Not only for adults, but also for children, constipation can cause great discomfort and harm the body. It can occur at any age, both in infancy and adolescence. Each time it is necessary to look for the cause of such a situation and, of course, its solution. Today we’ll talk about two-year-old children suffering from this difficult problem.
What to feed a 2 year old child with constipation?
The main factor influencing treatment for constipation in a 2-year-old child will be proper nutrition. In addition to all kinds of microelements that can solve the problem, you should not forget about the amount of food eaten.
If so, then this makes the situation worse. The food eaten should be enough to make the digestive system work like a clock. This does not mean that the baby needs to start feeding, you just need to increase the portions a little, eliminating foods that provoke bonding, replacing them with healthy ones.
Dairy and fermented milk products
Not everyone knows that constipation is often caused by milk: cow's or goat's. You can find out whether it is the cause of constipation by temporarily excluding it from your baby’s diet. In any case, during the diet, pure dairy products should be eliminated.
But fermented milk products have a green light. They improve the intestinal microflora, normalize it, but provided that they are constantly present in the diet. It is best to offer cottage cheese before bed, as dinner. An excellent addition to such a diet would be to take a course of probiotics - Linex or Yogurt. They should be taken in a course of at least a month.
Porridge
Among the foods recommended for constipation, porridge, which contains a lot of fiber, should definitely be on the table of a two-year-old. These are oatmeal, buckwheat, corn, millet and wheat porridge, but rice, which leads to bonding, should be removed from the menu.
Fruits and vegetables
There should be quite a lot of them in the diet. Fruits and vegetables should be present both fresh and stewed, baked, or in the form of compotes. Salads made from boiled carrots and beets will be of great benefit. A sufficient amount of plant fiber will slowly but surely do its job.
Potatoes in any form do not hold together, but they also do not provide any particular benefit, so they should be replaced either with porridge or other vegetable dishes.
Liquid
Proper nutrition, of course, plays a big role in constipation, but you should not discount all kinds of compotes, teas, jelly - any liquid. The more the child drinks, the more effective the treatment of constipation will be.
Meat and fish
In the diet for constipation in children, meat products are not taboo and, on the contrary, are recommended for children in moderation. But these should only be low-fat varieties: veal, turkey, chicken, lean sea fish.
Nutritional supplements
We are, of course, not talking about dietary supplements, but about bran from oats, wheat and other cereals, which need to be mixed daily in the amount of 1 teaspoon into prepared foods - porridge, soups, casseroles. This is natural cellulose, which, swelling in the intestines, creates the necessary volume sufficient for emptying.
03.03.2017
In a 2-year-old child, physiological processes are not yet fully formed, and each baby may have its own rhythm. At this age, defecation from 3 times a day to 3 times a week is considered normal. Suspicion of constipation in children is justified if there is no bowel movement for more than a day and accompanying other symptoms, such as:
- lethargy;
- weakness;
- decreased appetite;
- pain and bloating in the abdomen;
- dense consistency of stool.
Immediate consultation with a doctor is required if constipation is accompanied by fever, vomiting, signs of intoxication, or streaks of blood in the stool.
The mother needs to closely monitor the child and promptly recognize symptoms characteristic of constipation. The condition is dangerous due to dehydration, intoxication, and with constant problems with bowel movements, more serious consequences are possible:
- metabolic disease;
- circulatory disorders;
- fissures and hemorrhoids;
- decreased immunity;
- development of intestinal obstruction.
If constipation is a consequence of poor nutrition, adjusting your routine and diet will definitely bring results. Before prescribing a diet, you need to undergo an examination to exclude the possibility of intestinal pathologies.
What to feed a child - principles of food selection
The main condition for eliminating constipation is the organization of proper nutrition and drinking regime. The greater the fluid intake, the faster the intestines return to normal. For the menu of a two-year-old child, jelly, compotes, teas, and special children's water are recommended. It is necessary to observe not only the correct set of products, but also their sufficient quantity. This is especially important for children with poor appetite and for children with small teeth - they will need a slight increase in portions.
Foods that cause constipation are excluded and replaced with healthy ones:
- It is better to eat bread in the form of crackers or slightly stale; yeast-free types of bread, pita bread, whole grain and rye bread are preferred;
- For porridges, only whole grains are used; cereal dishes do not improve peristalsis;
- Kefir is given to children strictly for one day, two days has the opposite effect;
- neutral products include meat, fish, cottage cheese, stale bread; fish and meat are recommended in moderation - choose dietary types: chicken, turkey, veal, rabbit, hake, pollock.
- prunes, known for their laxative effect, must be present in the diet in fresh form, compotes, desserts;
- Bran from cereals must be used as dietary supplements - they are mixed daily, one teaspoon at a time, into prepared dishes.
Fermented milk and dairy products
Milk, especially whole cow's and goat's milk, is one of the causes of constipation in babies. By eliminating it completely from the diet for a while, you can understand if it is the cause of constipation. During the diet, whole milk is completely excluded, the consumption of low-fat and pasteurized milk is kept to a minimum.
Fermented milk products are shown in any quantity, but you need to strictly monitor their freshness and it is advisable that they are homemade. Probiotics and lactic acid bacteria can be a good addition to the menu.
Porridge
Vegetables and fruits
They are used fresh, stewed, boiled, baked, as well as in compotes and jelly. Boiled beets and carrots give the best effect; zucchini, cauliflower, pumpkin, and broccoli are also recommended. Potato dishes are excluded from the diet menu and replaced with other cereals and vegetables.
Excluded from the diet with a fixing effect and causing increased gas formation
- cfreshly baked flour products;
- fresh and pickled cabbage;
- fresh apples, pears, grapes, dogwood, blueberries;
- all legumes: peas, beans, chickpeas, beans, lentils;
- fatty fish or meat;
- hard cheeses.
If you follow the correct daily routine, timely bowel movements are regulated and normalized faster:
- meals should be organized at regular intervals;
- develop the habit of going to the toilet at a certain time, preferably in the morning;
- start the day by drinking special baby water in the morning on an empty stomach.
And dessert?
During constipation, most sweet fruits, chocolate, pears, pomegranates, blueberries, quinces, and flour products are excluded. Recommended desserts:
- compotes, jellies, syrups, homemade jam;
- add honey to the porridge, not sugar;
- apples baked with honey;
- marmalades;
- soaked, boiled or ground prunes, figs, dried apricots and pitted raisins.
If your baby is breastfed
- A nursing mother needs to monitor not only her baby’s menu, but also her own. It is necessary to exclude from your menu foods that fix foods and contribute to increased gas formation. You need to include vegetables rich in fiber and follow a drinking regime.
- Make sure that the baby receives the so-called hind milk - it prevents consolidation.
- Breastfed babies' stools remain soft, even after the introduction of complementary foods. Constipation is indicated not only by the consistency of the stool, but also by the baby’s obvious restless behavior.
Diet for constipation in children 2 years old with recipes
A proper diet does not imply starvation - you just need a set of the right foods:
1 day
for breakfast: oatmeal with water, zucchini or pumpkin pancakes, prune compote;
snack: cottage cheese with honey;
for lunch: vegetable soup, barley porridge with steamed cutlets, carrot juice with pulp;
afternoon snack: baked apple;
for dinner: buckwheat porridge with boiled fish, fresh yogurt with a teaspoon of bran, compote with raisins.
Day 2
for breakfast: zucchini pancakes, steamed fish cutlets, green tea;
snack: banana;
for lunch: pureed pumpkin soup, stewed turkey with vegetables, salad, jelly;
afternoon snack: yogurt with homemade jam;
for dinner: barley porridge in water, chicken stewed with vegetables in kefir, green tea.
Day 3
for breakfast: buckwheat porridge with water, one-day kefir;
snack: lavash with cottage cheese and honey;
for lunch: beetroot soup, barley porridge with turkey, carrot and pumpkin juice;
afternoon snack: marmalade, crackers;
for dinner: wheat porridge with stewed turkey.
4 day
for breakfast: millet porridge, cottage cheese, compote of prunes and raisins;
snack: broccoli and carrot salad with low-fat sour cream;
for lunch: pearl barley soup, baked chicken, vegetable stew;
afternoon snack: homemade yogurt with honey;
for dinner: vegetable vinaigrette, boiled veal meatballs, one-day kefir.
5 day
for breakfast: steamed omelet, one-day kefir;
snack: baked apple, rose hip decoction;
lunch: rassolnik with pearl barley, chicken cutlets with buckwheat porridge, vegetable salad;
afternoon snack: compote of dried apricots with raisins and figs;
dinner: cottage cheese casserole, yogurt, green tea.
Day 6
for breakfast: millet porridge on water with honey, baked fish, stewed beets;
snack: vegetable soup, rabbit with barley porridge, tomato juice;
lunch: vegetable soup, boiled chicken with cauliflower, dried fruit compote;
afternoon snack: cottage cheese, applesauce;
dinner: corn porridge, fish balls, kefir.
Day 7
for breakfast: buckwheat porridge, boiled veal, raisin compote;
snack: yogurt with prune pulp;
lunch: cabbage soup with cauliflower, steamed cutlets with onions and dill, oatmeal with water, salad;
afternoon snack: rye bread with jam;
dinner: turkey stew with raisins and dried apricots, kefir.
Buckwheat soup with tomatoes
Ingredients – 1 tomato, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 potato, 100 grams of buckwheat, a teaspoon of vegetable oil, a bunch of dill, salt to taste.
Preparation: peel, wash and cut the vegetables into cubes. Peel and wash the cereal. Place carrots, onions, potatoes, and bay leaves in boiling water. Add salt to taste. When it boils, add buckwheat. After the buckwheat is ready, add finely chopped tomato. Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes. At the end, add vegetable oil (olive oil is better). Sprinkle with chopped herbs.
Vegetable stew
Ingredients - 1 zucchini, 1 carrot, a bunch of green onions, 1 small onion, 1 small potato, 1 tomato, a bunch of dill, a tablespoon of vegetable oil, salt to taste.
Prepare vegetables: peel, wash thoroughly, cut into cubes. Place in a cauldron, add oil and a few tablespoons of hot water. Simmer over low heat until tender, stirring occasionally. At the end, add salt and finely chopped dill.
Chicken meatballs with steamed carrots and onions
Ingredients - 200 grams of chicken fillet, ½ onion, ½ carrot, salt to taste. Peel and wash the vegetables thoroughly. Wash the fillet and dry with a napkin. Pass all ingredients through a meat grinder. Add salt. Form meatballs. Cook in a double boiler with the lid on for 10 minutes or in a slow cooker in the “Steam” mode for 20 minutes.
Traditional medicine recipes
Constipation remedies for babies based on herbs and other natural products act gently and effectively, provided that there are no allergic reactions to them. They should be selected only after consulting a pediatrician.
- Freshly squeezed potato juice has a good laxative effect and relieves intestinal spasms. It is taken in the morning on an empty stomach. The norm for a two-year-old child is 2-3 tablespoons.
- Spastic constipation and bloating are well relieved by chamomile infusion.
- To combat intestinal atony, decoctions of yarrow and nettle, lingonberries and gooseberries help.
- A very effective remedy for constipation in children is a mixture of cumin seeds, chamomile flowers and dill seeds. Take a proportion of 2 parts of cumin and one part of the remaining ingredients. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture into 2 cups of boiling water and leave for 2 hours. 15-20 minutes before meals, take a teaspoon three times a day.
- Flaxseed oil is a good remedy for constipation. It is recommended for children to take oil mixed with honey before meals.
The treatment method, especially for children, is selected individually - the diet and procedures are prescribed only by the pediatrician, since the severity of the condition and the causes of the disease must be taken into account.
Constipation in children is a problem that arises due to the influence of many different negative factors, which the child’s body perceives more sensitively than an adult. The elimination of the disease must be approached individually, taking into account its provocateur. But there are several principles for treating constipation in children that must be followed, whatever the cause of its occurrence. One of these is dieting.
Difficulties with defecation in children are influenced by both external and internal negative factors. Causes of constipation in a child include:
Sometimes constipation indicates the presence of illness. Difficulty in defecation is a symptom of a number of diseases:
- pancreatitis;
- haemorrhoids;
- cholecystitis;
- gastritis;
- intestinal infection;
- dysbacteriosis;
- colon diverticulosis;
- stomach ulcer;
- diabetes;
- nephrolithiasis.
Attention: if constipation frequently bothers a child and is accompanied by other deteriorations in health, it is necessary to contact a specialist, as there is a high probability of illness.
Treatment of constipation in children
A special diet and increased physical activity are the first steps to take to treat constipation. If the disease does not go away or recurs periodically, you should seek help from a pediatrician.
After examination and tests (blood, urine, feces), the children's doctor gives recommendations or refers to a more specialized specialist (surgeon, gastroenterologist).
Attention: if, in addition to constipation, the child is bothered by severe pain in the abdomen, and blood and liquid feces are released from the anus (involuntarily), you need to consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Medicines for the treatment of constipation in children are selected by a specialist. Doctors usually prescribe these drugs:
Folk remedies are also suitable for treating constipation in children if the child is not allergic to any of their components. Consider a few recipes:
Important: if the child’s anus is not injured, he can be given an enema. A glass of cold water is suitable as a liquid. Before using the enema, you must disinfect the bulb and coat the tip with Vaseline or a soft cream for children.
What foods should you eat?
Some types of food not only satisfy the feeling of hunger, but also have a beneficial effect on metabolism. For constipation, these products are recommended:
- fermented milk products;
- vegetable oil;
- vegetables;
- fruits;
- berries;
- lean meat and fish;
- seafood;
- bran;
- wholemeal bread;
- buckwheat grain.
Important: especially healthy vegetables include beets, pumpkin and cabbage. Prunes, figs, apricots, gooseberries are fruits and berries that prevent constipation.
Pumpkin puree is a healthy and very tasty dish for baby food.
In order to speed up the treatment of constipation, you need to feed the child warm liquid and semi-liquid meals. Porridge with milk, soups, stewed vegetables with meat or fish are healthy dishes.
Stewing, boiling, baking are suitable cooking methods. You should not fry foods, as the fats used will aggravate the situation, and there will be fewer nutrients in the products.
What foods should you avoid?
Some foods take longer to be absorbed by the body than others. This is due to the presence of fats and difficult-to-process substances contained in them. The category of foods that are undesirable to consume for constipation includes:
- fatty meat and fish;
- smoked meats;
- bakery products made from premium flour;
- pasta;
- rice and semolina cereals;
- animal and cooking fats;
- chocolate products;
- hot sauces and seasonings;
- mushrooms;
- jelly;
- cocoa;
Important: also for constipation, some vegetables and fruits (radish, garlic, radish, quince, blueberries) are contraindicated.
Before changing a child's diet, you need to consider his age. For each age category there are certain recommendations:
Important: when drawing up a nutrition plan, you need to take into account not only the age, but also the characteristics of the child’s body. For example, if he does not tolerate a certain product that is useful for constipation, it should not be included in the diet.
How to increase the effectiveness of treatment?
In order to speed up recovery and prevent relapses, it is necessary to adhere to a number of rules.
- Monitor your child's drinking regime. The more fluid he consumes, the better. Give your child pure or still mineral water, juices and compotes.
- Encourage your child to engage in sports and gymnastics. Morning exercises and an active daily lifestyle contribute to the acceleration of metabolic processes in the body.
- Give small children massages. Circular movements with your hands with light pressure on the abdominal area will help infants defecate.
- Don't stop the diet even after your child's constipation goes away. To prevent the disease from recurring, the child needs to stick to the diet for at least 5 days, after which gradually introduce other foods into the diet.
Attention: you need to monitor the child’s diet. Frequently eating small portions of food has a positive effect on its absorption by the body.
Sample menu for 5 days
The table shows a 5-day meal plan for constipation in children over three years of age. It can be adjusted, but only taking into account the lists of permitted and prohibited products. The number of meals cannot be reduced. If your child needs additional snacks, fruits, vegetables and berries are suitable.
First breakfast Lunch Dinner Afternoon snack Dinner 1 day Omelette with tomatoes Yogurt with fruits Vegetable soup, mashed potatoes with navaga Prunes Stewed vegetables with chicken Day 2 Oatmeal Sandwich made of cheese and black bread Meatball soup and vinaigrette Dried apricots with raisins Barley with steamed turkey Day 3 Corn flakes with kefir Fruit salad Fish soup and potato and pickled cucumber salad Oatmeal cookies and yogurt Boiled potatoes with veal 4 day Crispbread with sweet curd mass Apple and prune Borsch Kefir Buckwheat porridge with baked turkey 5 day Boiled eggs and kefir Oat cookies Chicken soup and cabbage, carrot and cucumber salad Pear and grapes Vegetable casserole with cod 
Baked apple with cottage cheese is a wonderful dessert for children
Video - Diet for constipation in children from 1 year to 7 years
Diet in the treatment of constipation in children is an important measure
Even if the cause of your child's constipation is a lack of physical activity and not a factor directly related to the digestive system, diet will play an important role. Changing the diet to suit the body's needs in this case will speed up the healing process and prevent complications. The diet will also have a beneficial effect on the child’s general condition and well-being.
The most common problem that worries many young parents is -. This pathological phenomenon is explained by the fact that in young children the gastrointestinal tract system is not yet fully formed, therefore, malfunctions are often observed in its working functions, which is the cause of stool retention.
In this regard, parents are interested in what foods to give their child for constipation, so as not to aggravate the situation, and which ones are better to avoid.
(constipation) is absence of defecation for two or more days. The digestive system of a child’s body is at a developing stage, so it does not work entirely correctly.
However, there is also a number of external factors that can provoke delayed bowel movement:
- Early introduction of complementary foods (up to 6 months).
- Insufficient fluid intake.
- Heredity.
- Dysbacteriosis.
- Worm infestation.
- Wrong diet.
- Taking certain medications.
- Psychological factor.
- Fiber deficiency or excess presence of proteins and fats.
- Weak muscles due to the child’s low physical activity.
Symptoms of constipation in children
- Hard and dry feces.
- Fecal smears on underwear (encopresis).
- The presence of blood in feces, panties and toilet paper.
- Straining during defecation.
- Bloating.
- Temperature.
Kinds
There are the following types of constipation in children:
- Functional.
- Organic.
- False.
- Episodic.
- Spicy.
- Chronic.
If a child has problems with the process of defecation, this situation should not be left to chance, which is fraught with many complications, including childhood and as well as other unpleasant phenomena:
- Rectal prolapse.
- Self-poisoning of the body with fecal toxins.
- Weakening of the immune system.
- Appearance
- Development of concomitant pathologies.
However, before transferring your baby to a special diet, you need to consult a doctor and undergo an examination to accurately determine the cause of constipation.
Features of baby food for constipation
Diet for children with constipation is a key factor in complex therapy this pathological deviation. Its careful observance speeds up the baby’s recovery process and brings the moment of returning to good nutrition closer without the risk of developing any undesirable consequences for the body in the future.
Diet for constipation in children is a key factor in the complex treatment of the disease
Besides, with a balanced diet, the small body receives a sufficient amount of important substances: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, microelements and vitamins.
Parents need to remember important dietary principles:
- When creating a diet, take into account the baby’s age and nutritional characteristics for his age category.
- Priority should be given to those products that maximally activate intestinal motility, and reduce the amount of fastening agents as much as possible.
- Do not forget about the child’s daily fluid intake; ideally, this is about 2-3 glasses of water, compote or other healthy drinks.
- Take into account the number of calories in food, vitamins, minerals, as well as the daily intake of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, which should correspond to the age of the baby.
Below is a list of acceptable and undesirable foods that must be present or absent in the baby’s menu, depending on his age.
What food is allowed when you are sick?
So, a diet for constipation in a child must certainly correspond to his age category; it is this criterion that will determine what can and cannot be eaten.
Allowed foods for constipation in children:
- Vegetable dishes (salads, vinaigrettes).
- Fresh fruits.
- Homemade natural jam, jam.
- Boiled meat and fish.
- Dairy products.
- Softened dried fruits and dishes made from them (priority is given to prunes).
- Natural yogurt, kefir, yogurt.
- Porridge (buckwheat, wheat, oatmeal).
- Honey (if you are not allergic to it).
- Wholemeal bread.
What to avoid if you experience constipation
Foods that should be removed from the diet:
- Strong tea, cocoa, coffee.
- Rice porridge, semolina.
- Baked goods made from yeast dough.
- Pasta.
- Such vegetables: onions, garlic, radishes, radishes.
- Fried and protein-rich foods.
- Fresh white bread.
- Chips and fast food.
- Fast food (semi-finished products).
Lack of water in the body is one of the main causes of constipation in children.
Also, do not forget that one of the The cause of constipation in children is a lack of water in the body. As a result, the stool becomes dense, and its movement through the intestines becomes difficult. To avoid this factor, parents need to control the daily volume of fluid consumed.
Products with a laxative effect
To solve the problem of constipation in children, in their menu products with laxative characteristics must be constantly present. In this regard, such Laxative products for constipation in children:
- Carrot juice.
- Kefir with a small addition of vegetable oil.
- Prunes.
- Boiled beets.
- Potato juice with honey.
- Fresh apricots or dried apricots.
It’s no secret that young children tend to refuse certain dishes, so You can prepare medicinal dishes with a twist, for example:
- Mix a small amount of bran, which is rich in fiber, into salads, porridge, and yogurt.
- Add finely chopped prunes (dried apricots), honey to the chopped nuts and form small candies.
- Aloe has a mild laxative effect. A little pulp of the aloe leaf is crushed and added to desserts, for example, to the same candies mentioned above.
Therapeutic nutrition for constipation in children
A special table is one of the important areas in the treatment of absence in children. Whatever the etiology of delayed bowel movement, it is impossible to do without a therapeutic menu. In most episodes, a revision of the diet can completely eliminate the symptoms of constipation in the child.
So, what to cook when your baby suffers from constipation? As an example, Treatment menu for a child with constipation at 2 years of age:
- Breakfast: baked omelette, vegetable salad.
- Snack: prunes, baked apple.
- Lunch: borscht in vegetable broth with sour cream, boiled fish, dried fruit soup.
- Afternoon snack: pumpkin pancakes.
- Dinner: wheat porridge, fresh fruit salad.
- Snack: kefir.
To prevent constipation in a child aged three years, meals should be at least four times a day.
For three-year-old children, meals must be provided at least four times a day, and portions must be prepared not very large, which contributes to better absorption of food by the intestines. So, what to feed a 3-year-old child with constipation? As an example, you can use the options below.
Example 1
You can prepare the following dishes:
- Breakfast: crumbly buckwheat porridge, tea, a slice of dried loaf with jam or jam.
- Snack: natural (low-fat) yogurt with honey or jam, bran bread or crackers.
- Lunch: Light soup with a weak vegetable/meat broth, steamed chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes, beet salad, black bread, compote.
- Afternoon snack: Natural fruit/vegetable juice with pulp, biscuits.
- Dinner: vegetable casserole with fish, fresh vegetable salad, dried bread, compote.
- Snack: curdled milk (kefir).
Example 2
Nutrition menu for constipation in children 3 years old:
- Breakfast: Barley porridge, prune puree, weak tea with honey, toasted bun.
- Snack: Apple juice with pulp, bran bread.
- Lunch: Cucumber and tomato salad with olive oil, boiled meat with a side dish of potatoes, compote and black bread.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese casserole.
- Dinner: vinaigrette, vegetable casserole with fish, tea with a bran bun.
- Snack: yogurt, kefir or low-fat cottage cheese.
When compiling a menu of dishes, do not forget that they should all be cooked boiled, stewed or baked.
Children's menu for the prevention of constipation
The presence of constipation in a child is a rather serious issue; to prevent it, it is necessary to adhere to a number of rules that will help avoid the development of this phenomenon:
- If your baby’s body is prone to constipation, consult a pediatrician and draw up a plan for preventive measures.
- Pay attention to your diet.
- Monitor the regularity of bowel movements.
- Feed the child meals according to the recommendations of a specialist.
- In special cases, with the permission of the pediatrician, use a good laxative medicine.
Give preference to dishes containing those products that are allowed to be used for problems with bowel movements. Do not feed your child excess amounts of sweets, fried foods, fatty meats and fish, or the processed foods mentioned above. Preference should be given to healthy foods, especially those rich in fiber, which have a positive effect on the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract.
Conclusion
To avoid constipation in a child, listen to the advice of your pediatrician, adjust the diet, eliminate or minimize foods that can cause difficulty with bowel movements. An important point in the fight against constipation is proper sleep patterns, regular bowel movements, and the use of laxatives (only with the permission of a doctor).
Do not forget about accompanying measures that can help avoid undesirable phenomena, for example, folk remedies and tummy massage. All these useful recommendations can not only cure constipation, but also prevent its formation.
By the age of one year, children's intestines should be emptied once a day, preferably in the morning. True, a child can do this twice a day or even once every two days. This frequency of bowel movements can also be considered a variant of the individual norm. But only if there are no other signs of constipation in the child, which include prolonged straining (at least 25% of the total time of defecation), as well as excessively dense and dry consistency of stool. If you observe at least one of these symptoms in your child, tell your pediatrician about it and together adjust the child’s diet.
Constipation in a child: what to do? General line
Pediatricians usually promise mothers who are concerned about the tendency for constipation in children that with a planned expansion of the menu after a year and a gradual transition to regular food, this problem will disappear by itself. As a rule, this is what happens. But, unfortunately, not always. It is during this period that children's intestines often begin to become lazy with renewed vigor.
And the whole point is that its enzyme systems are forced to sharply restructure with the beginning of such a food “revolution”, and this process does not always go smoothly and painlessly.
To prevent children's intestines from being lazy, you need to do three very important things.
Firstly, strengthen his motor skills (it is inhibited by excess proteins and fats and a lack of plant fiber in the diet).
Secondly, eliminate the spasm of the smooth muscles of this organ, which often causes constipation, especially in nervous and excitable children.
Thirdly, normalize the microflora of the children's intestines.
It is also very useful for mothers to keep a food diary. Moreover, there you must not only list all the foods that you fed your baby, but also indicate the exact time when you sat him down at the table.
Diet for constipation in children
In whatever ways mothers can fight constipation in young children! For example, many of them add raw grated beets and soaked bran to their food. Never do this, because these products in large quantities irritate the children's intestines and do not achieve their goals. Moreover, they can cause a paradoxical reaction, exacerbating the problem. It is better to try to improve intestinal function with the help of a proper diet for constipation in a child.
Drinking regime is also important. After all, when there is not enough moisture in the children's intestines, its contents become too hard. And then constipation occurs, the cause of which is often the banal lack of food for the child.
- Do not give your child sour juices or kefir that is more than a day old, because these products can cause constipation. But fresh kefir and moderately sweet juices with pulp, on the contrary, help normalize stool.
- The baby needs to get more fluids. Make sure that he washes down the main courses with table mineral water or juice, preferably plum juice. It also happens that children categorically refuse juice or compote after eating (it is better to make it from dried apricots and prunes). Wait half an hour or an hour and still try to give the obstinate little one something to drink.
- Offer your baby a quarter glass of cool water (bottled or boiled) before breakfast. But coffee (which is generally contraindicated for children), cocoa and tea are not suitable for such a purpose. The fact is that they have a diuretic effect, that is, they remove fluid from the body, drying out the contents of the children's intestines.
- It is very important that the child does not swallow food in a hurry, but chews the food thoroughly, as this process stimulates the secretion of saliva. And the more moisture contained in swallowed food, the lower the risk of constipation.
Products for constipation. Harm and benefit
All mothers know that rice porridge and blueberries have a strengthening effect, and therefore exclude them from the diet of babies prone to constipation. But did you know that milk can cause this problem if the child is allergic to its protein? Sometimes constipation becomes its first manifestation.
Replace whole milk with kefir and natural yogurt (as a rule, fermented milk products do not cause allergies, because the protein here is partially hydrolyzed, that is, split), and see how this affects the child’s condition.
Also give preference to foods that have a laxative effect due to their high dietary fiber content (vegetables, fruits, cereals, sprouted wheat, wholemeal bread). Such products have a beneficial effect on children's intestinal motility.
If your baby loves fresh white bread, cakes, pastries, butter cookies, as well as sausage, cheese, cocoa, then you should not be surprised that he is tormented by constipation. It is these foods that make the intestines lazy.
To activate the motility of the digestive tract, add 5-6 microcrystalline cellulose tablets per serving to prepared meals. Soaked bran also helps a lot. Just keep in mind that the dose must be selected individually with the pediatrician: some children need two teaspoons a day, others need a quarter glass.
Doctor's advice
Remember: if the baby has a poor appetite in general or has forgotten about food several times in a row because he got too busy playing or slept longer than usual during the day, then he takes too long breaks in eating, which leads to constipation in the child. But oddly enough, too frequent snacks between breakfast, lunch and dinner (especially when the child eats a cracker or a dry cookie) leads to the same result - due to overfeeding.
Healing food. Folk remedies for treating constipation
Use some products to prepare not only regular dishes, but also healing mixtures.
- Scald half a cup of washed raisins, prunes, dried apples, dates, figs, dried apricots with boiling water. Grind the dried fruits in a meat grinder and then puree them with a mixer. Add half a cup of infusion of ground flaxseed, crushed nuts, liquid honey (if your baby is not allergic) and mix thoroughly. Give your child half a teaspoon as medicine (and if there is no effect, a full teaspoon) in the morning on an empty stomach, in the afternoon 30 minutes before lunch and at night before bed. Store the mixture in the refrigerator.
- In the evening, pour 1-2 teaspoons of flaxseed with half a glass of cold boiled water. In the morning, add grated apple or carrots, washed and steamed raisins, and honey to taste. Give your baby a teaspoon on an empty stomach, and if that doesn’t help, a dessert spoon.
- Pour boiling water over a handful of washed dried fruits in the evening. In the morning, add 2 tablespoons of ground bran dried in a frying pan, a tablespoon of ground sprouted wheat and honey. The child needs to eat a teaspoon, dessert or tablespoon on an empty stomach (the dose depends on the severity of the child’s constipation).
