Prevent Digestive Disorders to Support the Growth and Development of Your Child

The health of the child's digestive system is closely related to growth and development. This is influenced by the absorption of nutrients needed for endurance and growth of your child. Therefore, for optimal growth and development, parents need to understand how to prevent digestive disorders of children. After birth, the baby's digestive system will continue to develop. The functions of the baby's body will try to start working independently, including in processing and absorbing the nutrients needed for activity, endurance, and growth and development.

Various digestive disorders in children

When Little is fussy, insomnia, cry more often than usual, vomit, and urinate frequently, it can be disturbed digestion. There are several types of digestive disorders that are often experienced by children, including:

• Bloated

Complaints of flatulence are often found in children who have just started eating solid food or complementary foods for breast milk. This condition can be influenced by food consumed or by bacteria that are in the digestive tract.

• Diarrhea

Diarrhea in children is generally caused by rotavirus. This virus often attacks infants aged 6-24 months. If your child has diarrhea, try to give him enough drinking water to prevent dehydration.

• Constipation

Constipation usually occurs during the transition between the exclusive breastfeeding period to the period of breastfeeding. This condition is characterized by several symptoms, such as difficulty defecating and the stool looks dry.

• Stomach acid disease

Little can experience acid reflux disease which is characterized by the frequency of salivation more often than usual. To prevent this, you can carry him in an upright position after eating. This position also helps him burp and reduces his chances of vomiting.

• Milk or food allergies

When experiencing milk or food allergies, your child may experience redness of the skin, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or vomiting. If your baby has allergies, you should immediately consult a doctor to prevent more serious conditions.

Tips to Maintain Your Child's Digestive Health

In order for your child to grow into a healthy child, it is important for parents to understand how to maintain the digestive health of your child. Here are some things you can do:

• Increase fiber intake

One way to maintain your baby's digestive health is to provide fibrous food. When mixed with water, fiber will make the digestive tract work optimally. Fiber can be obtained from breast milk, formula milk, or fruits and vegetables.

• Increase fluid

Fluid plays an important role in maintaining the health and smoothness of your baby's digestive system. The liquid referred to here can be breast milk, formula milk, or mineral water. When the body lacks fluids, your child will become dehydrated and at risk of constipation.

• Maintain cleanliness of the body and food

Indigestion can be caused by viruses and bacteria. Therefore, make sure you always maintain the cleanliness of the food given to your child. In addition, the cleanliness of the child's body must also be considered so as not to be infected with germs and bacteria that cause disease.

• Invite children to exercise

Sports are not only important for adults, but also for your baby. Exercise can help maintain a healthy heart, lungs, immune system, and digestive system. Every physical activity will stimulate the activity of the digestive tract, thus helping your child digest food properly.

In addition to some of the above, you can also supplement the nutritional needs of children aged 1 to 5 years by providing formula milk containing fish oil, prebiotics, and vitamins and minerals. These substances are important for the body because they can support the health of the digestive system and growth and development. In the digestive system, fish oil containing omega-3 plays a role in helping digest food, while preventing constipation. Prebiotics such as FOS: GOS affect the survival of probiotics or good bacteria that help the digestive process. While vitamins and minerals are needed to help absorption of food after passing through the digestive process. Indigestion can inhibit children's growth and development. Conversely, if digestion is smooth, the absorption of nutrients will be maximal, so growth and development will also run optimally. If your child seems to experience symptoms of indigestion with protracted or if digestive disorders accompanied by other symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.