Treatment of constipation in children with folk remedies: we can handle it easily! Folk remedies for constipation are quick and effective.

Constipation is difficulty in bowel movements or the absence of independent bowel movements for a certain period of time, which is different for each age. Therefore, it is quite difficult to answer the question of how often a child should have stool. For one it may be 2 times a day, for another 1 time every two days. Constipation usually does not occur when feeding only breast milk. Constipation in a child who is on artificial feeding, is considered the absence of stool during the day. If a child walks “mostly” every day, but with difficulty and at the same time pushes hard, cries, the stool itself is hard, in the form of “nuts” - this is also considered constipation. If constipation occurs in a child who is on breastfeeding, then, as a rule, the mother is to blame.

Prevention of constipation should begin immediately after the birth of the child. For this it is necessary to provide balanced diet nursing woman; feed your baby breast milk for as long as possible; introduce complementary foods after 6 months, gradually, slowly and in small doses; when artificially feeding, do not limit the child’s fluid intake; do not introduce into the diet a product that is not appropriate for the child’s age; For advice on your child’s nutrition, turn not to your neighbor, but to your pediatrician.

You should not start treating constipation with laxatives. Even in small doses they are contraindicated in infants.

Traditional medicine for constipation in children recommends drinking water, decoctions of vegetables and fruits, especially prunes. The rectum is designed in such a way that if there is a lack of fluid in the body, its walls begin to quickly absorb water from feces, making them hard and difficult to pass through the anal canal, and drinking plenty of fluids helps them remain relatively soft. Give your child a light tea made from raspberry leaves and fig fruits. He's very nice. We must also remember the double benefits of fermented milk mixtures in case of constipation. U infants with acute constipation, the effect comes from a small enema of a decoction of flax seeds or from taking a mucous decoction of flax seeds in the form of tea. Thanks to the large amount of mucus and essential oils flax seeds heal the intestinal mucosa and ensure the sliding of digested food through the intestines. Prepare mucilage from flax seeds as follows:

  • Pour 1 teaspoon of seeds into 100 ml of boiling water, leave, stirring, for 15 minutes, strain and take half a teaspoon with water, milk or an unsweetened decoction of dried apples or apricots 2 - 3 times a day.
  • In folk medicine of Karachay-Cherkessia, dried hop cones are used to treat constipation, which are infused with bread kvass (2 g of cones per 0.5 liter of kvass). Take half a glass in the morning and evening.
  • In case of illness gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by spastic and atonic constipation, with functional neuroses of the stomach, as well as to quench thirst, the fruits of actinidia kolomikta are recommended, half a glass in the morning on an empty stomach.

What should you include in your diet for constipation?

  • Very effective means Prunes are a remedy for constipation. It is suitable even for small infants, as it is a natural laxative. It can be eaten in different types. Prune juice is suitable for very young children. It must be diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio. The dosage varies depending on the age of the child. From 4 months to a year, you can give your baby 1-2 tablespoons of juice (this is approximately 15-30 ml). A child from one year old can drink a glass or even a little more (up to 240 ml).
  • After starting the introduction of complementary foods, you can introduce prune puree into the baby’s diet for the prevention and treatment of constipation. It can also be added to porridge. This will only make it tastier.
  • To urgently stop constipation, the child can be given a microenema. Chamomile decoction is suitable for her. Warm decoction in small quantities of 10-15 ml is taken with a small pear. The tip is generously lubricated with cream or Vaseline and carefully inserted into the anus. In this case, you need to ensure that the delicate mucous membrane is not damaged. rectum. The child may violently resist this procedure, and in this case, it is better to stop it so as not to worsen the situation.
  • For older children, salt solutions, herbal or Vaseline oil. Cooking, sea ​​salt diluted to 10-15% in water-salt solutions and administered warm in an amount of 100-200 ml into the intestines. Salts and oils act gently, relax, soften stool, relieve spasms of the colon, and normalize peristalsis. At the same time, the oil lubricates the intestinal walls without causing irritation.
  • Dill water is popular among mothers. It not only relieves intestinal colic and promotes gas removal, but is also effective for constipation, as it acts as a mild laxative. To prepare it you will need fragrant dill seeds. Pour a tablespoon of crushed seeds into 300 ml of boiling water and let it brew. During the day, give the child to take the resulting infusion in small doses.
  • An indispensable product in the diet of a child suffering from constipation should be beets. It can be consumed half and half with honey for older children. Honey is strong allergen, so it should not be given to very young children. For them, it is better to season the beet salad with vegetable oil, which also has a laxative effect.
  • Among fermented milk products, kefir ranks first in the effectiveness of treating and preventing constipation. You can drink it plain, or you can mix it with 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and take it before bed.

Infants can use candles made from regular vegetable oil. To prepare them vegetable oil cut into slices no thinner than two matchsticks and frozen in the refrigerator. For constipation, such a “candle” is carefully inserted into the anus.

If constipation occurs, it is necessary for the child to follow correct mode nutrition. His diet must include: vegetables, fruits, dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes), dairy products(especially kefir), juices. Nutrition should be balanced.

Why are constipation dangerous? They cause general intoxication, that is, the body undergoes self-poisoning. In this case, the following signs are characteristic: weakness, lethargy, often headache. The color of the skin changes - it becomes gray, turns pale, and begins to peel off. Toxins that are not removed from the body are absorbed into the blood, which threatens the development of various pustular diseases, immunity is significantly reduced. The child may become fearful and avoid communicating with peers. His appetite may decrease.

By the way, grunting in a baby who is “getting things done” is not a sign of constipation. It is due to the fact that the child still has very weak muscles, including abdominal ones. And he needs to make an effort to squeeze the stool out of himself.

Difficulty in bowel movements or absence of bowel movements throughout the day is called constipation. In children, it may manifest itself as hard stool, decreased frequency of bowel movements, or pain when passing feces.

Constipation should be treated comprehensively: a laxative diet, medications, prescriptions traditional medicine.

An effective analogue drug treatment are folk remedies for constipation in children. More often, to improve the motility of the gastrointestinal tract, herbs that help cleanse the intestines are used:

  • licorice roots;
  • dandelion;
  • pharmaceutical camomile;
  • Melissa;
  • fennel;
  • yarrow;
  • plantain;
  • burdock and flax seeds.

Treatment of the baby medicinal herbs requires consultation with a doctor. There are several recipes that will help with constipation:

  • Senna grass. Stimulates intestinal motility. The desired effect occurs 8-10 hours after taking the decoction. To prepare it, pour 1 tsp. senna 60 ml boiling water, leave for 20 minutes. Then add water to a volume of 200 ml and give the child a drink.
  • Plantain seeds. Activate intestinal motility, help with atonic constipation. Pour 1 tbsp. l. seeds 0.5 glass of boiling water, leave for 15-20 minutes, strain, divide the volume by 3 times, let the baby drink three times a day until the condition improves.
  • Raisin water. For children from 6 months of age, before feeding, give 2 tsp. As a drink, water infused with raisins. This remedy has a mild laxative effect. You can prepare it like this: pour boiling water over the washed raisins and leave for 1 hour.

Oils against constipation

Traditional recipes for constipation in children include the use of vegetable oils. Almost any unrefined product has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, helps the rhythmic contraction of the gallbladder, and initiates intestinal activity. If the dosage recommended by the pediatrician is observed, vegetable oil can be used long time, while a laxative effect on the child’s intestines is in demand.

As a rule, you need to start taking it with 1 tsp. every morning on an empty stomach, gradually increasing to 1 tbsp. l. At least an hour should pass before the first meal. After use, it is recommended to drink a glass of water with a small amount lemon juice. For children, oils such as:

  • Vaseline;
  • castor;
  • linen;
  • sunflower;
  • olive;
  • sea ​​buckthorn;
  • pumpkin

Dill water

This is the most common and safe folk remedy for children of all ages, starting from birth. Dill water eliminates intestinal spasms by releasing gases accumulated in it. The drink relieves any discomfort: abdominal pain, colic, bloating. To prepare a folk remedy, grind 1 tsp. ripe dill seeds, pour 1 cup of boiling water, leave for an hour. You should only use freshly prepared dill water 1 tsp each up to 6 times a day before meals. The laxative effect will appear 2-3 days after the start of use.

Vegetable and fruit juices

Fast laxative effect provide freshly prepared juices. They are allowed to be used by children only after reaching 3 years of age. First, give your baby 1-2 tsp. drink per day, unless your doctor recommends other dosages. Gradually the dose can be increased. The most healthy juices for constipation:

  • Apple. Provide softening and removal of feces. Do not give to a child if he has gastritis or ulcers.
  • Pumpkin. Pumpkin juice has good laxative properties. One-time consumption of 100 ml of freshly squeezed drink will help with constipation.
  • Grape. Accelerates intestinal motility. Children should not be given pure form. Must be diluted with water 1:1.
  • Beetroot. Juice from raw pumpkin must first brew. Treatment should begin with small doses.

Enemas

A couple of decades ago, an enema for constipation was the most common folk remedy. Today this procedure is used only in exceptional cases when other methods do not help.

With frequent use of an enema, peristalsis weakens, the intestines become lazy, and beneficial microflora are washed out.

To carry out the procedure for infants, it is used boiled water slightly warmer than room temperature. Older children can use enemas using oil, saline solution, herbal decoctions. Effective recipes:

  • Saline solution. Add 0.5 tsp to the volume of water selected for the baby’s age. salt. Coat the rubber tip of the syringe with Vaseline and carefully insert it into the anal hole to a depth of 3 to 5 cm. Slowly insert saline solution, then try to keep the baby’s buttocks closed for several minutes.
  • Chamomile decoction. Brew 2 tsp. dry chamomile to 1 cup of boiling water. After 20 minutes, strain and add water to the desired volume. Give your baby an enema no more than once every 3 days.


Due to insufficient bowel function, a child often develops a problem such as constipation. It was in the early childhood it should be taken seriously, as this will help to exclude serious pathologies internal organs, as well as diseases such as ulcers, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, hemorrhoids.

Treatment of constipation in children or what to do if a child has constipation?

First of all, you need to understand what constipation is and what are the reasons for its appearance in a baby. Only after this should treatment be carried out, while eliminating the cause.

Constipation is the absence of bowel movement for several days, or difficulty defecating. Children of different ages experience constipation in different ways and the causes are also different.

Babies who are fed exclusively breast milk should not have constipation, but if it does appear, it is the mother's fault. This means that she ate foods that strengthen her. It is normal to have stool after each feeding. If a newborn baby is fed formula and does not have a bowel movement within 24 hours, or does have a bowel movement, but with great difficulty, then this is constipation.

Normally, children under one year of age can have stools up to 2 times a day. A child from 1 to 2 years old should empty his intestines 1-2 times every 2 days. From the age of two – formed stool once every couple of days. Of course, deviations from the norm are allowed in each specific case.

Stool retention, bloating, gas formation, abdominal pain - these are the main signs of constipation that appear in children.

Causes of constipation in children

Incorrect diet for a nursing woman or baby.

  • Insufficient amount of fluid entering the body.
  • Early introduction of complementary foods or abrupt replacement of breast milk with artificial formulas.
  • Sudden change in mixture.
  • Dysbacteriosis.
  • Worms.
  • Allergy to food components.
  • Stress and neuroses.

Consequences of constipation in children

Constipation causes poisoning of the child's body with toxic substances that are not excreted along with feces. They enter the bloodstream and can cause the development purulent diseases. Because of this, immunity sharply decreases. The baby loses appetite, turns gray and peels skin. Headaches, weakness and lethargy appear.

How to help a child with constipation using folk remedies

Treatment can only be carried out after identifying the causes that led to the problem. Most parents, if constipation occurs, do not dare to poison the child’s body with chemicals. medicines, trust folk recipes. To normalize the stool of a breastfed baby, a nursing mother should remove from her menu following products: rice, White bread, coffee, milk, black tea, legumes, juicy fruits, berries and carbonated drinks.

Lack of fluid makes stool hard and difficult to pass out. To prevent this from happening, you need to drink more water, fruit and herbal teas. The liquid softens the stool, so that it does not linger in the body. A decoction of prunes, figs, and flax seeds helps to cope with the problem especially well.

Constipation infant can be cured with a microenema with a decoction of flaxseed. It contains a lot of mucus, which coats the intestinal lining and helps digest food.

  • Pour 1 teaspoon of flax seeds into one-half cup of boiling water. Leave for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain. Take the resulting mass half a teaspoon with water or milk.

Constipation in an infant will be helped by an infusion of pharmaceutical chamomile, dill and caraway seeds.

  • Mix chamomile flowers, dill and caraway seeds - half a tablespoon each. Pour one tablespoon of this mixture into a thermos with half a liter of boiling water. Leave for two hours, strain. Infuse to give your baby one teaspoon before meals three times a day.

Can be treated childhood constipation sunflower oil.

  • The oil must be sterilized. Start giving 1 drop before the first feeding, every day, increasing by 1 drop. Gradually increase the amount of oil to half a teaspoon. Take until constipation disappears.

Massaging the tummy, as well as bringing the legs bent at the knees to it, will help eliminate constipation in an infant.

If constipation occurs in children who eat the same food as adults, first of all, you need to remove constipating foods from their diet. Eat more vegetables and fermented milk drinks. Such a diet for constipation in children often has a positive effect.

  • Chamomile will cope with spastic constipation(when the intestines are in good shape). And, on the contrary, with low intestinal tone - nettle, dandelion and yarrow, gooseberries and lingonberries.
  • Fruit puree with prunes and dried apricots.
  • Bran – excellent remedy, help normalize the functioning of the intestines. Eat 1 tablespoon of them for ten days.
  • A bunch of fresh grapes a day.
  • For thirty days, take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day fresh juice aloe.
  • You can give your child a teaspoon at a time castor oil, after 5 hours the long-awaited effect will occur. Castor oil can easily be replaced with olive oil.
  • Prunes will be a tasty laxative. Pour warm water over the berries and leave. Then squeeze and consume a few pieces every day.
  • Beet salad seasoned with sunflower or olive oil will give the desired result.
  • An excellent tool problem solving, is carrot juice. Children are given a few drops a day.

Prevention of constipation in children

Prevention of constipation should begin from the first months of a baby’s life in order to subsequently avoid this unpleasant problem. First of all, the child must follow a diet. It is necessary that it be balanced, include fermented milk products, as well as vegetables and fruits in large quantities. To avoid constipation, there should be no fluid deficiency in the body. Physical exercise involving muscles abdominals will make the intestines function normally.

An obvious advantage folk ways treatment is the absence of chemical components that adversely affect the child’s body. Natural resources will help you cope with many problems without causing harm.

Constipation is a problem faced not only by adults, but also by children. different periods life. This symptom is caused by various reasons, because the process of digesting food and the formation of feces depends on many factors - from dietary habits to the level of physical activity.

Constipation is an extremely unpleasant problem. It is accompanied by abdominal pain. Constipation disrupts appetite, sleep, and poor health. In this condition, the child needs help. To do this, it is recommended to contact a pediatrician who, if necessary, will prescribe an examination and appropriate treatment. You should also discuss with your doctor the use of safe folk remedies for constipation in a child.

Norm for stool in infants

Before considering folk remedies, let’s look at the norm for the number of bowel movements. In children in at different ages the intestines are emptied at different frequencies. In the first days of life, babies have the same number of bowel movements as the number of feedings. After about 6 weeks, the indicator characterizing the frequency of bowel movements may change:

  1. Some infants have stools up to 12 times a day. It's quite normal.
  2. Other children may have bowel movements once every 3-5 days. It is too normal indicator. Rare bowel movements only indicate that mother's milk is very suitable for the baby. He almost completely assimilates such food. At feeling good, no voltage abdominal wall, normal weight gain does not require any treatment or nutritional correction.

Norm for stool in artificial babies and older children

A different norm is established for children who are bottle-fed. They should have stool at least once a day. Reduced bowel movements are interpreted as constipation. For other periods of life established the following standards frequency of bowel movements:

  • 1-4 times a day after introducing complementary foods into the diet;
  • 1 time every 1-2 days preschool age;
  • 3 times a week for schoolchildren.

Water scarcity

Before starting to use any folk remedies for constipation in a child, it is recommended to understand the causes of this problem, because it is much easier and more correct to prevent it. In most cases unpleasant symptom arises due to any external factors and not due to illness or congenital anomalies intestinal structure.

One of the most common reasons constipation - lack of water in the diet. When a child is breastfed, he does not need supplemental feeding. All necessary substances including water, he gets with mother's milk. If the baby eats formula or complementary foods, then it is necessary to supplement it.

Unfortunately, there is no established standard that could show how much water a child needs to drink per day. The indicator depends on age, diet, and some other factors. Experts only recommend giving your baby at least 100-150 ml of water per day, excluding drinks and liquids contained in food.

Nutritional Features

Parents, as a rule, try to feed their children a variety of foods. However, growing children are often capricious and refuse some dishes. For example, they are not attracted to vegetable purees, which seem tasteless. Children sometimes even refuse fruit purees, but they eat various cereals and noodles with pleasure. With such a diet, constipation cannot be avoided. They will arise due to a deficiency of dietary fiber. As a result, you will have to think about quickly treating constipation in children with folk remedies or official medications.

Another diet-related cause of constipation is the presence of overly crushed, pureed food in the diet. Experts recommend not to overuse such dishes. The child must get used to eating pieces. You need to teach your baby to eat vegetables and fruits. Children love to eat beautiful dishes, so you need to take advantage of it. It is unlikely that a child will refuse to eat carrots cut into flowers or stars, or some vegetable puree topped with a sour cream face.

Psychological problems

Constipation often occurs due to psychological problems. Violation of the frequency of bowel movements is observed in those children who are early and aggressively potty trained. When kids are naughty, parents scold them. Children are frightened by screams and subsequently begin to restrain the urge to defecate. Feces accumulate in the intestine and become compacted. This is how constipation occurs.

WITH psychological problems Older children also face this problem. For example, some schoolchildren do not go to the toilets in educational institutions. Children do not like an atmosphere that does not have enough privacy. Pushes away from toilets bad smell, dirt. Children begin to restrain the urge to defecate, and at home they completely forget that they need to go to the toilet. As a result, constipation occurs.

Memo to parents

You need to use folk remedies very carefully in a child, and in some cases you should abandon them altogether. Here's a little reminder:

  1. You cannot treat your baby yourself if he has bad feeling. If, for example, a child has severe pain, there is no discharge of gases, then the reason is this clinical picture may involve acute intestinal obstruction. If such a diagnosis is suspected, the child should be urgently hospitalized surgical hospital.
  2. A child’s body differs from an adult in that it is still developing and reacts completely differently to certain medications. For this reason, it is recommended to treat constipation with folk remedies only after consulting a pediatrician.
  3. Can't give various herbs, infusions, decoctions for children under 5-6 years of age (there are exceptions only for completely harmless products). It is also prohibited to use for treatment those plants that grew within the city, near roads, near plants and factories.

Butter and castor oil for infants

Constipation in an infant is easy to recognize. If this problem is present, the baby cries, shudders, and knocks his legs. Abdominal bloating is observed. One of the safest folk remedies for constipation in infants is butter. It must be fresh and unsalted. It is enough to give the baby half a teaspoon of butter once.

Many adults probably remember how they were scared of castor oil as children, and some had to take it for constipation. This is a known laxative. It promotes irritation of intestinal receptors and a reflex increase in peristalsis. There are no harmful components in castor oil. This tool It has vegetable origin. There is no need to give your baby castor oil to drink. It will be enough for the mother to lubricate the nipple with castor oil before feeding.

Fennel and dill for babies

A very effective folk remedy for constipation in children is dill water. The recipe for its preparation has been passed down since ancient times. Dill water is considered a carminative as it helps eliminate colic. However, it can also help with constipation. Thanks to dill water, intestinal function is normalized.

It is not necessary to prepare dill water yourself. You can simply purchase it at any pharmacy, although the product that is sold is not made from dill seeds, but from fennel seeds. Dill water is not considered a medicine. It refers to food products, created specifically for children of the first year of life. Its price is about 200 rubles. per bottle of 15 ml.

You can prepare dill water yourself. The recipe is very simple - 1 tsp. Dried dill seeds (by the way, they are sold in pharmacies) need to be poured with 1 cup of boiling water, let sit a little and strain after cooling. For constipation and abdominal pain, a child is given a ready-made remedy, half a teaspoon several times a day.

How else can a mother help her baby?

IN breast milk substances come from the products that a woman consumes. For this reason, if the frequency of bowel movements in a child is disrupted, the mother should not only find a safe folk remedy for constipation at home, but also review her diet and normalize drinking regime. It is recommended to exclude from your daily menu:

  • rice porridge;
  • cabbage;
  • beans;
  • peas;
  • slimy soups;
  • black bread;
  • jelly;
  • strong tea;
  • cocoa.

Table No. 3 according to Pevzner is most suitable for mothers. If you exclude some foods from the proposed diet, the diet will be ideal for preventing constipation and intestinal colic at the baby. Women can eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, cold soups, and hard-boiled eggs. Recommended culinary processing is steaming, boiling. Some vegetables and fruits can be eaten raw.

Beetroot juice for older children

An excellent folk remedy for quick treatment constipation in children - beet juice. It stimulates the intestines, gives the body the necessary useful material. It contains a wide range of vitamins, calcium, iron, phosphorus, etc. However, beets can also cause harm. It contains substances that irritate the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. So that no negative consequences there was no such thing, children with constipation are given beetroot juice with the addition of water or other juices (for example, carrot).

This folk remedy for constipation is prepared quickly. Need to:

  • take a hard root vegetable average size And correct form;
  • wash the beets thoroughly;
  • remove the remaining tops;
  • scald the beets with boiling water;
  • chop the root vegetable using a grater (you can also use a juicer);
  • squeeze out the resulting mass using gauze.

Beetroot juice should not be given to children immediately after preparation. It is placed in a closet to stand for 2 hours. After this period of time, the juice is diluted and given to a baby suffering from constipation. A few drops are enough for up to a year. Child over a year old can take several teaspoons.

Recipes for teenage children

For children adolescence The list of folk remedies for constipation is wider. One of them is honey. It is usually used for colds. Few people know that it is also one of the most effective folk remedies for treating constipation. In order to cope with this delicate problem, doctors advise dissolving a spoonful of honey in a glass warm water and drink it in the morning on an empty stomach.

Zhoster laxative (buckthorn laxative) helps with constipation. For cooking medicine the fruits are taken. Based on them, folk healers prepare either a decoction or an infusion:

  1. To prepare a decoction, add 200 ml of water to 20 g of crushed fruits. The mixture is put on fire and boiled for 10 minutes. After this, the product is infused, filtered and taken 1 tbsp. l. three times a day.
  2. To prepare the infusion 1 tbsp. l. pour a glass of boiling water and leave for 2 hours in a warm place. After this time, the medicine is filtered. Drink half a glass of it before bed.

Application of fruits and berries

Constipation is eliminated not only with herbs and vegetable juices. You can simply offer your child fruits, berries, or prepare delicious desserts from them. A suitable fast-acting folk laxative for constipation is orange. If a child eats one piece of fruit before bed, the intestines will cleanse normally the next day. There is only one caveat. The child should not be allergic to citrus fruits.

Some people use orange to make a dessert for constipation. Here is the prescription:

  • Cut 2 oranges into small cubes and place in a cup;
  • pour unsweetened natural yogurt over the chopped fruit;
  • add a couple of chopped prunes to the mixture.

For rare bowel movements, a compote of dried apples and cherries can help. Traditional healers It is also recommended to eat fresh blueberries. Only berries, in their opinion, cope with constipation. A decoction made with blueberries has the opposite effect.

Constipation in children is quite common. This is due to the fact that digestive system The baby and intestines, like many other organs and systems, are not yet fully formed. The intestinal microflora of a newborn is far from ideal. She will have to improve over the next few years, and no one will give you any guarantees that this development will be easy.


Constipation in children is a common problem

Let's try together to figure out how to help a child overcome physiological problems with the intestines. How to relieve his constipation? What pharmaceutical laxatives can come to the aid of parents and do they have folk analogues?

Norm and pathology

With constipation, the baby often complains of abdominal pain, cannot empty his bowels on his own, becomes capricious, cries more often, and shows signs of intoxication of the body - weakness, lethargy, headaches.

Everyone goes to the toilet differently - some children more often, others less often, and in order to judge constipation as an ailment, you need to know the average norms for stool frequency at different ages. And they are like this:

  • Newborns. Babies from 0 to 4 months can go to the toilet “big” up to 8 times a day. Moreover, it will be considered normal if a child poops once, and if he does it 8 times. Fecal masses are not formed, quite liquid
  • Children under 2 years old. At this age, it is considered normal if a child has bowel movements 1 to 3 times a day. The feces are formed, already have a denser consistency, and a specific smell appears.
  • Children aged 2 to 4 years. These babies should ideally poop 1-2 times a day. The feces are completely formed, the process of establishing bowel function is almost complete.
  • Children from 4 to 6 years old. At this age, boys and girls can go to the toilet “in a big way” either 1–2 times a day or once every two days. Both will be considered variants of the norm.

Thus, we can talk about constipation if the frequency of stool in a child differs from the norm by at least a day or two.

Dr. E. O. Komarovsky talks about the causes of constipation in children and methods for eliminating them in the video:

Causes

Constipation in children can occur due to various reasons. The most harmless of them is the baby’s feeding habits. Unfortunately, Difficulties with defecation sometimes indicate more serious disorders - for abnormalities in intestinal structure, dysbacteriosis, metabolic disorders, acute inflammatory processes, problems requiring surgical intervention experienced surgeons.

It is for this reason that if constipation occurs repeatedly, you should definitely show your child to a doctor.

Remember that “alarm bells” are frequently recurring constipation, painful sensations during defecation, a sharp unpleasant odor of feces, the presence of foreign impurities in them - pus, blood, pieces of unprocessed food, the appearance of nausea and vomiting.


Operating principle

Laxatives for children can be of two types - these are synthetic medicines or herbal medicines, designed to eliminate intestinal dysfunction. They are not at all harmless, although they are sold at any pharmacy without a prescription. Laxatives have their own indications and contraindications.

Based on their principle of action, laxatives can be divided into several groups:

  • Medicines that irritate the intestinal mucosa. Such drugs begin to act a maximum of 2 hours after taking the tablet. They stimulate the removal of feces accumulated in the intestines.
  • Drugs that act as fillers. Once in the intestines, they increase in volume and saturate digestive tract liquid, resulting in stool leaving the body faster.
  • Medicines that retain water in the intestines. Through the intestinal wall, these drugs draw water from the body and accumulate it in the intestine. The liquid softens stool and promotes bowel movements.
  • Drugs acting in the small intestine. They usually contain oil (vaseline, fennel, liquid paraffin, etc.). These substances ensure an increase in the sliding of intestinal contents towards the exit. They take effect 3–5 hours after administration.


Requirements

The ideal children's laxative should be non-toxic, mildly acting, preferably of plant origin.

A remedy for constipation for children should not be addictive and contribute to the development of “lazy bowel” syndrome, when, with frequent use, the child generally stops bowel movements on his own, without medication. This syndrome can significantly complicate the situation, since it can begin degenerative changes in intestinal receptors.

The description of laxatives recommended for children best fits stool softeners and products based on natural oils. Lactulose-based medications are recommended for infants and children who are barely 1 year old. In addition to solving the main problem, they contribute to the formation of their own normal microflora intestines, which will allow the child to forget about such sensitive issue like constipation.

Children's forms of laxative medications are almost no different from adults - these are drops, syrups, rectal suppositories, tablets and powders. The solid form of the medication implies an older age of the child. It is advisable to give children under 4–5 years of age a laxative in the form of syrup, drops, or suppositories. The tablet form of the drug is for children 7–9 years old. Starting from 10–12 years of age, children can be given capsules.


Constipation is often accompanied by abdominal pain in babies

Please note that suppositories act faster than tablets, so if you need to achieve a quick effect, it is better to give preference to drugs local action. If the choice is between syrup or tablet, more quick action syrup will have.

Laxatives should not be given to a child if he or she is constipated. acute diseases intestines, sometimes requiring surgical intervention (appendicitis, for example). Another one important detail: all laxatives only eliminate the effect, but do not treat the cause of constipation. That is why it is important to examine the baby and, if necessary, begin comprehensive treatment.

You can learn about the causes of constipation in children by watching the recording of the webinar conducted by Valery Feliksovich Privorotsky, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department of Abdominal Pathology of the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Consultative and Diagnostic Center for Children”:

List of drugs and instructions for use

Duphalac

This is a transparent and very viscous syrup made from filler substances based on real dietary fiber. Lactulose acts in the large intestine, improving its peristalsis, retaining water and increasing the volume of feces, while simultaneously softening them. Helps restore intestinal microflora and resist dysbacteriosis. It is prescribed even to newborns and infants. The drug is practically not absorbed into the body, quickly reaches the intestines and is excreted. Contraindications – intestinal obstruction, and in some cases diabetes. The syrup should be given to the child once a day, preferably in the morning with a meal.


Sodium sulfate

Like all saline laxatives, sodium sulfate must be approved by a doctor, otherwise it can end badly. Salt has a rather aggressive effect on the receptors inside the intestines, drawing water from the body and accumulating it in the intestines. Due to this, softening of the stool is achieved. In young children uncontrolled use Dehydration may occur. Unlike herbal preparations, sodium salt sulfuric acid cleanses the intestines along its entire length. For children, the dosage is calculated using the formula “1 gram of salt per 1 year of life.” Then it is diluted with warm water and given to drink. The effect is expected in approximately 5 hours. Contraindications – inflammatory processes in the intestines (appendicitis), inflammation of the peritoneum.


Sodium sulfate is diluted with warm water and taken orally

Magnesium sulfate

With the magnesium salt of sulfuric acid the situation is the same as with the sodium salt described above. This is a laxative that should only be used as prescribed by a doctor. Magnesia – quite fast-acting remedy. Its effect occurs 2-3 hours after administration. Take the powder diluted with warm water on an empty stomach, in the morning, once a day. Long-term use of saline laxatives is not intended; they are “quick response” drugs intended for one-time use. At chronic constipation this powder can be used in enemas. Magnesia is not recommended for children under 6 years of age. From 6 to 12 years – a single single dose – 5-10 g. Powder. From 12 to 15 years it can be increased to 15 grams.


Normaze

Mild laxative based on lactulose additional function probiotic – “Normaze” stimulates the growth of beneficial lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the intestines. Thanks to them, the stool becomes softer and constipation stops. Contraindication: intestinal obstruction and inflammatory processes in it. The drug conflicts with antibiotics, which can reduce its effect, so you should not take Normaze simultaneously with antimicrobial agents.


Syrup "Normaze" - safe baby remedy, reviews of which are extremely positive. Ideal for newborns. Dose for children under 1 year is 5 ml. syrup per day. For children from 1 to 6 years old, the dose is increased to 5-10 ml. From 6 years and older, the medicine can be given in a dosage of 10-15 ml. “Normaze” can be mixed with compote or juice; its effectiveness will not change due to such “disguise”.

Forlax

It is a laxative that acts as a bulking agent. In the intestines, the drug swells and increases in volume. The intestines react to this increased peristalsis, this allows short time solve the problem of constipation. The medicine is sold in the form of powders with delicious fruit flavors. At home, a drinking solution can be easily prepared from such powders. Contraindications include intestinal obstruction, inflammation of the tract, suspected pathologies that need to be eliminated surgically. The drug should not be taken by children under 8 years of age. Children over 8 years old are prescribed 10 grams once a day. Powder, if such a dose is ineffective, it is allowed to increase it to 20 g.


Pomogusha laxative

This is a syrup created specifically for easy solution delicate children's problems. It contains lactulose, fennel fruits, strawberry leaves, anise, caraway and cherry fruits. Additionally, the composition includes the basic necessary children's body vitamins C, group B, PP. The drug is intended for children over 3 years of age. For children from 3 to 7 years old, a dose of 15 ml is recommended, from 7 to 14 years old - 20 ml. The drug can be taken for up to two weeks. The syrup is delicious and mixes well with drinks – juice, water, tea. Therefore, they can easily and simply give a drink to even a very capricious baby who categorically refuses to take medication. There are not many contraindications for the syrup, since it is a natural remedy.


Microlax

This laxative comes in the form of small capsules containing a solution to rectal use. The liquid with sorbitol inside the capsules effectively dilutes stool and promotes fast and soft bowel movements. Since Microlax has virtually no contraindications, microenemas can be given to children from birth. They act within 10-15 minutes after the microcapsule is carefully inserted into the rectum and its contents are squeezed out. In order not to make a mistake with the dosage, there is a special mark on the tip of the microcapsule up to which the capsule must be inserted. For three-year-olds and older, it is administered entirely, for children younger - up to the indicated mark.


Prelax

A mild laxative, which is available in the form of a liquid for oral administration for adults, for children “Prelax-Baby” and in the form of a powder for preparing a solution “Prelax-Lite”. The pediatric form of the medicine can be given to children from birth. The initial dose for babies under 1 year is 10 ml. Children from 1 to 6 years old are given 15 ml. solution, children from 6 years old - 25-30 ml. In the first days of taking the drug, it is possible increased gas formation, discomfort pass by themselves and additional treatment not required. The drug should not be given to a child if constipation is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Antibiotics reduce the effect of Prelax, so taking them simultaneously with this laxative is not recommended.


Regulax

A drug that irritates the intestinal walls. Due to this, contractions of the tract occur, and constipation can be overcome. After taking the medicine, the desired effect can be achieved after 10-12 hours. In pharmacies it is sold in the form of drops and cubes for chewing. The initial dose for children over 4 years old is 4-8 drops. The cubes are intended for children over 12 years of age and adults. Regulax is not prescribed for children under 4 years of age.


Glycerol

A drug containing glycerin in the form of rectal suppositories. Glycerin has soft action on the intestinal walls, dilutes stool. Maximum dose– 1 rectal suppository per day. The drug can be used from birth. For the youngest patients, the dosage should be determined by the doctor. For permanent use Glycerol suppositories are not suitable; they are recommended to be used to alleviate the condition of acute constipation.


Bisacodyl

This is a medicine that acts at the level small intestine. Available in tablets, dragees and rectal suppositories. It is recommended for children from the age of two, once a day. Dose for children from 2 to 7 years – one tablet per day or half rectal suppository. From 2 to 14 years old, children are given either 2 tablets or a whole suppository is administered rectally. The drug is not intended for long-term and systematic use.


Senade

These are inexpensive laxative tablets that are made from plant substances - the leaves of the holly senna. Such tablets can be used for quite a long time; they are classified as drugs, not addictive . They take effect approximately 7 hours after administration. Recommended for children over 6 years old. Quite rarely, but still sometimes prescribed to children from 3 to 6 years old. This decision is made solely by the doctor. The dose for children from 6 to 12 years is half a tablet per day. If the desired effect is not present, the dose can be increased by another half tablet. For children over 12 years of age, the starting dose will be 1 tablet; if necessary, the dose can be increased to 2 tablets. They must be taken once a day.

Enema

An enema is good only as an “first aid”; doing this procedure every day is a real crime against the baby’s health, since such a forced method of defecation has a very detrimental effect on the baby’s ability to go to the toilet on his own.


An enema for constipation in a baby should be used only in extreme cases

Folk remedies

Before resorting to laxative medications, you can try to help your child cope with constipation with folk remedies. They act quite effectively, and in most cases after taking herbal remedies There is no need for tablets and syrups.

The most famous “fighter against constipation” is ordinary dill, available to everyone. You can prepare a decoction from it and give it to your child in the form of herbal tea. The effect should occur in approximately 5-6 hours. If the child has already learned to eat solid food yourself, invite him to eat 3-4 prunes. This is a mild natural laxative, after which the baby will have to wait 4-6 hours for relief.

To achieve a faster effect, you can give your baby a spoonful of castor oil. Of course, it’s disgusting, but it works flawlessly – it’s been tested for generations!


Prunes - tasty treat to help relieve constipation

Nutrition

If a child is prone to constipation, parents should definitely reconsider his diet. If we are talking about a baby who is on natural feeding, you need to make sure that the mother eats right and does not eat foods that promote the consolidation of feces. Such “insidious” products include confectionery, white bread, potatoes, cabbage. A young mother should focus on porridge, vegetable stew, baked apples (in small quantities); it is important to drink at least one and a half liters of liquid per day.

If the baby is bottle-fed, you must carefully observe the dosage and proportions of the adapted milk formula. If constipation occurs frequently, despite the fact that the food is prepared correctly, you can add a little less than the prescribed amount of dry formula to the bottle, and additionally give your baby drinking water more often.


Beets in a child's diet will help avoid problems with constipation

The diet of children over 3 years old should not contain foods that contribute to constipation - a lot of chocolate, baked goods, carbonated drinks, rice, meat, chicken eggs. Pasta, pears, pomegranates, and smoked foods contribute to constipation. And if constipation occurs frequently, you need to give your child fruits and vegetables with a laxative effect - cabbage, pumpkin, beets and beet juice, zucchini, bran, plums, peach.

Meals for constipation should not be rich or fatty. It is better to feed your child in smaller portions, but in two approaches, than to immediately feed him a whole plate of porridge or stew. The diet of a child with a tendency to constipation must include fermented milk products, compotes of dried fruits, rose hips, and herbal tea.

An excellent prevention of constipation in a child will be not only correct and balanced diet, but also an active lifestyle. Children who walk a lot and play sports have significantly fewer intestinal problems.