Constipation in Infants

Almost every other child experiences constipation for one reason or the other. Some of the commonly seen symptoms are, difficulty in passing stools which the child conveys by crying, not being able to eliminate hard stools for more than two days, abdominal pain, bloated stomach, existence of stools in the underwear which are very soft, and sometimes, torn skin around the anus. Before learning about the various remedies, let's first understand what causes constipation.

Causes

• Insufficient intake of water, resulting in lack of fluids in the body.
• It could be due to an allergic reaction to some baby food.
• A change in diet, i.e. change from breast milk to formula milk or from formula milk to solid foods can cause constipation, as their digestive system is still not used to the new food.
• Lack of fiber in the diet.
• Milk and other dairy products may also cause constipation too.
• The infants are unaware when the body signals them that the stools are coming. They ignore these signals and this causes constipation.
• If the baby feels pain while passing stools, he will repress the urge to relieve himself to avoid the pain.

Treatment

Follow these simple remedies for constipation in babies and see the smile returning to your child's face.

Leg Exercises
One of the most effective remedies is leg cycling. Simply make the baby lie on his back. Now, move the baby's legs in a motion, similar to driving a cycle. This movement helps in stimulating the bowels and thus, provides relief from constipation.

Massage
Massage the baby's belly with a lotion or a coconut oil. This will relieve the baby of the pain that has been caused due to constipation.

Dietary Changes
Bring certain changes in the baby's diet. Feed lesser amount of milk to the baby at one time. However, increase the number of times a baby is fed, so that the overall milk intake does not go down. This will help in digesting the milk faster. Also, wait for a few months, before giving solid food to a newborn baby. It's all right to keep the baby on a liquid or semi solid diet for the first nine months.

Increase the Fluid Intake
Increase the baby's water intake by giving him boiled and cooled water, a number of times in a day to avoid dehydration. Increase of water content in the body will ensure that the milk formula is easily digested and absorbed in the intestines.

Limited Milk Formula Powder Intake
When making the milk powder, it is a general tendency that the mothers put more milk powder than what is mentioned on the pack, based on an assumption that it will prove to be more nourishing for the baby. However, this is not the case, and on top of that, an excess of concentrated milk formula may lead to constipation too. So, it is recommended that you completely go by the instructions mentioned on the pack, while preparing the baby milk formula.

These are a few remedies, which can be easily followed at home. However, if your child's constipation does not go away even after following the above-mentioned remedies and it's been more than a week since he's been suffering from it, in such a scenario, it is advised that you consult a pediatrician.