Constipation is a very very common problem in children, be it in babies, infants, toddlers or grown up kids. Constipation brings in with itself a lot of discomfort, pain and cranky moments. It is something all mothers come across during their motherhood and almost every month are faced with the doubt: “What If My Child Is Constipated?”
This post brings to you home remedies, tips and tricks to treat constipation in kids very effectively and forever.
What if your child is constipated?
- A stool softener is the primary step that you can take when you realize that your child has severe constipation. But,make sure that you do so only after taking proper medical advise by a doctor.
- Introduce a high-fiber diet to your child: Load your child’s meals with plenty of fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables.
Try to feed him the complete quota for the day, spread over various meals. 1 cup of fruits and 1 cup of vegetables in a day is must. - Having probiotics
Give your children foods that contain probiotics or ‘good bactria’, for instance, yogurt. - Water! Water! Everywhere!: Make your kid drink lot of fluids, especially water and milk. Fruit juices, fizzy drinks or other sugary drinks are not strongly recommended as they can cause damage to the teeth.
- Boil a few carom seeds (ajwain) in drinking water for about five minutes and feed this to your child to relieve constipation.
You can also add a little sugar to make it taste good. - Add one teaspoon honey to a glass of lukewarm water and make your kid sip it up.
- In cases of extremely severe constipation, if your doctor advises or permits, you can also think about giving laxatives or enema to your child. But remember to do so only under supervision.
- Grind a few soaked dates (soaked in milk) in milk and give a spoonful of it to your child to relieve his constipation.
- Mix a teaspoon of clarified butter (ghee) in a medium-sized glass of hot milk
and make your kid drink it up just before going to bed.
- Give orange juice to your child on an empty stomach. It is said to show fast results.
Foods that relieve constipation
- Prunes
- Bananas (may not suit some kids, though)
- Apricots
- Plums
- Figs
- Papaya
- Cabbage
- Raisins
- Peas
- Sweet potatoes
- Peaches
- Sweetcorn
- Spinach or any other green leafy vegetables
- Warm water
- Beans
- Oranges or orange juice with pulp
- Broccoli
- Brown rice instead of white rice
- Whole grain bread
- Pear
- Flaxseeds
- Apple
Prevention is better than cure: Lifestyle changes to make
It’s best to try and prevent constipation in young kids rather than dealing with its trouble. Certain lifestyle changes can help prevent constipation, like:
- Encourage your kid to increase her physical activity.
This will help her move her bowels easily and effectively. - Massage your child’s belly gently to aid bowel movement.
- Feed warm or lukewarm water to your kid on a regular basis. This habit will do them good for a long term.
- Encourage your child to use the washroom to ‘go’ every now and then. This’ll regularize her toilet timings and she may tend to pass motion.
- If your child has a tendency to get constipated every now and then, avoid dairy products like milk, cream, cheese or cottage cheese as in some kids, milk and milk products tend to cause constipation.
- Whenever you give fruits to your child, try to make her have it without removing the fruit peel.The peels contain a lot of nutrition and fiber.
With a regular potty routine, high-fiber diet and adequate fluid intake – your kid can easily keep constipation at bay. If you have any other tried and tested tips, then please do share them with us below; for the good of all!