What should I do if my baby has dry stools and can't pass them out? What should I do if my baby has dry stools?

Dry stool is a common symptom in babies. Babies who eat milk powder are prone to dry stool. Today I will share with you parents what to do to relieve the symptoms after dry stool occurs.

Dietary principles for baby constipation

1. For younger babies who have not yet started eating complementary foods, you can feed them some probiotics, which can improve their intestinal function and is very effective in relieving constipation.

2. After 6 months, the baby has started to eat complementary food. It is best to chop spinach, cabbage, greens, shepherd's purse, etc., add them to the rice porridge and cook them together to make vegetable porridge for the baby. The large amount of cellulose and other food residues contained in vegetables can promote intestinal peristalsis and achieve the purpose of laxative.

3. Give your baby more water, especially for babies who drink formula milk, to relieve constipation.

4. Banana apple puree Ingredients: 1 banana, 1 apple. Method: Scrape the banana and apple into puree. Steam in a pot for 3 minutes, take out and let cool before feeding the baby.

Efficacy: Bananas and apples contain a certain amount of fructose, sugar alcohol and soluble dietary fiber, which can not only increase the stimulation of food on intestinal peristalsis, but also prevent the water in the baby's stool from being excessively absorbed by the intestines. Therefore, they are effective food therapy for constipation.

5. Sweet potato porridge Ingredients: one sweet potato, appropriate amount of polished rice. Method: Wash and cut the sweet potato into pieces, put it in a pot with rice, add appropriate amount of water and cook it into thick porridge, add sugar, and let the child eat it warm in the morning and evening.

Efficacy: The fiber in sweet potatoes can absorb a large amount of water in the intestines, increase the volume of stool, and its effect in relieving constipation is no less than that of drugs.

6. Ingredients for carrot and cucumber juice: 1 cucumber, 1 carrot.

Method: Cut cucumber and carrot into sections, add a small amount of mineral water into the juicer, then add cucumber and carrot to squeeze the juice, add a little sugar or milk. When giving it to your baby, you can add water at a ratio of 1:1.

Efficacy: In addition to being rich in vitamins, cucumbers and carrots also contain a large amount of carotene, which can prevent and relieve constipation.

What to do if you have dry stool

Generally, the stool of babies who drink milk powder is drier than that of babies who are breastfed, mainly because milk powder can easily cause people to get angry. Therefore, babies who are fed with milk powder must drink water once between two feedings to avoid getting angry. If the baby still gets angry, you can add milk powder companion to the milk powder to reduce the risk of getting angry. You can let your baby eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and often rub the baby's stomach, etc., which can reduce the dry stool.

What to do if your baby is constipated and can't poop?

If your baby has not defecated for more than 3 days, or his stool is drier and harder than usual, or defecation is very difficult, he must be constipated.

Constipation in infants and young children is a common symptom. It can be divided into two categories according to the different causes of constipation. One category is functional constipation, which is more common and can be cured by adjusting diet, lifestyle, etc.

The other type is constipation caused by congenital intestinal malformations, which cannot be cured by general conditioning and must be completely cured by surgical correction. The vast majority of pediatric constipation is functional constipation.

Signs of constipation in babies

● Small, dry stools;

● Difficulty in passing stool and pain during defecation;

● Abdominal distension and pain;

● Loss of appetite.

Whether a baby is constipated cannot be judged solely by the frequency of bowel movements, but rather by an overall observation of the quality and quantity of the baby's stools, and whether it affects the child's health. Each child has a different physical condition, so the normal number of bowel movements per day is also different. For example, a baby who is exclusively breastfed may have more bowel movements per day, while a baby who is fed with milk or other milk substitutes may have a bowel movement once a day or once every 2 to 3 days. As long as the quality and quantity are normal and the baby has no other discomfort, it is normal.

4 reasons for baby constipation

There are many reasons for baby constipation, the main ones are as follows:

Improper diet

Functional constipation is most closely related to diet. If the baby's diet is too fine and the fiber intake is insufficient, the intestinal wall will not be stimulated enough, which can easily lead to constipation; excessive intake of high protein can easily reduce the intestinal fermentation bacteria and affect fermentation, which will make the stool dry and dense; when the diet is insufficient, due to less residue in the intestine, the abdominal and intestinal muscle tension is insufficient, and the peristalsis is weak, it is also easy to cause constipation.

Irregular bowel movements

Due to irregular bowel movement and lack of relevant training, the defecation reflex has not been formed. Sometimes, although the baby feels the urge to defecate, he may consciously suppress the urge to defecate due to playfulness or other distractions. Over time, the sensitivity of the defecation reflex in the intestine decreases, the stool accumulates in the intestine, the water is absorbed, the stool becomes dry, and therefore difficult to excrete, forming the so-called habitual constipation.

Congenital physiological and anatomical defects

Some babies suffer from constipation due to certain congenital diseases, such as intestinal stenosis, intestinal obstruction, rectal or anal stenosis, pyloric spasm, congenital pyloric stenosis, congenital megacolon, etc., which can all cause constipation.

Psychological factors

In addition, some mental stimulation factors can also cause constipation in babies, such as changes in living environment, or pain during defecation caused by perianal lesions (such as anal fissures) that makes children afraid of defecation. These may lead to short-term constipation in babies.

What to do if you are constipated

When babies become constipated, their stools are dry and hard. The dry and hard stools irritate the anus and cause pain and discomfort. Babies are afraid of defecating and dare not forcefully defecate. The stools cannot be discharged and the constipation becomes more serious. If the stools remain in the body for a long time, toxins will accumulate in the body, affecting normal metabolism, resulting in malnutrition and decreased resistance. So, how can we expel the accumulated stools of constipated babies as soon as possible?

Massage

Place your palms down flat on the baby's navel and gently massage in a clockwise direction. This can not only speed up the baby's intestinal peristalsis and promote defecation, but also help digestion.

Enema

Cut the tip of the enema, trim the burrs on the tube mouth and squeeze out a little liquid to lubricate the tube mouth to avoid stabbing the baby's anus. Let the baby lie on his side, insert the enema tube into his anus, gently squeeze the plastic capsule to inject the liquid into the anus, then pull out the enema shell, and clamp a clean paper towel at the baby's anus to prevent the liquid from spilling and staining clothes or sheets. At the same time, tell the baby to try to wait until he can't stand it before defecating, so that the liquid can fully stimulate intestinal peristalsis and soften the stool to achieve the best laxative effect.

Glycerin suppository

Wash your hands, then open the wrapping paper of the conical glycerin suppository, slowly insert it into the baby's anus, and then gently press the anus. Try to wait as long as possible to allow the glycerin suppository to fully melt before defecation.

Soap Bar Method

Wash your hands, cut the soap into a conical soap bar about 3 cm long and as thick as a pencil, wet the soap bar with a little water, and then slowly insert it into the baby's anus. Also, try to let the soap bar stay in the anus for a longer time to fully stimulate the peristalsis.

If the above methods do not work, you should take your baby to the hospital in time to check whether the constipation is caused by other diseases.

How to Prevent Constipation

The above methods should not be used for a long time, otherwise, the child will become dependent. The fundamental way to deal with pediatric constipation is to prevent it before it happens. In other words, it is very important to prevent constipation. Parents should pay attention to regulating the baby's diet, cultivating regular bowel habits, and ensuring appropriate activity.

Balanced diet

The baby's diet must be balanced, and he cannot be picky eaters. Cereals, grains, and various fruits and vegetables should be consumed in a balanced manner. The baby can eat some fruit puree, vegetable puree, or drink some fruit and vegetable juice to increase the fiber in the intestine, promote gastrointestinal motility, and facilitate bowel movements.

Regular bowel movements

Train your baby to develop a good habit of regular bowel movements. Generally speaking, when the baby is about 3 months old, parents can help him gradually form the habit of regular bowel movements. Starting from 3 months old, after feeding every morning, parents can help the baby sit on the potty regularly, and pay attention to the indoor temperature and the comfort of the potty, so that the baby will not feel bored or uncomfortable with sitting on the potty.

Ensure activity level

Insufficient exercise can sometimes lead to constipation. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the baby has a certain amount of activity every day. Abdominal massage For babies who cannot walk or crawl independently, parents should hold them more often or rub their belly appropriately, instead of leaving them alone in the cradle for a long time.

Oral medicine for babies with constipation

Oral medicines suitable for treating constipation in infants and young children include Mami Love, Zhengchangsheng, Jinshuangqi Tablets, Simotang Oral Liquid, etc. Please follow the doctor's advice on the specific medication and dosage.

Love Tips

In addition to the general symptoms of constipation mentioned above, if the baby also has obvious abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, bloody stools, or long-term constipation (defecation once every 4 to 5 days), the baby should be taken to the hospital for examination in time to confirm the exact cause of the constipation to avoid delaying the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases.