Recognizing Digestive Disorders in Toddlers and How to Overcome them

Indigestion in toddlers (under three years) is a common occurrence. This condition can be unsettling for mothers, especially if it causes Little to be fussy all the time. Therefore, it is important for Mother to know the digestive disorders commonly experienced by toddlers, how to cope, as well as how to prevent them. Toddlers who experience indigestion will generally cause symptoms such as fuss, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, to dehydration. Usually these symptoms appear because your child eats too much, has a gastrointestinal infection, or lactose intolerance. This condition also often arises due to the digestive system Little is still in its infancy, and is still adjusting to the type of intake given.

Digestive Disorders Commonly Experienced Toddlers

There are several digestive disorders commonly experienced by toddlers, including:

• Spit up

Spit up is a normal condition, because the baby's throat is not fully developed. In addition, the size of the stomach is also very small. When eating too much or swallowing air when suckling, the baby may spit up. Usually spit up will disappear when the baby is aged between 6 months to 1 year, because at that time the esophagus muscles can function properly. Spit up in infants is not an alarming condition, as long as it does not occur excessively or prolonged, and does not cause interference with growth and development.

• Bloated

Flatulence in children can make them cry and fuss. This condition is caused by the child's digestive tract not functioning properly. Children who have a bloated stomach will usually bring up the typical symptoms, namely the stomach becomes hard, often belching, fussing, and often farting. This condition can be caused by how to eat and drink Little too fast or too slow, drinking from a pacifier bottle with lots of air bubbles, also the habit of sucking an empty pacifier bottle. Eating foods that contain gas, such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, onions, or cabbage, can also make it bloated. In addition, there are also other conditions that can cause flatulence, such as reflux or backflow of stomach acid, and lactose intolerance.

• Colic

Colic in infants is characterized by excessive crying. Generally colic occurs in the first few weeks after the baby is born and stops when the baby is 4 months old. Babies who experience colic will cry for more than 3 hours a day for 3 days a week, at least 3 weeks in a row.

• Constipation

Constipation or difficult bowel movements, quite commonly experienced by toddlers. Usually caused by supplementary feeding (MPASI), dehydration, or certain medical conditions. Symptoms of constipation in toddlers are easy to recognize, that is, your child does not defecate at least three times a week, it is difficult to remove impurities, and the texture of the stool is hard. In addition, the stomach can feel hard, decreased appetite, feeling pain when straining, and crying every time he was invited to the toilet to defecate (BAB). To overcome this problem, you can give children constipation medicine.

• Diarrhea

Basically, as long as the child is still consuming breast milk, formula milk, or semi-solid food, the stool texture during bowel tend to be soft. However, Mother should be vigilant when your child is too often defecating, liquid stool, or in large amounts. It could be that your child has diarrhea. Diarrhea in toddlers can be caused by many factors, ranging from parasitic, bacterial or viral infections, allergic to certain foods or medicines, drinking too much fruit juice, to food poisoning.

Although it is quite common, indigestion in children cannot be underestimated, especially if digestive disorders occur continuously or repeatedly. Because, there is a relationship between the health of the digestive tract of the Little One with the process of growth and development and the level of intelligence. Little can experience nutritional deficiencies and tend to be less active, including in learning, if they often experience indigestion.

How to Overcome Digestive Disorders and Maintain Healthy Digestion Toddler

Various simple ways you can do when toddlers often experience indigestion, including:

• Pay attention to the position of breastfeeding or eating right

Make it a habit to breastfeed or feed your child in a more upright state, and maintain that position about 20 minutes after giving milk or food. This is done to prevent milk and food from returning to the esophagus. Also make sure your little one doesn't eat or drink too fast.

• Gently massage Little Baby's stomach

If your baby has bloating, gently massage his stomach to get rid of gas or make his stomach feel better. In addition, Mother can also rub the back of Little. The trick, place your child on the mattress or on the two thighs of the Mother with the stomach facing down or face down.

• Provide food intake containing fiber

If your child suffers from constipation, you should provide foods that are high in fiber. Give priority to fiber intake from fruits or fruit juices, such as apples or pears. In addition to fruits, wheat bread can also be given to Little.

• Avoid certain foods when experiencing indigestion

If your child has diarrhea, avoid any foods that can make the symptoms of diarrhea worsen, such as oily foods, foods high in fiber, spicy and sour foods, dairy products, and sweet foods. If your child still drinks milk, you should also not consume these foods.

• Consider replacing formula milk

If your child consumes formula milk, you should consult a doctor first to consider changing formula milk. For example with partially hydrolyzed protein formulas. Although still under investigation, this type of milk is considered to have a softer protein formula, so it is easily digested and absorbed by the child's body. In addition, Mother can also choose the type of low-lactose milk. But do not forget, pay attention to the nutritional content in formula milk, such as calcium, iron, omega-3, folic acid, vitamins B1, B6, and B12, in order to meet the nutritional needs of children so that growth and intelligence of the Little can be optimal.

Maintain a healthy diet that is suitable for your little one, in order to maintain digestive health. Also invite your child to always actively move, both when exercising and playing, to support the process of digestion and growth and development. If digestive disorders experienced by your child do not get better or even get worse, you should immediately consult a doctor to get the right treatment.