Alternatively called farts, flatus, gas and wind, flatulence is a normal part of being a human unless you have excess amounts of it. For kids, it can be a source of humor or extreme embarrassment.
Significance
The average person releases intestinal gas about 15 times each day, although some people may do so as little as several times or as much as 40 times, according to the Better Health Channel website. The amount of flatulence you have varies based on numerous factors. Relevant issues typically include the kinds of food and beverages you consume, how quickly you eat and if you have a health condition that contributes to flatulence, such as a disorder of the digestive system or lactose intolerance.
Features
Whether you are an infant, child or adult, flatulence occurs when air enters your digestive system after you swallow it, usually while eating. Air consists of various gases, such as oxygen and nitrogen. Your body also produces other gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, when your digestive system processes eaten food in your large intestine. Moreover, bacteria in the intestine can transform undigested food into gas, such as in the case of lactose intolerance, which occurs when a person's digestive system is unable to digest milk sugar completely. The only way for the unneeded gases to escape your body is by exiting through your rectum.
Causes in Babies
Infants tend to have a relatively high amount of flatulence because they swallow air while sucking, their main method of taking in milk. Additional factors that contribute to intestinal gas in babies include clogged nipples that force them to suck harder or more often and sucking on objects such as an empty bottle, a pacifier or their thumb. Another unavoidable factor is crying, during which babies also swallow air, according to The Hospital for Sick Children's website AboutKidsHealth.
Causes in Older Children
Causes of intestinal gas in older children are more numerous than in babies. Considerations that influence flatulence in older children include drinking carbonated beverages such as soda, sniffing due to nasal allergies and swallowing air while chewing gum, states AboutKidsHealth. Eating foods that are hard to digest, such as beans and fiber, also increases flatulence because bacteria in the large intestine converts undigested portions into gas. Conditions capable of increasing intestinal gas in both babies and older children include constipation and lactose intolerance.
Considerations
Since intestinal gas is something that all children and adults experience, parents shouldn't worry as long as their child is otherwise healthy. Older children can reduce the amount of flatulence they have by avoiding foods and drinks that increase intestinal gas, chewing food completely, eating slowly and not chewing gum, explains the National Institutes of Health.
Excessive flatulence is a reason for concern, however. A child has excessive flatulence when she releases intestinal gas twice as much as she usually does or twice as much as a child with normal flatulence. Expelling gas 20 times or more each day is considered excessive, according to AboutKidsHealth. If your child has excessive gas, you should consult a health care professional, especially if she has also lost weight or suffered from diarrhea for more than a week.
