Sometimes it becomes necessary to give your child an enema. This is particularly true when he or she is suffering from a serious case of constipation or certain other medical problems. In the case of a child, the process involves filling the last 12 to 24” of the colon with a solution of water and castor soap or oil. The essence of doing this is to make sure that the waste contained in the colon is softened by the solution, thus making it easier for the child to eliminate it. The Following are the steps that explain how to give a child an enema:

Step 1: Preparing for the enema

Before performing the enema on your child, you need to be well prepared with all the things that are needed to carry out the procedure effectively. Aussie provides is a list of what you need to have:

– Personal lubricant,

-Enema bag or bottle,

-Latex gloves which are unpowered,

-Warm water,

-Enema tube (with soft tip),

-Castor oil or soap.

Step 2

Get hold of the enema bag and unscrew the rid. Then attach the tube. Now fill your enema bag with warm water and add castor oil or soap. In most cases, an enema kit comes with castor oil or soap. Now go ahead and attach the insertion tip to the other end of the tube.

Step 3

Have the child lie on his or her left side while his or her leg is bent toward the chest.

Step 4

Put on your latex gloves and proceed to coat the tip of the enema tube using a water –based lubricant.

Step 5

Very carefully and gently, insert the tip of the enema tube into the child’s anus. Then squeeze the bag in order to introduce the solution into the child’s colon.

Step 6

Allow the child to hold the liquid in his or her colon for 15 to 20 minutes. This will allow the solution to soften the waste effectively for easy elimination. For very young children, holding the solution may not be possible without your assistance. For this reason, hold the child’s bottom together in order to make it hard for him or her to expel the solution prematurely.

Step 7

Make the child sit on the toilet and let him or her expel the solution together with the waste in the colon.

Caution

First and foremost, you must appreciate the fact that your child is very delicate and you must, therefore, exercise maximum care when carrying out the procedure. Do not use any force when inserting the tip of the enema tube in your child’s anus. Using force may cause the anal tissues to tear, which may lead to bleeding and increase the risk of infection. It is important to wait until the child relaxes because you will be able to insert the tube quite easily.

Conclusion

For a child, only two types of enemas are recommended. These are phosphate solution and saline solution enemas. It is important to seek the opinion of your child’s doctor on which type of enema is most appropriate for your child. In addition, if your child is allergic to certain medications, let the doctor know. This allows him or her …