The mistakes of parents make children constipated

Children with long-term constipation can face many dangerous complications such as malnutrition , anal tear or hemorrhoids. Constipation in children is a fairly common condition for many reasons. In which, most of the reason comes from the mistakes of parents in the process of taking care of children.

What mistakes of parents making children prone to constipation for a long time?

Find out what the baby is saying ?

1. For infants not weaning

Most of the causes of constipation in a newborn are related to milk (breast milk or formula).

Babies who are exclusively breastfed are less likely to develop constipation than babies who are breastfed. However, constipation is still possible in breastfed infants. The most common manifestation of the baby is not having a bowel movement for about 7 consecutive days or the baby's feces are lumpy, the baby has to push hard to push the stool out. Infants with constipation are often lazy to suckle, get tired, and cry hard when using the toilet.

At that time, the most common cause is that the mother's diet does not have enough fiber needed. This prevents breastmilk from getting enough fiber when it is tolerated by the baby. When there is a lack of fiber, the baby's digestive system encounters many obstacles in the process of digesting food and absorbing nutrients. Since then, the baby is prone to constipation.

Meanwhile, formula-fed babies often experience long-term constipation due to the wrong use of milk by adults. The most common mistakes include:

The formula does not comply with the manufacturer's instructions

Many “first-time mothers” often think that mixing thicker milk will help their baby get more nutrients from milk with each drink. This is the most "classic" mistake in how to make formula for a baby, making children more prone to constipation.

In fact, every formula can clearly state the steps to take when preparing formula for your baby. In it, the manufacturer also gives the right amount of milk and water. The process and formula of each brand may be different, but you need to follow the instructions of the product you are using. If the mother mixes the formula too thick, the baby is at risk of becoming dehydrated, making constipation worse.

In other cases, some mothers believe that when a child is constipated, drink diluted milk. Therefore, mothers mix milk with more water than the manufacturer's instructions. This wrong way to prepare milk will cause the child to be nutritional deficient.

Mixing milk without the manufacturer's instructions will cause children to experience many negative effects in the digestive tract. Therefore, mothers need to adjust the formula to reduce the risk of constipation and enhance the ability to absorb nutrients for the baby.

Improper milk storage

If your baby does not finish the formula, cover the bottle tightly (including the teat) and store in the refrigerator cooler. This can keep milk safe for 1 hour after mixing it. If during that time, the baby can continue to drink, then warm the bottle in a bowl of 70 degrees hot water to warm the milk, then taste the milk before giving it to the baby.

You should not leave excess milk at normal temperature after 15 minutes. This is enough time for the bacteria to get into the milk. If you drink this milk, your baby may encounter many health problems of the digestive system such as colic, diarrhea, bloating ...

Do not pay attention to product ingredients when choosing milk for your baby.

Many parents often "blame" formula for constipation, but cannot identify its underlying cause. In fact, many nutritional products and formula products today contain palm oil . Meanwhile, palm oil contains large amounts of palmitic acid. This is a form of saturated fat that combines with calcium from foods and milk to form a difficult compound. It is this compound that causes constipation.

Changing breastmilk continuously for a short time, causing the baby to be constipated for a long time

A baby's digestive system takes a certain amount of time to get used to and absorb the nutrients in both food and formula. This will cause the baby to show signs of constipation early. Through this familiarization period, it is more likely that your child's constipation will gradually improve.

On the other hand, every infant and young child (0-12 months old) has a natural period of adaptation. During this period, all organs in the baby's body have to learn to get used to many factors outside the mother's womb such as air, milk, sunlight ... Many babies in this stage experience constipation but will improve. good when you gradually get used to those factors.

However, it is a fact that when the baby is slower to go outside than usual when supplemented with formula milk, parents rush to change milk. At that time, your child's digestive system has to get used to it from the beginning in each new type of milk. This inadvertently causes the child's constipation not only to not improve but also to prolong the time of constipation.

2. For children to eat solids

Constipation is a fairly common condition for babies . This happens because the child's digestive system has not yet adapted to the new diet. If you know how to improve, your child will get rid of constipation in a short time.

However, if the child is constipated for a long time when moving to the weaning stage, parents need to correct some mistakes when taking care of the child. Common mistakes include:

Give your child too little or too much fiber

Historically, we often hear constipation due to a lack of fiber . However, a diet with too much fiber is also a cause of constipation in both children and adults that few people expect.

There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is responsible for absorbing water, forming a gel in the digestive system that makes people feel full for longer. Meanwhile, insoluble fiber acts as a catalyst for food to easily pass through the stomach and intestines, prevent infection and balance pH.

Children eat too little fiber, the digestive system will not have favorable conditions to work. In addition, children who are fed too much fiber will often experience flatulence, abdominal cramps, and the gel in the stomach, hindering the synthesis of feces and absorption of other nutrients.

Parents rarely let children drink water, making their children constipated for a long time

Even when babies drink a lot of milk during the day, parents still have to give their children enough fluids.

Sufficient water will help the baby's metabolism to take place more smoothly. On the other hand, water will help soften the texture of the stool so that your baby can have a better bowel movement.

Furthermore, the weaning diets are often quite varied. This also requires the body to be hydrated to receive and synthesize food. Normally, children aged 6-12 months need about 100ml of water per kg of body weight per day (including milk). For example, a 10kg child will need 1,000ml (1 liter) of water per day. If the baby has 800ml of milk, the mother needs 200ml more water.

To know if the baby is getting enough water or not, base on the color of the urine. Children who are dehydrated often have dark yellow urine with a small amount of urine each time they urinate.

Lack of exercise is also a cause of constipation in children

For infants and young children, the concept of movement should be understood to include both physical activities indoors and outdoor forms of movement. Children who are active regularly will stimulate the bowel movement to work more actively. This is a condition that has an important meaning in reducing constipation in children.

Children who eat solids are constipated for a long time because their mothers force them to eat too much

Mother often forces children to eat too much, not only makes the baby develop a fear of eating, gradually anorexia, but also makes children more prone to constipation.

The child's digestive system is still weak, unable to absorb too much food and nutrients at the same time. Instead of forcing children to eat too much in one meal, moms should split the meals during the day to help children digest more gently and smoothly.

Things parents need to do when babies are constipated for a long time

Who breastfeeding mothers need to adjust your diet (more vegetables, fruit and fiber-rich foods)

Prepare and store milk in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions

Improve your child's snack menu

Give your child plenty of water

Get your child active outdoors

Choose milk and palm oil-free foods. Mother should prefer to choose the types of milk that details the name of the vegetable oil in the formula instead of just listing it as "vegetable oil".