What to do about gases in a 3 year old child? Bloating and increased gas formation or flatulence in children: symptoms and treatment with medications and alternative medicine. Treatment of flatulence in a child

• Symptoms of bloating
• Bloating in a preschooler
• What treatment should I choose?

The child is often bloated and hard belly how to deal with these problems. After all, in small children you cannot immediately determine the cause of bloating. Bloating in a child is not always caused by some kind of disease; very often it occurs due to gases or air accumulation. If such symptoms are observed frequently, then the little patient should definitely be shown to the doctor.

When we're talking about about a newborn who is crying and has a hard and swollen tummy, then most likely the baby has colic. At this moment, parents need to be patient, as these symptoms last for a long time. If the baby is older, then perhaps he develops flatulence. In fact, the same signs can indicate development various diseases, but one thing is clear that the disorders are related to the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Symptoms of bloating

Symptoms of bloating include:

• enlarged intestines;
• feeling of heaviness in the stomach;
• sleep disturbance;
• abdominal pain;
• loss of appetite;
• scanty discharge of gases;
• general weakness;
• hypogastria.

These are the main symptoms, when they appear, the baby should be shown to the doctor. But there are also hidden indicators that appear against the background of these and do not leave him alone, that is, it is almost impossible to miss their occurrence.

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Causes of bloating in a newborn

As mentioned above, the most common cause is intestinal colic. Often, a baby's abdominal bloating occurs in the second or third week after birth. If the baby is one month old and everything is fine with his tummy, then you can exhale and calm down, colic will not visit your home. Their reason lies in the fact that the baby’s organs are not yet ready to work.

Colic can begin due to the fact that a nursing mother does not follow a diet or eats whatever she wants. But for the first six months, any nursing mother should adhere to the strictest diet so as not to harm your child. The child may become bloated if the parent eats following products: smoked, spicy and salty foods, fatty foods, carbonated drinks, legumes, sweet dishes, citrus fruits.

But colic does not always happen because the mother did not follow the diet. Very often she eats only foods allowed during this period, but the baby still suffers from colic and his tummy is hard. It is worth noting that the maturation process takes place only by three months. internal organs, and therefore, until this age, colic reminds of itself.

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Causes of bloating in children over one year old

But if bloating is observed in children older than one year, there are reasons for this. The causes of bloating and hardness in the abdomen in a one-year-old baby include the following:

• eating foods that contain a lot of fiber or starch;
• flatulence, which is provoked by the consumption of foods rich in carbohydrates;
• eating sweet and rich foods;
• food intolerance, such as milk;
• intestinal obstruction;
• nervous excitability and nervous system disorders;
• gastrointestinal diseases.

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Bloating in a preschooler

For children preschool age Bloating is one of the common problems. But at this age it is much easier with a child, because he can say that he is in pain and complain about the symptoms, which cannot be said about a one-year-old baby.

It is best to keep children at home when symptoms of bloating appear, since the stomach will constantly hurt, and besides, gases will be released that are difficult for children to control. And if suddenly he “farts” in kindergarten, then his peers will laugh at him, and this can become a real trauma for him. Therefore, if possible, you need to leave the children at home and ask the doctor for a certificate. When visiting public places the disease can only progress.

In a preschooler, bloating can occur due to the following factors:

• obesity;
• chewing gum and drinking soda;
• enzyme deficiency;
• eating sweets in moderation;
• frequent hits stressful situations;
• chronic diseases.

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What treatment should I choose?

If your newborn baby is suffering from bloating, then the first thing you need to do for treatment is to review the mother’s diet if the baby is on breastfeeding.

You also need to protect nervous system children, due to violations of which the digestive system may be damaged.

But you shouldn’t immediately use drugs for treatment, everything can be solved traditional methods, which will not be harmful to children. Below are recommendations that you should follow to relieve pain:

1. After feeding, hold the baby upright so that the gases go away.
2. Give dill water or anise infusion.
3. Keep a warm diaper or heating pad on your baby's tummy.
4. Before feeding, place the baby on the tummy.
5. You need to stroke your tummy regularly.
6. Bathe the baby with herbs and in a warm bath.

If your child does have flatulence, then treatment should be comprehensive, and only a doctor can prescribe it after examining the patient. Very often this disease occurs due to poor nutrition, in which case you need to reconsider the baby’s diet. To restore the balance of microflora, you need to take special medications.

You should not self-medicate; only a doctor should prescribe a diagnosis and a list of medications, based on the patient’s complaints and symptoms. But with such symptoms, it is worth paying attention to the child, taking care of him and playing with him, spending as much time as possible together so that the baby forgets about the pain and feels that he is not alone.

How to treat a hard belly?

If a child has a hard stomach, then sometimes this can indicate serious diseases that can only be cured by surgery.

Very often, a child’s hard belly appears due to nervous pulsation. If we talk about babies, then they can have a hard stomach due to constipation, colic, food allergies and gas formation. If we talk about preschool children, they may have a hard stomach due to worms, indigestion, overeating or intestinal infections.

You should not let the disease take its course; at the first symptoms of the disease, you need to contact a doctor who will make a diagnosis and select treatment according to the age and individual characteristics of the patient.

Bloating in a child (flatulence) is an increased formation and accumulation of gases in the intestines, accompanied by various clinical manifestations. It occurs frequently and is observed at different ages - from infants to schoolchildren. It is not an independent disease. This is a symptom that means that a lot of gases have accumulated in the intestines, which distend its walls and cause pain or other unpleasant sensations. Most often it accompanies intestinal pathology or occurs for other reasons not related to disease.

• swallowing a certain amount of gases during eating;
• digestion of food, which is a chain of biochemical reactions of the breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates with the release of gases;
• diffusion (gas exchange), when oxygen from the vessels of the intestinal wall, necessary for the normal functioning of some bacteria, enters the lumen, and carbon dioxide is removed by venous blood and excreted by the lungs;
• the vital activity of the intestinal microflora itself, which releases carbon dioxide during food processing.

Gases formed in a healthy body improve the digestion process: they enhance intestinal motility, help better “digestion” of food and rapid emptying of the intestines. But sometimes the mechanisms of gas formation fail, and the child develops signs of flatulence.

Causes of flatulence

The causes of bloating that cause poor health include various intestinal pathologies, which are divided into several groups:

1. Diseases of the digestive system of an inflammatory nature (pancreatitis, inflammation in the intestines - colitis, etc./).
2. Non-inflammatory (dysbacteriosis, enzymatic disorders) - diseases associated with disturbances in the digestion processes.
3. Infectious diseases with intestinal damage - helminthiases, protozoal infections (amebiasis, etc.), acute intestinal infections in which flatulence is combined with diarrhea.
4. Congenital anomalies of the development and location of the large intestine - its elongation (dolichosigma) or increased mobility.

Flatulence also develops due to alimentary (food) reasons. The most common of them are: overeating, diet violations, large quantity fats, carbonated drinks, products that increase gas formation (legumes, brown bread, beer), insufficient amounts of plant fiber in the diet.

Intestinal colic in premature and weakened children with signs of malnutrition occurs much more often than in healthy infants at birth.

Other factors

In addition to the above, there are other factors that lead to flatulence in infants. They are related to the nutrition of a nursing mother. Some foods cause gas in newborns:

• hot seasonings and spices;
• whole cow's milk;
• legumes, grapes, cabbage;
• black bread;
• carbonated drinks, etc.

Flatulence in children who are not breastfed, but are bottle-fed, can be caused by:

• formulas that are not adapted for feeding a child at this age;
• early complementary feeding;
• violation of the frequency and timing of the diet;
• psychogenic factors.

The mechanism of formation of intestinal bloating and pain during gas formation is directly related to overexcitation or stress. The release of adrenaline into the blood leads to vasoconstriction, which significantly reduces the excretion and absorption of gases. Stress also increases intestinal tone, as a result: peristalsis and movement of food slows down, fermentation and putrefaction processes intensify, and, therefore, increasing the amount of gas in the child. Seething, tight abdomen, cramps and diarrhea appear.

Manifestations of pathology in children

Severe gas formation in the intestines leads to the appearance of a foul odor, chronic abdominal pain, and uncontrolled release of gases (more than 20 times a day).

Increased flatulence is also manifested by an enlarged abdomen, acute paroxysmal or bursting pain in the abdomen, belching or hiccups.

Children suffer from increased flatulence very often and at any age - this is a common problem. But the most troublesome thing is bloating in newborns. At the age of approximately 5 months, the child’s body is characterized by an undeveloped digestive system - the absence of normal microflora in the intestines. In addition, infants have an undeveloped enzyme system, which will improve only by 4 to 5 months.

This also leads to fermentation in the intestines, resulting in bloating, spastic contraction of some parts of the intestine and relaxation of others, which is manifested by intestinal colic - sharp paroxysmal pain in the abdomen in an infant. The causes and treatment of this condition are always interconnected; an understanding of their mechanisms is necessary in order to know what medicine to give the child for flatulence and bloating.

Symptoms in newborns

In general, the general condition of a child with increased gas formation is not disturbed: there are no delays in development and growth. Difficulties arise only with small children: it is impossible to find out complaints in a 1-year-old child and, even more so, in a newborn. But you can understand that your stomach hurts indirectly by the baby’s behavior:

• the child constantly passes gas;
• constantly screams, is restless, shows increased activity, does not sleep;
• does not take the breast;
• If you manage to feed it, it gets full quickly.

Due to strong gases in the intestines, the stomach swells even more. Regarding intestinal colic, which is the main symptom of flatulence at this age, there is a rule of “three”:

• appears in the third month of life;
• lasts up to three hours;
• finally disappears at the age of three months.

Symptoms in preschool children

In a 2-year-old child suffering from bloating, the following reasons come to the fore:

• consumption of large amounts of easily digestible carbohydrates: grapes, chocolate, baked goods, etc.;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• overweight;
• fermentopathy (insufficient production of lactase, which breaks down milk sugar);
• disturbance of intestinal microflora.

Similar reasons cause belching in a 3-year-old child, in addition to other manifestations of increased gas formation. But at this age, flatulence develops much less frequently than in children under one year old.

In a 4-year-old child, signs of flatulence appear from the first days of attending kindergarten. This is due to changes in diet, due to which the intestines undergo adaptation processes. A child’s hard belly, belching of air, and frequent passing of gases lead to stress, which in turn increases the process of gas formation.

In such cases, a mandatory consultation with a doctor is necessary to establish the causes of this condition and know how to deal with flatulence and bloating.

In a 6-year-old child, the causes and clinical manifestations differ little from those in the previous age category. May play a role:

• expansion of the diet, when more sweets and soda, raw vegetables are eaten;
• incorrect combination of products;
• chewing gum use;
• Great psychological stress and stress if the child starts attending school.

If a child develops a hard stomach and complains of rumbling, pain, and belching after eating, it is necessary to adjust the diet for gas formation.

First aid and treatment

First aid for bloating, which can be provided to a child at home, consists of the following:

• massage the abdomen clockwise;
• give the child dill water or Plantex from the stomach - herbal preparation against flatulence based on fennel;
• in case of ineffectiveness - simethicone (Espumizan, Infacol, Bobotik, Bebinos), which is a symptomatic remedy for bloating, removes gases from the intestines, but does not cure flatulence;
• if a child has constipation, leading to pain during gas formation, a glycerin suppository can be administered;
• as a last resort, use a tube to remove gases;
• in an older child with constipation leading to flatulence, a cleansing enema may be performed.

Important! Treatment of flatulence should be carried out exclusively under the supervision of a doctor. Self-medication is unacceptable, because often increased gas formation in a child occurs due to the development serious illnesses digestive tract (pancreatitis, colitis, dysbacteriosis), in the presence of helminthiasis, congenital intestinal pathology. Medicines that need to be taken for bloating are prescribed only by a doctor.

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Therapeutic measures depend on the age of the child and the causes of the pathology. After determining the etiological factor (the reason that caused flatulence), anti-inflammatory treatment is carried out, and, if necessary, antibiotic therapy. Drugs are used to restore normal intestinal microflora, symptomatic therapy (antispasmodics for pain, laxatives, drugs that actively absorb gases).

Prevention

Watch the video of Dr. Komarovsky - what to do if a child has a stomach ache:

Prevention of gas formation in the intestines, on the advice of Dr. Komarovsky, must begin long before the development of flatulence. A background correction of the measure is used to avoid the accumulation of gases in the intestines in 15% of children, if certain rules are followed:

• breastfeeding;
• strict adherence to the diet by a nursing mother;
• laying down small child on the stomach after feeding.

Older children need regular walks with active games, a favorable psychological environment at home, in kindergarten, at school, avoiding overeating, and following a diet. Following these simple tips will allow children not to encounter problems with flatulence.

Bloating in a child is one of the common phenomena. This process is characterized by the accumulation of a large number of bubbles in the intestinal canal. The disease is often diagnosed in infants. But there are cases when a child suffers even at an older age. For what reasons does this disease occur and what to give a child for bloating? We'll tell you.

Causes of bloating in children

Why does my baby have a hard belly? What reasons can lead to the development of this problem? Bloating is a common problem with the passage of gases from the digestive canal. The reasons directly depend on the age of the child.

Bloating in newborns and infants occurs as a result of:

• swallowing large amounts of air during feeding. This factor is considered the most common;
• uncomfortable position for the baby when feeding;
• incorrect placement of the bottle or nipple;
• consumption by a nursing mother of foods that cause increased gas formation. These include cabbage, sorrel, radish, radishes, mushrooms, legumes, sweets and chocolate, soda, raw fruit and vegetable dishes;
• overheating or hypothermia of the body;
• absence correct mode nutrition;
• congenital enzyme deficiency;
• occurrence of intestinal infections;
• development of dyspeptic disorders;
• inflammation of the intestinal canal.

Abdominal bloating in a baby who is bottle-fed or mixed-fed can occur:

• due to intolerance to cow's milk;
• due to allergic reactions to any ingredient of the mixture;
• due to poor quality or unadapted mixture.

The causes of bloating in a child over two years old may include the following:

Bloating can also occur in children who attend school. The reason for this phenomenon may be:

The cause of bloating can be anything. But in some cases this may be a normal phenomenon and not cause significant discomfort in the child, in others it may signal some kind of disease.

Symptoms of bloating in a child

Regardless of what caused the bloating, the symptoms are the same.

Bloating in infants, young and middle-aged children may be accompanied by:

• feeling of a full stomach. At the same time, the child has not eaten anything for a long time;
• painful sensations in the abdominal area;
• the appearance of rumbling and seething in the abdomen;
• increase in abdominal size. He gets pouty
• belching and hiccups;
• unpleasant odor from the mouth;
• attacks of nausea, vomiting;
• hard belly;
• bowel dysfunction in the form of constipation or diarrhea;
• increased fatigue;
• decreased ability to work;
• decreased appetite.

Infants become restless and start crying for no reason. A baby with colic presses his legs to his stomach and releases gas. There may be paleness of the skin, the appearance of greenish mucus and foam in the stool. Sleep is also disturbed.

If one of the symptoms occurs, we can talk about the appearance of bloating. Some children may not feel any discomfort and feel completely normal. If several symptoms are observed at once, and the baby feels unwell, you should urgently consult a specialist.

Examination of a child's abdomen

Many parents ask the question: “If a child has bloating, what to do in this case?” Anything that concerns a child’s body, you shouldn’t hesitate to visit a doctor. The first step is to contact a pediatrician or gastroenterologist.

The doctor will listen to the parents’ complaints, take a history of the patient and conduct an examination. When palpating the abdomen, it is possible to recognize the place where it hurts. With increased gas formation, the stomach will be inflated, like a ball.

If a pathological process is suspected, the doctor will prescribe an examination. It includes:

In some situations, consultation with other specialists may be required.

Treatment of bloating in children

If a newborn has bloating, what should you do? If the pathology is confirmed, then a number of therapeutic measures are prescribed.

Treatment is as follows:

• use of medications;
• diet adjustments;
• complete elimination of diseases that could cause bloating;
• use of traditional methods.

Drug treatment

For bloating in children, a number of the following medications are prescribed.

1. Espumisan. The active components of the product absorb gas bubbles and are painlessly removed from the body;
2. Activated carbon, Smecta, Polysorba, Enterosgel. These drugs remove toxins from the body and absorb remaining gas bubbles;
3. Pancreatin, Mezim, Cocona. These are enzyme-type medications that improve the functioning of the intestinal tract.

If bloating is observed in newborns, treatment consists of using anti-colic drops. This group includes Plantex, Bobotik, SubSimplex.

Diet

When a child has a hard stomach and begins to swell, you need to pay attention to what he eats. If the baby is small and is breastfed, the nursing mother needs to monitor her diet. For older children, foods that cause gas formation are excluded from the menu. This includes cabbage, bread, semi-finished products, legumes, raw vegetables and fruits.

During the diet, the emphasis should be on porridge with water, soups, meat and fish dishes, boiled vegetable purees, baked apples and pears. You don’t need to completely give up sweets and starchy foods, but you should reduce them to a minimum.

If the newborn is bottle-fed, then you need to pay attention to the formula. There is no need to cancel it immediately. You should first consult a gastroenterologist about this. Perhaps you should give more water.

Traditional methods of treatment

It is not recommended to give medications to babies under one year old. Therefore, if possible, it is better to replace them with traditional methods treatment. Decoctions for bloating and flatulence can be prepared from:

• dill;
• fennel;
• yarrow and mint;
• St. John's wort and dried grass;
• lemon balm and rosehip;
• thyme and calendula.

Breastfed and mixed-fed babies are advised to massage clockwise for colic. This improves the passage of gases and the functioning of the intestinal canal. You can try another method - apply a warm diaper or heating pad to your tummy. If there is a strong accumulation of gases, a gas outlet tube is suitable.

Preventive actions

Bloating and flatulence are one of the unpleasant problems. But it is quite possible to eliminate and prevent its occurrence by following several preventive recommendations.

1. Maintain proper nutrition. It is better to feed the baby more often, but in small portions. Avoid activity after eating for 30 minutes. Eliminate foods that cause gas from the menu. Do not eat incompatible dishes.
2. Always feed your baby in a calm environment. You should avoid severe stress and nervous overexcitation.
3. Children from the age of one year must be asked daily physical exercise. Don't forget about walking outside. This will not only improve intestinal function, but also strengthen the immune system.
4. Do not give medications without your doctor's knowledge. Uncontrolled use can lead to adverse consequences.
5. Avoid using pacifiers and bottles. If it is impossible to cancel them, then you need to learn how to feed them correctly.

If unpleasant signs occur, do not hesitate to visit a doctor. Although bloating is often a harmless and natural process, it can indicate the development of a serious illness, especially if it concerns young children.

Bloating (intestinal colic) is an extremely common condition observed in all children.

Often, bloating in a child is considered the initial significant difficulty that parents may encounter.

Various provoking factors can provoke such a condition of the abdomen, but they all have their own specific features in every age group of children.

Causes and treatment of bloating in children

Bloating in a child is the accumulation of a significant amount of gas inside the intestines. This condition is not considered rare for newborns and preschool children.

The causes of such symptoms in children are various natural factors and pathologies.

They differ according to age. But in many situations, its appearance is due to an unbalanced diet.

Bloating can cause discomfort in the baby, which is why it is associated with other clinical symptoms.

The main symptoms associated with this phenomenon are insomnia, loss of appetite, crying and anxiety.

In certain situations, in order to establish the root cause of such unpleasant symptoms, a set of clinical diagnostic measures should be carried out.

Treatment is often conservative in nature and consists of the use of medications, a review of the diet, therapeutic massage and the use of traditional medicine.

Causes

According to statistics, every 4 children are susceptible to colic. Boys are more often affected by them. Typically, such phenomena appear in children in the late afternoon.

Basically, bloating and colic in the intestines disappear in the baby at 5-6 months of age, and only in some situations are observed in children after this period.

Provoking factors for bloating:

• underdevelopment of organs digestive system and a lack of enzymes for the purpose of digesting food (as a result of this, fermentation of food products occurs with excessive gas formation);
• swallowing air during feeding or crying;
• feeding with unadapted mixtures;
• improper dilution of mixtures;
• overfeeding;
• lactase deficiency is a deficiency of a special enzyme that digests lactose (the main component breast milk and many other milk formulas);
• hypersensitivity to cow's milk proteins;
• dysbiosis: an imbalance of important bacteria inside the intestines;
• viral diseases;
• abnormal structure and position of the large intestine (elongation or high mobility), which provokes a failure in the movement through the intestines and the intensity of fermentation;
• error during lactation: consumption of spicy, whole cow's milk, products that promote high education gases

Often bloating and intestinal colic are observed in weak, premature children, with signs of malnutrition and rickets.

A provoking factor will be a baby’s diet that is inappropriate for his age and premature transfer to artificial feeding.

In case of severe bloating and intestinal colic in a baby, consultation with a specialist is necessary in order to avoid the appearance of all kinds of pathologies that can manifest themselves as bloating, anxiety, upset bowel movements and crying of the baby.

In older children, the root cause of bloating is often diseases of the digestive system (chronic gastritis, pancreatitis, colitis).

The causes of intense gas production include excess fat, protein or carbohydrates, and overeating.

Psycho-emotional anxiety and stressful situations can provoke the occurrence of such symptoms. They can cause increased tone and intestinal spasms.

This provokes slow movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract and further fermentation with gas release.

Symptoms

Regardless of the origin of such factors, bloating provokes discomfort and severity of symptoms in children:

• a feeling of a full stomach when the child himself feels hungry;
• abdominal pain;
• the appearance of characteristic rumbling and seething;
• an increase in the size of the abdomen, which is often noticed by parents;
• belching and hiccups;
• unpleasant odor from the mouth;
• attacks of nausea ending with a gag reflex;
• belly hard to the touch;
• stool disorders, which is expressed in constipation, diarrhea, or alternation of these symptoms;
• high fatigue;
• decreased ability to work.

Such laboratory signs that accompany bloating are typical for children over 2 years of age. Infants and children under 1 year of age have the following symptoms:

• pale skin;
• refusal of breast or formula;
• severe anxiety and constant crying without objective reasons. It can be so intense that a baby under 1 year of age may often blush from excessive exertion;
• seething in the abdomen;
• unnatural position of the baby (knees bent to the stomach);
• frequent constipation;
• rare gas release;
• feces with a green tint, foamy consistency;
• insomnia;
• roundness of the abdomen.

The appearance of one or some of the above signs should be a signal for parents to seek advice from a specialist.

Diagnostics

To establish the provoking factors of bloating and gas formation in children, you need A complex approach. Thus, diagnostics includes the following activities:

• collecting anamnesis of the disease and the baby’s life;
• physical examination, which necessarily includes palpation of the anterior abdominal wall;
• an in-depth survey of the patient’s parents regarding the degree of manifestation of the main symptoms and the presence of related laboratory symptoms;
• clinical examination of blood, urine and feces. This is required in order to identify possible difficulties with the functioning of the digestive organs, the course of inflammation and the presence of pathological microorganisms inside the baby’s body;
• Ultrasound of the abdomen;
• X-ray;
• endoscopy.

Treatment

Treatment of bloating involves the following stages:

• Review of diet. Products that contribute to the formation of gases should be removed from the child’s menu. Portions should be small and frequent. Thus, the digestive organs can break down nutrients in a timely manner, and the excess is promptly removed. If lactase is absent, then it is necessary to exclude dairy products that contain lactose.
• Eliminating the root causes that caused bloating. Treatment is prescribed after diagnosis. Diseases that precede bloating are infections in the intestines, dysbiosis, and obstruction. This is facilitated by helminths.
• Restoration of gastrointestinal motility. This accelerates the release of gas from the intestines. Medications used: Cerucal, Motilium.
• Bringing intestinal microflora back to normal. For these purposes, the child is prescribed prebiotics and probiotics. For example, the drug "Lactrofiltrum" has a beneficial effect on reproduction beneficial microorganisms inside the intestines, and Linex contains ready-made bacteria.
• Elimination of accumulated gases from the large intestine. Espumisan is prescribed, which destroys the gas, which is then easier to remove. Enterosorbents (Activated Carbon, Smecta) will also be effective.

For a child aged 1 to 3 years, the use of medications is permitted only after the approval of a specialist. To alleviate the condition, the following manipulations will help him:

• warm the baby's belly by applying a warm heating pad;
• massage the abdomen, making circular movements with your palms in a clockwise direction;
• bend and straighten the child’s knives at the knees, pressing them to the surface of the abdomen;
• Give a child under 3 years of age a gas tube (a special catheter that is inserted into the rectum).

Herbal medicine is widely used in the treatment of bloating. It should be noted that it should be used only after consulting a specialist, as there is a high risk of allergies.

For these purposes, you need to pour 1 tsp. dill seeds with 1 glass of water and boil over low heat for 15 minutes.

Afterwards the mass is filtered. Dill water has a beneficial effect on gastrointestinal motility, helps relax the smooth muscles of its walls and dilate blood vessels.

Children over 3 years old are allowed to use the following recipes:

• St. John's wort, yarrow and marsh grass are mixed in equal proportions. Pour boiling water in the amount of 1 liter per 3 tbsp. l. and infused for 4 hours. You need to consume 3-4 cups per day.
• Take mint leaves, anise seeds, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds in equal proportions and mix. Brew 2 tsp. mixture in a glass of boiling water and pour into a thermos for 7 hours. Drink 1 glass per day.
• 1 tbsp. l. chamomile flowers are diluted in a glass of boiling water and infused for at least 15 minutes. Used every 5 hours.
• Mix 1 tsp. dill seeds and dried thyme and pour a glass of boiling water. Infuse for approximately 10 minutes, then boil and infuse again for 15 minutes. Consume 30 g warm every hour.

In addition to the use of medications and folk remedies, we should not forget about being on fresh air and leading an active lifestyle, since this increases the tone of the child’s body and helps to normalize all systems in the body, including digestion.

Prevention

To prevent bloating in your child, you should:

• balance your diet;
• observe how much the child eats;
• carry out lactation in a calm state;
• protect the child from stressful situations;
• arrange an active and healthy lifestyle for the child;
• Keep all medications out of the reach of children.

For effective assistance in eliminating this phenomenon and, therefore, for colic, it is necessary to exercise preventive measures long before the child experiences bloating.

Bloating occurs quite infrequently, if you remember all the provoking causes.

A balanced diet and active image life are basic positive factors, helping children actually not have these problems.

Useful video

Parents of newborns are often confused when their child screams and worries for several hours (and more often this happens in the evenings).

Attentive mothers and fathers, carrying the exhausted baby in their arms, feel how his tummy literally shakes. They would be happy to help the baby, but sometimes they are not sure of the correctness of their actions and do not know what they can do on their own, and with what symptoms they should consult a doctor.

The term "colic" refers to episodes acute pain in the stomach of children in the first half of life. Colic usually begins in the 3rd to 4th week of a child’s life, usually in the evening. Initially, they are repeated 1-2 times a week and last no more than 30 minutes. But then they become regular and can last 3-5 hours. After the passage of gas and feces, abdominal pain, as a rule, subsides, but in advanced cases it resumes.

The term colic comes from the Greek kolikos, which means “pain in the colon.” Colic is paroxysmal pain in the abdomen, accompanied by severe anxiety in the child. The causes of colic are varied: functional immaturity of the neuromuscular system and the intestinal enzymatic system, a tendency to increased gas formation, which results in increased pressure on the intestinal wall and muscle spasm.

Infants are most often susceptible to bloating, or as they are also called, intestinal colic. The fact is that their stomach microflora is not yet fully formed and the diet of a breastfeeding mother must be very well organized to avoid such phenomena. One of the best means To relieve bloating in babies, dill water is used, which has been a reliable and proven remedy for relieving colic for many decades.

In the first three months of life, more than 70% of children experience functional intestinal colic. In the vast majority of cases, these colics are not a pathology (disease), but an adaptation of the baby’s gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to new conditions (after all, before this, for 9 months the baby’s GIT did not “work”, and for the first 2-3 weeks it was under beneficial effects of maternal hormones).

Usually, in the first two weeks of life, the baby receives exclusively breast milk. Its volumes are small, so digestion is quite easy. By the third week of life, the volume of milk needed for the baby increases, and for many mothers, due to improper attachment or insufficient time spent at the breast (remember the old recommendations - 15-20 minutes - no more!) milk "decreases" and the baby receives more "front" milk. milk" that is overly saturated with carbohydrates, which can increase gas formation. All parents are familiar with this picture: during feeding or shortly after it, your baby suddenly begins to press his legs to his tummy and show restlessness. And then he suddenly turns red and starts screaming; this situation can continue for quite a long time. This is “intestinal colic”.

There are quite a few reasons and theories explaining the occurrence of intestinal colic in children. This includes incorrect preparation of mixtures for baby food; and too fast sucking, swallowing air; and the reaction of the baby’s intestines to foods consumed by the mother and passing into breast milk; and some components of mixtures. It has been noted that intestinal colic is more common in first-born children and in babies whose mothers experience increased concern for them. There is an assumption that colic may be caused by a lack of the hormone progesterone in the mother.

There is a certain pattern in the manifestation of colic, the so-called rule of “THREE”:
- colic begins by three weeks of life;
- lasts about three hours a day;
- occur predominantly in children in the first three months of life.

Symptoms of newborn colic can be determined literally “on your fingers.” Every mother needs to know this in order to be able to take timely measures and begin treatment for newborn colic. If you have colic episodes:
- observed at the age of the first 4 months of life,
- accompanied by a shrill cry, bloating and rumbling in the tummy, which subside after the passage of gas or feces,
- the child’s stool is not changed,
- weight gain corresponds to the child’s age or is ahead of it.

Where should parents start? First answer three questions:

1) At what age did colic start?

2) What are the manifestations of colic?

3) What is their frequency and duration?

If attacks of intestinal colic began before the age of 4 months, manifested themselves with the above symptoms and disappear after the passage of gas and feces, do not occur every day, and their duration does not exceed 4 hours, then treatment can be started without consulting a doctor. Let's call this the first option.

If intestinal colic is daily, prolonged, and recurs even after the passage of gas and feces, if the child’s stool is changed or colic occurs at an older age, you should start by consulting a doctor. There may be intestinal diseases that require additional examination and treatment. This is the second option.

In the first case, you need to start with non-drug measures. During and after feeding, hold the baby upright to allow him to burp air. If your baby is bottle-fed, make sure he has a firm grip on the nipple and that the opening is not too large. At the first sign of pain, you should put a heated diaper or a warm heating pad on the baby’s tummy to reduce spastic contractions of the intestines. You can take a warm bath, and when you go to bed, turn on quiet music or sing a lullaby to your baby.

Give your baby a tummy massage (pat it clockwise). You can use any baby oil or special anti-colic oil for massage. WELEDA anti-bloating oil for babies is designed specifically for a light preventive massage that will help prevent bloating. If the baby already feels discomfort, with the help of a belly massage you can quickly cope with colic. Natural essential oils, which are contained in this WELADA oil, improve digestion processes and help reduce gas formation in the intestines.

“Dill water” will help - this is the best and most harmless remedy for flatulence in a child. It is necessary to give one tablespoon of this water approximately three to six times a day.
There are no contraindications. Sold in pharmacies.
But you can also prepare it at home: brew 2 teaspoons of dill seed with a glass of boiling water and leave for an hour (it should be noted that this is a completely different remedy that cannot be compared in effectiveness with pharmacy dill water).

Place your baby on his tummy more often!

The “Bicycle” exercise helps a lot with bloating in children. Place the baby on his back and alternately bend and unbend one or the other leg, pulling them towards the chest - as if the baby is riding a bicycle. According to the experience of many mothers, a “bicycle” helps with colic in the tummy.

If the child is breastfed, limit or exclude dairy and gas-forming products from the mother’s diet - cabbage, especially sauerkraut, onions, tomatoes, apples, pears, watermelons, mushrooms, black bread, kvass, etc. If your baby is breastfed, everything is much simpler: make sure the attachment is correct the baby to the breast and allow him to suckle for as long as he wants - and this alone can solve all problems.

If the mother does not like cow's milk and rarely drank it before pregnancy or after it nausea, flatulence, and loose stools appeared, then it is better to replace the milk with fermented milk products during breastfeeding.

If breast milk is not enough, and you are forced to supplement your baby with formula if your baby was born a little ahead of schedule, if the birth was difficult - these reasons, unfortunately, can contribute to the occurrence of more pronounced and frequent colic. Frequent changes in weather can increase the symptoms of intestinal colic.

In pediatrics, the following measures are used to treat functional intestinal colic and relieve pain in infants:

* To relieve the severity of pain at the time of colic, the following are used sequentially (each subsequent action in the absence of the effect of the previous one): heat, change of position, as well as mechanical means - a gas tube or an enema.

* For preventive purposes, it is advisable to use background drugs with carminative and mild antispasmodic effects based on plant materials. Best results shows the use of PLANTEX tea, which contains fennel fruits, its essential oils and lactose.

Fennel fruits and essential oils stimulate digestion, increasing the secretion of gastric juice and enhancing intestinal motility, so food is broken down and absorbed faster. Active substances The drug prevents the accumulation of gases and promotes their better removal.

If the baby receives formula, then you should check whether they are bred correctly. It is recommended to choose soy-based formulas that do not contain iron or cow's milk; it is a good idea to include fermented milk formulas in the child's diet - about 1/3 of the total daily amount.

If nutritional correction does not bring success within 3 - 5 days, the child should add drug-Espumizan emulsion from the German company Berlin-Chemie. Espumisan is available without a prescription as it is a safe drug. It is not absorbed in the intestines and does not affect the body as a whole. Its effect is that, by destroying the membrane of gas bubbles formed in the intestines, espumizan prevents stretching of the intestinal wall and the development of pain. On the other hand, the passage of gases is facilitated, their accumulation and bloating are reduced. The effect of the drug is usually observed on the 3rd - 5th day of treatment, depending on the severity of intestinal colic.

No effect from drug therapy within 7 days indicates the presence of another intestinal disease, in which intestinal colic is only one of the manifestations. This is a reason to consult a doctor, since without examination and treatment of the underlying disease, the measures listed above will not lead to success.

And further. All types of treatment should be combined, gradually adding them and choosing them, focusing on the child’s reaction. Don't count on immediate results. Treatment of the first variant of intestinal infant colic usually takes 2 to 3 weeks. With the second option, treatment lasts from 3 to 4 to 8 weeks and is always carried out under the supervision of a doctor.

What can parents do to help their baby? First of all, calm down. Relieving psychological stress and creating an aura of confidence helps reduce pain. The baby should feel that you are not afraid of anything and will definitely help him.

To make it easier for the pediatrician to understand this situation, you must answer next questions:

* when colic occurs: before or after feeding (this will allow you to correctly choose the most comfortable position for the child and clearly know at what time it is better to give medications that relieve pain);

* duration of colic in time and its increase during the day;

* the time of the most severe colic is morning, evening, night. Are the hours always the same? Reaction to weather;

* type of feeding (breastfeeding; artificial formula, which).

Bloating is quite a painful phenomenon for babies. Why does this happen and how to fix it?

Symptoms and causes of bloating in a child

The digestive system works according to its own laws. Intestinal bloating is already the result of complex processes associated with the digestion of food. In children different ages their causes and symptoms of flatulence.

Infants

In infants, the intestines have not yet fully formed, so they often react with bloating to:

• Change in mother's diet.
• Air that gets in during feeding.
• Changing the usual milk formula.
• Lure.
• Colic.
• Severe stress.
• Cow protein.
• Dysbacteriosis.
• Lactase deficiency.

You can understand that your baby has started to bloat by the following signs:

• The abdomen is slightly enlarged and hard.
• The baby often cries and pulls his legs towards his stomach.
• Copious regurgitation, similar to vomiting.
• The release of gases is accompanied by a noticeable odor.

Sometimes the tummy hurts so much that the child cannot fall asleep or sleep normally and cries all the time.

Child aged 2-3 years

In children over 2 years old, bloating occurs much less frequently. At this time, the child completely consumes “adult” food and variety does not always have a positive effect on the body. Accordingly, bloating in children after 2 years occurs due to:

• Wrong combination of products.
• Excessive amounts of baked goods and sweets.
• Consumption of exotic fruits and dishes.

The child’s body also reacts negatively to changes in habitual nutrition and overeating.
Symptoms of bloating in children aged 2 to 3 years are as follows:

• The child becomes lethargic.
• He is capricious and eats poorly.
• Complains of abdominal pain.
• Dysbacteriosis occurs in the form of diarrhea or constipation.

As is known, tasty food not always useful and often provokes intestinal problems.

Children over 3 years old

After 3 years, children’s intestines are already completely populated with the necessary microflora and cope with a variety of foods, but bloating still happens. This happens most often due to:

• Consumption of unhealthy foods - sweet soda, street fast food, fresh baked goods, large amounts of sweets.
• Early diseases of the digestive system.
• Eating disorders.

Symptoms of bloating are the same as in children 2-3 years old - a feeling of constant fullness in the tummy, sharp pain, lack of appetite.
Frequent intestinal problems at 3-4 years of age can lead to chronic diseases of the digestive system.

Treatment of bloating in children

First of all, you need to consult a pediatrician; you may have to undergo a special study, especially for older children. When treating bloating, medications are prescribed that improve intestinal function, contain the required amount of beneficial microflora, and relieve the main symptoms.
Only a doctor prescribes specific medications. Infants, if bloating interferes with the normal absorption of food, are allowed to use Plantex. It is natural based. The medicine effectively eliminates colic, pain and improves the passage of gases.
As first aid, children over 3 years old can use Smecta and analogues. This drug relieves spasms, improves digestion, and removes toxins. For home remedies, tea based on chamomile flowers is suitable. It has antispasmodic, bactericidal and soothing properties. If the baby needs additional treatment, then you cannot do without specialists.

Prevention

It is almost impossible to protect newborn babies from bloating, but if the baby is breastfed, then the mother needs to carefully introduce a variety of foods into the diet and adhere more dietary nutrition. Give the baby a tummy massage and special gymnastics.
For older children, it is important to eat in a timely manner, rationally, and move more.

Flatulence is called bloating, both in children and adults, which occurs as a result of a large accumulation of gases in the intestinal lumen, which is accompanied by problematic discharge. Very often, young mothers of babies under one year old face this problem.

Causes colic, which manifests itself as severe pain in the child’s abdomen due to spasms. As a rule, the pain manifests itself as cramping, subsiding as gases are released. Many new parents become familiar with this unpleasant process very early, because increased gas formation can bother babies from 2 weeks of age and older.

Dealing with this problem is not easy, it is especially difficult for parents one year old child, because at this age, babies are worried not only about colic and bloating, but also related problems that occur against the background of the formation of the gastrointestinal tract. Later in the article we will tell you what medications will help relieve your baby from pain and discomfort, as well as what diet will help older children avoid troubles in the future.

Causes of increased gas formation in a child

Unfortunately, every 3-4 children suffer from increased gas formation and colic; the disease most often affects boys. Very often the problem appears in the afternoon. Usually, colic stops bothering a child at 4 months, but in rare cases it occurs in children after 6 months. The causes and treatment of flatulence can be different, it all depends on the original source that provoked the problem. For example, the following reasons increase the accumulation of gases:

As practice shows, many pediatricians are increasingly concerned about flatulence and colic in weak, premature babies, especially those diagnosed with rickets or malnutrition. Why is this happening? This is due to the fact that the child's nutrition is not appropriate for his age. The situation is even worse for “artificially fed” children (children who are fed formula rather than breast milk).

If flatulence becomes intense pronounced character, it is necessary to urgently consult with a pediatrician, because otherwise you may miss the onset of the development of a pathological process, for which bloating and increased gas production are not the last symptoms. In children after 2 years of age, and especially at 8 and older (when the parent cannot fully control the child’s nutrition, for example, at school), factors that increase gas formation occur against the background of gastrointestinal diseases. Also, the reason may lie in widely used fatty foods, protein, carbohydrates and overeating.

Symptoms of pathology in children

It is immediately worth noting that flatulence and colic do not affect the general condition of the child, but make him more anxious. Despite the fact that some doctors claim that increased gas production slows down psychomotor and physical development, the results of blood, feces and urine tests do not confirm this.

If the baby takes in a lot of air during feeding, it is released during regurgitation, which can occur in a very profuse form. When a child has lactose deficiency, he may be bothered by frequent bloating and problems with bowel movements (diarrhea can suddenly give way to constipation).

Very often, the symptoms of increased gas formation are described by mothers of babies as restlessness, constant crying, the child pressing his legs to his tummy, etc. As many parents note, an attack of pain is observed for no more than 15-20 minutes, after the release of gases the child feels better. Also, with flatulence, the child experiences frequent belching and hiccups.

It’s a little easier with older children, because they can at least somehow describe their feelings. It happens that there are complaints about a feeling of fullness, pain, and many people have a rumbling stomach. But all such symptoms disappear after the gases have left the intestines.

What to do in case of increased gas formation in children

Almost every parent is tormented by the question “What to do when the child has gas accumulation? What medications or diet should I choose?” A child at any age needs to be treated in two steps:

• Eliminate the cause that causes the accumulation of gases in the intestines (diet will help correct nutrition, if the cause is gastrointestinal ailments or dysbiosis, they will help fight it).
• Remove gases (can be done through manipulation or using pharmacological drugs).

Children with lactose intolerance are prescribed specialized formulas that do not contain lactose. But, please note, if you feed your child with formula, strictly follow the instructions so as not to overfeed. When a mother is breastfeeding, the formation of a large amount of gas is caused by the foods that the nursing mother eats directly.

Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to which foods consumed by the mother negatively affect the baby’s well-being. As long-term practice shows, the following foods are most negatively affected by the mother:

• Chocolate.
• Grape.
• Legumes.
• Black bread.
• Coffee.
• Soda, fermented drinks.
• Sauerkraut.
• Frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables without heat treatment.

When a baby burps frequently, the mother needs to take a closer look at how the baby attaches to the breast. Sometimes it is enough to change the position when feeding, which minimizes the baby's swallowing of air.

How to help a child

After the baby has eaten, he needs to be held in an upright position for several minutes. Thus, excess air will come out along with the burp, without “taking” the absorbed food with it. The best position for this is to turn the little one with his back to you and hold him by the tummy (there is no need to purposefully put pressure on the tummy!). You can also relieve the child from bloating by placing him on his back and bending his legs. The compressed and unclenched legs are lifted in turn several times. You can supplement the exercise by spreading the arms apart, imitating a child hugging himself.

Very good result allows you to get the massage that your mother gives you warm hand(for better glide, you can use baby oil or lotion). The procedure is carried out with circular strokes in a clockwise direction. No less effective, according to mothers, can be achieved by a warm diaper applied to a small tummy.

As a rule, the above methods improve the condition of the toddler and promote the release of gases. But every child is individual, so not every child can be helped in this way. If you have tried all the recommendations and there is no result, use a gas outlet tube. But please note that you should not regularly resort to using it, because this will irritate the rectum. To use the tube, you need to place the child on the side, squeeze the legs at the knees, lubricate the edge of the tube with Vaseline and insert it into the anus 10-15mm with gentle movements.

While you insert the tube, you need to massage your tummy with light movements. The free end of the gas outlet tube must be lowered into some container, because not only gases, but also feces can escape through it. The tube can be left in the anus for no more than 20 minutes, all this time without stopping massaging the stomach. When the procedure is completed, the tube is thoroughly washed, the child is washed and lubricated with oil.

If you cannot avoid using medications and other additional means, you should consult a doctor. Quite a few pediatricians recommend using a proven method - giving your baby dill water (tea made from fennel seeds) to drink. It is not difficult to prepare such tea; 1 tbsp is enough. seeds, which is poured with boiling water. When the drink is infused, you need to strain it and give the little one a teaspoon to drink 3 times a day. You can store the remaining drink in the refrigerator, but it is best to prepare it in small portions when it is always fresh.

Medicines for increased gas formation in children

If you don’t want to fool around with dill seeds, you can use pharmaceutical preparations, such as Plantex. Plantex contains fennel fruits and oil. With its help, you can not only get rid of excessive gas formation, but also stimulate intestinal motility, normalize digestive processes, remove intestinal spasms, relieve pain and increase appetite. It is Plantex that pediatricians prescribe for bloating, colic, and as a preventive measure for children who are bottle-fed.

The child may also be prescribed Espumisan, a drug in the form of an emulsion that is not absorbed into the blood and does not affect the body. It is very convenient to take the substance, because the required dose can be added directly to the bottle with the mixture. Less commonly, children are prescribed Smecta, charcoal and other adsorbents that help release gas from the intestines. But please note that along with the gases, useful elements also leave the body, which in the future will need to be taken in the form of tablets.

If a child has been diagnosed with dysbiosis, the doctor may recommend taking eubiotics. For older ones age group children are prescribed enzymes that normalize and improve digestive processes. The table below shows average cost medications that your doctor may prescribe.

But please note that you should not immediately teach children to medicines. If the problem is not too advanced, a simple one will help you succeed. The diet should exclude sweets, soda, and excessive amounts of polysaccharides from the child’s diet. Bakery products It is better to choose from wholemeal flour, excluding baked goods. Organize your child’s nutrition in such a way that he does not overeat or go hungry; it is best to break up daily norm food for 5-6 meals.