Infant Bowel Problems

Infants from newborns to 12 months old often experience bowel problems. In many cases, parents will become aware that their child is having difficulties based on symptoms and irritability of their child. There are several causes for infant bowel problems, including gastrointestinal problems and infection. Among symptoms, diarrhea and constipation are the most common symptoms that parents observe in their children. Treatment for infant bowel problems varies depending on the age of the child.

Causes

• The causes for infant bowel problems include gastroenteritis, dietary fiber and antibiotics, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. Gastroenteritis is a condition that includes intestinal gas. This can be extremely uncomfortable for infants. Additionally, children who are adjusting to new diets -- for example being weaned from breast milk or formula to cereal -- may experience bowel problems. Antibiotics can kill healthy bacteria in the intestinal tract, resulting in bowel problems for infants.

Diarrhea

• According to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, infants with bowel problems will commonly experience loose and watery stools. Acute diarrhea will begin suddenly and lessen in one to several days. The main concern here is the risk of dehydration. This type of diarrhea can be due to viral gastroenteritis, which is a viral infection of the intestines, similar to the stomach flu. Chronic diarrhea can be a problem that lasts over a seemingly long period of weeks or months. This type of diarrhea can be due to lactose intolerance or a food allergy and is significantly less harmless than acute diarrhea.

Constipation

• The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library states that children who have not had a bowel movement in at least five days are considered constipated. It is not unusual for children, especially young infants, to have bowel movements every few days. However, infants with hard, dry stools are considered to be constipated. Other symptoms of constipation are stools that cause pain when passed or result in blood on the anus from tearing because of dryness.

Colic

• According to the Mayo Clinic the causes of colic are unknown. Generally, children who cry at approximately the same time every day and cannot be soothed are considered to have colic. However, colic is thought to be the result of gastrointestinal distress, potentially including gas, food allergies, feeding schedule and method and lactose intolerance. Parents may become distressed when their child has colic, but often children grow out of it or a solution is found by a caregiver.

Treatments

• Treatments for infant bowel problems depend upon the child's age. In infants, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, if diarrhea is caused by antibiotics, upon consulting the doctor often they will be discontinued. If dehydration is a problem, giving fluids high in electrolytes is usually the treatment of choice. For constipation, children younger than two months old are often given a small teaspoon of corn syrup as a supplement for adequate consumption of breast milk or formula. For older infants, food supplements such as prune juice or strained apples or other fruits may be prescribed as a treatment.