Breastfeeding is the best nutrition for healthy growth and development of babies. Good maternal nutrition helps sustain an adequate supply and quality of breast milk. Unnecessary introduction of bottle-feeding, partially or fully, or of other complementary foods and drinks may have a negative impact on breastfeeding, which may be irreversible. Consult your doctor and consider the social and financial implications before deciding to use breast milk substitutes or if you have difficulty breastfeeding. Follow usage, preparation and storage instructions of breast milk substitutes or of other complementary foods and drinks carefully as improper or unnecessary use may pose a health hazard.
Promoting good digestive health in children
Effects of good digestive health
When your child has good digestive health, these are some visible effects on your child:
Normal functioning of the digestive system
Has a good and healthy appetite
Shows no signs of indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, flatulence or fussiness
Displays age appropriate habits of eating, drinking and bowel movements
Displays age appropriate physical and psychological developments
Effects of poor digestive health
On the flipside, there are various impacts to having poor digestive health. Most often, these effects are seen through various digestive disorders on your child. Consequently, these can also affect parents or caregivers with added levels of stress.
With poor digestive health, these effects are visibly seen in children, where they:
For child
Are easily annoyed, and quickly lose interest in playing
Have a reduced appetite that could also lead to malnutrition
In younger children, it could cause them to experience discomfort that leads to constant crying both in the day and night time
For older children, their discomfort could affect their quality of life, their learning activities and community engagement
For the family, longer-term impacts are also noted on the parents or caregivers, as their child’s poor digestive health could:
For family
Affect their life and work as they worry about their child
Increase stress and pressure as they find a solution
Require lots of time and money to get an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment for their child