Constipation, or the trouble in passing bowels, is a pretty common condition that everyone suffers through once in a while. Be it due to your reckless lifestyle or just a bad meal, you and your loved ones, all struggle with constipation at some point in life. Constipation is a condition of utter discomfort and sometimes, embarrassment too, because usually any bowel-related issue is associated with confidentiality out of shame. While it is one thing to struggle as an adult with constipation, it is a whole different thing when a child suffers from this condition. It is natural for an adult to have a comparatively higher tolerance towards pain, but for a kid who has trouble registering many things and sometimes cannot even express his/her discomfort. Suffering from constipation can be a pretty painful and disturbing experience for them.
If you see your child struggling with passing bowels or facing discomfort while going to the loo, the first and foremost thing to understand is that constipation is pretty usual and natural even in kids. It is not something you need to panic over. Your child may be suffering through this condition due to multiple reasons like lack of ample amount of exercise, diet imbalance or lack of intake of fluids. As we are talking about kids, they are not aware of hygiene, and it could be because of forgetting to use the washroom as well.Â
To figure out if your child is suffering from constipation, you may look out for the following signs:
- Hard stools
- Few, like one to three, bowel movements per week
- Painful or firm abdomen
- Painful bowel movements
- Fear of using the toilet, due to the pain that he or she may be encountering, etc.
If your child is struggling with the above symptoms, we have the perfect list curated for you with the best home remedies that would give instant relief to your little one.
1. Increase fiber intake in the diet
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It is no hidden fact that children prefer having processed foods and unhealthy eating habits over a balanced diet. This leads to a lot of health-related issues, including constipation. To fight off constipation, the first step one should adapt for their children is to increase fibre in the diet. The first and foremost advice that any patient suffering from constipation is offered is to stock up on fibres. Fibre increases the consistency and the bulk of the bowel movement; this, in turn, makes them easier to pass out. It makes the digestive process a lot easier and quicker and results in a healthy and happy gut and body.
To increase fibre intake in your child’s diet, you may include several servings of fruits and vegetables, and can also introduce oats, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole-grain food item.
2. Juices and Herbal fluids
Juices of fruits like pears, apples, white grapes, and even prunes can help give instant relief to your kid from symptoms of constipation. It has been found that because of sorbitol, which is a type of sugar, that is present in juices and isn’t easy to digest, it makes the bowel bulkier and increases the consistency of it which makes it easier to pass. The increased fluids make the stool softer and comparatively more comfortable to pass out.
Other than juices, another thing to try out is herbal liquids which treat your child’s gut in a gentle and calming manner and stimulate the bowel movements making them easier to pass out. Teatoxlife.com has the best collection of herbal wellness with the best herbs that treat your child’s digestive system with the kindness of a mother and leaves your kid happy and playing in no time!
3. Massaging the abdomen of the kid
If you are blessed with an infant or small child who is, unfortunately, suffering from the pain of constipation, one good remedy that can help you, little angel, out is massaging the abdomen and bicycling the legs. These exercises are great tools that help stimulate the muscles of the digestive system and makes passing stools easier. Another simple remedy would be to add small intakes of rose water or rose petal tea to their food.
4. Increase visits to the bathroom
The last symptoms mentioned in this blog was the fear of going to the washroom or forgetting to go to the bathroom. Sometimes irregular visits to the washroom can result in your child suffering from constipation. The only way to get this irregularity out of the routine is to pay frequent visits to the bathroom in a day and just practice sitting on the pot for a few minutes. This is bound to include a healthy habit in your kid and in no time constipation related issues will be a far off thing.
5. Increase water intake
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It is indeed said that water helps everything. If your child is above the age of 1, increasing fluid intake can help the bowel movements and can relieve your child from the constipation symptoms in no time. Fluids like green tea are also known to have positive responses on easing constipation.
6. Raisins
Raisins are one of the binge eating snacks that probably every kid is fond of. Well, its other than its various other health benefits, it can also relieve your child of constipation instantly. Along with tartaric acid, raisins are also high on fibre content and work as an effective laxative which can act as a quick remedy for your constipation.Â
You can mix raisins with say a bowl of your kid’s favourite yoghurt to make the food more attractive and fun for him/her to consume.
7. Lemon Juice
A good lemonade can help ease your child out of the discomfort of constipation in no time. The citric acid present in Lemon juice stimulates the digestive system to flush out the toxins from the body and also proves to be a very healthy remedy for relief from constipation.
8. Figs
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Figs or Anjeer are popularly recommended as a remedy for constipation. Their high in fibre quality makes them the perfect treatment to receive instant relief from constipation and are widely suggested as a home remedy for kids suffering from constipation.
A child is meant to run around and grow, not sit in a corner due to constipation pain. Exposing your kid to modern-day medicines at such a young age is not the ideal choice, but these home remedies will not just give instant relief to your child but may also inculcate healthy habits in him/her. Your child deserves the best treatment possible, make the best decision and ensure that smile never fades away.
