Constipation in children: symptoms and what to do?

constipation in children

General

Digestion and frequency of bowel movements are different for everyone. But if your child has to grow up less than three times a week, it suffers from constipation.

Constipation is not a disease but a symptom. The stool is hard, and emptying is often very difficult and painful. In most cases, constipation is fairly harmless; but it can also be a sign of another more serious disease.

Causes of Constipation

The causes are very different. The most common are functional disorders of the intestines, which are caused by poor fluid intake, a low-fiber diet and lack of exercise. Another common trigger is irritable bowel syndrome.

Intestinal diseases such as colon cancer or metabolic diseases are less common causes of constipation. Medication can also be the cause. Constipation can also occur during pregnancy or as a result of a change in diet (e.g. on vacation).

Some babies are very sensitive to their food. You can get mild constipation just from mashed carrots or bananas.

symptoms of constipation

If your child has to grow up less than three times a week, it suffers from constipation. In addition, it will complain of abdominal pain. Caution is advised if there is blood in the stool, nausea, vomiting or rapid weight loss. In these cases, the symptoms should be examined by a doctor as serious illnesses could be behind them.

clear constipation

If you are slightly constipated, you can give your child flaxseed, bran or psyllium. Most of the time that’s enough. It is important that your offspring drinks a lot, otherwise the substances will stick together and further clog the intestines.

You should avoid constipating foods such as cocoa, chocolate, white flour products or bananas if possible. If your child tends to have hard bowel movements, you should also be more careful with rice, carrots and oatmeal.

Probiotic or plain yoghurts support digestion. There is also probiotic formula for bottle babies. Dried fruit such as plums or figs or fruit bread also have a digestive effect.

If you are given medication such as suppositories, you should take your child to the pediatrician beforehand. Not only should he give his “okay” to the drug in question, but he should also be able to rule out a serious illness.

Prevent

To prevent this, you should eat a high-fiber diet, drink enough fluids and get plenty of exercise. Foods rich in fiber are, for example, wholemeal bread, vegetables, fruit or dried fruit. With such a healthy lifestyle, the intestines won’t even go on strike.