What are the causes of constipation in 3 year old children? How to treat this ailment? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article. Constipation refers to a violation of the intestine, which manifests itself in the expansion of the intervals between bowel movements compared to the private norm or in regularly insufficient bowel movement. How is the treatment of constipation in children in 3 years, find out below.
Description
Few know how to treat constipation in children at 3 years of age. It is known that this ailment is most often found in infants, primary schoolchildren and preschool children. The causes of obstruction of bowel movements are varied, but the delay in stool is always discomfort in the baby and is accompanied by digestive upset.
Constipation in a child at 3 years of age can be provoked by many factors, both dangerous and not very. But in both cases, treatment is mandatory. Only a doctor can choose the right therapy, and low-quality self-medication can only aggravate the problem, causing many complications.
Before you try to cope with constipation in your baby yourself, study the causes and signs of a bowel movement disorder.
What is considered constipation?
Treating constipation in children at 3 years of age is not too complicated. The criteria for typical bowel movement in young children are not the same as in adults. So, a baby who receives milk from her mother in the first month after she is born can recover from almost every feeding.
This indicates adaptation of the digestive system. At this age, artificial babies recover much less frequently - from 5 to 1 times a day. Further, the body grows up, the digestive system improves, and the number of bowel movements decreases. A child who is six months old can be relieved just in two days, and three to five times a day.
After a year, it is considered natural if bowel movements occur at least six times every seven days. After three years, babies should be relieved at least four times a week.
The frequency of bowel movements should not be the only parameter of the typical activity of the intestine. In order to accurately judge whether a child has constipation or not, it is necessary to pay attention to the well-being of the baby.
Causes of Bad Stool
Many people ask: “How is constipation in children treated at 3 years old?” Consider the causes of this ailment. Common causes of constipation in 3-year-old children are a lack of fluid in the diet and nutritional errors. As a rule, the development of problems with feces leads to feeding the child with provisions that have little fiber. Also, congestion in the intestine may appear due to a violation of the food intake schedule and the size of the servings. In a child at 3 years of age, constipation can also occur due to a sedentary lifestyle. That is why it is very important to walk with the baby every day on the street and accustom him from an early age to morning exercises. Also, delayed emptying in children occurs:
- with weakening of peristalsis;
- acquired and congenital intestinal pathologies;
- allergic reaction to food;
- long-term use of antihistamines and antibiotics;
- thyroid disorders;
- due to stress.
Also, in a child at 3-4 years of age, constipation may appear due to the presence of worms. Waste from the vital products of these parasites provokes the process of intoxication, which is the cause of the disgusting work of the intestine.
Symptoms of constipation
Does the child have constipation at 3 years old? What should be done in this case? In medicine, there are established values for the frequency of bowel movements, which differ based on the age of the baby, as we discussed above. Children of three years must go to the toilet at least 1 time per day. If a child has never been relieved in a day, and his behavior is restless, then we can safely say that there are problems with stagnation in the intestines.
Typical signs of constipation in three year old babies include:
- lack of appetite;
- rumbling and bloating;
- lack of bowel movement for more than a day;
- tearfulness and nervousness;
- partial emptying, accompanied by discomfort and pain;
- mucus and streaks of blood in the feces;
- abdominal pain due to increased gas formation.
Everyone should know how to treat constipation in 3 years old children. If, along with a delay in stool, the baby has a fever, vomiting and liquid feces through constipation, he should be immediately shown to a pediatrician.
Treatment of constipation in three-year-old babies, especially if they are continuous, should be carried out according to the recommendations and prescription of a doctor. It is not necessary to immediately use laxatives, since their incorrect intake can only aggravate the ailment.
Diagnostics
With long-term constipation, children sleep poorly, often refuse to eat. In many cases, in children, constipation is functional, but in order not to miss a dangerous pathology, parents should go for a consultation with a pediatrician. The doctor in this case is required to prescribe an extensive diagnosis.
Constipation is a sign indicating some abnormalities in the digestive tract. The longer the constipation, the more undesirable consequences from it. In the early stages of the occurrence of difficulties during bowel movements, it is much easier to cope with the restoration of intestinal activity. But remember that only identifying the underlying cause of the anomaly allows you to choose the right methods and ways to eliminate it.
Do not rush to treat constipation, first observe the baby. Remember that stool frequency transformation is a natural process caused by external factors and nutrition.
Functional reasons
The causes of constipation in babies are different, as we discussed above. Given their nature, a classification of constipation has been developed.
What are functional causes? In this case, the consistency of the stool and the movement of feces through the intestines are violated, but there are no organic changes in the rectum.
If functional constipation is found , do not rush to apply a laxative. A menu based on age and a sufficient amount of fluid will help regulate the stool.
Alimentary factors
Here the reasons depend on age:
- Improper nutrition of a nursing mother. When breastfeeding, you must forget about smoked meats, pastries or fatty meat. These products affect the quality of milk, so constipation may occur.
- Replacing baby food. The mixture for feeding is different in composition and is selected individually for infants. Its independent replacement leads to a violation of bowel movements.
- Incorrect introduction of complementary foods. A child’s body needs to be trained in a new product gradually, so do not force the baby to eat mashed vegetables all at once. Start with a teaspoon and gradually increase the serving.
- Lack of water. All the necessary components are found in breast milk, and it is not necessary to drink the baby until the age of three months. Artists need fluid even after giving complementary foods. If the drinking regimen is impaired, it will negatively affect intestinal activity. The natural need for water does not need to be limited, because the children themselves feel the needs of their body.
- Food Allergy. Food intolerance leads to inflammation of the intestinal surface. As a result, the movement of feces is difficult. Allergies are often triggered by cow's milk, fish, cereals and eggs. Allergy appears after the introduction of complementary foods.
- Intestinal infections, recent. If the baby is ill with salmonellosis, dysentery or other ailments accompanied by diarrhea, then the absorption disorder of the intestinal mucosa in the recovery period causes constipation in the children.
- Violation of diet. Do not buy junk food for kids at the kiosks, do not give them a lot of sweet and starchy foods. The desire to treat the child tasty will lead to a delay in the chair.
Organic reasons
In babies, ailments can become the cause of difficult bowel movements. This is not always a pathology of the digestive tract. Constipation can trigger metabolic disorders or endocrine disruptions.
Digestive tract
This group includes such ailments:
- Bile flow disorder. The primary cause of constipation in a baby is a spasm or an excess of the biliary tract. Lack of bile makes digestion difficult in the intestines.
- Gastritis. The gastric mucosa becomes inflamed, the initial processing of the gastric lump by the gastric juice is disrupted. Poorly digested pieces of food provoke reflex cramps, irritating the intestinal mucosa.
- Obstacle in the path of movement of feces. Swallowed elements of toys and tumors block the intestinal lumen, creating an obstacle to eliminate stool.
- Damage to the anus. Cracks and tears of the anus appear when the child is pushing with constipation. Injuries to the anus cause pain, and babies, trying to avoid painful sensations, restrain the urge to defecate. This is noted in older children who know how to control the urge to go to the toilet.
If the children can talk, with gastrointestinal ailments, they complain of abdominal pain. Breasts do not sleep well, are naughty and refuse to eat.
Other ailments
If you do not know what to do with constipation in a child of 3 years, carefully read the article. Endocrine pathologies or metabolic disorders can cause organic constipation in babies:
- diabetes;
- deviation in the activity of the thyroid gland;
- myodystrophy;
- rickets;
- violation of innervation.
It is sometimes difficult to find out why constipation appeared. But if there is a suspicion of organic ailments, do not try to treat constipation yourself. Enema and taking laxatives to the child’s body will only harm. Go see a pediatrician, and if the pain caused by constipation is unbearable, call an ambulance.
Psychological factors
What is a psychological constipation in a child at 3 years old? The reason for the impossibility of relief here is moral discomfort:
- Stress. In a baby, this can be separation from a mother, and in older children - the first visit to school or kindergarten, difficult adaptation in the children's team.
- Unfamiliar place. Shy kids can not be relieved in kindergarten or school, but at home with bowel movements they have no problems.
- Toilet fear. Are you trying to accustom the kid to the toilet or have you bought a fancy pot, but the child refuses to go big? Think, maybe, new devices in a child cause fear. No need to insist. Better buy a regular pot, and leave the toilet training for later - the baby will grow a little bit and will want to empty himself, like mom and dad.
- Incorrect actions of parents. When the mother accustoms the baby to the potty, she often scolds him if he did not have time and got his pants dirty. Natural desire is suppressed by fear of causing discontent. Do not scold, but simply explain to the child that when you want to empty yourself, you need to run to the pot.
It is difficult to identify the psychological factor. But if the child is relieved only at home, think about why this happens. Fear, excitement, or discomfort can cause constipation.
Talk with the crumb that walking in a big way in a kindergarten or at a party is normal. Often the elimination of children's fears eliminates the problem. If you are unable to do this, teach your baby to empty before going to kindergarten or school.
As you can see, there are many provocative factors. If you cannot identify the cause, go to the pediatrician.
Types of constipation
The signs of constipation in the baby vary depending on the structure of the stool delay. These types of bowel movements are distinguished:
- Physiological - motility is not impaired, and the difficulty in emptying is caused by the fact that dry dense stool hardly moves through the intestines.
- Atonic - due to a violation of the innervation of the intestinal wall or a decrease in the tone of smooth muscles, motor activity is inhibited.
- Spastic - hypertonicity of the intestinal muscles caused by an innervation disorder or spastic readiness of smooth muscles gives the following symptoms: stool retention, abdominal pain.
Description of species
With the physiological form of constipation, stool delay is provoked by:
- physical inactivity;
- insufficient fluid intake;
- abuse of food with a low fiber content (baking, protein foods);
- irregular nutrition and starvation.
Here you can allow the physiological delay of the stool by analyzing the baby’s lifestyle and nutrition.
With an atonic form of constipation in a child, the following symptoms appear:
- increased gas formation;
- heaviness in the stomach;
- pain during bowel movements;
- feeling of fullness.
With atony, feces accumulate in large amounts in the lower part of the rectum. Trying to go to the toilet, the baby often complains of pain and cries. The physiological and atonic forms of constipation are identical in manifestations. Intestinal atony is diagnosed by a pediatric gastroenterologist after an examination.
With a spastic form of constipation, the baby has a muscle spasm under the influence of external factors (adverse living conditions, stress). After eliminating the provoking cause, the symptoms disappear on their own. What should be treated for spastic constipation in a 3-year-old child? Here, when emptying, a rough, dense feces similar to sheep comes out. If a child has constipation accompanied by intestinal colic, do not do an enema with cool water. After all, this will provoke a more powerful muscle spasm.
The treatment of constipation can be long-term. The recovery process can last up to two years. After all, it will be necessary not only to restore the activity of the intestine, but also to eliminate the psychological barrier. The child does not always understand that going to the toilet brings relief.
Recovery period
So how does a child of 3 years treat constipation? If this problem is not often repeated, and the child’s behavior does not cause anxiety, then you can deal with it yourself. First you need to think about what your child eats. Everything that is digested for a long time and causes fermentation in the intestine should be excluded from its menu.
With constipation, a useful provision is one that has a large amount of fiber:
- baked pumpkin;
- bran;
- boiled carrots with beets;
- prunes
- freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices;
- yogurt, kefir and yogurt.
How to deal with constipation in children 3 years old offer traditional healers? They advise giving babies natural oils: olive, pumpkin, linseed and others. They need to be added in small quantities to the child’s food. This will help improve peristalsis and soften the accumulated feces.
You can also do the child in 3 years with constipation enema. Thus, you eliminate the accumulated feces. Enema is usually done to babies no more than twice a week, otherwise the intestines will get used and constipation will turn into a chronic form.
No less effective is gymnastics. It improves intestinal motility.
Drug therapy
The type of constipation in babies affects the choice of treatment tactics. With spastic constipation, it is necessary to eliminate the spasm that has appeared, and with physiological constipation or atony, it is necessary to soften the dense stool and increase motility. If you think that a bowel spasm has occurred, give up methods that irritate the anus and rectum.
What to give the child from constipation in 3 years? If you decide to treat your baby’s constipation with medication, consult your doctor first. For a child's body, not all medications are safe. Without the permission of the doctor, you can use:
- Glycerin suppositories. Glycerin lubricates the intestinal wall, is not absorbed through the intestinal mucosa, makes feces soft and stimulates motility.
- Dufalac. This drug belongs to probiotics, softens feces, stimulates peristalsis, restores intestinal microflora.
- Microclysters "Microlax". They are sold in pharmacies in bottles with a dispenser. After introduction into the rectum, feces are softened and motility is stimulated.
Prevention
Everyone knows that ailment is better to prevent than to treat. Our simple tips will help prevent constipation:
- diet should be balanced;
- you can not feed 3-year-old babies with convenience foods;
- do not forbid children to drink water and compotes;
- encourage baby activity.
Eating, moving and drinking are three ways to prevent constipation in babies. And if there is a delay in the stool, then think about what caused the constipation, and eliminate the causes. Be healthy!