How can I tell what's causing my child's gas?
How can I help relieve my child's indigestion or tell if it's something more serious?
Intestinal gas is a perfectly normal occurrence in children and in adults. (We grown-ups pass, on average, 2 liters of gas a day.) In most cases, it isn't a cause for concern, unless your child is experiencing more than minor discomfort and complaining a lot. The best thing you can do is to try to eliminate or manage the offending food or habit that's triggering your child's gas. When your child does have uncomfortable gas pain, you can give him an ant-acid (such as Mylanta Supreme) as well as an anti-gas agent (such as Mylicon) to help upper and lower gastrointestinal discomfort. But if you find yourself treating your child several times a day for more than three consecutive days, or his gas coincides with other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or fever, call your doctor. Your child might have a more serious condition such as a food allergy or lactose intolerance. How can I tell what's causing my child's gas?
There could be several factors causing your child to have more gas or indigestion than usual:
Roaming around during meals
Many time-crunched parents today find that we'll do anything to get our kids to eat right, including letting them meander around house, watch television, or even roughhouse during meals. Not a good idea. "When kids roam and play while they eat, they can get excited and trap air in their intestinal tracts during mealtime," says Michael Hart, director of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Carilion Medical Center for Children in Roanoke, Virginia.
Odds are, if your toddler is a roamer, he eats fast or gulps so his chewing doesn't impede his playing, which also increases air consumption and isn't good for digestion. And if he has meals while watching television, he might ignore his body's signals that he's full and overeat. Encourage your child to sit at the table with you during meals, chew his food well, and take his time when he eats. Reassure him that when he's done, he can play as long as he wants to.
Eating a lot of high-fiber foods, like cereal, or fatty foods, like French fries
Some children's guts may be sensitive to fiber or fat. Take note of which types of foods bring on your child's bouts of gastrointestinal distress and try limiting them. You might also discuss his diet with your pediatrician, who could have other suggestions.
Eating certain vegetables
Like adults, children can experience additional gas when they eat vegetables like beans, broccoli, and cauliflower. If your child eats these healthy foods, that's a good thing. Just make sure you don't overload him with too many gas-inducing veggies at consecutive meals.
Drinking a lot of juice
In general, parents misunderstand the benefits of giving kids juice. If your child is drinking more than a glass a day, it might be causing him to have a little extra gas. Some children have a difficult time digesting the fructose and sucrose in juice. As a result, it can bring on gas, even diarrhea, and make a child feel too full come mealtime. Plus, it bathes the teeth in sugar. Ideally, a child under the age of 3 shouldn't be drinking more than one 4-oz. glass of juice a day.
Drinking a lot of soda
Carbonated drinks like soda contain phosphoric acid, which can cause excessive gas and indigestion. Soda also tends to make children feel full, so they don't drink the necessary milk and water they should or get all the nutrients they need throughout the day. Try to eliminate soda from your child's diet or at least limit it to special occasions or birthday parties.
Not drinking enough water
Drinking water won't eliminate your child's gas problem, but it will help improve any constipation or difficulty he might have passing stools (constipation often coincides with gas and abdominal discomfort). Make sure your child has several glasses of water each day in addition to the milk or juice you give him.
Source: Dr. Michael Hart, director of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Carilion medical Center for Children in Roanoke, Virginia
How can I help relieve my child's indigestion or tell if it's something more serious?
Intestinal gas is a perfectly normal occurrence in children and in adults. (We grown-ups pass, on average, 2 liters of gas a day.) In most cases, it isn't a cause for concern, unless your child is experiencing more than minor discomfort and complaining a lot. The best thing you can do is to try to eliminate or manage the offending food or habit that's triggering your child's gas. When your child does have uncomfortable gas pain, you can give him an ant-acid (such as Mylanta Supreme) as well as an anti-gas agent (such as Mylicon) to help upper and lower gastrointestinal discomfort. But if you find yourself treating your child several times a day for more than three consecutive days, or his gas coincides with other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or fever, call your doctor. Your child might have a more serious condition such as a food allergy or lactose intolerance. How can I tell what's causing my child's gas?
There could be several factors causing your child to have more gas or indigestion than usual:
Roaming around during meals
Many time-crunched parents today find that we'll do anything to get our kids to eat right, including letting them meander around house, watch television, or even roughhouse during meals. Not a good idea. "When kids roam and play while they eat, they can get excited and trap air in their intestinal tracts during mealtime," says Michael Hart, director of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Carilion Medical Center for Children in Roanoke, Virginia.
Odds are, if your toddler is a roamer, he eats fast or gulps so his chewing doesn't impede his playing, which also increases air consumption and isn't good for digestion. And if he has meals while watching television, he might ignore his body's signals that he's full and overeat. Encourage your child to sit at the table with you during meals, chew his food well, and take his time when he eats. Reassure him that when he's done, he can play as long as he wants to.
Eating a lot of high-fiber foods, like cereal, or fatty foods, like French fries
Some children's guts may be sensitive to fiber or fat. Take note of which types of foods bring on your child's bouts of gastrointestinal distress and try limiting them. You might also discuss his diet with your pediatrician, who could have other suggestions.
Eating certain vegetables
Like adults, children can experience additional gas when they eat vegetables like beans, broccoli, and cauliflower. If your child eats these healthy foods, that's a good thing. Just make sure you don't overload him with too many gas-inducing veggies at consecutive meals.
Drinking a lot of juice
In general, parents misunderstand the benefits of giving kids juice. If your child is drinking more than a glass a day, it might be causing him to have a little extra gas. Some children have a difficult time digesting the fructose and sucrose in juice. As a result, it can bring on gas, even diarrhea, and make a child feel too full come mealtime. Plus, it bathes the teeth in sugar. Ideally, a child under the age of 3 shouldn't be drinking more than one 4-oz. glass of juice a day.
Drinking a lot of soda
Carbonated drinks like soda contain phosphoric acid, which can cause excessive gas and indigestion. Soda also tends to make children feel full, so they don't drink the necessary milk and water they should or get all the nutrients they need throughout the day. Try to eliminate soda from your child's diet or at least limit it to special occasions or birthday parties.
Not drinking enough water
Drinking water won't eliminate your child's gas problem, but it will help improve any constipation or difficulty he might have passing stools (constipation often coincides with gas and abdominal discomfort). Make sure your child has several glasses of water each day in addition to the milk or juice you give him.
Source: Dr. Michael Hart, director of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Carilion medical Center for Children in Roanoke, Virginia
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