Constipation is a problem that is faced not only by adults, but also by children in various periods of life. This symptom is caused by various reasons, because the process of digesting food and the formation of feces depends on many factors - from the characteristics of nutrition to the level of physical activity.
Constipation is an extremely unpleasant problem. It is accompanied by abdominal pain. Due to constipation, appetite, sleep are disturbed, health is worsening. In this condition, the child needs help. To do this, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician who, if necessary, will prescribe an examination and appropriate treatment. A doctor should also discuss the use of safe folk remedies for constipation in a child.
Norm for stool in infants
Before considering folk remedies, we will understand the norm of the number of bowel movements. In children at different ages, the intestines empty with different frequencies. In the first days of life in babies, the number of bowel movements coincides with the number of feedings. After about 6 weeks, the indicator characterizing the frequency of bowel movement may change:
- In some infants, stool is observed up to 12 times a day. It's quite normal.
- In other children, bowel movements can occur 1 time in 3-5 days. This is also a normal indicator. A rare bowel movement indicates only that mother's milk is very suitable for the child. He almost completely assimilates such food. With good health, the absence of tension of the abdominal wall, normal weight gain, no treatment and nutrition correction is required.
Norm for a chair for artisans and older children
A different norm is established for children who are breast-fed. They should have a chair at least 1 time per day. The reduction of bowel movements is treated as constipation. For other periods of life, the following standards for the frequency of bowel movements have been established:
- 1–4 times a day after the introduction of complementary foods in the diet;
- 1 time in 1-2 days at preschool age;
- 3 times a week for students.
Water scarcity
Before using any folk remedies for constipation in a child, it is recommended to deal with the causes of this problem, because it is much easier and more correct to prevent it. In most cases, an unpleasant symptom occurs due to any external factors, and not due to diseases or congenital malformations of the intestine.
One of the most common causes of constipation is a lack of water in the diet. When the baby is breast-fed, he does not need to dairy. All the necessary substances, including water, he receives with breast milk. If the baby eats a mixture or complementary foods, then it is necessary to finish drinking.
Unfortunately, a norm has not been established that could show how much water a child needs to drink per day. The indicator depends on age, diet, and some other factors. Specialists only recommend giving the baby at least 100-150 ml of water per day, excluding drinks and liquids contained in food.
Power Features
Parents tend to feed their children a variety of foods. However, growing up children are often naughty, refuse some dishes. For example, they are not attracted to vegetable purees that seem tasteless. Even babies sometimes refuse fruit puree, and they enjoy eating various cereals and noodles. With such nutrition, constipation can not be avoided. They will arise due to a lack of dietary fiber. In the end, you will have to think about the quick treatment of constipation in children with folk remedies or official drugs.
Another reason for constipation associated with nutrition is the presence in the diet of too crushed, mashed food. Experts recommend not abusing such dishes. The child must get used to eating pieces. You need to teach your baby to eat vegetables and fruits. Children love to eat beautiful dishes, so you need to use it. It is unlikely that the child will refuse to eat carrots cut with flowers or stars, or some vegetable puree, supplemented with a sour cream mug.
Psychological problems
Often constipation occurs due to psychological problems. A violation of the frequency of bowel movements is observed in those children who are early and aggressively taught to walk on the potty. When the kids are naughty, their parents scold them. Children are afraid of screams and in the future they begin to restrain the urge to defecate. Fecal masses accumulate in the intestine and become denser. So constipation occurs.
Psychological problems are also encountered by older children. For example, some students do not go to toilets in educational institutions. Children do not like the atmosphere in which there is not enough privacy. Repels unpleasant odor, dirt from toilets. Children begin to restrain the urge to defecate, and at home they completely forget that they need to go to the toilet. As a result, constipation is formed.
Memo to parents
It is necessary to use folk remedies for constipation in a child very carefully, and in some cases it is generally worth abandoning them. Here is a short memo:
- You can not treat your baby yourself if he has poor health. If, for example, the child has severe pain, there is no discharge of gases, then the cause of this clinical picture may be acute intestinal obstruction. If such a diagnosis is suspected, the child should be urgently hospitalized in a surgical hospital.
- A child’s body differs from an adult in that it is still developing, it reacts very differently to certain medications. For this reason, it is recommended to treat constipation with folk remedies only after consulting a pediatrician.
- You can not give various herbs, infusions, decoctions to children under 5-6 years of age (there are exceptions only for completely non-hazardous drugs). It is also forbidden to use for treatment those plants that grew in the city, on roads, near factories.
Butter and castor oil in infants
Constipation in a baby is easy to recognize. In the presence of this problem, the baby cries, shakes, knocks with legs. Bloating is observed. One of the safest folk remedies for constipation in infants is butter. It must be fresh, unsalted. It is enough for a baby to give half a teaspoon of butter 1 time.
Many adults probably remember how they were scared of castor in their childhood, and some had to take it for constipation. This is a well-known laxative. It contributes to irritation of the intestinal receptors, reflex enhancement of peristalsis. There are no harmful components in castor oil. This tool is of plant origin. Breastfeeding to drink castor oil is not necessary. It will be enough for mom to lubricate the nipple with castor oil before feeding.
Fennel and dill for babies
A very effective folk remedy for constipation in a child is dill water. The recipe for its preparation was transmitted from ancient times. Dill water is considered a carminative, as it helps eliminate colic. However, with constipation, it can help. Thanks to dill water, intestinal function is normalized.
Dill water does not have to be prepared on its own. It can simply be purchased at any pharmacy, though the product that is sold is not made on the basis of dill seeds, but on the basis of fennel seeds. Dill water is not considered a medicine. It refers to foods created specifically for children in their first year of life. Its price is about 200 rubles. per bottle of 15 ml.
You can cook dill water yourself. The recipe is very simple - 1 tsp. dried dill seeds (they, by the way, are sold in a pharmacy) you need to pour 1 cup boiling water, insist a little and strain after cooling. The finished product for a child with constipation and pain in the tummy is given several times a day for half a teaspoon.
What else can mom help a baby
Substance from those products that a woman consumes comes into breast milk. For this reason, in case of violation of the frequency of bowel movements in a child, mother should not only find a safe folk remedy for constipation at home, but also review his diet and normalize the drinking regimen. It is recommended that you exclude from your daily menu:
- rice porridge;
- cabbage;
- beans;
- peas;
- mucous soups;
- black bread;
- jelly;
- strong tea;
- cocoa.
Most suitable for mothers is table number 3 according to Pevzner. If you exclude some foods from the proposed diet, the diet will be ideal for preventing constipation and intestinal colic in infants. Women can eat various vegetables, fruits, herbs, cold soups, hard-boiled eggs. Recommended cooking - steaming, boiling. Some fruits and vegetables can be eaten raw.
Beetroot juice for older children
An excellent folk remedy for the rapid treatment of constipation in children is beetroot juice. It stimulates the intestines, gives the body the necessary nutrients. It contains a wide list of vitamins, calcium, iron, phosphorus, etc. However, beets can also cause harm. It contains substances that irritate the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. To prevent any negative consequences, children with constipation are given beetroot juice with the addition of water or other juices (for example, carrot).
This folk remedy for constipation is preparing quickly. Need:
- take a solid root crop of medium size and regular shape;
- thoroughly wash the beets;
- remove the remains of the tops;
- scald beets with boiling water;
- grind the root crop using a grater (you can also use a juicer);
- squeeze the resulting mass with gauze.
Beetroot juice is not given to children immediately after cooking. He is put in a closet for 2 hours. After this period of time, the juice is diluted and given to a baby suffering from constipation. Up to a year, a few drops are enough. A child older than a year may take several teaspoons.
Recipes for teenagers
For adolescent children, the list of folk remedies for constipation is wider. One of them is honey. It is customary to use for colds. Few people know that it is still among the most effective folk remedies for the treatment of constipation. In order to cope with this delicate problem, doctors advise to dissolve a spoonful of honey in a glass of warm water and drink in the morning on an empty stomach.
Help with constipation joster laxative (buckthorn laxative). To prepare the medicine, the fruits are taken. On their basis, folk doctors prepare either a decoction or infusion:
- To prepare a decoction, 20 g of chopped fruit is poured into 200 ml of water. The mixture is put on fire and boiled for 10 minutes. After this, the product is insisted, filtered and taken for 1 tbsp. l thrice a day.
- For the preparation of infusion 1 tbsp. l pour a glass of boiling water and insist 2 hours in a warm place. After this time, the medicine is filtered. Drink it before going to bed half a glass.
The use of fruits and berries
Constipation is not only eliminated by herbs and vegetable juices. You can simply offer fruits and berries to your child or prepare delicious desserts from them. An appropriate fast-acting folk remedy for constipation is an orange. If a child eats one fruit before going to bed, then the next day the intestines will normally clear. There is only one caveat. The child should not be allergic to citrus fruits.
From an orange, some people prepare a dessert for constipation. Here is the prescription:
- 2 oranges cut into small cubes, put in a cup;
- pour chopped fruit unsweetened natural yogurt;
- add a couple of crushed prunes to the mixture.
With rare bowel movements, a compote of dried apples and cherries can help. Folk healers are also advised to eat fresh blueberries. Only the berry, in their opinion, copes with constipation. A decoction prepared on the basis of blueberries gives the opposite effect.
Comments by official medicine
Doctors advise parents not to experiment with the treatment of constipation with folk remedies. The causes of this problem should be clarified, so you need to consult a pediatrician. The specialist will prescribe an examination or recommend such funds that quickly relieve constipation and do not harm the child. Most often, drugs containing lactulose (dietary fiber that contribute to bowel movements) are prescribed. One such medicine is Dufalac. It is available in the form of syrup and is prescribed once in the morning. The laxative effect after taking it occurs in 2-10 hours.
Another effective and safe remedy is glycerin suppositories. In pharmacies, they are sold for both adults and children. Suppositories melt after administration, help soften hardened fecal matter, stimulate intestinal motility, and facilitate passage and excretion of feces from the body.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that constipation in a child is a problem that requires special attention of parents. It is important to consider not only the frequency of bowel movements, but also additional symptoms. With severe pain, the presence of other signs, you should immediately consult a doctor. It is possible that the child has some other serious health problem. If there are no suspicious symptoms, you can try some alternative remedy for constipation of quick action or a safe medicine.