Stages and times when children are prone to constipation

The article was professionally consulted by MSc.BS.Huynh Bao Toan - Neonatologist, Vinmec Nha Trang General Hospital. The doctor has 13 years of experience in the field of Pediatrics.

When starting to eat solids, starting to practice sitting on the potty or going to school... are the times when children are easily constipated due to many different reasons. Along with that, children who drink formula instead of breast milk, eat solid foods,... also have a higher risk of constipation than other children.

Constipation in children occurs when children have hard stools, less bowel movements, and bowel movements often require more effort, along with pain and discomfort. This is a very common problem in children. However, if constipation persists, it will affect the physical and mental development of the child.
When being constipated, the child will have the following symptoms:
Abdominal pain due to stomach contractions; Feeling less hungry, anorexic, picky eaters; Negative emotions, irritability; There is a fissure around the anus that causes pain and bleeding during bowel movements for prolonged constipation; Babies often feel bloated, hard stomach.

The causes of constipation in children are many, but most are due to eating and daily activities. These causes include:
Due to the natural tendency: children have slow bowel movements, thus they are prone to constipation; Babies drink formula for the first 6 months instead of breast milk ; Children's bowel habits do not take place regularly, regularly and on time: many children are eager to play but lazy to sit on the potty to defecate, thus causing the stools to accumulate, dry, become larger and difficult to discharge. beyond more; There is a sudden change in daily nutrition, for example in the transitional stages of newborns: transition from breast milk to solid foods, eating foods at school...; A daily diet low in fiber and rich in processed foods, foods rich in fat and protein... is also likely to lead to constipation in children; Drink lots of animal milk every day; Some diseases in young children: some children have problems with the intestines, thyroid gland, or some other metabolic disorders... can cause constipation. However, this is usually very rare and is easily detected by a doctor's examination.

2.1 When the baby starts to eat solid foods The weaning phase is when the baby begins to gradually transition from breast milk to solid foods, usually when the baby is 6 months old. The reason why babies don't exclusively breastfeed at this time is because breast milk no longer has enough nutrients essential for the baby's development. However, formula milk has a relatively large difference compared to breast milk, which is more difficult to digest, so babies will be very constipated at this time.
In addition, if the baby's weaning diet has a lot of solid foods rich in fat, lacks fiber, as well as if the baby is not supplemented with more water at the time of weaning, the baby will also be constipated.
2.2 The stage of starting to practice sitting on the potty or sitting on the toilet Besides the baby who eats solid food is constipated due to reasons related to nutrition, at the stage of starting to practice sitting on the potty or toilet also causes this condition due to changes in the child's bowel habits. Some babies, because they don't want or are used to sitting on the potty, will hold back their bowel movements, causing the stools not to be pushed out, accumulate, become hard and dry, and make them constipated.
When the baby is constipated, the baby is more afraid of going to the toilet, so the constipation will last longer and become more serious.
2.3 The beginning of schooling Going to school is the time when the baby moves to a completely new environment and of course, the baby's toilet is also changed. Usually, the toilets at schools are not too clean or there are too many friends around. This makes the child worry and try to hold back the bowels at school to return home, gradually causing bad habits and increasing the risk of constipation.

The most natural way to overcome constipation in children is to give them plenty of water and add more fiber to their diet. Drinking a lot of water will stimulate bowel movements stronger, enhance food digestion and excrete food out. Along with that, during the weaning period, the baby should eat liquid foods, soft and easy to digest, but still full of nutrients.
Besides, you should train your children to have the habit of going outside on time. This is extremely important to overcome as well as prevent constipation in children of all ages. Every day, teach your baby to sit on the potty or remind him to have a bowel movement at exactly the same time, even if he doesn't want to, for about 10-15 minutes. After a few weeks of training, your baby's body will form a reflexive bowel habit.
In addition to the two main things above, some of the following methods will also help your child to have a bowel movement easier:
Help your baby bend his knees and practice cycling for him: these movements promote bowel movements, Therefore, the digestion process will take place better and reduce constipation in children. Warm bath: Every day, you should bathe your baby in warm water for about 10-15 minutes and help your baby relax. The heat from the water will make the stools move out more easily.

If the child's constipation is in the following cases, the baby should be checked by a doctor:
The child's constipation lasts more than 2 weeks. Newborn babies are bloated and constipated. Constipation is accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, abdominal distension, bloody stools, vomiting and weight loss... Besides, parents should pay attention to nutrition to improve the child's resistance. At the same time, add supporting foods containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, B vitamins,... snacks and less digestive problems.
Parents can learn more:
Why do you need to supplement Lysine for your baby?
The role of zinc - Guidelines for reasonable zinc supplementation
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