What are the details you need to understand about pediatric constipation?
5 min readConstipation is a very common condition in which the child will be passing very hard stools or will be passing them very infrequently. In terms of frequency, the passage of fewer than three stools per week is categorized in the category of constipation. However, this situation will not be the same in all of the cases because if the child is passing very hard stools every day, then he or she might be diagnosed with constipation on clinical examination. Some of the common signs and symptoms that you need to know about the entire situation have been explained as follows as recommended by the paediatric gastroenterologist:
- Each child has a different frequency of movements of bowel which is the main reason that deduction in frequency is a clear sign that children are facing the problem of constipation.
- If the passage of hard stools is there it might look like separate small lumps.
- The child in this case will be complaining of pain in the passage of stools.
- The child in this case will be intentionally avoiding the usage of the toilet
- There might be a problem of blood in the stool or pain in the tummy area.
- There might be the situation of loss of hunger and physical science that children are controlling their stool.
- If there is passage of stool in the standing position.
Some of the common types of constipation that you need to know have been explained as follows as recommended by the paediatric gastroenterologist experts:
- Organic constipation: This type of constipation will be happening due to the underlying diseases in the children and examples in this case will include thyroid disorders, neurological disorders, or any other kind of related things. Basically, this is the treatment that includes the diagnosis and treatment of the underlying diseases.
- Functional constipation: Constipation that happens in the absence of any clear-cut disease is usually functional and there are many factors involved in the whole process. This is the situation in which the children will be holding their stools for many reasons and further you need to take lifestyle and diet into consideration right from the beginning so that consistency and frequency will be very well sorted out.
- Some of the common insights that you need to know about the relationship between new lifestyle and constipation have been justified as follows
- Diet breastfeeding: Children in this particular case will be beginning the feeding the moment they are born and it has been very well recommended to exclusively focus on breastfeeding the babies until they are six months old. No category of food or drinking including a bottle is recommended to be given to babies less than six months of age. However, the modern times formulas are increasingly becoming common and due to the unavailability of motherhood challenges in breastfeeding the adequacy of the breast milk is also significantly increasing.
- Complimentary feeding: As soon as the baby is turning six months of age, complementary feeding has to be started and this is the time when solids will be first introduced to the babies when given along with the breast. It is recommended to be freshly cooked home food to children and fiber in the diet in this particular case is very well recommended to be taken into account so that nutrients will be sorted out. Nuclear families in today’s world have raised the challenge of feeding the children well and the majority of the children are consistently reacting to the offers made to them.
- Food habits in the older children: In today’s times it is a fashion to feed outside food to the children very frequently and due to this particular fashion, we are consistently diverting from traditional Indian food which contains fibre to the western diet based upon fats. So, consumption of high food and sugar-containing food items is increasingly becoming common like pizza, cakes, and biscuits which leads to issues and development of the problem of constipation.
Some of the common remedies to be taken into account for managing constipation in kids as recommended by the child specialist in Hyderabad have been explained as follows:
- Providing the kids with more water: Constipation can easily develop when these tools are dry and hard which is the main reason that drinking excessive water will help soften it which makes it very easy to pass. If the baby is more than six months of age then you can easily offer 2–3 ounces of water at a time to relieve the constipation and you also need to keep in mind that water will not be replacing the regular feeding.
- Providing them with fresh fruit juice: Fruit juice is also very important to relieve constipation because it contains sweet content which can easily function as a laxative. If the baby is at least six months of age you can easily offer 2–4 ounces of fruit juice for example hundred percent apple juice, and peer juice in addition to the regular feeds.
- Including more of the high fibre food items: If the baby has started eating solid food items, then incorporating high fibre baby foods into the diet is definitely important for example bananas, pears, peas, apples, and other associated options. This will be helpful in making sure that management of the constipation is very proficiently done.
- Reducing the amount of rice cereal: Rice cereal will also be sharing the constipation because it will be low in terms of Fiber and reducing the amount of rice cereal will be helpful in relieving the constipation. This will be safe for the infant but you need to take this into account so that things are sorted out and the improvement of the symptoms will be very well done.
- It is important to try to increase physical activity: A sedentary lifestyle in kids will also play a role in constipation which is the main reason that encouraging physical activity in kids is important so that intestinal contractions will be stimulated and overall bowel movements will be very well sorted out.
Hence being very much aware of the above-mentioned points as recommended by the doctors is definitely important for the parents so that things are very easily managed and further the kids are provided with a very safe and mindful lifetime. In this case, people can provide their kids with a better future Without any compromise over their health conditions at any step.