How to manage food stagnation in infants
Disease description:
My baby has recently been experiencing poor appetite and a bloated abdomen, which seems like food accumulation. Could you please advise on how to manage this condition in babies?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhou Xiaofeng
Infant food stagnation generally presents with poor appetite, abdominal distension, and abnormal bowel movements. Regulation can be approached from the following aspects:
1. Diet: Feed the baby easily digestible foods such as rice porridge, noodles, and steamed eggs. Avoid oily, spicy, and hard-to-digest foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables to supplement fiber, which helps stimulate intestinal movement. Use spleen-strengthening ingredients or herbs like Atractylodes, Smilax, and Poria to prepare soups or porridge together with meat. Frequently drinking water infused with barley and malt can aid digestion. Prepare more porridge with Chinese yam and lotus seeds to strengthen the spleen. Use tangerine peel (Chenpi) in cooking to regulate qi and strengthen the spleen.
2. Encourage physical activity: Encourage the baby to crawl or walk more to promote gastrointestinal motility and food digestion. Gently massage the baby's abdomen.
3. Regular and measured meals: Develop a habit of eating at regular intervals and avoid overeating. Do not have dinner too late or too heavy.
4. Supplement with probiotics: Appropriately supplementing with probiotics helps balance intestinal flora and improves digestion.
5. Drink more water: Ensure the baby drinks enough water to keep stools softer and prevent constipation.
6. Medication: Under a doctor's guidance, use medications such as pediatric spleen-strengthening and food-accumulation-resolving oral liquid or heat-clearing and stagnation-resolving granules.
7. Observation: If symptoms do not improve after implementing the above measures, or if the baby develops fever, vomiting, or persistent abdominal pain, seek medical attention promptly.
