How to prevent constipation for children?

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Long-term constipation in children will cause children to have abdominal pain, bloating, and eventually lead to anorexia, malnutrition and growth retardation. Therefore, parents need to understand how to prevent constipation for children to limit these conditions.

1. Signs your child is constipated

Constipation for a long time in children is a condition in which children often suffer from constipation. When suffering from constipation for a long time, children have very few bowel movements and hard stools.
The child may be constipated if:
The infant has less than 2 bowel movements a day; Children 6 - 12 months old have bowel movements less than 3 times/week; Children 1 year of age and older have bowel movements less than 2 times a week. In addition, another sign that helps identify children with constipation is solid stools, many cracks on the surface, children have distention and stiffness in the abdomen, and have many difficulties in defecation.

2. Prevent constipation for children by changing their nutrition

In the case of children who have eaten solids, parents can add anti-constipation foods for children such as:
Spinach: Spinach has welding properties, helps with diuretics and detoxification. In addition, it also has a large amount of mucilage pectin and starch polysaccharide, which helps the digestive system work more smoothly, stimulates intestinal peristalsis, softens stool, pushes stool out more easily; Red amaranth: Has the effect of clearing heat, antiseptic, diuretic,... Therefore, red amaranth is often used to treat kidney diseases, constipation and dysentery in children; Sweet potato: This tuber contains a lot of insoluble fiber, which helps to increase stool volume. Sweet potatoes also contain a certain amount of fiber and pectin, which is very good for the digestive system; Broccoli: Has a rich content of fiber, which helps increase the volume of stool for children to pass stool more easily, avoiding constipation. In addition, broccoli also contains many vitamins C, K and folate, which are beneficial for the development of children; Plums: With their high fiber content, plums are used as a natural remedy for constipation in babies. Plums are rich in polyphenols, which help increase the amount of fluid inside the intestinal tract, effectively supporting the treatment of constipation in children; Ripe bananas: Bananas add more nutrition to children thanks to their high content of folic acid, potassium, pectin, vitamin B6,... In addition, a banana contains up to 12% of the daily amount of fiber needed for the body, supporting the body. aids bowel movements. Therefore, children eating bananas in moderation can prevent constipation; Foods with beneficial bacteria: Yogurt, probiotics, probiotic gummies to improve the imbalance of intestinal bacteria for babies; Other foods: Apples, pears, kiwis, avocados, legumes, whole grains, okra, raspberries, grapefruit, etc. The effect of softening stools is very beneficial for the digestive system of children. For children who are constipated but do not like to eat vegetables, parents can change the way of preparing and presenting vegetable dishes in an attractive way to attract children's attention. In addition, parents can also make smoothies or fruit juices for children to drink easily.

3. Preventing constipation for children by adjusting living habits

Give children plenty of water: Constipation in children is often caused by dehydration and lack of water. Therefore, when children can't go out, parents should give them plenty of water to keep them hydrated; Let children be more active: This is an effective and safe way to combat constipation for children. Regular exercise helps children's intestines move, supports the treatment of children's constipation; Establish a regular toileting time for your baby: Parents should encourage their child to have a bowel movement at the same time of day, especially after eating or at any time he wants to go. This creates a habit of going to the toilet on time and helps children to be less constipated; Abdominal massage for children: Parents can massage the baby's abdomen daily for better digestion and easier bowel movements, without constipation; Using stool softeners: Parents can use some stool softeners for children as recommended by the doctor; Children should not eat a lot of red meat, milk and dairy products, processed cereals because these are food groups that easily make children constipated.

4. Some folk tips to treat constipation in children

Use honey: Parents can use honey to treat constipation for children. Honey is hot and greasy, so it helps stimulate the anal muscles to work. You just need to take a little pure honey, apply it on a cotton ball, and dig deep into the baby's anus. Do it regularly for 5-6 days, the child will stop constipation. Parents should note that at this stage the child's anus is very sensitive and easily torn, so when applying honey, it should be done gently; Use locust: Parents take about 4-5 locusts, bake, put in a pot of boiling water with 500ml of water. Next, wait for the water to cool, then the parents use a syringe to inject this solution into the child's anus. The child can go to the toilet right after; Use spinach: Spinach has viscous properties, lubricating the baby's anus very well. How to do it as follows: Mother takes 1 stalk of coriander, washed, stripped of its outer shell, and picked the young anus 3-4 times with the stalk. Do it continuously for a few days, then the child's constipation will stop. Fighting constipation for children is not too difficult if parents know how to adjust their children's diet and activities. Parents should supplement the child's diet with foods that treat constipation to actively improve this situation for the baby.
Besides, the baby needs to add the necessary micronutrients: Zinc, selenium, chromium, vitamins B1 and B6, ginger, acerola fruit extract (vitamin C), ... to improve taste, eat delicious , reach the right height and weight and exceed the standard, have a good immune system, strengthen the resistance to get sick less often and have less digestive problems.
The improvement of symptoms can take place for a long time, so it is recommended that parents be calm and persistent when supplementing with nutrients for children, even through eating or functional foods. In particular, the use of functional foods should choose those of natural origin that are easily absorbed, do not allow simultaneous use of many types or continuously change the types of functional foods.
For more nutritional knowledge and child care for each age, parents should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, pediatric and nutrition experts of the National General Hospital. Vinmec when needing advice on children's health.