Types of digestive disorders in children other than diarrhea that mothers should know

The ability of children to digest food is still developing and imperfect, especially in infants. This condition makes babies and children very susceptible to various digestive problems. In fact, food intake is very important for the growth of your little one. For that, you need to know what digestive disorders in children often occur and how to deal with them.

Types of digestive disorders in infants and children

Although it often occurs, digestive disorders in children are difficult to know, especially in infants. This was because he still couldn't speak and only reacted through tears.

Here are some digestive disorders that often occur in children and babies:

1. Diarrhea

Quoting from Stanford Children, the condition of the baby's intestines which is still weak makes the food that enters the stomach unable to be digested by the baby's intestine, which interferes with bowel movements and causes diarrhea.

In addition to disruption of bowel movements, rotavirus that enters the baby's body can also cause diarrhea. Some of the causes of diarrhea, including indigestion in infants and children, are:

• Lack of maintaining body cleanliness
• Food poisoning
• Food allergies
• Take certain drugs
• Certain health conditions (such as celiac, crohn, irritable bowel syndrome)

As for the signs and symptoms of diarrhea, namely:

• The child complains of cramps or pain in the stomach
• The child's stomach is bloated
• The child complains of nausea and wants to vomit
• Children often have a urge to defecate
• His body temperature increases, aka fever
• The child's face looks sluggish and tired
• The child's appetite is reduced

However, the symptoms of diarrhea in infants are different from those of children under five and over. Here are the symptoms of diarrhea in babies that parents should know:

• Urinating less frequently, it can be seen from diapers that are rarely wet
• Babies are fussy and cry all the time; but did not come out of tears when crying
• The baby's mouth is dry
• The baby continues to be sleepy and lethargic
• Baby's skin is not as supple or elastic as it used to be

You can consult a doctor for further treatment.

Overcoming diarrhea, including digestive disorders of children

To deal with diarrhea, which is included in digestive disorders in children, there are several ways that need to be done according to the child's age, namely:

• Newborn to 6 months of age breastfeeding can be given more frequently and longer than usual. Do not provide food or drinks other than exclusive breastfeeding.
• Infants aged 6 months and over Also continued to be given breast milk and complementary foods that have been mashed like banana pulp.
• Toddler 1 year old can also be given ASI continuously along with complementary foods with a mixture of eggs, chicken, fish, and carrots
• Toddlers aged 1 to 2 years It is advisable to continue breastfeeding, and eat foods such as warm chicken soup. Do not feed greasy food.
• Toddlers aged 2 years and over, provide common healthy foods such as rice, bananas, bread, potatoes, and yogurt 1 to 3 times a day

Quoting from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia website, mothers who are breastfeeding may also need to adjust their own food intake to avoid foods that can trigger diarrhea in their babies.

First avoid spicy, sour, and oily foods. In children who are older, your doctor may recommend that you apply the BRAT diet to treat diarrhea.

2. Vomiting due to stomach acid or other conditions

Quoting from the official website of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), vomiting or spitting up in babies can or may not be a sign of abnormality. The most common digestive disorder in infants is gastroesophageal reflux (RGE).

It is a condition where the contents of the stomach return to the esophagus and can continue to pass through the mouth. Until the baby is 1 year old, RGE is normal as long as your little one does not refuse to drink milk and the baby's weight continues to increase according to age. If the opposite is true, further examination is necessary.

Meanwhile, continuous vomiting in children is often caused by reflux of stomach acid, also called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

In children, the muscles at the end of the esophagus are often not strong enough, so acid reflux is more common in children than in adults.

Unavoidable factors that contribute to acid reflux indigestion in infants are:

• The baby lies down for too long
• Almost completely liquid food
• Premature birth of a baby

GERD is the most popular acid reflux condition in children, but there are also other disorders such as food intolerance, eosinophilic esophagitis, and pyloric stenosis.

In children who are older, this condition can result from pressure below the esophagus or from a weakened esophageal muscle.

Symptoms of GERD in children

The most common symptoms of GERD in babies are:

• Refusing food, you do not gain weight
• Vomiting, causing stomach contents to leak out of their mouth (projectile vomiting)
• Vomits green or yellow liquid, or blood or material that looks like coffee grounds
• Has blood in his stool
• Has difficulty breathing
• Start vomiting when a baby is 6 months or older

Meanwhile, the symptoms of GERD in children and adolescents are:

• Have pain or burning sensation in the upper chest (heartburn)
• Have pain or discomfort when swallowing
• Frequent coughing or wheezing or hoarseness
• Burping excessively
• Nausea
• Stomach acid is felt in the throat
• Feel like food is stuck in the throat
• Have pain that is worse when lying down

While acid reflux indigestion and GERD can go away as a child gets older, it can still be dangerous. You should take your child to the doctor if your child has:

• Poor baby growth, it is difficult to gain weight
• Breathing problems
• Consistently vomiting with force
• Vomiting green or yellow liquid
• Vomits blood or material that looks like coffee grounds
• Has blood in his stool
• Irritation after eating

The above is a sign that the condition of GERD is so dangerous that the child needs to be brought to the doctor.

Gerd treatment in children

Parents can reduce the risk of GERD digestive disorders in children by changing their lifestyle and diet. If these changes don't work, your doctor may recommend medication or surgery to treat GERD.

For babies:

• Elevate the head of the bed or bassinet
• Hold the baby in an upright position for 30 minutes after feeding
• Thicken milk with cereal (do not do this without your doctor's approval)
• Breastfeed your baby in smaller quantities and feed more frequently
• Try solid foods (with your doctor's approval)

For children:

• Elevate the head of the child's bed.
• Position the child in an upright position for at least two hours after eating.
• Serve several small meals throughout the day instead of three large meals.
• Make sure your child doesn't overeat.
• Limit foods and drinks that seem to worsen your child's acid reflux, such as foods high in fat, fried or spicy foods, carbonated drinks, and caffeine.

You can also invite your little one to exercise regularly to treat GERD, which is a type of digestive disorder in children.

3. Constipation

Indigestion in the next child is constipation. According to the National Library of Medicine, babies and children can experience constipation for many reasons.

Most often it is caused by a lack of fiber intake, not drinking enough, and switching from breast milk to complementary foods. In some cases, it can also be caused by medical conditions that affect the intestines and the use of certain drugs.

Unlike adults, the characteristics of constipation in infants can be difficult to determine. The reason is, they have not been able to communicate with their parents or caregivers about the symptoms of constipation that they feel.

Babies who experience constipation-type indigestion will show symptoms, such as:

• Pain when passing urine
• There is blood in the stool of the baby
• Fussy
• The baby's stool is dry and solid

The frequency of defecating in a newborn who is breastfed is about 3 times a day until the age of 6 months. After starting solid foods, he will have more frequent bowel movements. However, over time the frequency of bowel movements will decrease.

Meanwhile, babies who drink formula milk normally will defecate 1 to 4 times a day.

When he has eaten solid food, he will urinate less frequently, namely 1 or 2 times a day. If your little one has less than normal bowel movements, this could be a sign of constipation.

Meanwhile, for children, there is no stipulation regarding the number of normal bowel movements, at least once a day. Therefore, parents can compare the frequency of bowel movements during constipation with normal and see other accompanying symptoms.

Generally, this digestive disorder will improve within a few days when the child increases the intake of fluids and fibrous food, returns to regular exercise, and takes natural laxatives and medical drugs.

If the symptoms of constipation do not improve after applying home treatments, see a doctor immediately.

4. Food intolerance is one of the digestive disorders of children

Babies who are born prematurely, are underweight, or have congenital defects in their intestines usually experience food intolerance.

This means that there are foods that the body considers a threat, causing a vomiting or diarrhea reaction after consuming these foods.

For this condition, parents should really pay attention to whatever the little one is eating. You may need further consultation and treatment at your pediatrician to control symptoms.

5. Flatulence, a type of digestive disorder in children

Flatulence is a digestive disorder that is not only experienced by adults, children and babies.

Bloating in babies is often accompanied by other symptoms of digestive disorders, such as vomiting, diarrhea, pain, stomach, colic, and constipation or constipation.

Some of the conditions that cause a baby to be bloated are:

• Babies have diarrhea because the potassium level in the stomach is reduced
• Babies continue to cry because they swallow a lot of air
• Babies drink milk using bottles with too large a nipple hole

Bloating is caused by a lot of wind trapped in the child's stomach. Your little one can become fussy because they hold back discomfort in their stomach when they are bloated.

To deal with indigestion in children with flatulence, you can do several things, namely:

• Burping your baby to reduce flatulence
• Enough rest
• In children, give water to avoid dehydration
• Give fibrous food (if the stomach is bloated due to constipation)

Based on the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia no. 28 years 2019, the recommended daily fiber intake for children aged 1-3 years is 19 grams, while children aged 4-6 years include 20 grams of fiber per day.

You can add apples, pears, and peas to your little one's healthy snacks. In addition, you can also provide fiber-rich milk for your little one.

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