If there’s one thing that gets you worried as parents, it’s if your infant or toddler gets sick. Since they cannot explain through words what pains them, parents are left with cues and symptoms to determine what might distress the young one.
One of the most common things that your child can get is a tummy ache. When your young one has pain in his or her belly, your first reaction will be how to get rid of it. But before getting to that, you must first understand the causes and symptoms of this body discomfort.
What are the cues that you need to look out for if your child has an aching stomach?
Since you are relying on body gestures, expressions, and cues from your little one, you need to be extra observant to catch any of the following symptoms. Your baby may have a stomach ache if he or she:
- Starts acting fussier or grumpier than usual;
- Cries more often;
- Has soft stools or diarrhea
- Loses interest in breastfeeding or eating;
- Does not get enough sleep;
- Can’t seem to stay still;
- Starts to vomit; and,
- Shows facial cues that indicate feeling pain.
Again, a belly ache per se is not life-threatening. But it can give extreme discomfort to babies. So here are five common causes of stomach aches in babies and how to remedy them:
Colic
If your child is three months old and below, he or she might experience colic. Colic happens when a child displays intense fussiness or crying without any visible reason at all. Symptoms of colic include:
- Excessive fussing or crying especially in the afternoon and/or evening;
- Cries for three hours or more for as frequently as three days a week or more. This could repeat for at least three weeks;
- Passes gas a lot;
- Folds their legs towards the chest when crying; and,
- Frequent fist clenching and stiffening of arms when crying.
How do you eliminate stomach ache associated with colic?
Try swaddling your baby in a muslin cloth or blanket to make him or her feel comfortable. Carry your baby and your arms and rock him or her while walking around. Try to give your baby a pacifier to ease his or her crying. You can also do a routine light massage and exercise. You can check the internet for videos showing simple exercise you can do to get rid of colic.
Reflux
Infant reflux or heartburn is something that can be painful for your child since he or she can experience a burning feeling in their throat and chest especially when stomach acid starts to come back up to the mouth.
Symptoms of reflux include:
- Lack of interest in milk feeding or eating of solids;
- Frequent gagging;
- Frequent choking;
- Wheezing sounds in the chest;
- Vomiting or regurgitating;
- Loss of weight; and,
- Frequent hiccups.
How do you eliminate stomach ache associated with reflux?
If your child experiences frequent heartburn, you must coordinate this immediately with your family doctor or pediatrician because it can be an indication of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. You should visit a walk in clinic Brantford and talk to a doctor so that you can get medications for the treatment of infant heartburn. If you cannot personally go, try finding a doctor through online clinics. That way, your child can be diagnosed and treated without exposing him or her to the coronavirus infection.
Constipation
Constipation in infants is common once your baby starts to eat solid foods. The change of diet from breast milk or formula milk may cause difficult stool passage. Formula milk allergies may also bring about hard poop. Babies may make a grunting sound or stay still and stiffen when passing stools. But if you notice that your child is having difficulty when they are pooping, has a hard bowel movement, or has stopped regularly passing stools, he or she might be experiencing constipation.
How do you eliminate stomach ache associated with constipation?
For immediate relief, you should contact your pediatrician so that he or she can prescribe the proper treatment for your baby. But if you are at home, you can also do the following to soothe your child’s bellyache:
- If your child is six months old or more and is already transitioning to solid food, you can try giving him or her water and two to four ounces of prune, pear, or apple juice. These juices contain sorbitol that can act as a natural laxative.
- Feed your child food that is rich in fiber. Mashed peas, prunes, whole wheat, and barley are great alternatives. Fiber promotes good bowel movement.
- If you think that your child’s constipation is caused by his or her formula milk, consider changing it.
- Keep your child active.
Whatever happens, do not give medicine to your child on your own. Consult the child’s pediatrician for tummy aches that persist for days. Make your kid’s health your number one priority and keep stomach aches away.