I still remember those days when little Grace having constipation and we are crying up and down to find solutions. As a kid, they do not know how to express themselves about their problems except crying. We went for doctors, trying different growing up milk, giving them loads of juices and more but the trouble bothers us when we stop giving them.
It is a one of the messy business to know how your child is and is year in conjuction with the World Digestive Health Day on May 29, we learn that bowel movemnets in children and a common digestive issue amoung children is constipation. It is indeed not a favourable topics in your daily conversation but this is certainly something very important and we should be looking on our children poops and make sure that our children have the correct nutrients and good digestive system. Here are some tips you may be looking at to promote a healthy gut for your child.
What’s Normal, What’s Not?
Poop is also known as feces or stool, which is waste matter that is discharged from the bowels after food has been digested. The poop may vary everyday, depending on what your child has eaten. By keeping track of the changes in fecal features, such as shape, size, color, frequency and also consistency, you are able to understand your child’s gut health and ensure their overall health and well-being.
The Bristol Stool Chart 2 is a useful guide commonly used by paediatricians that can assist you to distinguish types of stool.
• Type 1 and 2 suggest a potential risk of constipation
• Type 3 and Type 4 are normal stools which indicate a healthy gut
• Type 5, 6 and 7 suggest potential risks of infection or diarrhea, to which parents are advised to seek medical advice for the welfare of their children
Common symptoms of constipation generally involve infrequent, difficult, painful or incomplete release of hardened stools in children. When food residue remains in the large intestine for an extended period of time, too much water can be absorbed, and as a result, stools become harder and drier. When your child is trying to pass a large or hard stool, it will stretch the rectal walls and
may lead to tearing and bleeding. This makes it even more painful for the child to pass motion and causes the child to continue “holding it”, out of fear or anxiety to avoid the unpleasant experience of passing hard stools, thereby creating a vicious cycle.
Parents are advised to keep an eye on the tell-tale signs of your child attempting to withhold bowel movements, such as squatting, rocking, stiff walking or crossing of the legs.
There are many factors that can contribute to constipation in children, such as variations in diet, developmental stage, environmental issue, emotional status or illness. To prevent constipation in your child and maintain a good gut health, here are a few recommendations:
1. Diet. Consistently offer foods rich in dietary fibre, such as whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables in you and your child’s diet. Children from 3-6 years old are recommended to consume 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables daily. Parents have great influence on children’s eating habits, so if your children see you eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to follow your lead and be more receptive to all the food you consume. Hence, it is important for you to be a role model to your children. And for me, I always make some cute stuff from fruits, such as shapes the fruits and making up stories to make sure my lil one have more vegetables and fruits. We always love to share stories of “Popeye the Sailorman” and all so she have good things to tell us about having vegetables.
2. Fluids. It is essential to keep children well hydrated, as inadequate intake of fluids will lead to constipation. Children between 2-3 years old are recommended to drink 1-2 glasses of plain water per day while children 4 years old and above are recommended to drink 6-8 glasses per day. There are few ways to let my lil one drink her water.We always play water challenge at home where each of us have water bottles and whoever drink it all will get a sweet in exchange. And we also get her a cute bottles with her favourite cartoon characters on it.
3. Toilet Training. Studies show that there are two transitional periods in which a child is particularly prone to constipation; the first being at the time of toilet training, and during the start of school . Parents are advised to encourage to your child to use the toilet regularly, such as first thing in the morning or 10 to 30 minutes after a full meal. Regular bowel movement whereby your child’s stool consistency is soft is one of the signs of a healthy gut. We had toilet training with Grace too where it is pretty difficult at the start. We get her a pretty cute mini toilet for her and we usually play with her mindset. She always wanted to compete to be the first in every 30 minutes to start her for a toilet game.
4. Prebiotics. Research has shown that prebiotics such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) can help to promote softer stools for easier bowel movement. Prebiotics oligosaccharide mixture GOS/IcFOS (9:1) helps increase intestinal bifidobacteria and hence helps to maintain a good intestinal environment viii . With good intestinal environment and good gut health, your child will experience fewer digestive discomforts, including constipation.
The digestive system, or gut, is a complex system that begins with the breaking down of food and ends with the elimination of waste products as stools. Proper functioning of the digestive system is important as it allows absorption of essential nutrients which children need for healthy growth and development. In essence, good digestion is key to good health, it is an important part of your child’s overall health and sense of well-being. To set the foundation for a healthy life, let’s ensure your child consumes enough fibre, water and foods containing prebiotics – it’s never too late to make good gut health a priority!
And after we found out that growing up milk is a key issue for Grace, we had changed to a suitable growing up milk for Grace and also take charge understand her poop so we are assured that she is healthy. We understand that it important to understand their poo poo and also what they eat and control their diets to make them a healthy kid. Not just that, we need to make sure that she has enough of water consumption too.
Information from
- Her teary face when she tries to po po
It is a one of the messy business to know how your child is and is year in conjuction with the World Digestive Health Day on May 29, we learn that bowel movemnets in children and a common digestive issue amoung children is constipation. It is indeed not a favourable topics in your daily conversation but this is certainly something very important and we should be looking on our children poops and make sure that our children have the correct nutrients and good digestive system. Here are some tips you may be looking at to promote a healthy gut for your child.
What’s Normal, What’s Not?
Poop is also known as feces or stool, which is waste matter that is discharged from the bowels after food has been digested. The poop may vary everyday, depending on what your child has eaten. By keeping track of the changes in fecal features, such as shape, size, color, frequency and also consistency, you are able to understand your child’s gut health and ensure their overall health and well-being.
The Bristol Stool Chart 2 is a useful guide commonly used by paediatricians that can assist you to distinguish types of stool.
• Type 1 and 2 suggest a potential risk of constipation
• Type 3 and Type 4 are normal stools which indicate a healthy gut
• Type 5, 6 and 7 suggest potential risks of infection or diarrhea, to which parents are advised to seek medical advice for the welfare of their children
Common symptoms of constipation generally involve infrequent, difficult, painful or incomplete release of hardened stools in children. When food residue remains in the large intestine for an extended period of time, too much water can be absorbed, and as a result, stools become harder and drier. When your child is trying to pass a large or hard stool, it will stretch the rectal walls and
may lead to tearing and bleeding. This makes it even more painful for the child to pass motion and causes the child to continue “holding it”, out of fear or anxiety to avoid the unpleasant experience of passing hard stools, thereby creating a vicious cycle.
Parents are advised to keep an eye on the tell-tale signs of your child attempting to withhold bowel movements, such as squatting, rocking, stiff walking or crossing of the legs.
There are many factors that can contribute to constipation in children, such as variations in diet, developmental stage, environmental issue, emotional status or illness. To prevent constipation in your child and maintain a good gut health, here are a few recommendations:
1. Diet. Consistently offer foods rich in dietary fibre, such as whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables in you and your child’s diet. Children from 3-6 years old are recommended to consume 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables daily. Parents have great influence on children’s eating habits, so if your children see you eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to follow your lead and be more receptive to all the food you consume. Hence, it is important for you to be a role model to your children. And for me, I always make some cute stuff from fruits, such as shapes the fruits and making up stories to make sure my lil one have more vegetables and fruits. We always love to share stories of “Popeye the Sailorman” and all so she have good things to tell us about having vegetables.
2. Fluids. It is essential to keep children well hydrated, as inadequate intake of fluids will lead to constipation. Children between 2-3 years old are recommended to drink 1-2 glasses of plain water per day while children 4 years old and above are recommended to drink 6-8 glasses per day. There are few ways to let my lil one drink her water.We always play water challenge at home where each of us have water bottles and whoever drink it all will get a sweet in exchange. And we also get her a cute bottles with her favourite cartoon characters on it.
3. Toilet Training. Studies show that there are two transitional periods in which a child is particularly prone to constipation; the first being at the time of toilet training, and during the start of school . Parents are advised to encourage to your child to use the toilet regularly, such as first thing in the morning or 10 to 30 minutes after a full meal. Regular bowel movement whereby your child’s stool consistency is soft is one of the signs of a healthy gut. We had toilet training with Grace too where it is pretty difficult at the start. We get her a pretty cute mini toilet for her and we usually play with her mindset. She always wanted to compete to be the first in every 30 minutes to start her for a toilet game.
4. Prebiotics. Research has shown that prebiotics such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) can help to promote softer stools for easier bowel movement. Prebiotics oligosaccharide mixture GOS/IcFOS (9:1) helps increase intestinal bifidobacteria and hence helps to maintain a good intestinal environment viii . With good intestinal environment and good gut health, your child will experience fewer digestive discomforts, including constipation.
The digestive system, or gut, is a complex system that begins with the breaking down of food and ends with the elimination of waste products as stools. Proper functioning of the digestive system is important as it allows absorption of essential nutrients which children need for healthy growth and development. In essence, good digestion is key to good health, it is an important part of your child’s overall health and sense of well-being. To set the foundation for a healthy life, let’s ensure your child consumes enough fibre, water and foods containing prebiotics – it’s never too late to make good gut health a priority!
And now she is a happy healthy girl
And after we found out that growing up milk is a key issue for Grace, we had changed to a suitable growing up milk for Grace and also take charge understand her poop so we are assured that she is healthy. We understand that it important to understand their poo poo and also what they eat and control their diets to make them a healthy kid. Not just that, we need to make sure that she has enough of water consumption too.
Information from
[1] Van den
Berg MM, Benninga MA, Di Lorenzo C.. Am J Gastroenterol 2006: 101(10):2401-9
[2] SJ Lewis et al.
Scand. J. Gastroenterol. 1997; 32(9):920-4
[3] A
Rowan-Legg. Canadian Paediatric Society Community Paediatrics Committee,
Peadiatr Child Health 2011;16(10):661-5
[4] Malaysian
Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents 2013
[5] North
American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. J
Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2006; 43:405-7
[6] National
Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC)
[7] Moro G et
al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2002; 34(3):291-5.
[8] Guide to
Nutrition Labelling and Claims, Food Safety and Quality Division, Ministry of
Health Malaysia. (2010)
Comments
Post a Comment
Feel free to give us some love