Worried because 3-year-old children have prolonged constipation

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Constipation in 3-year-olds is a common condition that worries many parents. Children with prolonged constipation will affect their health and development. To improve the condition of 3-year-old children with prolonged constipation, parents need to combine many measures, the most important of which is to add more fiber and let the child drink enough water.

1. Causes of prolonged constipation in 3-year-old children

Constipation in children is a condition in which stool moves slowly in the colon, the stool is absorbed a lot of water, so it is dry, hard or round like goat poop. Children have symptoms of constipation if they have less than 2 bowel movements/day for infants, less than 3 bowel movements/week for breastfed babies and less than 2 bowel movements/week for older children.
Children with constipation often have to push a lot leading to burning pain, even anal fissures, anal bleeding or rectal prolapse. This makes children obsessed, afraid to defecate, making bowel movements more difficult.
Constipation in children, if not treated promptly and properly, will cause many consequences such as anorexia, flatulence, abdominal distension, indigestion, vomiting, stunted children, malnutrition and growth retardation.
There are many causes of constipation in a 3-year-old child. Specifically:
1.1. Improper nutrition This is the leading cause of prolonged constipation in children, accounting for 95% of all causes. Inappropriate nutrition can be caused by:
Low-fiber diet makes 3-year-old children constipated for a long time : The lack of fiber is due to the concentrated diet consuming too much animal protein, but less vegetables and fruits. Children eat a lot of fried food, fried, fast food or candy, carbonated soft drinks: These are unhealthy foods because they make the digestive system work harder, leading to bloating. , bloating and constipation. Children drink less water: This will make food stay in the colon longer, harder and denser stools, causing constipation. Improperly mixed milk, causing too thick or parents giving formula milk to babies with high protein, calcium, iron, and phosphorus ingredients is also the cause of 3-year-old children's constipation. 1.2. 3-year-old children have long-term constipation as a result of some diseases 3-year-old children with constipation can also be the result of a number of diseases such as:
Imbalance of intestinal flora often caused by antibiotic use Oral administration destroys beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. Congenital aneurysm causes loss of contractile activity for a segment of the colon, leading to stagnation of stool in the colon, causing constipation in children. Anal fissure causes pain and makes children have to push a lot every time they have a bowel movement, causing loss of reflexes for a long time, making constipation worse. Neurological causes weaken or paralyze the weak abdominal wall muscles, leading to dysregulation of bowel movements, loss of reflexes to expel stool, long-term causing constipation in children. Side effects of some drugs such as pain relievers, cough medicines, antiepileptic drugs, anticonvulsants also cause constipation.

1.3. Constipation due to psychology, inhibited reflexes Psychological: Children hold back defecation because there is a feeling of not being private and unhygienic when defecating in school toilets or public places. Lack of physical activity is also the cause of long-term constipation in 3-year-old children. Children often sit in one place to play games, watch TV, making abdominal muscles and weak bowel movements poorly regulated. In particular, in the cold season, constipation will be worse because children are lazy.

2. Measures to improve persistent constipation for 3-year-old children

Children with prolonged constipation will affect their health and development. Therefore, “what should a 3-year-old child with constipation do” is often a concern of parents. To improve the condition of 3-year-old children with persistent constipation, parents need to combine the following measures:
2.1. Give your child plenty of water Water has the effect of cooling, purifying and contributing to effective constipation treatment. When children are constipated, they need to add water to soften the stools. The water requirement for 3-year-old children is about 1 liter per day. The amount of water can be increased or decreased depending on the needs and weight of the child.
2.2. Increase the addition of good foods for the digestive system Along with drinking enough water, parents also need to supplement their children with foods that are good for the digestive system, for example:
Whole grains: N types Whole grains with high starch and protein content are both nutritional supplements for children and help support digestive tract function. Green vegetables: Green vegetables (eg, collard greens, spinach, spinach, jute, cauliflower) are rich sources of fiber that effectively improve constipation in 3-year-olds. Fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, papayas, bananas, avocados, ... contain a lot of fiber and vitamins and minerals. Fruit can be cut into small pieces for children to hold or pureed into a smoothie to drink every day. Yogurt brings a rich source of beneficial bacteria to the intestines, which will help improve the condition of 3-year-old children with constipation. 2.3. For children to increase movement For children to increase movement by participating in sports activities, doing exercises, especially the abdominal muscles, will help the intestines contract better, the child's bowel movements are also easier. easier.
2.4. Create the habit of defecation on time Parents should form for children the habit of defecation on time. Should choose a time to defecate when the child is not in a hurry, usually right after breakfast about 30 minutes to 1 hour because bowel movements are increasing at this time. The transit time is about 3-5 minutes.
2.5. Warm baths for 3-year-old children with constipation 3-year-olds with prolonged constipation should be given warm baths to help soften stools, relax the anal sphincter, and stimulate bowel movements quickly. However, children should not be bathed or soaked in water for too long as bacteria can easily enter.

2.6. Gentle abdominal massage for children Gentle abdominal massage movements help regulate bowel movements, limiting the condition that stools remain in the intestinal tract for too long. Parents can stimulate bowel movements by massaging the abdomen in a clockwise direction from 3-4 times a day, about 5 minutes each time, in between meals, can press deeply on the lower left abdomen.
2.7. Using probiotics for 3-year-old children with constipation Besides giving children enough water every day and changing their diet and living in a scientific way, parents can also consider using products to support them. Supports the digestive system as probiotics. Probiotics are a form of probiotics that contain a lot of beneficial bacteria that help your child's digestive system work more efficiently. Specifically, beneficial bacteria spores will eliminate harmful bacteria, support the balance of intestinal microflora, increase enzyme levels to help digest food more thoroughly. At the same time, beneficial bacteria adhere to the stool to increase the viscosity, making the stool porous, soft and smooth, the intestines also increase peristalsis, so it is easier to push the stool out.

3. Some notes when treating constipation for 3-year-old children

When treating constipation for 3-year-old children, parents need to pay attention to some important issues as follows:
When your baby is constipated, you should limit your child's intake of red meat, chocolate, and soft drinks. gas, eat less starch, because these foods will make the child's constipation more serious. Do not arbitrarily give children laxatives or enemas without the consent of the doctor. Do not abuse enemas to solve the child's constipation because it can cause dilation of the sigmoid colon and rectum, make the child lose the natural defecation reflex, and form a habit, if not enema, the child will not pass on his own. defecate. For children with severe constipation, if they have the following signs, they should take them to the hospital right away: constipation lasts more than a week without improving with a change in diet; Right from the time of birth, the child has symptoms of constipation and abdominal distension; Constipation affects children's health such as poor appetite, weight loss, vomiting, malnutrition, etc.

In summary, constipation is a common condition in children entering the age of weaning due to inadequate nutrition, certain diseases or micronutrient deficiencies... Therefore, parents need a nutritious diet. A diet plan suitable for each stage of your child's development, allowing children to exercise appropriately to increase bowel movements.
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.
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.