Your baby is starting to feel uncomfortable and his stools are hard and too rare, there is no doubt, your child is suffering from constipation. Even if this disease remains mild, the treatment must be adapted to better treat the transit of your infant and make his stools more fluid.
First of all, it should be remembered that constipation in children remains harmless and fleeting. This discomfort appears either throughout breastfeeding or during the diversification of food. The baby can be constipated when his stools are hard and at too rare frequencies. But "You should not worry until the baby is uncomfortable, continues to eat and remains peaceful. ", says Dr. F. Cahn-Sellem. Indeed, if your baby continues to gain weight, that he sleeps well at night and that his stools are not hard, your baby has no constipation problem.
However, if your infant experiences discomfort, manifested by crying, gas and pain, these signs may be suggestive ofconstipation. Constipation treatment must be done without administering medication (glycerine suppositories), but by rebalancing the baby's diet, seen before with your doctor. Also, “Small massages can be welcome to facilitate its transit. ", advises Dr. F. Cahn-Sellem. Be careful, never use a thermometer to check the body temperature of your little one because it could hurt his anus.
Here are the different symptoms that can occur in children:
- The stool is hard
- Frequency too irregular
- The stool is dry
- Baby turns red, cries and feels pain
- The belly looks hard and swollen
What to do to fight constipation in babies?
First, constipation will not be the same depending on your child's age and diet. So at infants exclusively breastfed since birth, the problem may arise if breastfeeding is too low. "Above all, you must check that your baby is gaining weight". If you find that your baby is not gaining weight, do not hesitate to add a feeding during the day or to make them last longer in time, if and only if, the baby is always hungry. " Optionally, offer a tiny bit of water between the bottles to facilitate feeding. ", advises Dr. F. Cahn-Sellem.
If you just switched tomixed breastfeeding, that is to say that you alternate between the breast and the bottle, it is necessary that the transit of your baby learns to digest naturally. If the problem persists, "You must check the reconstitution of baby bottles with your doctor, you should prefer milk rich in lactose", underlines Dr. F. Cahn-Sellem
From the 4th month, your baby can start his food diversification, "we can then give purees rich in fiber thanks to vegetables and fruits and fats with rapeseed oil.", advises Dr. F. Cahn-Sellem. These contributions will help to fluidify your baby's stool thanks to the fibers but also to the lipids which are essential to the good development of the infant, so you can offer him different vegetable purees such as carrot, pea or zucchini purees, but also fruit, banana, apple and pear purees.
At the age of 2, it's a little different. At this time, children start the acquisition of cleanliness. It is therefore necessary to explain to them this process of elimination of stools, trying to reassure them and to make them as guilty as possible. "You have to explain it to your child using little books. He needs to understand that what he is eliminating is what he does not need. ", bashful Dr. F. Cahn-Sellem So do not hesitate to explain to him that everyone disposes of his stool in the toilet, like the animals or even yourself.
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The position on the pot can also have a direct impact on your child's stool, so be sure to install it correctly and check regularly that it adopts an adequate position. "He has to have his legs flat and sit well on his potty, he also has to be given time, as far as is reasonable. ", advises Dr. F. Cahn-Sellem. Also, to evacuate his stool as easily as possible, do not hesitate to make him do activities every day such as walking or even going to the park. These activities will help him fight constipation.
Certain foods are also to be avoided, such as cooked rice and carrots, as well as foods rich in fats that slow down transit such as pastries, crisps or fries.
When to worry
Even though constipation remains identifiable in children with hard, dry stools, symptoms vary among individuals. However "It is the child's discomfort that should worry us". So as soon as your child experiences discomfort, do not hesitate to consult your doctor. "You have to worry when there are pains and chronicities", also "If the child is still uncomfortable, even after rebalancing in fiber and fat intake, or if he is bleeding, do not hesitate to consult a pediatrician, even if it seems trivial. ", alerts Dr F. Cahn-Sellem
In the majority of cases, constipation is a functional problem that will only need to be resolved through good installation as well as a healthy lifestyle.