What Causes Excessive Gas in Children?

Food Intolerance

• An intolerance to a food, defined by Mayo Clinic as lacking an enzyme necessary to digest a food, could be causing extra gas in your child. A common intolerance among children is lactose intolerance, which means an inability to digest the lactose found in dairy products. If your child drinks juice and has excessive gas, he may be intolerant to the fructose in juice. Note that it is possible for your child to have more than one food intolerance.

Swallowing Air

• A child who swallows large amounts of air tends to have a lot gas. If your child eats quickly or gulps her food she will swallow air with her food. Keeping your child seated and calm during meals will prevent the swallowing of a lot of air, as will helping your child learn to chew her food thoroughly before swallowing. According to Baby Center, chewing gum increases the chances of swallowing air and some children have difficulty digesting the artificial sweeteners in sugar-free gum, which get trapped in the digestive system and turn into gas.

Fatty and Fibrous Foods

• Some people have trouble digesting fatty foods and your child might be one of them if he is experiencing excessive gas after eating high-fat foods. If this is the case, reduce the amount of fat in your child's diet, especially saturated fats and note whether his gas improves. Foods like broccoli, beans and other high-fiber vegetables often produce extra gas as they are digested. If this is bothersome for your child, feed him smaller portions of these foods, or serve him only one or two at a meal if he typically has several at a time.

Dehydration

• Not drinking enough water can lead to constipation, which in turn leads to gas getting trapped in the intestines. This trapped gas can cause your child mild discomfort or might even cause sharp abdominal pain. Encourage your child to drink several cups of water each day.

Soda

• Soda contains phosphoric acid, which is used to keep the carbonated bubbles from going flat. Phosphoric acid causes indigestion and produces extra gas in the body. Have soda be an occasional beverage for your child, if she drinks it at all.

Warning

• Baby Center.com states that if your child has frequent excessive gas or if the gas is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, fever or other symptoms he could have a serious medical condition and needs to see a doctor as soon as possible.