Digestive gasses are a natural bi-product of the process of digestion. They are formed when the chemical reaction between the digestive juices and food takes place. In a toddler, the digestive system is under developed and is in the process of development. Thus your toddler’s appetite may increase even before his or her digestive system is able to handle the extra strain. There are also some complicated foods that your toddler might not be able to properly digest.
You can try some useful remedies to relieve gas pains for your toddler. Firstly, try feeding your toddler less food at a time. If you are doing three meals a day, make this six. Less food at a time may be easier for your toddler’s digestive system to handle. Secondly, toddlers who are breastfed should be fed in as much of an upright position as possible. Toddlers tend to ingest air while they suckle either during breast feeding or bottle feeding. If this air is allowed to be on the top of the stomach, it is likely that this will come out as a burp and your baby will be without any gas related problems. This type of problem occurs when gas is ingested and it passes into the intestines because of your baby’s non-vertical position. Toddlers should always be upright after meals for at least half an hour.
You can analyze the food you serve to your toddler. Some foods tend to cause gas, even in adults. This is particularly the case with complicated carbohydrates which are not always easy to break down and digest. Toddler’s have an underdeveloped digestive system which cannot break down the carbohydrates from cauliflower and broccoli, for example. These may not cause gas in all toddlers, but your toddler may not react well to them. When feeding your toddler, don’t be in a hurry. Allow your toddler to take time between bites and also encourage him or her to chew the food fully before swallowing. Even if there are few or no teeth, the action of chewing releases some digestive juices into the stomach.
Gas in toddlers could be a sign of infant lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance could affect adults as well but it is more common in children who find milk too heavy to digest properly. You may find that your toddler is gassy after consuming some dairy product. In this situation, limit the intake and see if there is any connection with this and the symptoms of gas.