Indigestion is a problem shared by adults and children alike, but the solution becomes a little more complex when it comes to children. This is because the diet of a child as young as two can be rather restricted. While it is a good idea to stay away from over the counter products even for indigestion when the child is that young, it might be helpful to call the pediatrician. This is because only your child's doctor would be able to offer advice on food to be given, after taking into account her health, present diet and other factors. At this age, it is likely that milk already is a large portion of the little one's diet. It would be prudent to check with the doctor to see whether the little one is having trouble with her present diet and whether changing this would be helpful. Most people think of milk as soothing and as the answer to an upset stomach, but often this aggravates things. In this case, it could be a simple matter of changing the brand or it could be looking for other food sources. For reasons such as these, treating indigestion in a patient so young can become a little tricky. At the same time, there are similarities in treatment at home for indigestion no matter what the person's age. Some of the gentler home remedies to ease a person's indigestion might be applied in this case.
To help your child, it would be best to offer plenty of water and keep offering her sips over the course of her day. This helps immensely and it allows the little one to cleanse her body and keep her digestive system functioning smoothly. Often, hot water could be soothing especially for a child and just sipping on this could ease the indigestion. Talk to the doctor about offering the little one some spearmint or possibly peppermint herb since this would usually help in cases of indigestion. Cinnamon can also help and often this is powdered such that it can be ingested with the hot water. In any case, do not force the child to eat too much or to drink milk or anything that might upset her stomach further. Often, what the child really needs is some time to let her body overcome the indigestion and get back to its usual state. Also remember, as a preventive measure, that feeding before bedtime, especially within 3 hours, would be likely to cause to cause indigestion.
answered by M W