Non constipating foods for babies
Are There Baby Foods that Help with Constipation?
While parenting brings many surprises, one of them is likely how much you’ll think about poop, or lack thereof, especially during that first year. But here you are worrying about your baby’s digestive tract and convinced that they’re constipated.
If you’ve recently introduced your baby to solid food, then your worries may be on target: solid foods can put a strain on your baby’s developing digestive tract and cause constipation. But there are things you can do to help!
Before you begin treating constipation you should determine if there is really an issue at all. So here’s the scoop on poop and how to tell if your worries are founded and your baby is constipated.
Breastfed babies
During the first few weeks, you’ll find yourself changing diapers with alarming regularity. Figure in every feed or so.
But don’t despair, because by the time your baby reaches 6 weeks old, they may have a bowel movement only once or twice a day. On the other hand, they may have one only every 7–10 days. (Yep, the frequency really can vary that much.)
The poop is yellow, soft, runny and sometimes lumpy and the smell isn’t unpleasant.
Formula-fed babies
A newborn, formula-fed baby typically poops up to five times a day. At about 6 to 8 weeks, this may decrease to around once a day.
Formula-fed babies have poop that is a camel to brown color with a thicker consistency, more like paste. Most likely, the less-than-aromatic smell means you’ll hermetically seal soiled diapers before you toss them into the garbage.
Signs that your baby is constipated
You’ve noticed that your baby’s tummy isn’t following the schedule that you got used to. Could it be constipation? Here are the signs that could confirm your suspicions:
- You notice that they cry or fuss while they’re trying to have a hard bowel movement.
- The poop, when it does come, is like hard pellets.
- You notice streaks of red blood in the hard poop.
While it’s not easy for a baby on a liquid diet to become constipated, trouble can start when you start introducing your baby to solid foods at around 6 months. Here’s why:
New food types
Think of it as a learning curve: Your baby’s body is learning how to cope with a new kind of food to digest as they move away from their full liquid diet and you need to soften the learning curve. (Pardon the irresistible pun.)
Changes to fluid intake
Decreased fluids will make your baby’s poop harder and more difficult to push out. If they’ve started solids, they may need to up their fluid intake to offset the solid food. And if your baby is teething or feeling unwell, it can also lead to them taking in less fluid than usual.
Lack of fiber
Even though they’re just starting out, babies’ tummies work like ours. While initially the move to solids that have fiber (from breast milk or formula, which don’t) can cause temporary constipation, their tummies will adjust.
Make sure to monitor your baby’s fiber intake and pair it with plenty of hydration for a smooth ride the same way that you monitor yours.
OK, so you’ve confirmed that your baby is constipated. The next step is helping to alleviate the strain on their developing digestive system.
Remember that you can keep offering these foods as your baby develops into a toddler and beyond. In fact, there is little research or evidence to support specific foods (including high fiber ones) in treating or preventing constipation in infants. Most of these recommendations are based on evidence for older adults and children.
Keep in mind that good practice when introducing solids is to introduce foods as single ingredients. That way, if your baby is allergic to certain foods, you’ll be able to more easily trace the source.
If your little one hasn’t tried these foods before, don’t rush the process. Test out one at a time and then introduce combinations once you’re confident they’re well tolerated.
- Back to basics. Give your baby’s digestive tract a break by feeding them mashed avocado or sweet potato purée. These are easy to digest and may give your baby the kick start they need.
- B vegetables. Think broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and beans. Purée these for a meal filled with fiber.
- P fruits. Your grandmother was right — bring on the prunes for quick work. A purée that includes a mix of prunes plus pears, plums, or peaches should work magic. Try subbing the prunes with dates for a change.
- Bring on the fiber. If your baby is over 8 months, you can offer them whole grains like oatmeal, fiber-rich cereals, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice.
- Water intake. Until 6 months an exclusively breastfed or formula-fed baby doesn’t need to drink water. Above this age, you can introduce small amounts of water.
Plums and pears with cinnamon
Cut 2 or 3 pears and plums into small pieces. Place in a saucepan with a small amount of water and simmer until soft. Add in a sprinkle of cinnamon. Blend thoroughly.
Sweet potato with apple and peach
Cut half a sweet potato, one apple, and half a peach into small pieces. Place in steamer basket and cook until tender. Blend until smooth.
Spinach and apple purée
Chop two apples into small chunks and cook in saucepan with about 1/2 cup of water. When they’re tender, add about 1 cup of spinach and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Purée until smooth. Can be seasoned with cinnamon and ginger.
Some sources suggest prune, pear, and apple juices help to increase the water content in poop and can ease constipation.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends steering clear of fruit juice for children younger than 1 year old. You can stick with these fruits as purées for similar effects.
What is it about prune juice? The high levels of sorbitol and phenolic substances in prune juice and dried plums act as a laxative and diuretic properties. So if your child is over 1 year old, you can use small amounts of prune juice to encourage their system to run.
Some studies show that constipation may affect as much as 30 percent of children. If your child is part of the unlucky statistic, here are some foods that you may want to give them smaller amounts of until it passes:
- bananas
- dairy products such as cheese and yogurt
- low fiber foods like white rice, white bread, and white pasta
If you’re like most parents, you’ll be up for whatever you can try to help your baby get comfortable fast. Here are a few tricks that you can use to ease your baby’s constipation:
- Warm baths. These can relax those abdominal muscles and get them working.
- Exercise. Lay your baby on their back and push their legs alternately as if they’re cycling a bike. Alternatively, hold their knees and feet together and push their feet towards their belly.
- Massage. Use your fingertip to draw clockwise circles on your baby’s stomach.
If you see that despite your home remedies, your baby still is having hard stools or hasn’t pooped after 2 or 3 days from their last hard stool, then contact your pediatrician. Especially if you consistently notice blood in their poop or your baby is extremely irritable and appears to be in pain.
While dealing with your baby’s toilet issues may seem a tad unsavory, you’ll soon be so used to it, that you’ll find yourself sharing your insights over coffee with other parents. And don’t be shy about sharing the yummy food combinations you discover to keep things moving.
Are There Baby Foods that Help with Constipation?
While parenting brings many surprises, one of them is likely how much you’ll think about poop, or lack thereof, especially during that first year. But here you are worrying about your baby’s digestive tract and convinced that they’re constipated.
If you’ve recently introduced your baby to solid food, then your worries may be on target: solid foods can put a strain on your baby’s developing digestive tract and cause constipation. But there are things you can do to help!
Before you begin treating constipation you should determine if there is really an issue at all. So here’s the scoop on poop and how to tell if your worries are founded and your baby is constipated.
Breastfed babies
During the first few weeks, you’ll find yourself changing diapers with alarming regularity. Figure in every feed or so.
But don’t despair, because by the time your baby reaches 6 weeks old, they may have a bowel movement only once or twice a day. On the other hand, they may have one only every 7–10 days. (Yep, the frequency really can vary that much.)
The poop is yellow, soft, runny and sometimes lumpy and the smell isn’t unpleasant.
Formula-fed babies
A newborn, formula-fed baby typically poops up to five times a day. At about 6 to 8 weeks, this may decrease to around once a day.
Formula-fed babies have poop that is a camel to brown color with a thicker consistency, more like paste. Most likely, the less-than-aromatic smell means you’ll hermetically seal soiled diapers before you toss them into the garbage.
Signs that your baby is constipated
You’ve noticed that your baby’s tummy isn’t following the schedule that you got used to. Could it be constipation? Here are the signs that could confirm your suspicions:
- You notice that they cry or fuss while they’re trying to have a hard bowel movement.
- The poop, when it does come, is like hard pellets.
- You notice streaks of red blood in the hard poop.
While it’s not easy for a baby on a liquid diet to become constipated, trouble can start when you start introducing your baby to solid foods at around 6 months. Here’s why:
New food types
Think of it as a learning curve: Your baby’s body is learning how to cope with a new kind of food to digest as they move away from their full liquid diet and you need to soften the learning curve. (Pardon the irresistible pun. )
Changes to fluid intake
Decreased fluids will make your baby’s poop harder and more difficult to push out. If they’ve started solids, they may need to up their fluid intake to offset the solid food. And if your baby is teething or feeling unwell, it can also lead to them taking in less fluid than usual.
Lack of fiber
Even though they’re just starting out, babies’ tummies work like ours. While initially the move to solids that have fiber (from breast milk or formula, which don’t) can cause temporary constipation, their tummies will adjust.
Make sure to monitor your baby’s fiber intake and pair it with plenty of hydration for a smooth ride the same way that you monitor yours.
OK, so you’ve confirmed that your baby is constipated. The next step is helping to alleviate the strain on their developing digestive system.
Remember that you can keep offering these foods as your baby develops into a toddler and beyond. In fact, there is little research or evidence to support specific foods (including high fiber ones) in treating or preventing constipation in infants. Most of these recommendations are based on evidence for older adults and children.
Keep in mind that good practice when introducing solids is to introduce foods as single ingredients. That way, if your baby is allergic to certain foods, you’ll be able to more easily trace the source.
If your little one hasn’t tried these foods before, don’t rush the process. Test out one at a time and then introduce combinations once you’re confident they’re well tolerated.
- Back to basics. Give your baby’s digestive tract a break by feeding them mashed avocado or sweet potato purée. These are easy to digest and may give your baby the kick start they need.
- B vegetables. Think broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and beans. Purée these for a meal filled with fiber.
- P fruits. Your grandmother was right — bring on the prunes for quick work. A purée that includes a mix of prunes plus pears, plums, or peaches should work magic. Try subbing the prunes with dates for a change.
- Bring on the fiber. If your baby is over 8 months, you can offer them whole grains like oatmeal, fiber-rich cereals, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice.
- Water intake. Until 6 months an exclusively breastfed or formula-fed baby doesn’t need to drink water. Above this age, you can introduce small amounts of water.
Plums and pears with cinnamon
Cut 2 or 3 pears and plums into small pieces. Place in a saucepan with a small amount of water and simmer until soft. Add in a sprinkle of cinnamon. Blend thoroughly.
Sweet potato with apple and peach
Cut half a sweet potato, one apple, and half a peach into small pieces. Place in steamer basket and cook until tender. Blend until smooth.
Spinach and apple purée
Chop two apples into small chunks and cook in saucepan with about 1/2 cup of water. When they’re tender, add about 1 cup of spinach and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Purée until smooth. Can be seasoned with cinnamon and ginger.
Some sources suggest prune, pear, and apple juices help to increase the water content in poop and can ease constipation.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends steering clear of fruit juice for children younger than 1 year old. You can stick with these fruits as purées for similar effects.
What is it about prune juice? The high levels of sorbitol and phenolic substances in prune juice and dried plums act as a laxative and diuretic properties. So if your child is over 1 year old, you can use small amounts of prune juice to encourage their system to run.
Some studies show that constipation may affect as much as 30 percent of children. If your child is part of the unlucky statistic, here are some foods that you may want to give them smaller amounts of until it passes:
- bananas
- dairy products such as cheese and yogurt
- low fiber foods like white rice, white bread, and white pasta
If you’re like most parents, you’ll be up for whatever you can try to help your baby get comfortable fast. Here are a few tricks that you can use to ease your baby’s constipation:
- Warm baths. These can relax those abdominal muscles and get them working.
- Exercise. Lay your baby on their back and push their legs alternately as if they’re cycling a bike. Alternatively, hold their knees and feet together and push their feet towards their belly.
- Massage. Use your fingertip to draw clockwise circles on your baby’s stomach.
If you see that despite your home remedies, your baby still is having hard stools or hasn’t pooped after 2 or 3 days from their last hard stool, then contact your pediatrician. Especially if you consistently notice blood in their poop or your baby is extremely irritable and appears to be in pain.
While dealing with your baby’s toilet issues may seem a tad unsavory, you’ll soon be so used to it, that you’ll find yourself sharing your insights over coffee with other parents. And don’t be shy about sharing the yummy food combinations you discover to keep things moving.
Constipation in children. Diet and gymnastics of a child with constipation.
Constipation is a very common problem in children. Why?
With the start of complementary foods, stools in infants most often improve. This is due to the introduction of fiber into the child's diet, as well as an increase in the child's motor activity.
But after 1 year the number of children suffering from constipation starts to grow again. This is due to the refusal of breastfeeding, the transition to solid food, a decrease in the amount of water in the diet. Approximately every fifth child after a year suffers from constipation. How to deal with this problem?
For your health - the recommendations of the pediatrician of the clinic "Lor Plus", a doctor of the highest category Anna Gennadievna Marakulina .
What are the most common causes of constipation in children?
- Insufficient fluid volume.
- Diet, poor in fiber.
- Insufficient physical activity.
How to avoid constipation in a child?
To prevent constipation, the child must drink enough fluids. Be sure to teach your child to drink ordinary water. A child over 3 years of age is required to drink at least 2 glasses of water a day.
— Do not give your child sweet and carbonated drinks, strong tea and coffee. They have a diuretic effect, contribute to the development of dehydration and constipation.
- Cold water stimulates peristalsis. And warm water has a relaxing effect on the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and is quickly absorbed. Therefore, in case of constipation, it is recommended to give a child up to 3 years old 1/2 cup, and over 3 years old - 1 glass of cool water in the morning on an empty stomach. Start with water at room temperature. If the effect is not achieved and the state of health permits, the water temperature is gradually lowered. It should be pleasantly cool. In this case, peristalsis is stimulated by rapid filling and irritation of the stomach, and then the intestines.
- There are drinks that have a laxative effect. Dairy products, plum and beet juice, dried fruit compote (prunes, dried apricots, raisins), chamomile decoction, children's teas with fennel and dill. By including these drinks in your baby's diet, regular stools can be achieved. But this should be done gradually, starting with small amounts, so as not to cause a digestive breakdown in the child.
Does diet help with constipation?
Everyone knows that a diet for constipation should include a lot of fiber-rich foods, and these are vegetables and fruits. But not everyone knows how much and what kind of fruits and vegetables a child needs.
1-3 years | 3-7 years | Over 7 years | |
Vegetables, total (of which potatoes) | 3 903 350 grams (1203) 0 gr (250) | 550 gr (250) | |
Fruit | 100-150 gr | 250 gr | 250 gr |
Fresh vegetables | 307 3150 gr | 200 gr | |
Juices | 200 gr | 200 gr | 200 gr |
Dried fruits | 10-15 grams | 200 gr | 200-300 gr |
Some people need to supplement their diet with laxative foods. These include: plums, beets, prunes, raisins, figs, dates, dried apricots, legumes, nuts. They should be present in the diet of a child prone to constipation. Include them in the diet should be gradually. For some, it will be enough to consume one of the listed products daily, while others will need to include several in the diet.
Cereal porridges with shells (buckwheat, oatmeal, pearl barley, wheat) and wholemeal bread are also useful.
Fermented milk products (kefir, curdled milk, fermented baked milk, biolact) are best consumed before going to bed. 1 glass a day is enough. You can increase the daily intake of kefir to 2 glasses per day.
Refined rice, blueberries, pears, sweets and buns, flour products from premium flour, strong tea, animal fats have a fixing effect. It is better for children prone to constipation to abstain or significantly limit their use.
I recommend trying several recipes for constipation that I and my patients have tested:
— Take equal amounts of dried fruits: figs, dates, dried apricots, prunes, wash well, pour over with boiling water, destone, turn through a meat grinder or chop in a blender . Take daily in the morning on an empty stomach (30 minutes before meals) 1-2 teaspoons with 1 glass of water with lemon. Children under 3 years old - 1/2 cup of water.
This recipe can be used by children from 1 year old, but be sure to first test how the child tolerates each dried fruit individually, and then prepare the mixture.
— Sour milk + prunes for the night: 10-20 pieces of prunes are well washed, brewed with boiling water for 5-10 minutes, a small child can be mashed. Eat before going to bed with 1 glass of kefir, biolact, fermented baked milk, curdled milk.
Wheat bran is a very useful product, because contain approximately 50% fiber, as well as many vitamins and minerals. You can buy them at a pharmacy.
Wheat bran can be included in the diet of children after 1 year as a remedy for constipation. Start with a daily amount of 1 teaspoon, gradually, every 2-3 days, increasing the dose until a regular stool is achieved. The maximum dose for children is up to 2 tablespoons per day.
The daily dose of bran is brewed with a small amount of boiling water. It is kept under the lid for 30-40 minutes, then the excess water is drained, and the swollen bran is added to the child's food, most often to porridge. You can add them to kefir, cottage cheese, vegetable and fruit puree. You can add the entire daily dose of bran in one serving of food, can be divided evenly into breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Gymnastics for constipation. Helps or not?
In my experience it helps a lot! Active and mobile children are less likely to suffer from constipation. For the prevention of constipation, sports are useful: running, swimming, gymnastics, squats, tilts, exercises to strengthen the abdominal press.
A child suffering from constipation, in addition to following a diet and drinking regimen, is recommended to do a few simple things in the morning:
- Get up early so that there is enough time for all morning activities, including going to the toilet, water (possible with a mixture of dried fruits),
- Perform the following exercises - Starting position standing: take a deep breath, then a deep breath, then draw in the stomach as much as possible and stick it out. Repeat the exercises several times.
There is a good chance that the child will want to go to the toilet afterwards.
Abdominal massage is also helpful.
Is constipation so dangerous?
The causes, and hence the consequences of constipation can be different:
• stress - you need to create a calm environment for the child,
• rectal fissures - you need to contact the surgeon,
• arbitrary retention of stool - you need to talk with the child, try to work out from him morning defecation schedule.
And the consequences can be different. It is always better to find out the causes of the disease with your pediatrician. So you can avoid dangerous consequences.
It is not recommended to give a child laxatives and suppositories on their own, as well as to repeat cleansing enemas frequently. If for a long time (more than 1 month) it is not possible to establish a regular chair for a child, you need to see a doctor. Diet
Let your baby be always healthy!
And the pediatricians of the clinic "Lor Plus" are ready to answer the questions of mothers and fathers about the well-being of the child and the prevention of childhood diseases.
Come to our clinic!
Experienced paediatricians see children in our clinics:
Marakulina Anna Gennadievna (pediatrician, doctor of the highest qualification category, experience 29 years)
Fedoseeva Olesya Andreevna (pediatrician).
Our doctors:
- They will pick up the key to a crying baby,
- They will calm the worried mom,
- They will quickly make the correct diagnosis,
- They will prescribe an effective treatment.
Make an appointment with the Pediatrician at a convenient time for you
You can make an appointment by phone. +7(342)258-258-8 or through the registration form below. Appointment with a doctor through the Administrator of the clinic Leave your details, our Administrator will call you back in the near future, consult on the cost of services, select the best time for your appointment. Your name Your phone number Enter your phone number so that the clinic administrator will contact you in advance. Message Specify wishes for date, time of appointment and doctor By clicking on the button, you consent to the processing of your personal data. |
Please note that:
- When visiting the clinic for the first time, it is advisable to arrive 10 minutes before the appointed time in order to fill out a medical history and sign an agreement, informed consent for medical intervention. You can familiarize yourself with the texts of these documents here.
- To sign the contract, you must have a passport with you.
- If the patient is a child (up to 18 years of age inclusive!), then one of the parents or guardian must come to the appointment with the child and sign the contract and consent.
- Think ahead and formulate the problem with which you go to the doctor.
- If you have the results of previous studies and analyzes, we recommend that you bring them with you to an appointment with a specialist.
- If you have a chronic illness and take medicines all the time, write down the names, doses, and regimen.
- Remember and be sure to tell your doctor if you have had an allergic reaction to any medications, foods, etc.
Clinic address and directions can be found here
Constipation in children. Prevention. Diet therapy
home
Articles
Health
Sabitova Vasily Ilyasovna Gastroenterologist
06/21/2019
Constipation is widespread among both adults and children (5-30% depending on the diagnostic criteria). Symptoms become chronic in more than 30% of patients, not only cause discomfort and pain to the child himself, but also disrupt the quality of life of his family.
CONSTIPATION - a condition manifested by an increase in the intervals between bowel movements (compared to the individual norm) or systematically slow, difficult and / or insufficient bowel movements. Constipation also includes stools with “gruel”, but after defecation was absent for up to 3 days.
Constipation can be related to functional or organic causes (abnormalities, inflammation). In children, 90-95% of constipation is functional. The peak incidence of functional constipation falls on 2-4 years, when they begin to accustom the child to the potty / toilet.
Main causes of functional constipation
- Pain
- Fever
- Dehydration
- Wrong diet of a nursing mother
- Insufficient drinking regimen of a child with artificial feeding
- Insufficient drinking regime of a breast-fed child with the introduction of complementary foods
- Early transfer of a child to artificial feeding
- Fast transition of the baby from one mixture to another (less than 7 days)
- Irrational nutrition of the child (for a long time the child receives food with a large amount of proteins, fats and insufficient dietary fiber, abuse of drinks containing a large amount of astringents - tea, coffee, cocoa)
- Excessive use of baby care products or the development of an allergic reaction of the skin of the perianal area
- Consequences of perinatal injuries of the nervous system
- Rickets, vitamin D deficiency
- Anemia
- Impaired thyroid function (deficiency - hypothyroidism)
- Food allergy, especially cow's milk protein allergy
- Forced potty training, period of adaptation to new conditions (nursery, kindergarten)
- Physical inactivity - a sedentary lifestyle
- Mental trauma or stress
- Systematic suppression of the urge to empty the bowels, associated, for example, with the beginning of attending a kindergarten, school, etc.
- Taking certain drugs
- Constipation in family members
Frequency of defecation in children of different ages
Age | Number of bowel movements per week | Number of bowel movements per day |
0 – 3 months breastfeeding artificial feeding | 5 - 40 5 - 20 | 2.9 2.0 |
6 - 12 months | 5 - 28 | 1.8 |
1 - 3 years | 4-21 | 1.4 |
4 years and older | 3 - 14 | 1.0 |
In addition to the frequency of the chair, you should pay attention to its nature. For a more objective assessment, the “Bristol fecal shape scale” is convenient, since it is the shape of the feces, and not the frequency of the stool, that is more consistent with the time of intestinal transit.
Bristol stool chart
In accordance with this scale, 3 and 4 form of feces is regarded as normal, and 1 and 2 indicate delayed transit (constipation). Quite often, in practice, there are situations when a child has a bowel movement frequency within the normal range, but the stool is dense, fragmented, in a meager amount. These signs indicate incomplete emptying of the bowels and are considered as manifestations of constipation.
The consistency of the stool in newborns and infants should be mushy. From 6 months to 1.5 - 2 years, feces can be both formalized and mushy. From the age of two, the chair must be decorated.
Signs and symptoms of constipation
- abdominal pain, often bursting, aching, sometimes colicky
- bloating
- change in the shape and consistency of the stool
- excessive flatulence
- unpleasant smell of flatus and stool
- may have pain during bowel movements
- straining during defecation
- there may be blood in the stool - on the surface of the feces or in the form of traces on a napkin (indicates an anal fissure)
If you do not eliminate constipation and do not establish bowel movements, then there is a risk of coprostasis (formation of fecal stones) and fecal intoxication:
- loss of appetite
- lack of energy
- general malaise
- depression, irritability
- nausea, vomiting
- skin symptoms - dryness, rash, peeling
- fecal incontinence, stool spotting
- urinary retention and incontinence due to pressure of a crowded bowel on the bladder
- bleeding from fissures, hemorrhoids
The treatment of constipation involves the achievement of the following goals:
1. Normalization of stool consistency (soft, painless stools)
2. Regularity of bowel movements (prevention of re-accumulation of feces)
The treatment of constipation is a sequential, complex, individual process and consists of several stages:
- child and parent education
- correction of nutrition and drinking regimen
- elimination of existing coprostasis with medication
- maintenance therapy
It is necessary to exclude factors that provoke and contribute to constipation (normalization of motor and nutritional regimen, discontinuation of medications that can cause constipation, identification of a food allergen, exclusion or confirmation of neuromuscular disease, celiac disease, etc.).
Lifestyle normalization includes:
- development of a conditioned reflex
- active lifestyle
- gymnastics
- gentle abdominal massage training
- for small children - laying out on the stomach, bending the legs to the stomach.
Education is the first step in the treatment of functional constipation. It must be remembered that episodes of fecal smearing and encopresis (fecal incontinence) are not arbitrary and should not be blamed on the child, who may already be frightened and disoriented. In some cases, when the intra-family situation is difficult, the help of a family psychologist may be needed.
It is important to understand that the treatment of functional constipation can be lengthy, based on trust, partnership and requires patience. Modern laxatives that are legal in children will not make the intestines “lazy”, will not cause “addiction”, they enter the bloodstream in minimal amounts or are not absorbed at all and are safe for long-term use.
Correction of the behavior of a child with constipation is based on the development of a routine of visiting the toilet, in order to achieve regular defecation. Defecation should be every time at the same time. The urge to defecate is based on the gastrocecal reflex, which manifests itself in the morning 1 hour after eating. A child with constipation needs to spend 3-10 minutes in the toilet (depending on age). It is necessary to plant the child on a potty or offer to visit the toilet after each meal.
A prerequisite for effective defecation is to provide a good support for the legs (a low bench on which the child can put his feet), which helps to increase intra-abdominal pressure.
If the defecation is not successful, the child should never be punished and vice versa. The daily frequency of bowel movements can be noted in a diary, which can be analyzed at a scheduled visit to the doctor.
Treatment of constipation should begin with lifestyle changes, which include dietary modification, drinking regimen and physical activity.
Calculation of fluid volume for healthy children
Children under the age of 1 year should drink at least 100 ml of water per day.
For healthy children weighing 10 to 20 kg the water requirement is calculated using the formula:
100 ml (volume of water for children under 1 year old) + 50 ml per kg for body weight over 10 kg.
For example, with a mass of 12 kg: 100 ml + 2 x 50 ml = 200 ml.
A child weighing 20 kg should drink water: 100 ml + 50 x 10 = 600 ml
For children weighing over 20 kg the following formula is suggested for calculation:
600 ml (volume of water for a child weighing 20 kg) + 20 ml for each kg over 20 kg.
For children over 3-5 years old you can use the calculation of the amount of water: 30ml / kg of weight
Principles of diet therapy for constipation:
- meeting physical needs for nutrients and energy
- exclusion of excess consumption of proteins and fats, which can inhibit intestinal motility
- enrichment of the diet with dietary fiber
- normalization of intestinal microflora with the help of pro- and prebiotics
If the child is breastfed, then the mother's nutrition is corrected (restriction of products that promote gas formation). With artificial feeding, special mixtures are shown. For constipation associated with an allergy to cow's milk protein, therapeutic mixtures are prescribed if the child is bottle-fed. If the child is breastfed, cow's milk and products based on it are completely excluded from the mother's diet.
After the introduction of “thick” complementary foods, boiled water is necessary for all children, regardless of the type of feeding.
For older children, it is recommended to eat foods rich in vegetable fibers. It is not recommended to “smear food”, puree, “snacks”, “eating on the go”. Food should be crumbly, meat / poultry / fish - “piece”. A “bulk” breakfast is required to stimulate the “gastrocecal reflex”.
The main source of coarse-fiber vegetable fiber, containing a large amount of dietary fiber, is cereal bran, rye bread, as well as a number of vegetables and fruits. According to the principles of evidence-based medicine, a statistically significant increase in stool frequency and improvement in its consistency was demonstrated with the use of fiber compared with placebo.
Bran, as the main source of vegetable fiber, is recommended to be added to the second and third courses, after pouring boiling water over it and settling for 20 minutes. Bran can also be used in between meals, drinking plenty of fluids. For school-age children, the total amount of fluid when taking bran should be at least 1.5-2 liters per day, otherwise they mainly act as sorbents, absorbing fluid from the intestines, thereby increasing constipation. The dose is selected individually, it is recommended to start with 1 teaspoon 2-3 times a day, with a gradual increase to 40 g per day. When the effect is achieved, the dose is reduced and limited to one dose.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (2009) recommends a fiber intake of 0.5 g/kg/day (maximum 35 g/day) for all children. Fiber intake below the minimum recommended value has been shown to be a risk factor for chronic constipation in children.
However, long-term intake of a large amount of plant fibers due to fermentation by intestinal microflora is naturally accompanied by bloating and flatulence.
Children with constipation are shown to take cool liquids on an empty stomach (drinking and mineral water, juice, compotes, kvass), to enhance the laxative effect, it is possible to add honey, xylitol or sorbitol. It is very beneficial for bowel function to increase the intake of juices containing sorbitol/sorbitol, such as juice from plums, pears, apricots, peaches and apples,
With “sluggish” bowel function (hypomotor constipation), cool mineral water of medium and high mineralization is used, such as Essentuki 17, Batalinskaya, Arzni, Donat Magnesium, etc.; with spastic constipation (hypermotor constipation, stool form more often type 1) - warm and low mineralization (Essentuki 4). Calculation of mineral water - 3-5 ml / kg per day.
It is necessary to limit milk in its pure form and in dishes, as flatulence may occur with the appearance or intensification of abdominal pain. It is better to replace whole milk with sour-milk products - kefir, acidophilus, yogurt, yogurt, etc.
The diet of children with constipation includes dishes rich in vegetable fiber - salads from fresh vegetables, greens 2-3 times a day, baked apples, stewed vegetables, diluted vegetable and fruit juices with pulp. Food is cooked mostly unground, steamed or boiled in water.
It is preferable to take raw vegetables and fruits (in the absence of contraindications). Especially recommended are tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, beets, lettuce, cauliflower, apples. Dried fruits (prunes, dried apricots, figs) are given in soaked form and as part of cooked dishes. White cabbage, young green beans, green peas are allowed with good tolerance. Parsley, dill, celery are good to add to various dishes and salads.
If after reading the article you still have questions or you do not understand how to apply the recommendations in your particular case, we invite you and your child to be examined by a pediatric gastroenterologist at the DDC. For the convenience of parents, you can make an appointment with a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Children's Diagnostic Center on a weekday and on Saturdays.