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Relieving Constipation in Young children

20th October, 2012 - Posted by health news - No Comments

One of the most frequent problems that you are likely to find in very young kids or youngsters is some level of constipation. Constipation in kids is usually a tricky situation to address. Any time a toddler becomes constipated and shifting stool is not relaxing for them, it can be very irritating for the parent along with the youngster.

Frequently, the young child will end up red in the face and it will be quite awkward to try to have a bowel movement. Constipation in youngsters may be severe. They may actually become fearful to have a bowel movement due to the agony associated in trying to pass stool.

Paying attention and watching for these particular symptoms is essential, in that sometimes the symptoms may be “nipped in the bud” before they become too excessive.

Exactly what is Constipation?
In any person, adult or child, constipation can happen. It can be generally thought as having four or more hard bowel movements that are difficult or painful to pass, or not having a bowel movement for four days. At this point, as you might imagine, it is becoming very uncomfortable for nearly anyone and taking action to relieve the constipation is imperative.

Several things can be done in order to ensure a softer bowel movement. These will likely be just as successful in case of constipation in infants as they are in adults.

What Can Cause Constipation?
Usually constipation may be caused by a change in the diet. At times children and parents are in a rush and the diet isn’t as high in fiber as it ought to be. Providing more vegetables and fruits with higher fiber into the diet may help to ease the issue. One good supply of fiber as well as an item which may assist to encourage a bowel movement is prune juice. Constipation in young children is a particularly challenging one to fix as it can be difficult for parents to get the youngsters to consume some types of vegetables.

What Steps Should You Choose to Adopt to Ease Constipation?
Lowering the consumption of bananas, cow’s milk and cheese, all foods which toddlers seem to love, may be beneficial when trying to decrease the amount of consitpation in toddlers. Furthermore, adding some higher fiber fruits or sweet items such as prune juice or prunes will help to soften the stool. Moreover, using prune juice to help to cure constipation in toddlers is in fact adding some additional liquid to their diet too.

Prune juice is a great way–a very sweet way–to help your child to get rid of constipation. Also, it’s usually very easy to get the child to drink it and you can’t really offer too much prune juice, as you can with many medications. This can completely relieve constipation in children.

If your child doesn’t have a bowel movement within a day or two, it is very important speak to your physician, as this may also be an indication of some other underlying condition.