It can be stressful to watch your child suffering from constipation, right? But, it is quite common that affects many children and causes hard and dry stools. Other common symptoms of constipation include loss of appetite, having less than 3 bowel movements per week, abdominal cramps, and severe abdominal pain. However, constipation in toddlers is temporary but sometimes it can also be chronic as well.
Chronic constipation in toddlers leads to long-term discomfort and loss of bowel control. With this view, our best gastroenterologists at the Gut care clinic, in Bangalore help to understand the reasons for constipation and the ways to prevent your child from severe complications.
What are the causes of constipation in children?
There are many possible reasons for childhood constipation that include:
1. Poor Eating Habits
In most cases, constipation in children results from a poor diet. Eating foods that are low in fiber, such as processed and fast foods or junk foods, and a lot of sugary foods can cause constipation.
2. Not Drinking Adequate Water
Getting dehydrated is one of the most common reasons for child constipation. The food they eat makes its way from the stomach to the large intestine or colon. If children don’t have enough water in their bodies, the large intestine soaks up water from the food waste.
3. Use of Medicines
Apart from diet, some medications can also result in causing constipation. So, while giving medications to your child, remember that they might hinder their digestive system to function efficiently and cause constipation.
4. Holding it in
Many children don’t pass stools in playtime because they don’t want to stop playing. If they are in the class, they feel embarrassed or afraid to ask permission and use the toilet. Typically, toddler constipation may also develop for social rather than physical reasons.
5. Bacterial Infections
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO is a condition where beneficial bacteria end up in the wrong area of your child’s digestive system, which causes unpleasant symptoms such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.
6. Lack of Physical Activity
The body requires physical exercise for the well-being of the digestive system. Not enough physical activity slows down your child’s digestion process which leads to bowel movements sticking around instead of passing along the digestive tract.
7. Changes in Routine
While going on vacation or being away from the toilet, disrupts their normal and usual bowel patterns. So, children will have an uncomfortable experience by avoiding going to the bathroom and resisting the urge to pass stools.
The longer you wait to treat your toddler’s constipation, the harder the poop becomes and the longer it may take to cure. Therefore, consult the best doctor for toddler constipation soon to cure and relieve the child’s constipation.
How can prevent my child’s constipation?
Treatment for a child’s constipation usually involves dietary modifications, developing healthy bowel habits, and occasionally using stool softeners. This treatment needs to be continued for a few months to get rid of the child’s constipation.
1. Diet
Give your child 2-3 servings of fruits or vegetables, whole grains, and beans each day to help pass soft stools. Ensure your child is taking 4 ounces of prune juice, or pear juice and drinking enough water to help relieve constipation. Lower the amount of dairy intake of your child until their bowel movement becomes normal.
2. Physical Exercise
Encourage your child to be physically active with regular exercise. Encourage your child to run and increase physical activity for regular bowel movements. Establish your child’s regular toilet routine to pass a poo, and properly empty their bowel.
3. Stool Softeners
Typically, stool softeners are the first-line medications used to treat short and long-term constipation in toddlers. If your child’s stool is hard and dry, you will most likely need to soften their stools with the use of stool softeners and laxatives that increase the fiber in the gut.
If your child’s constipation is still the norm after all these changes, it could be chronic constipation. Do not delay. Visit the Gut care clinic, in Bangalore. Our experts for toddler constipation are ready to help and give better treatment.
