is caused by slow gastrointestinal motility, low water absorption, high fat content, greasy gastrointestinal tract, and lack of regular bowel cleansing, which leads to dry and congested stools that are blocked in the gastrointestinal tract and cannot be excreted. Many patients with constipation still need a lot of effort to expel stool even when the stool reaches the anus. Constipation is especially painful for young children. Therefore, patients with constipation should consider whether it is caused by some dietary habits or disease factors.

There are several possible reasons why children may be constipated:

1. Dietary factors: If the baby eats too little or has insufficient sugar in the diet, it can result in less residue after digestion and less stool volume. A diet high in protein makes stools alkaline, dry, and less frequent. Foods high in calcium can also cause constipation. For example, milk contains more calcium than human milk, so babies who are fed with cow's milk are more likely to develop constipation than those who are fed with breast milk. The fiber in vegetables can stimulate intestinal peristalsis and promote bowel movements. Some children do not like to eat vegetables, which is also a major cause of constipation.

2. Habitual factors: Constipation may occur due to irregular lifestyle or lack of regular bowel movement training, or in some children due to sudden changes in environment.

3. Children with rickets, malnutrition, and hypothyroidism have poor abdominal muscle tone or weakened intestinal motility, and constipation is more common. Anal fissure; inflammation around the anus, pain at the anus during bowel movements, children are afraid of the pain and do not defecate, leading to constipation. Children with Hirschsprung's disease experience constipation, abdominal distension, and vomiting soon after birth. When the abdominal tumor presses close to the intestinal cavity, stool cannot pass smoothly and may also cause constipation. What should I do if my child becomes constipated? 1. Diet adjustment Most children with constipation belong to the first situation, and most of their constipation can be relieved after adjusting their diet. When a milk-fed baby is constipated, the sugar content in the milk can be increased to 8%, and fruit juice can be added. For older babies, honey can be added. Young children with constipation should reduce protein in their diet, increase cereal foods, and increase the intake of vegetables, fruits and other residue-containing foods.

4. Develop the habit of regular bowel movements. Babies over three months old can be trained to have regular bowel movements. Toddlers can sit on the potty in the early morning or after eating, and should develop the habit of regular bowel movements every day.

5. Use enema and laxatives appropriately. Do not use enema or soap frequently to relieve constipation, because once it becomes a habit, the normal "defecation reflex" disappears, making constipation more difficult to correct. Never take laxatives frequently, because children's digestive function is not perfect and taking laxatives may cause diarrhea.

What are the causes of constipation in children?

For children, most of them have functional constipation. Let’s start with breastfeeding children. Generally speaking, breast-fed children are less likely to suffer from constipation, while milk-fed children are more prone to constipation. Constipation is particularly common among children who drink formula milk. This is because constipation is called "food stagnation and internal heat" in traditional Chinese medicine. Children with food stagnation and internal heat will suffer from constipation. Their characteristics are that they defecate only once every few days and have a thick tongue coating. In addition, such children are irritable and cry easily and have trouble sleeping at night. In this case, children who drink milk are prone to constipation.

Older children start eating around 1 year old. I found that the incidence of constipation is very high among children between 1 and 5 years old. Why are constipation more likely to occur at this time? The main reason is that children between 1 and 5 years old need to transition from breastfeeding to eating meals. Meals contain fiber that promotes bowel movements. Some children are greedy for milk and always want to drink milk. Eating too much milk can easily cause constipation. This is when you start to switch to complementary foods, especially vegetables. Vegetables contain fiber, which helps with bowel movements. Some children love to drink milk, eat rice, and eat meat, but don’t like to eat vegetables. Children who don’t like to eat vegetables are prone to constipation. Traditional Chinese medicine says that if you don’t like to eat vegetables, you will easily get inflamed, and getting inflamed will cause constipation.

Older children also suffer from constipation, and of course adults, grown-ups, and the elderly also suffer from it. Older children also have a habit of eating more meat and less vegetables, and these children are prone to constipation. Some people suffer from stubborn constipation, often having bowel movements once every 5 or 6 days. This is called habitual constipation. So children of all ages suffer from constipation.