Question

My child is almost two years old and has been bottle-fed since infancy, not very fond of eating rice, and feels nauseous after eating vegetables. Since around nine months, they have had constipation, and I’m not sure if it’s due to poor absorption or the milk formula. Should I give them some stomach medicine? Since they also don’t like to eat rice, they only drink milk. Please help me with an answer, thank you!

Answer

Hello: Common treatment methods for pediatric constipation include:

  1. Training good bowel habits, cultivating the habit of defecating at a fixed time each day. When the child defecates, try to avoid external distractions such as playing with the child or telling stories, as these can divert the child’s attention and affect defecation.
  2. Correcting the child’s poor eating habits, such as eating more fresh vegetables and fruits.
  3. Cut a piece of soap into a small finger size, about 3 to 4 centimeters long, wet it with water and insert it into the anus to stimulate defecation.
  4. Use a rectal suppository to enema, with glycerin dosage of 5 to 10 milliliters each time.
  5. Enema with glycerin mixed with an equal amount of water, glycerin dosage of 5 to 20 milliliters each time.
  6. Use 30 grams of white honey, boil it gently until it becomes thick, then form it into pills. If the child’s finger is small, use 1 pill each time and insert it into the anus.
  7. Use 1% soap solution or physiological saline for enema. For children under 3 years old, saline is suitable. The dosage is 50 milliliters for those under 6 months; 100 to 200 milliliters for those between 6 months and 3 years; 200 to 300 milliliters for those between 3 and 7 years; and 300 to 500 milliliters for those over 7 years old.