8-Month old with painful constipation: Will prune juice relieve the pain?

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/constip.htm

Some info I found for you, hopes it helpful in relieving the little guys constipation

You say you offer him water only at mealtimes, try throught the day. The body needs water to help it stay "lubricated". Even as an adult, I sometimes get constipated- so I have been told by professionals to drink plenty of water or Eat some watermelon or cantloupe it will have the same effect. N. in Kansas

His system isn't ready for solids. You can wait up to a year before starting solids as long as you're breast feeding. My grandmother was 2 before she had any solids. I'd cut out the solids for at least one month. And mineral oil is not safe, it's a petroleum based product.
D.-mom of 9

We've had success with Milk of Magnesia and pureed plums. Good Luck!

Give him a couple of spoonfuls of prunes (baby food) until the transition is over. I had to do that with my son both when we started baby foods and then again when we made the transition to table foods. Remember you only need a few spoonfuls otherwise you'll end up with the opposite problem! LOL! Good luck!

Hey Rae,

Looks like you've already gotten a ton of advice (I didn't have time to read it all so sorry if this is a repeat). All the beginning foods are very constipating - bananas, apples, rice. It's part of the diet the used to recommend for 'the runs'. Anyway, switch to some other foods and it will go away. Try oatmeal instead of rice cereal. Oats have tons of fiber and should help. Also, if you are doing formula, add 1-2 ounces of prune juice.

Take Care!

Amanda

Hi Rae! My oldest daughter had this problem. She would shake and scream in agony trying to hold her bowl movements in. It was a horrifing experience for us all! Then a family memeber (who is a nutritionist) suggested acidophilus suppliments. I would just crush up the pills in a medicine crusher and put it in her bottle. There were times I'd give her 3 at a time. I'd call and ask your doctor or someone at a health food store the right dosage for an 8 month old. It worked better than anything else I tried. And if it got really bad we'd give her a childrens rectal suppository. But, I'm telling you, the acidophilus was a lifesavor! Still to this day, if I'm noticing her not going as much I give her some. And it's not like other meds, it doesn't cause cramping or anything. Hope this helps!

Foods that begin with "P" are great for helping with consitpation. So peas, pears, peaches and of course the old stand by apples. Try to make sure he is getting plenty of foods with fiber. Also if you are giving him any formula try replacing some of the water with juice or just putting a little juice in the bottle (prune juice worked good on my kids). It's a little trick our doctor told us about. So if you are making say 3 ounces of formula use one or two ounces of juice and the rest water. Corn syrup also works good. Put about a tablespoon in a bottle. My girls had trouble with constipation when they were babies and we tried it all. To keep them regular we usually did the juice in the bottle tricks a couple of times a day (usually apple or prune if they were really contipated). If you use prune, don't give them more than an ounce to start with if it's straight prune juice. It's thick and sweet and it works good. Now that my girls are older and we don't have much trouble, but I still have to make sure they get plenty of fruite and veggies.

Good Luck!!
S.

If your breast feeding, you might try drinking some apple juice yourself since he won't take juices. Also, we had to switch formula that was be substituted. We only use a tiny bit of formula a day, but we found that Enfamil Gentlease helps with the constipation. Good luck.
J.

I see he won't take any juice or water. Try a little Splenda in the water to sweeten it or perhaps some Pedialite. He will come around and if that doesn't work, then contact your doctor as he may have an issue with digestion and absorption of the solid foods. Good luck!!!

J.

mt son loves the gerber apple prune juice. I even water it down and it usually does the trick. otherwise, talk to your pediatrician about milk of magnesia or a product called miralax that basically just adds fiber to soften the stools so they pass more easily and aren't painful. both are over the counter and can be mixed with milk or juice so they are tasteless.

Hello,
I had almost the same problem with my daughter, she was 2 months and she wouldn't go for two days sometimes four days the doctor said to give her some Pedialite and it helped alot. You may wanna give it a shot. I hope it helps.
M.

My daughter had painfull bowl movements as well, and the doctor suggested Miralax! It is not a laxative, but a stool softner. It worked great and got her through! I would suggest giving him a cap full in his milk at night first and seeing how it affects him the next day and maybe give him another dose. Hope this helps!

Try putting a little dark karro syrup in his bottles. That was advice my mom gave me when my kids were little. It really does work. Only like a 1/2 tablespoon in each bottle! Hope it works for ur little one!

I would try activa yogurt it sure made me get regular so bad i had to stop eating it..and yogurt is good for you to get other things you need to...The taste is good they have fat free or regular kind..Tonya in Topeka

Try giving him peas or prunes. If he's transitioning to tablefood you can get some frozen peas or canned peas without added salt and give those to him. They have lots of fiber so they should get things moving. You might also try giving him a little water and see if that helps.

Sorry but Karo Corn Syrup is no longer an option for constipation.Can't remember the exact reason just it can be dangerous.You have option's to get him over the hump Walgreen's sell's infant suppositories for really cheap I had to do this at this age with my son not all the time everyonce in a while.Also if he uses a sippy cup Gerber has all kinds of juices out, try Prune juice or Apple juice the apple can be any brand you like there is even no sugar added ones.If he doesn't like juice's put some in his breastmilk this will help him,offer him a drink through out the day not just at meals times.Rub his belly this can be helpful.Also babies now don't poop everyday sometimes they can go 2-3 day's without since they are growing and eating more.

We had to start giving our daughter Miralax (now available over the counter) at about this age. Took her to a gastroenterologist because she would cry and cry before bowel movements. He said she would outgrow it. She is now 5 and still takes her "poop medicine" but it works great for us and the specialist said it's very safe and non-addicting

My doctor recommended Molasses. 1 tsp of Molasses(? on spelling) to 6oz of formula. Then at one year they moved my oldest son to Mirilax. He is now 6 years old and still has to have the mirilax. I also have twin boys who had the same problem and I used Molasses and then moved to Mirilax. The twins have since come around and I no longer use the Mirilax.

I hope you find something that works for you.

Just went through this with my 6 mo old... prunes (baby food) or you can do 1/2 apple & 1/2 prune juice. If it get's to the point of little to no evidence of a bowel movement even after he really struggles, you can try an enema or glycerien supository ...not really sure on my spelling, but you get the pic.

You might try Fibersure or Benefiber in his food or drinks. My daughter doesn't eat well and my ped. said that is was okay to give her that to help with her constipation troubles. I usually just sprinkle a little in her milk when I notice that her stools start getting hard. Good luck!

Since you are still breastfeeding, try more breastmilk. It has a natural laxitive effect that is safest for baby's digestive system. Maybe offer the breast first before solids so he 'fills up' mainly on that, then some solids after.

Try less table foods. Maybe he isn't ready for the amount he is given. It's all trial and error and more trial!!

I know you got a lot of input but I thought I would send you my input. My son has had constipation problems since 6months. We have done prunes, sipositories, no bananas, and juice watered down. He still had problems, turning bright red, straining for 10 minutes, crying, collapsing with exhaustion. He was very tempermental. Dr. recommended Miralax which helped a lot. I was hesitant with using miralax daily so I did some research and decided to take him to a pediatric chiropractor. We have made progress (2.5 weeks with no miralax and daily bms). She had us do probiotic emzyme (similar to what is in activia yogart but for kids). He also has shown signs of milk alergy (constantly running nose and rosy red cheeks) so he is doing rice milk.

I hope your little guy gets some relief. If you have any questions feel free to email me. I felt very desperate for answers and was willing to try anything. (Oh and I've heard pear juice is better for bm's than apple juice. )

i went through this when my son startedsolids too...but our pedi said it wasn't the solides, it was his formula. prunes will do it! it worked like a charm for us!

My daughter had this problem when she was little.
We gave her Colace (over-the-counter stool softener) Check with your doctor on dosage (I don't remember) but it was wonderful. All it does is soften the stool so it is more comfortable for them. It is not messy either.
Good luck!

Well, this is something I did with both of my now older kids and my sister's pediatrician told her it was safe to use with her little boy (who is 9 1/2 months). Add a little karo syrup to his bottle. Ask his doctor what an appropriate "dose" would be. It does the trick every time with him! And it always worked for my kiddos. Good luck! Constipation IS miserable so I feel for him (and you). Have a great day!

Hey there Rae!
Don't worry about the constipation. His little body will adjust soon. My little one is doing the same thing. When my 3 year old went through this we tried several different things that worked and are working for my 9 month old now. Try some Kayro syrup in his bottle or put some in his cereal. Also, applesauce works too. You can also put apple juice in his cereal as well. These really seem to work and it's a tastey treat for them as well. If all else fails we have to resort to the baby lax bulb enema. Those things are awesome. That will slick that poo right up and it will come out within that minute. Good luck!

I used to get gerber pear juice and mix it in the formula bottles (about an ounce). It worked wonders for my baby. If it is hard like that though and he's having a hard time, maybe it's a sign that his digestive system is not ready for table foods. I would think about trying or sticking to 3rd foods for a little while and then try again in a few months. Every baby is different and what worked for your daughter may not work for him. Good luck

I recommend Blackstrap Molasses for my little patients. It seems to work very well and is not a drug and has no side effects. Start off with a very little bit...like 1/4 tsp in his bottle. Wait a little while to see if it has worked yet and then give him another 1/4 tsp. The worst that can happen is that he will poop a lot if you give him a little too much. Any questions email me at ____@____.com Murphy, Chiropractor

Try switching all grains he gets to whole grains...Earth's Best makes a whole grain rice cereal. If he eats bread or toast try to buy whole wheat or make your own. My daughter particularly liked regular 'adult' oatmeal. I bought the plain kind in the big tub and cooked it a little long, but she preferred that to all the baby cereals and it kept her bowels nice and soft and easy for her.

Hi Rae, My now 16 year old was diagnosed with mega colon (Basically severe constipation) when he was an infant. After taking him to three Pediatric G.I. specialists and after multiple trips to the E.R for dis-impactions A friend suggested mineral oil. It's odorless, tasteless and mixes pretty well with anything. It was like a miracle. He continued on it until he was around 13 and he finally out grew the problem. Ask you Pediatrician first. Hope it gets better soon I remember how difficult it was for us. K.

Try putting a little prune juice in his milk. The milk masks most of the prune taste. It doesn't taste as bad. Also try to add some more fiber (oatmeal or cereal or fruit) in his diet.

I just went through this with my little girl - now 11 months - and started around the same age. We tried a little karo syrup in her bottle and that sort of worked, but took multiple servings before a "good" bowel movement. Eating some prunes worked best (she did not care for prune juice). I think she only ate about half of the jar, but it worked wonders! I keep some on hand for such a need. Good luck!

Oatmeal cereal, grape cut into little pieces, apple juice, prune juice, prune baby food, corn, these will all help.

Lord I know all to well about this boat! My son was the same way when he was that age. We actually found pizza grease worked. (don't ask) Daddy figured it out. It helped him until I said no more. He is now 8 years old and are you ready for this? He ended up learning that if he held it it wouldn't hurt! He used to tell me his poop had spikes in it. He has since been diagnosed with cronic constipation and has to be on a prescription laxative once a day. You may since you are breastfeeding still, you need to lay off the dairy. He may has a problem with lactose. It still effects my son when he drinks too much milk. If I were you I would talk to the doctor about a stool softner of something before you go though eight years of what I went through. Rubber gloves, suppositories, laxitives, barium enema, ememas, and a whole lot of tears, yeah he cried too. Good luck

1 word: MIRALAX!!

It worked absolute wonders for my son!

You might try getting a bifido bacteria supplement. A combination acidophilus/bifido would be fine. You can put a powder in the milk and give it that way, or if you buy a liquid form, you can just squeeze some directly in his mouth. Or, you might give him a high-quality yogurt--one that is really made with beneficial bacteria. The beneficial bacteria will help digest the solid food.

J.

Try using Mineral Oil. All he'll need is 1/2 a teaspoon a day snuck into a bottle. His BMs will be oily but much easier to pass and the stuff is harmless and non habit forming (unlike laxatives). Also more fiber will help, but only if he is getting lots of fluids, otherwise it can have the opposite effect. Good Luck!