Babies are in an important period of growth and development, and need adequate nutrition, if there is poor digestion, it will hinder the absorption of nutrients, which is detrimental to the baby’s physical development. Especially for babies within 3 years of age, this stage is the most vigorous period of brain development, is a key period to determine the IQ, if the digestive function is not improved in time, affecting the absorption of nutrients, and thus affect the baby’s physical development.
Causes of indigestion in babies
1, the baby’s digestive system is not yet sound
Baby’s digestive organs are not well developed, the secretion of digestive juices is not sufficient, the function of enzymes is not perfect, poor digestive capacity. Some parents add supplementary food to the baby too early, everything to the child to eat, so that the child’s diet quality and quantity of improper, damage to the gastrointestinal disorders caused by gastrointestinal dysfunction, the child will appear bloated, vomiting, thin stools, sour smell, and a lot of undigested food residues and other indigestion performance.
2, diet
Improper feeding. Improper feeding leads to indigestion of the baby is mostly artificial feeding children. Feeding is not regular and variable, sudden change of food varieties, or premature feeding of starchy or fatty foods, high sugar juice, intestinal irritant food, etc. Allergic diarrhea, such as allergy to soy or milk. Primary or secondary disaccharidase deficiency or reduced activity (mainly lactase), and diarrhea caused by poor digestion and absorption of sugar in the intestine.
3, climate
The sudden change of climate, the abdomen is cooled to increase intestinal peristalsis; the weather is too hot to reduce the secretion of digestive juices, drinking milk and water too much, or over-eating cold food may induce digestive disorders.
4.Intestinal tract infection
We all know that viral, bacterial and parasitic infections in the intestinal tract can cause diarrhea. Diarrhea symptoms can also occur in the clinical setting of infections outside the intestinal tract, such as otitis media, upper whistle infection, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, skin infection, appendiceal abscess or acute infectious diseases, where diarrhea occurs due to fever, toxins released from the source of infection, antibiotic treatment, local rectal stimulation, etc.
Symptoms of indigestion in babies
1.Diarrhea
Indigestion is divided into simple indigestion and toxic indigestion, simple indigestion is the performance of diarrhea less than 10 times a day, yellow or greenish stool, not much water. Toxic dyspepsia is more serious, the baby may defecate about 10 times a day, the stool is often watery or in the form of egg white soup.
2, the stool stinks, there is a strange smell
If the baby’s stool smells bad, it may be indigestion. If the stool foam, gray soap-like material, creamy, indicating fat indigestion, should reduce fatty foods; if the stool with corrosive acidity, foam, indicating that too much sugar or starch caused by indigestion; stool odor is obvious, not shaped, indicating that too much protein caused by indigestion, this time should reduce the amount of milk.
3. Bad breath
If you smell your baby’s breath in the morning and it is not fresh, or even smelly, then you should pay attention to it, which means that your baby may have indigestion. When this happens, you can appropriately reduce the amount of feeding or stop a feeding to give your baby’s gut a buffer recovery time.
4.Loss of appetite
In the case of newborns, the performance may be spilled milk, slightly older children may have vomiting, usually not serious, vomit has a sour taste. The child may have a loss of appetite, abdominal distention, and hyperactive bowel sounds, and even the “gurgling” of the stomach can be heard without a stethoscope.
5.Crying and sweating at night
If your baby cries a lot before going to bed, mothers should pay attention to whether your baby eats too much, indigestion, because as your baby increases in age, parents usually add supplementary food to your baby, but pay attention to dinner can not be too full, otherwise your baby is easy to indigestion!
When do I need to take my baby to the hospital?
When your child always cries out for abdominal discomfort, affects eating, loses weight, is malnourished and interferes with normal activities, you should go to the hospital to see a doctor.
How to prevent and treat indigestion in babies?
1.Cultivate good living habits
Develop good habits, reduce mental stress, appropriate physical exercise, reasonable diet structure, not picky food.
2, regular rationing, less snacking
If you give your baby too many snacks, eat sugar for a while, eat cookies for a while, the stomach is not emptied, and by the time of normal meal, the child will not feel hungry. Parents can make their babies aware that it’s time to eat by fixing time, fixing place, specific tableware and words.
3. Concentrate on eating and develop your child’s interest in eating
Many children like to watch TV or play with toys while eating, which is actually detrimental to the child’s diet. Eating requires concentration, parents must let their children develop the habit of concentrating on eating. If a child does not like to eat, parents must develop an interest in eating. At mealtime, you can let children participate by themselves, holding rice bowls, holding small spoons, and selecting the food they love, so that children learn to eat and develop an interest in eating.
4. Create a happy eating atmosphere
It is recommended that parents should create a pleasant atmosphere for eating and let their children eat happily, and try not to reprimand them at the dinner table, which will affect their children’s emotions.
5, not forced to eat
If the child does not want to eat or do not want to eat, do not force him. Just let him starve for a while, it is not a bad thing.
6, correct guidance to develop good eating habits
To improve indigestion, correct eating behavior is fundamental. Eating is a kind of eating behavior, parents need to be in the process of children’s diet correct demonstration and guidance, so that children from childhood to develop the correct eating habits and behavior.
7.Medication-assisted treatment
Mainly symptomatic treatment, inhibition of gastric acid secretion drugs, generally used for children with epigastric pain as the main symptom; pro-gastrointestinal dynamics drugs, generally for children with epigastric distension, early satiety, belching as the main symptom; eradication of Helicobacter pylori treatment, generally clear diagnosis after the triple therapy; also available mucosal protective agents.