3Yo Recurring Bellyache

I can give you a couple of ideas. At the health food store are probiotics. They actually put the good bacteria back in the digestive tract. My daughter is a high achiever, she is now 19 and in college. She always set high goals for herself and it let to a lot of stress for her. She complained a lot of a stomachache and when she got in school it was worse. I just tried to teach her relaxation techniques. A really big one for her now is exercise. Maybe get her involved in a class or something to get her mind off things.

Does she have any problems going poo? I know from experience that IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) can be very painful with stomach cramps and bloating. I don't know how young you can be to be diagnosed with it, but I know that I have had problems since as early as middle school.

Try keeping a log of what she eats and when she has a stomach ache. Try to eliminate gas producing foods. Sounds to me like it is gas build up. It can be quite painful. (Think of menstrual cramps and contractions.) One thing that can help is have her (I know this sounds funny) kneel on the ground and put her face on the ground in front of her knees and stick her little bottom in the air. The gas will rise if it can and come out. Have her stay like that for about 5-10 minuets if you can. There is also Tumms for little kids, that can help sometimes.
I found a list...
Certain foods are inherently gas-producing. Gas-producing foods include beans, cabbage, onions, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, fluffy wheat products such as bread, apples, peaches, pears, prunes, corn, oats, potatoes, milk, ice cream, and soft cheese.
Foods that produce minimal gas include rice, bananas, citrus, grapes, hard cheese, meat, eggs, peanut butter, non-carbonated beverages, and yogurt made with live bacteria.
Good luck
E.

Just wanted to ask if your sure she really has a belly ache or is just pretending. My son is 2 1/2 and constantly says he has a belly ache. I know he really dont most of the time because he will eat something or take a sip of something and say belly feels better now, then laugh about it. Or sometimes it is just gas that makes his belly hurt, but 90 percent of the time he is just faking it. Im not saying that is what your daughter is doing but mabye she just has some gas or is hungry. If you are really concerned i would definatly bring her in and have it checked out. Especially if it is affecting her and making her not want to play or anything. Good luck and i hope she feels better soon.

Hi Shannon,
When my kids complain of a tummy ache it's usually a need to go #2. They both have some issues in that area so that is the problem a large percent of the time. I make sure they are drinking lots of water and eating almonds are always the best remedy for our family to help push anything through. They are both big fruit eaters so that is extremely helpful as well. Give it some thought as to whether your little lady is constipated. Blessings L.

appendicitis has other symptoms the painusually starts around the belly button and slowly over a day or hours moves to the lower left abdominal area, she would also have a fever that would accompany it. My daughter had a lot of Tummy aches but it was just a nervous stomach and she's outgrown it. but if the pain gets worse or doesn't go away, is accompanied by a fevr or she won't let you getnly press on her tummy I would take her in tothe doc.

Hey, what is your daughters diet? Lots of children are lactose intolerant and it causes stomach aches and other problems. Try feeding her just fruits and cut up veggies and see if that doesn't improve her stomach upsets. Also, ginger is great for upset tummies and gas.

Does she seem to get the belly ache around the same time (like maybe when she goes to day care, if she does) I know as a child I had anxiety & didn't know it. I would get stomach aches all the time. Mostly when I had to go to school or be away from my mom. I know she is only 3, so this might not be the case, but just an idea cause I know my mom was frustrated too. I'm just glad I know now cause my daughter seems like she will go through the same thing. Good luck!

My apendicitis occured very suddenly in the lower right of my abdomen. If it was apendicitis it would NOT subside or go away; it would get steadily worse. I would have the doctor check for allergies or intestional issues, check yourself that she is getting the fiber she needs, etc.

She most likely will do well on probiotics. It's unlikely that it's a gas build up. Most likely she eats too much sugar and white flour, which feed the bad bacteria in her gut. Produce, veggies and fruit, and grains feed the good bacteria. You can purchase them for children in the refrigerator section of your health food store.
You can find out more here: http://www.babybites.info/2009/02/24/probiotics-healthy-k...

Have her tested for food allergies/sensitivies. If you want to go a natural route I can recommend a great doc.
Good luck!
J.

I agree with Christy. Our son has had several problems with belly aches that turned out to be bowel problems. Make sure she is drinking plenty of water especially if she is not good green veggie eater. Our dr put our son on Fibermax and every now and then he still has the problem.

I was under the impression that there would probably be a fever with apendicitis? You might check on that, but my 3 year old also says his stomach hurts when doesn't want to something and he actually doesn't eat very much at all most of the time. But i know he will not starve himself and will eat what i give him, if we limit the snacks enough. Good Luck.

My daughter complains about a tummy ache when she is constipated, which is unfortunately not unusual for her. So you might keep track of her bm's, she could also be hungry. I think with appendicitis it would be constant and more painful-you might google symptoms just to be sure.

You may want to see if there are any foods that are the cause. My 4 year old had frequent belly aches when she was younger, and we did a food diary for a few weeks. We found the days she had "extra" amounts of milk products, she would have a tummy ache. We talked with the doctor and they said she isnt allergic.... just has a sensitivity to it. We now monitor how much she takes, and she rarely has tummy aches.

My son did this often when he was that age and he wasn't going to the bathroom as frequently as he should have. That was why it would come and go. I noticed first off that he could hold his pee for an amazing amount of time. When we started paying attention to this and reminding him to go
either one or two he would often feel better. He could hold his urine for over 12 hours! That has got to make something hurt.