Constipation is a fairly common problem that can occur in a child of any age. For a child aged 2.5-3 years, constipation often becomes not only the cause of tearfulness and bad mood, but can also adversely affect the growth and development of the body. Doctors call constipation a violation of bowel function, in which intervals between bowel movement significantly increase, and the act of defecation can cause discomfort and pain. If the stool is delayed systematically, the constipation becomes chronic, characterized by a feeling of incomplete bowel movement, the presence of cases of scarcity of stool after defecation, and excessive gassing.
Constipation in children 3 years often depends on the nature of nutrition and individual characteristics of the body. In some children, bowel evacuation occurs daily, but the volume of fecal matter is less than 35 g per day, this situation can also be regarded as constipation.
Causes of constipation in children
- In pre-school children, one of the most common causes of constipation is the lack of dietary fiber in the diet. In a day, it is recommended to consume at least 30-35 grams of dietary fiber found in most vegetables, fruits and berries. A surplus content of animal proteins and fats on the contrary has to the development of stool delay.
- Psychological constipation in a child of 3 years can arise due to the suppression of the urge to empty the intestine at the beginning of the child's visit to the kindergarten, when the baby avoids defecation outside the home.
- The child can cause an arbitrary delay of the stool because of a painful process of defecation with cracks in the anus or after surgical intervention in the abdominal organs.
- Stress can also negatively affect intestinal motility, in particular children who experience family or social deprivation (deprivation of necessary).
Treatment of constipation in children
Treatment of functional constipation in children should begin with a change in the lifestyle and diet of the baby. A child with constipation should be provided with a sufficiently active motor regime, including long walks and gymnastics. Children with constipation are recommended swimming, walking, exercises to strengthen the front abdominal wall and pelvic floor, circular shower, etc. To develop a reflex of the regular operation of the intestines in children will help a course of massage with constipation, which should be done every day 1,5-2 hours after meals. There are children who are just lazy to go to the pot when they need it, thereby restraining desires. Such children should also carry out "toilet training", which is reduced to planting them on a pot 3 times a day after meals and includes mandatory encouragement of timely emptying. It is also important to exclude the impact of an unfavorable family climate. Before you start taking medication, you should find out what is best to feed the child with constipation. The diet of a child of 3 years old, suffering from constipation, must necessarily include 200-300 gr. raw vegetables and fruits per day. Recommended for use are coarse-fiber porridges (buckwheat, barley), bread with bran and sour-milk products (fermented baked milk, kefir, butter). It is necessary to ensure that the child drinks a sufficient amount of liquid: at least 50 ml per 1 kg of body. It can be
To treat constipation, there are many pharmacological drugs, but most pediatricians recommend using only osmotic laxatives that are not absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, but only increase peristalsis and eliminate constipation. They are not addictive, so they can be used many times. These include lactulose and polyethylene glycol.
An effective agent for a single constipation in a child is an enema, however, its frequent use can cause addiction to the body, which is unfavorable for children.