CONTENTS
Remember the last night when your toddler was crying incessantly and you were just failing in every attempt in putting her to sleep? Eight out of ten similar cases occur in every home every day throughout the world. And one of the prime reasons for this is gas in toddlers that causes pain.
Gas in toddlers is often the prime reason for giving sleepless nights to new parents. Even when kids grow up and start preschool, some still continue to suffer from this menace. As parents, we are always on the lookout for quick fix natural solutions to the umpteen health problems our kids face in day to day lives. But amid all this, we forget, that instead of looking for solutions to these problems we can actually prevent them also. The first step to preventing is, of course, identifying the root cause.
There are multiple reasons for gas in toddlers and each varies at different stages as they are growing up. A newborn might have a different cause whereas for a preschooler the cause might be entirely different. Presenting some of the major causes of gas in toddlers.
1. Intolerance to milk
If your newborn or infant is breastfeeding and continues to have a gassy tummy, then there are high chances she is allergic to a certain kind of nutrient in your diet. Therefore, it is important to identify what is going on your dinner plate, such that the baby doesn’t have gas pain soon after you feed her. For children who are on formula or cow’s milk, and they are turning gassy after every feed, it might be due to intolerance to the protein in cow’s milk.
2. Certain kinds of vegetables
While you might think feeding vegetables is by far the best thing you can do to your child’s eating habits, it’s not true for all veggies. There are hundred percent chances that your child is enjoying that khichdi with grated broccoli, but soon after she might be having gassy troubles. Vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, and beans are high on fiber and might result in gas pain in children. It is thus advised to give these vegetables in just the right proportion. Identify your child’s pattern and then make changes in the food accordingly.
3. Not chewing food properly
Children often have a habit of gulping down food. This generally happens when they are watching TV while having their meals or sometimes we often put the next morsel in their mouth without even looking if the previous one has been swallowed or not. Chewing is the first step of digestion and you can very well assume that if the first check pointer on the list is not off then it can cause bloating and gas pain in children.
4. Too much of juice
We often tend to give our children vegetable or fruit juices to give them the desired nutrition which they would not take otherwise in a raw form. But do you know that having too many juices in one day can in fact lead to gas pain in children? Natural juices have natural sugars that the body is not able to break down easily. Due to this, the bacterium can feed on it and cause gas.
5. High-fiber foods
Excess of everything is bad. The same applies to the various nutrients which form a part of a balanced diet. Including a controlled portion of fibers in your child’s diet is thus a mandatory thing to follow. Getting your child’s body accustomed to fiber generally takes some time. So always include water so that it helps in pushing the fiber down the intestinal tract.
Thus, from the above pointers, it is very clear, that even with foods that claim to have profound effects on one’s health can have serious implications as far as gas issues are concerned in children. As a result, it is always advised to have everything in moderation.
My daughter has a problem with cow’s milk, but she loves milk very much. I replaced the cow’s milk for goat’s milk. Goat’s milk does not give allergies and bloating.