Help your child go big. We help the newborn to go to the toilet for the most part: what to do if the baby cannot poop? Causes and types of constipation in newborns

The most common and intractable health problem in children under 1 year of age is gastrointestinal problems and unstable stools. Babies suffer from colic and constipation, because their intestinal microflora is just being formed, and food, even if it is dietary mother's milk, is not digested as it should. After 4-5 months, when the process of introducing complementary foods begins, babies suffer from bloating and diarrhea, because the new food is another restructuring of the body. Imagine that your child is a small engine, and food is fuel. The fuel is changing dramatically - problems with the functioning of the mechanism begin, until the adaptation process has passed.

The second day has already passed, but the baby has not gone down in a big way? In this situation, many mothers are wary

Constipation in a baby can drive even the most experienced and stress-resistant mother into a frenzy. Your baby cannot go big, pushes, cries heart-rendingly, turns blue or blushes - who can stand this torture? This is a picture of obvious constipation. Another situation is when there is no stool longer than necessary according to developmental standards, but the baby feels fine and does not show signs of anxiety. Let's figure out what constipation is, how to prevent it, and how to help the child go?

IN normal condition a child can go to the toilet once every two, or even three days (more details in the article:). If the baby is not worried about anything, then the parents have nothing to worry about.

In the future, the child's chair depends on many factors, primarily on nutrition. The chair of the babies who are on breastfeeding, soft, even semi-liquid, light shade, sometimes greenish, may include undigested food particles, when the child, in addition to breastfeeding, already knows complementary foods. The frequency of the stool can be any - it depends on the frequency of feeding and composition mother's milk. Artificial children go to the toilet in a big way much less often, sometimes once every 1-2 days. Feces are denser.

In general, pediatricians have not established a normal stool frequency for babies. There are experts who allow the absence of a stool in a newborn for breastfeeding for up to 4-7 days, the main thing is the normal well-being of the baby, the absence of signs of anxiety, unsuccessful and difficult attempts to go to the toilet in a big way (more in the article:). For artificial people, the requirements are tougher, since nutrition does not change in its composition and frequency, then the stool should be with approximately the same frequency.

The baby does not go to the toilet in a big way for more than two days? Parents should analyze the situation, observe the state and mood of the child, perhaps think about an enema or a laxative. The main thing - do not self-medicate, be sure to consult a pediatrician before doing anything.

This article talks about typical ways to solve your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know from me how to solve exactly your problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

Signs of constipation in a child are manifested by obvious anxiety caused by pain in the tummy

What are the signs of real constipation? How not to confuse the specifics of the child's gastrointestinal tract with a situation requiring intervention? Signs of constipation:

the child is restless and does not sleep well;
pulls the legs to the tummy;
within a month, the crumbs have problems with weight;
the baby is pushing hard when he tries to empty his intestines, crying angrily (we recommend reading:);
bad smell from mouth;
change in the frequency, composition and consistency of the stool;
severe gas formation and bloating;
long absence of stool after taking medications and, especially, after antibiotic therapy.

Each of these symptoms should make young parents wary. If the symptom does not go away, and others join it, then be sure to show the child to the pediatrician, or at least for a start, consult by phone. Perhaps this is real constipation, and you need to understand its cause and how to help the baby.

Causes of constipation

Constipation in a child who is on artificial feeding, may arise from a mixture. A solution to the problem may be a change in food for the baby

Why can't babies empty their bowels on their own? There are many reasons. Let's try to figure out which of them are the most common. By identifying the cause, you can prevent next case constipation and help the baby now.

Conventionally, the causes of violations in the acts of defecation can be divided into two groups:

dependent on the diet (for example, excessive consumption of flour or rice porridge);
caused by diseases internal organs and systems (for example, lactase deficiency, neurosis).

Improper nutrition

In the case when the baby is on artificial feeding, and he has constipation, then think about whether the mixture suits him. Perhaps you need to change the company or variety. Usually, babies who are prone to constipation are well suited for mixtures with prebiotics and probiotics. If your baby is on breastfeeding, then pediatricians believe that constipation can be caused by the specifics of the mother's diet. It should be noted that this controversial issue, and there is a cohort of specialists who reject the direct dependence of work digestive tract baby from maternal diet. While pediatricians are arguing, mothers, without waiting for their verdict, adjust their own diet, which, as practice shows, sometimes really helps newborns solve the problem of constipation.

Constipation can cause improper complementary foods. The pediatrician will help to adjust the introduction of new products

Products in the mother’s diet that theoretically provoke constipation in crumbs:

canned products;
flour and pasta(fresh bread and pastries, pies are especially negative);
rice porrige;
mushrooms in any form;
strong tea, coffee;
broths, especially fatty and rich;
whole milk.

Remember, in order for both your digestive tract and the stomach of the crumbs to function perfectly, your menu must be varied. Include vegetables and fruits in moderation, after checking whether this or that product causes allergies, diarrhea or bloating in the baby. Drink compotes and fruit drinks, eat soups, crumbly cereals. Gently introduce complementary foods, remember that meat, even mashed turkey, can provoke constipation.

Drinking regime

The problem of constipation often occurs in artificers due to a lack of fluid in the body, namely water. If a formula-fed child does not empty his intestines for more than a day, then offer him some boiled water at room temperature from a bottle. This will help the digestive tract to work. Imbalance in drinking mode in children on IV - common cause constipation.

Water will help with constipation, but it is better for babies to give it from a spoon so that they are not too lazy to suck on the breast

In breastfed babies, the issue of lack of fluid is not worth it. They get everything they need from their mother's milk. If the pediatrician advises introducing water into the diet of the baby, then try giving him some water from a spoon. Do not introduce the baby to the bottle - he may wean from your breast, because sucking milk from the mother's breast requires effort, and milk comes from the bottle without problems.

A good alternative to solving the problem of dehydration is a humidifier. This modern device should be in every apartment and house, especially during the heating period, when the air dries up. An indispensable assistant during the illness of the child, it prevents drying out respiratory tract baby, makes breathing more free, relieves spasm.

Taking medication

Many medicines cause both diarrhea and constipation. The drugs that you give your child, or are treated yourself, enter the baby's body through breastfeeding. Analyze what medications cause constipation. If it is impossible to cancel or replace them, then be sure to drink yourself or give the crumbs of beneficial bacteria that will help maintain the balance of the intestinal microflora. This is especially true for antibiotic therapy.

In most cases

Diseases

Have you changed your diet and baby's menu, transferred it to a mixture with probiotics, supplemented it with water, but still the baby suffers from constipation? Consult with a specialist. Babies can suffer from a wide variety of diseases that cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract. It can be lactase deficiency, dolichosigma, Hirschsprung's disease, bends in gallbladder, adrenal insufficiency, doubling of the colon. You yourself will not be able to determine the ailments, the doctor will understand them with the help of examination, palpation and various diagnostic methods.

constipation treatment

What to do if the child does not empty the intestines on his own? What help to provide? The main thing is to understand the cause of constipation and try to eliminate it. While you will change the diet, start to drink the baby, conduct a diagnosis, it will pass certain time for which the baby must empty the intestines. It happens that constipation occurs without serious reasons. This is the result of immaturity. digestive system, nervous overload or switching to complementary foods. How to quickly solve the problem:

Massage. Massage of the umbilical region in a clockwise direction often gives a good result. 10 circular movements usually help the baby to empty the intestines.
Laxatives. When massage does not help, you can resort to the use of a laxative. Better to use local funds, for example, laxative candles Microlax. These are mini-enemas that soften the stool, and within 15 minutes after use, the child usually empties the intestines (more in the article:). Laxatives used orally are also effective, for example, soft syrups Duphalac and Normaze, allowed from birth.
Enema. The means used in last resort, since the constant emptying of the intestines with an enema is addictive and disrupts the functioning of the digestive tract, according to Dr. Komarovsky. For newborns and monthly crumbs, syringe No. 1 is used, the smallest, and it must be entered very carefully. You can use slightly warm boiled water, chamomile decoction.

The fact that the child cannot go “in a big way” for 2-3 days should alert parents. Constipation in young children is a consequence of a decrease in the motor functional activity of the intestine. When you try to empty it, feces are not excreted, which gives the child a lot of discomfort. Only a doctor can determine the cause of this condition after a series of laboratory tests, and, if necessary, instrumental research. The fact is that the cause of constipation is not only changes in the diet, but also diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Timely diagnosis of pathology allows to detect it on the early stage and start treatment immediately.

Children with constipation should only be treated by a pediatrician.

Symptoms

It should be immediately clarified that a prolonged absence of bowel movements is not always a sign of constipation. The frequency of bowel movements of a child is individual, varies depending on age and the presence of foods with coarse fiber in the diet. As you get older, the frequency of bowel movements also changes. If the norm for a newborn is the number of bowel movements from 5 to 7 times a day, then for a child of the 2nd year of life, this figure decreases to 1-2 times a day.

Disorder of peristalsis with constipation is accompanied by a change in consistency stool. They are dense, hard and, when discharged, often cause damage to the rectal mucosa.

Symptoms of constipation include almost all signs of flatulence:

increased gas formation;
feeling of heaviness and fullness in the abdomen and (or) intestines;
aching paroxysmal pain in the lower abdomen.

When the temperature rises to subfebrile values (38 ° C), nausea and vomiting attacks occur, convulsions develop. With severe bloating and the inability to release gases through the rectum, the likelihood of developing most dangerous state- intestinal obstruction. In this case, the child is hospitalized for medical or surgical treatment in an inpatient setting.

Advice: "Children preschool age may hide their bowel problems from dads and moms. A hint for parents can be: a decrease or complete absence appetite, weakness, apathy, fatigue.

expressiveness clinical picture constipation depends on the cause that provoked the disorder of peristalsis. The absence of stool for several days leads to general intoxication of the body. Due to a sharp decrease in the absorption of vitamins and iron skin the child becomes wet and pale, they develop redness and rashes of various localization and intensity. If the newborn cannot pass "in a big way", and then a small amount of stool with impurities is released thick mucus and blood clots, you should immediately call a doctor. There is a possibility that a deadly intestinal infection is rapidly developing in the baby's body.

Changes in the diet of the child will help normalize peristalsis.

Where does treatment begin?

Where exactly you can not start the treatment of constipation, so it is with the use of strong laxative drugs. Already after three times the use of tablets or drops, the intestines "get used" to such drugs, which provokes an even more severe disorder of peristalsis. Experienced Parents know about the importance of visiting a pediatrician even with a slight deterioration in the baby's condition. Adequate therapy always begins with establishing the cause of the appearance of difficulties with bowel movements in children.

Alimentary

Treatment of this type of constipation does not require the use of any pharmacological drugs. It is enough for parents to review the child's diet and exclude chips, salted nuts, rich and puff pastries from it. Your baby's daily menu should contain plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

neurogenic

The cause of constipation is increased nervous excitability or severe emotional distress. Neurogenic constipation often occurs in children who have experienced a move, parental divorce, or the death of a close relative. In therapy, sedative herbal remedies are used.

hypodynamic

Constipation occurs due to low motor activity. Lack of physical activity leads to disruption of normal intestinal motility. Difficulties with defecation often appear in children with handicapped or if the child observes a long bed rest. To eliminate this type of constipation, the use of prokinetics and (or) lactulose syrups is required.

medical

Constipation is not uncommon after taking pharmacological drugs - diuretics, acetylsalicylic acid, antispasmodics. If a preschooler or, then the reason for this may be antibiotic therapy for SARS or tonsillitis. In this case, the child is shown taking eubiotics or prebiotics.

Mechanical

This type of constipation is provoked by mechanical injuries, prolonged squeezing or severe bruising, as well as formed benign and malignant neoplasms. Parents should immediately show the baby to the doctor for a thorough diagnosis and prescribing medical or surgical treatment.

Endocrine

Peristalsis disorders often affect children with hormonal disorders. Constipation occurs due to a decrease in the functional activity of the pituitary gland, the cortical layer of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland. Complex symptomatic and etiotropic therapy is carried out under the supervision of a pediatric endocrinologist.

Toxic

Constipation of toxic etiology develops after the poisoning of a child with pharmacological drugs, poisons of plant and animal origin, heavy metals, household chemicals. In this case, after detoxification therapy, a course of treatment with eubiotics, prokinetics, defoamers is recommended for the child.

Warning: "Virus and bacterial infections, accompanied by sudden changes in temperature and vomiting, provoke the development of dehydration. Against the background of a lack of fluid in the body of a baby or teenager, constipation often occurs.

Pharmacological preparations in the treatment of constipation in children

After establishing the cause of the occurrence, the pediatrician prescribes drugs depending on the detected disease. Most often, difficulties with bowel movements develop against the background of dysbacteriosis.

Lactulose

A synthetic disaccharide that is not absorbed into gastrointestinal tract and is excreted from the body unchanged. This allows the drug to be used in the treatment of constipation, even in newborns. The undoubted advantages of drugs with lactulose include the absence of the effect of “addiction” of the intestine. Disaccharide is the active ingredient of such syrups and suspensions:

Duphalac;
Normase;
Prelaks;
Portalac;
Good luck.

Lactulose is absolutely safe, practically does not cause side effects and quickly has a mild laxative effect. The use of such syrups positive influence on the intestinal biocenosis, enhancing the growth of beneficial microflora.

Probiotics and prebiotics

Difficulties with bowel movements in newborns and older children can be eliminated by taking drugs containing live cultures of beneficial bacteria:

for children;
Acipol;
/li>
Bifiform.

Course treatment with probiotics restores the intestinal microflora, normalizes peristalsis, provides full absorption of biologically active substances and mineral compounds.

Defoamers

They develop due to the lack of beneficial bacteria in the intestines and insufficient production of digestive enzymes. After consumption breast milk or milk formula, newborns often suffer from symptoms of flatulence - bloating, seething, peristalsis disorders. In this case, pediatricians recommend giving Espumizan suspension to babies. The active substance of the drug simethicone has the ability to reduce the surface tension of gas bubbles, collapsing them. The only contraindication for taking Espumizan is intestinal obstruction.

Therapy at home

Mom or dad can give a massage so that the child goes to the toilet. With smooth circular movements without any pressure, you should stroke the tummy clockwise. You need to start from the navel, and then gradually increase the circle of rotation. Massaging should not last more than 5 minutes.

Realizing that the child has not defecated for a long time, the first thing parents think about is an enema. It's really effective procedure but don't use it too often. The intestines “get used” to such easy emptying and constipation can become chronic. During the procedure, you need to use purified water at room temperature without additives that can cause allergies or inflammation.

Rectal suppositories with glycerin help to eliminate constipation in children:

glycelax;
glycerin.

When purchasing such candles, you should pay attention to the dosage and choose those that are intended for children. IN Lately on the shelves of pharmacies there is a new tool for quick and painless bowel movements for children -

A newborn can't go to the toilet for a lot of days? It is only natural that this causes you concern. Constipation is a relatively common problem in children. What should you do to help your child?

You can talk about constipation if defecation comes less than three times a week, the amount of feces is small, the stool is hard and difficult to pass, all this is accompanied by pain and stomach cramps.

1. Depending on the type of food, the baby can go to the toilet in different ways. Formula babies have

more solid
and darker stool

because adapted digested longer than milk mothers.

2. OK if baby goes to the toilet "by and large" at least once within 24 hours. But this does not mean that you should be worried if this rhythm is less frequent, for example, once every three days. The child can walk every day, or just three times a week, But stool color and spacing should be consistent. Of course, if the baby is not gaining weight properly, then the reason may be

not enough milk
or malnutrition.

3. Too long intervals between bowel movements, but which constantly present may be signs of constipation. It is more common in formula babies. But it does not necessarily mean that it is constipation if the child is squeezing hard stools. This is thought to be because soft stools in babies do not stimulate the anus enough, or the muscles in the anus are not strong enough to expel soft stool out. Problems will be solved, When Baby , of course, if his diet is

balanced
and varied.

4. You can definitely talk about constipation if very hard newborn stool, Sometimes in the form of small balls and defecation is difficult or painful. The baby is suffering from

and there may be pain in the anus mucosa

which is very painful and aggravates the problem.

How to help your child with constipation

1. usually resolves with a change in diet. A child who is already, should receive from 30 to 60 ml of juice from

plums
or an apple.

Add bran cerealand increase your overall intake of fruits (not bananas) and vegetables.

2. Make sure your newborn consumes enough liquid. Too little liquid in the diet can cause a baby to be unable to go to the toilet. Talk to your pediatrician about using probiotic supplements to help regulate digestion in children.

3. Make sure that the baby is quite mobile. Lay it on your back and twist your legs like you would on a bicycle. Place your baby on your tummy before eating.. This will warm up the abdominal muscles and prepare them for eating.

4. One of possible ways to help your baby in the case when he can’t go big, when nothing else helps, this directed irritation of the intestine.

On a hygienic stick
or the tip of a thermometer

dip in a small amount of cream and carefully place them in anus to stimulate the defecation reflex.

5. Use of glycerin suppositories, that soften hard stools may help, but are not always justified and not a permanent solution to the problem. Usually, frequent use

candles
enemas
or laxatives

May be new cause constipation, because the intestines of the newborn become dependent on them and lose sensitivity to physiological stimuli.

6. There are special children's enemas, but they are used more as an emergency.

Never use them without first consulting your doctor, just like any other type of drug therapy.

7. Homeopathic medicines can help if the newborn cannot manage constipation on their own, but in this case it is imperative to consult an experienced homeopath.

8. If you notice that the child went to the toilet with traces of blood in the stool and do not see a possible wound on the anus, then go to the doctor as soon as possible. Do the same if you notice that babies are often constipated because ignoring the problem can lead to chronic constipation.

Dr. Komarovsky: what to do if the baby is unable to go to the toilet for the most part.

A newborn baby cannot go to the toilet for the most part, what should I do? This question arises for every parent in the first months of a baby's life. To answer it, you must first determine whether the child is really crying due to constipation.

Manifestations of the disease

The digestive system of an infant is malfunctioning, causing great discomfort to the child. The baby, tormented by pain, can cry for several hours in a row, bringing parents to despair. But is the baby's pain really due to constipation?

Causing great discomfort to the baby can not only be the absence of stool, but also increased gas formation, or as they say plain language- colic. In addition, the absence of a stool does not always indicate the presence of constipation. In view of this, experts recommend that before taking any measures, find out exactly the cause of the baby's anxiety. Since the frequency of bowel movements in infants directly depends on the individual characteristics of their body.

Some babies delight their parents with a dirty diaper several times a day, and someone is limited to going to the toilet only once every three days. You should not panic when the child has not gone to the toilet for several days, provided, of course, that this does not cause him discomfort. And it’s a completely different matter when the baby has the following symptoms:

Gases do not escape or this process occurs extremely rarely;
The baby's tummy is hard on palpation;
The child shows obvious anxiety;
The newborn often twists its legs and presses them to the tummy;
With pressure in the navel, the child begins to cry.

If during the examination the parents found indicated symptoms we can clearly say that the cause of the baby’s poor health is constipation.

First aid

So, it happened, the newborn cannot go to the toilet for the most part, what should parents do in this situation, what measures should be taken? The first thing you need is to calm down. Remember infants very keenly feel the anxiety of their parents, so your tears and lamentations will definitely not bring any benefit.

Today, the pharmacy market is very rich, and it is not difficult to find a laxative in the form of a sweet syrup suitable even for newborn children. You can also use microclysters. This drug allows you to quickly and painlessly cope with constipation. By the way, experts in most cases recommend the use of microclysters, since they are not absorbed into the blood and are completely excreted. In addition, the result of their action is visible after 1-2 minutes.

However in a medical way treatment should not be abused. Practice shows that the frequent use of microclysters and laxatives again provokes constipation in infants, as the child's intestines lose their physiological sensitivity against the background of drug dependence.

If constipation torments the baby constantly, it is necessary to consult a doctor, since problems with stools can be caused not only by the individuality of the body, but also by such unpleasant disease like intestinal dysbiosis. A timely appeal to the pediatrician and a series of examinations will help to quickly cope with this ailment.

"Grandma's" folk remedies to combat constipation

But what if the newborn cannot go to the toilet for a long time and there is no necessary suitable medicinal product? Here proven for centuries will come to the rescue folk recipes. Here are some examples:

Ordinary petroleum jelly can help empty the intestines. Just needs to be lubricated cotton swab"magic" ointment and apply it to the anus of the baby. After a while, the “medicine” will work, and the child will please the parents with a full diaper;
little piece baby soap also helps to deal with constipation. Parents are required to inject detergent (a small particle of it) into the baby's anus. By the way, this method is most often used in practice;
Oatmeal decoction. According to doctors, he works wonders. It takes only two tablespoons of cereal to pour boiling water (no more than one glass) and cook the mixture over low heat for a couple of minutes. The broth is then filtered and allowed to cool room temperature. Add to diet quickly baby oatmeal is not worth it. To begin with, you should limit yourself to half a teaspoon. Perhaps this volume will be enough for the baby to improve the functioning of the intestines.

However, you should be aware that doctors have a negative attitude towards folk methods combat constipation, since the introduction of foreign objects can damage the anus and mucous membranes of the baby. Therefore, resorting to the help of the "grandmother's" method, be extremely careful.

Preventive actions

Some mothers are surprised to learn that not all newborn babies suffer from bellies. It should be noted that this is not only individual characteristics child's body. Many parents manage to establish normal bowel function in infants by preventing constipation. To do this, parents only need to follow these recommendations:

Give your newborn a daily abdominal massage. Just, warm hand without pressing, make circular movements clockwise;
More often apply a warm, ironed diaper to the baby's tummy;
10 minutes before feeding, put the newborn on the stomach. Such a “warm-up” warms up the muscles of the belly, due to which there is a better digestion and assimilation of food;
Give your child more fluid throughout the day. Doctors even recommend pouring a small spoonful of raw water into the baby's mouth at least once a day;
Do more workouts. It is required to put the baby on its back and perform an action imitating cycling with its legs. You can also bend the child's legs at the knees to bring them to the navel and breed them in different sides. Parents who have sedentary children should especially do a warm-up.

Many parents have been able to help their little ones cope with constipation with the help of the above steps.

If your child can't go to the bathroom for a long time, don't ignore the problem. Not all causes of childhood constipation are harmless; sometimes stool retention is the first sign of a digestive tract disease.

Let's look at what to do if the baby does not poop, and in what cases you need to see a doctor.

Causes of childhood constipation

The factors provoking constipation are conventionally divided into functional and anatomical.

Functional

The patency of the intestines is not disturbed, and the child cannot go off in a big way due to the fact that the feces have become dense and do not move well along the intestinal loops.

Constipation is caused by:

Change in diet

In an infant, constipation occurs due to:

misadministration complementary foods;
transfer to another mixture with artificial feeding;
violations of the diet of a nursing mother.

An older child suffers from constipation if in his menu:

a lot of flour or meat products;
few vegetables and fruits.

Lack of liquid

It happens in children under one year old. When it seems to you that the baby drinks a lot, you begin to limit the natural need. Older children themselves drink juices or water, guided by desires.

Diseases of the digestive tract

Gastritis, pancreatitis, spastic colitis and other diseases of the digestive system are accompanied by stool retention. When sick, your child will:

refuse food;
complain of nausea and abdominal pain.

Infants with diseases become restless, sleep poorly and often cry.

Recovery period after an intestinal infection

With diarrhea, the intestinal microflora is disturbed, absorption is difficult useful substances through the mucosa. Impaired digestion leads to the formation of dense feces.

Hypodynamia

In infants, low mobility occurs due to diseases of the musculoskeletal system or you provoke it with frequent swaddling. And you yourself are often to blame for the physical inactivity of adult children, when you give gadgets to calm a naughty baby. Children get used to sitting with a tablet or computer, refusing outdoor games.

Insufficient activity leads to the fact that intestinal motility decreases, the movement of feces slows down and constipation occurs.

Psychological factor

Shy children go to the toilet on a familiar potty or toilet, but they cannot poop at a party, on a train or in kindergarten. In infants, constipation is provoked by separation from the mother.

If constipation occurs in children, analyze the diet and lifestyle of the baby. Eliminating the cause of stool retention helps to normalize bowel function.

Anatomical

The child himself does not go to the toilet in a big way because the mechanical narrowing of the intestinal lumen prevents the movement of feces:

congenital anomalies

Pathological narrowing, adhesions or kinks provoke the accumulation of feces in the narrowed area of the colon. Anomalies in development are diagnosed in children in the first year of life.

Tumors

Benign or malignant neoplasms develop in children of any age. Growing, the tumor prevents the promotion of feces, making it difficult to empty the intestines.

spikes

The appearance of adhesions provokes surgery on abdominal cavity.

Developmental anomalies are accompanied by a violation of the stool from the first days of a baby's life, and others pathological conditions increase gradually. If the kids say that it's hard to poop, and diet and laxatives do not help much, then do not ignore children's complaints. A visit to the doctor will help identify serious illness at an early stage.

Causes of pain during bowel movements

It hurts for the baby to poop and, trying to delay the unpleasant moment, the children restrain the natural urge to defecate, and arbitrary retention of the stool provokes the development of constipation. If the child is afraid of going to the toilet and complains that it hurts to empty the intestines, then this is a sign of the disease:

Haemorrhoids

There is an expansion of the veins of the anus or lower rectum. The disease occurs with chronic constipation, weakness of the intestinal veins, or due to improper physical activity.

Proctitis and paraproctitis

The walls of the intestine or peri-intestinal tissue are inflamed. The disease is accompanied by constant pain, which increases during bowel movements.

The presence of a foreign body

Toddlers take parts of the designer, parts of toys, balls into their mouths and can accidentally swallow them. The uneven surface of the object scratches the intestinal wall, hurting the baby.

Anus injury

Cracks or ruptures of the anus appear when the anal ring is injured by hard, rough feces or if the child expels a large swallowed object. Constant irritation of the wounds is painful, children try to visit the toilet less often.

Arbitrary retention of bowel movements leads to the accumulation of feces in the rectum and the development of constipation.

Inspection of the anus will help you find tears or cracks, and asking questions will help you find out that a part of the toy was swallowed, but you will not be able to identify other reasons. Do not ignore children's complaints of pain, visit a doctor.

Help at home

Before deciding how to help your child go to the bathroom in a big way, make sure that the bowel is not broken. In this case, the use of laxatives will exacerbate the problem. You can treat the baby yourself if you are sure that children's constipation is caused by a change in diet, a sedentary lifestyle, or other physiological factors.

Medicines

You can help your child poop by giving a laxative, using suppositories or microclysters.

Oral laxatives

When choosing a drug for a baby, make sure that the medicine has the following characteristics:

soft action;
no effect on the water-salt balance (important for children under 2 years old);
little effect on the whole body.

To eliminate constipation in children, 3 groups of drugs are used:

Annoying

They help to make the intestines work by acting on the receptors responsible for peristalsis:

Bisacodyl.

Taking irritating drugs for constipation is allowed for children from 12 years old, at more early age stimulation of motility leads to the development of lazy bowel syndrome, and the baby cannot empty the intestines on its own.

Osmotic

They prevent the absorption of salts from the feces and retain moisture. Medicines with an osmotic effect cause a violation of the water and electrolyte balance and are prohibited for children under 2 years old, and in older children it is allowed to give salt no more than 1-2 times. Recommended:

magnesium sulfate,
Carlsbad salt.

Prebiotics

Medicines are made on the basis of lactulose, which:

not absorbed through the mucous membrane;
slightly stimulates motor skills;
retains moisture in feces;
restore intestinal microflora.

Prebiotics can be drunk for a long time, and it is allowed to give medicine from the first days of life. The disadvantage of the drug is that it acts for a long time - the medication can help with constipation only after 12-24 hours. Representatives:

Dufalac,
Lactusan.

Try to avoid taking oral medications. Give laxatives only if other methods have not helped the child.

Candles

Without a doctor's prescription, only suppositories with glycerin are allowed to be used. Glycerin suppositories have a triple effect on the intestines:

stimulate peristalsis of the rectum;
soften hard feces;
lubricate the mucous membrane, facilitating the evacuation of feces.

Do not use glycerin suppositories for more than a week - artificial stimulation defecation leads to inhibition of peristalsis.

Microclysters

Quickly clean the children's intestines from fecal accumulations will help the introduction of a medicinal solution into the anus. The pharmacy will offer you:

Medicines are prebiotics: they soften feces, gently stimulate peristalsis. The laxative effect appears 15-20 minutes after the administration of the solution.

Children's microclysters are available in bottles with a dispenser that allows you to enter the appropriate amount of medicine for the age.

When choosing medicines, give preference to those that act locally (suppositories, microclysters), try not to give oral laxatives to children without a doctor's prescription.

Folk remedies

Do not try to use for constipation medicinal herbs- vegetable raw materials are biologically active and can harm children. Use safe recipes.

You will need:

1 glass of water;
2-3 dried fruits.

Cook like a regular compote:

Rinse the dried apricots and scald with boiling water.
Boil dried fruits for 5-10 minutes.
Let it brew for an hour and a half.
Strain.

Cup - daily dose for babies, and older children are allowed to drink laxative compote without restrictions. For adult children, you can make compotes according to the proposed recipe from prunes, raisins or figs, and add honey or sugar to improve the taste.

honey water

For cooking you need:

1 glass warm water;
1 tablespoon honey.

Preparing medicines is easy:

Add honey to water.
Stir until a homogeneous solution is formed.

It is allowed to drink honey water for babies 30 ml from 2 months.

Choosing Recipes traditional medicine, remember that tasteless decoctions are difficult to get a child to drink in the amount necessary for treatment. Cook compotes, make water with honey - the kids drink sweet drinks with pleasure.

Non-drug methods

For elimination chronic constipation it is not enough to clear the rectum of fecal accumulations, it is necessary to improve intestinal peristalsis.

belly massage

There are several options for massage movements that stimulate peristalsis:

Circular. Stroking with soft pressure is done clockwise. Start making a circle first around the navel, and then, gradually increasing the radius, “draw” a circle that captures the groin and hypochondria.
Top down. Gently massage the belly from the navel to the groin.
Letter P. From the iliac region on the right, draw a straight line up to the level of the navel, then draw horizontally across the tummy and go down to the left.

Massage is one of the ways fast action, and the rate of appearance of stool depends on child's body: from several minutes to an hour. Try not to leave the house with the baby for one and a half or two hours after the massage to avoid "surprise".

Toilet training

If the child goes to the potty on his own, then teach him to poop at the same time, better in the morning. Appearance good habits helps to avoid constipation:

In the morning, after waking up, put your child on the potty.
Ask to poop.
If there is no effect, then put a children's glycerin candle.

Reflex defecation appears in children for 3-4 days. Waking up, the baby himself asks to go to the toilet.

Morning defecation helps to cope with neurogenic constipation - the baby will visit the toilet at home and will not endure the discomfort associated with the inability to empty the intestines in an unusual place.

Diet

The diet should be age appropriate. Do not indulge children's whims by giving children smoked meats or a lot of flour sweets, forget about chips, kirieshki and others harmful products.

Turn in children's menu:

vegetables (restriction only for potatoes);
porridge (except rice).

Meat and fish are necessary for a growing child's body, but choose lean varieties and do not fry, but steam or bake.

Nutritional constipation is successfully treated with diet. If you do not spoil the children, giving harmful, but Tasty food not by age, it is possible to avoid stool retention.

Gymnastics

active movements stimulate intestinal motility. Gymnastics helps to force the rectum to contract more strongly for evacuation:

Mom helps babies do gymnastics. Fold the legs of the crumbs together and take the feet in your hands. You need to slowly make a movement, bringing your knees to your stomach, and then straightening your legs.
For older children, the “bike” and “birch” exercises are recommended. You can do gymnastics for little ones by inventing interesting game where you have to ride a bike or portray an enchanted tree.

Do not restrict children's activities. Let the baby jerk its legs, and let the adult children play outdoor games. Movement stimulates intestinal motility, improves blood circulation and strengthens the child's body.

When choosing a treatment for constipation, be careful. If the child cries often, is restless, and the tummy is tense, then visit a doctor - perhaps these are symptoms of a digestive tract disease or signs of intestinal obstruction. Remember that an attempt to cause a bowel movement in case of a pathological disorder will not alleviate the baby's condition, but will cause serious complications.