Children and adults alike can suffer from gas-related stomach cramps. Pain arises when gas accumulates in the intestines. It's possible to produce up to 4 pints of gas per day, explains the MedlinePlus website. While it's impossible to prevent gas and its accompanying discomfort, home remedies can ease cramping and help your child feel as good as new. Make sure your child is suffering from excess gas, not from a serious condition, such as appendicitis.
Symptoms
Stomach cramps related to gas may be frightening for a young child because the pain can be very sharp and jabbing. Tightness, bloating and a knotted-up feeling in the abdomen are often present, notes MayoClinic.com. Pain may quickly dart around the abdomen, and gas may expel voluntarily or involuntarily.
Remedies
Children who experience cramps, bloating and gas after consuming foods that contain lactose may benefit for taking over-the-counter remedies that contain the enzyme lactase. People who are lactose intolerant have a lactase deficiency. Lactase helps digest lactose, the sugar found mostly in milk and dairy products. Lactase supplements are available in chewable tablets and caplets.
Kids who have trouble digesting sugar found in a number of vegetables and beans may ward off an episode of cramping and gas by using an over-the-counter digestive aid designed for that purpose. These are available in droplet form or tablet. They don't help ease gas problems associated with lactose or fiber, points out the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse website.
Peppermint
Entric-coated peppermint capsules may relieve pain, gas and bloating in older children but should not be given to babies or young children. Entric coating prevents the possibility of heartburn and indigestion that can occur if peppermint oil gets into the stomach. Two milliliters of peppermint glycerite daily may ease symptoms in older kids.Talk to your health care provider about the potential benefits and risks of giving a child peppermint to relieve stomach cramps and gas.
Prevention
The amount of cramping and gas caused by certain foods varies from child to child.
Cutting back on chewing gum, hard candy, carbonated beverages and fried foods can help prevent or at least reduce the severity of stomach cramps and gas. Consuming less fat helps the stomach empty faster, which allows gases to move into the small intestine. Chewing more slowly and eating smaller meals also helps lowers the risk of stomach cramps and gas in children.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Gas and Gas Pains: Definition; August 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Peppermint
- MedlinePlus; Gas; September 2010
- KidsHealth.org; What's a Fart?
- American College of Gastroenterology; Belching. Bloating ..."; Larry Szarka, M.D; Michael Levitt, M.D.
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Gas in the Digestive Tract; January 2008
- Cleveland Clinic: Lactose Intolerance
