Constipated 6 Mos. Old

my son struggled with constipation when he was just a few months old, and the pedi recommended a couple ounces of prune juice daily. I would just mix it in with his formula, but you can give it seperate. They also recommended a teaspoon of corn syrup in his bottle a couple times a day. Sounded weird to me, but they said that corn syrup is a stool softener. If that didn't work, they recommended using half of a pedi suppository (luckily only had to do that a couple of times). My son's system eventually regulated itself. Hope this helps! it is no fun having a little one who is stopped up!!!!!!

She needs some water in her diet. You can also add Karo syrup to a bottle of formula or water. That will draw water into her bowels. You can also feed her Pear juice or prune juice mixed with apple juice.

have you tried prunes? One baby food jar of prunes always does the trick for my son. There is also prune juice and pear juice works well too - I know you said you were trying to avoid juice, but pears are generally well tolerated by babies and I would definitely try that before a laxative. You'll know within a day or so if it works - usually less. Also - if the formula you are using, or cereal, is heavily fortified with iron - that may be the culprit. Good luck!

She may have a very sensitive system, go the organic route, which is more nutritionally sound, no pesticides or chemicals. Does the baby food tend to be more grain than veggies and fruit? The grain has no water content. Maybe she is dehydrated? You may want to gently massage the bottoms of her feet, as in reflexology...since you like to read, INFANT MASSAGE by McClure might help. I would NOT go the laxative way, that may really destroy her digestive system. I hope this helps. Take care. C

www.mybiopro.com/claudia13 (learn how to protect you and especially your children from cell phone radiation)

She will be fine with a little bit of juice. Apple juice or prune juice in the cereal worked well with our daughter. also, bananas, plums, mixed fruit, peas, etc. those types of foods will loosen her up. could be the iron in the formula that is clogging her up. she is definately old enough to have baby food and cereals which will help regulate her body.

I have twin boys and they have had some of the same issues. My doctor recommended them getting some more fiber intake through giving them apple juice (half apple juice/half water). And also the oatmeal cereal has a gram of fiber in it verses rice cereal which has none. He told me that fiber will naturally help soften their stool. He also said that rice cereal can tend to constipate anyway. He also recommended that if they haven't pooped in a day to give them a suppository at the end of the day. We have had pretty good luck with his advice. He said that we could give them pedialax if we wanted but if given regularly they will grow accustomed to it and it will not be as effective. I hope this helps. Good Luck.
A.
www.InvestingInMyKids.com

Hi A.,
sorry your little one is so miserable- here are just a couple of suggestions that might help
I would give baby some apple juice- start with half/half- and maybe just a couple of ounces-
also, you might try a little white karo syrup in the water bottle- but not more than 1 tbls for 4 oz water- and if that does not work- you might ask your dr. about changing formula- seems like lately there has really been a lot of discussions on this site with others that are having the same issues with their children- which leads me to think it must be the formulas----- Iwould hold off on the foods unless you are giving baby cereal - then maybe add a little fruit-like applesauce or plums to start-
Hope this helps
Good luck

Try babies magic tea and don't give your baby meds full of preservatives.

If it is an occasional problem my doctor recommended a teaspoon of cornsyrup. I know it sounds so strange, but it worked like a charm!

My little girl is 6 months, too, and also struggles with constipation. We put 1 tsp of prune juice in every bottle. If you are still BF, and do a bottle a day, try 1 Tbsp a day...Some other things you can try: thermometer in the rectum with a little Vaseline; 1/4 glycerine suppository; 1 tsp. kayo syrup (I like the prune juice option, b/c it has less sugar). Good luck, it isn't fun when your sweet baby is crying in pain :(

Hi,
I had this problem with 2 of my 3 children when switching them to solids. My Grandma and my mom told me they used to mix a little bit of Karo Syrup (not honey) with a bottle of warm water. Like 1 tsp. of Karo and 6 onces of water. I tried it and it worked like a charm. Feel free to check with a pedi. Hope that helps!

I have a six month old also, what has worked wonders for me is adding about a tablespoon of prune juice to his rice cereal, or I have been getting the jarred baby food prune juice and I will feed him that too. It works every time. Also,you can help her poop too by pressing on her rectal area, don't put your finger in her rectum just gently push down on it. Hope this helps.

Instead of juice (which is LOADED with sugar) try baby foods that start with "P"...prunes, pears, etc... If she is eating a lot of rice cereal that could be the culprit. Try switching to baby oatmeal which is easier to digest and add the "P" foods, especially the prunes.

If you haven't started your baby on solids, you should consult with your doc and try baby oatmeal or barley and mix in a small amount of prunes. My kids loved that. Beechnut is cheaper than gerber as I recall and I think my kids actually preferred beechnut's taste.

Good luck to you, but I'd check with your doc. And also steal yourself for the long haul. I and my children have battled constipation their whole lives.

Good Morning, A.~

My daughter had a similar problem. You may want to try to give her prunes, they have them in the baby food section. Don't give her the whole jar, start off with a couple of spoonfuls. Consult with your Dr. before you do anything. I hope this helps :-)

M.

If you decide to give her juice start her off small, like 2oz of juice (apple) to 6 oz of water...just to get her little body used to it. Then progress up to 1/2 and 1/2. She might get gas, but it should help her out. It did mine. In fact I had to keep the apple juice 1/2 and 1/2 with water for a long time because it gave mine diahrrea

Hi there,
I would try first a few ounces of half pear juice and water. Pear is not as strong as apple and this has worked great for us. I do half juice, half water.
I hope that helps!

there is a very long thread on this very subject - I think it is 2-3 clicks away from the front page.

If you have started you baby on rice cereal that may be the problem. My younger son had to stop eating it because he became constipated after being fed the rice cereal. I was advised to eliminate rice cereal and any other rice product from his diet. That seemed to solve the problem for him. When he became too constipated before we stopped the rice cereal the doctor prescribed glycerin suppositories, which worked nicely. Only one or two over a 3 day time period were needed.

Constipation is usually related either to an allergy (such as to cow's milk protein, soy protein, wheat, corn, eggs, etc), or to dehydration or "bulking" foods. If the problems began when you introduced solids, then you will need to discontinue all solids for at least 2 weeks. It may take that long to clear the problem foods out of her system; a day or two won't be enough. You can reintroduce foods slowly and watch for reactions. Knowing that she's had a problem, you'll want to go at an extra-slow rate of something like one new food per week or two.

It would help to know what foods you've introduced, as some have a propensity to "bulk up" stools. For some reason, these are also the ones often recommended as first foods - the "cereals," apples, bananas. Too much of those without other fiber-rich foods to compensate will definitely cause constipation.

Hope this helps,
H. B.

You can use juice water down apple juice this should help. Also if you are using formula change from the iron this could be part of the problem. Also check with your Dr. they may have some other answers. Good luck, been there.

I suggest just some apple juice with water in it. That always does the trick with my daughter. Since she just started baby food her system is just getting used to it and will even out soon. If it gets really bad a glycerin suppository works very fast and I used it on my daughter about the same age. But I wouldn't worry about it unless she is really hurting. Just try the juice first.

She shouldn't be constipated if you're feeding her live food. If you're only feeding her packaged, cooked, (dead) baby food, then the body isn't getting the liquid or the enzymes it needs. Blend up half and avocado with a couple slices of fresh apple for a meal- that was one's of my children's favorites when they were babies, and it's far from constipating. Buy a fresh mango and puree it- yum! Now is the time for lots of fresh raw fruits and lightly steamed veggies. Enjoy! I loved making organic natural and as much as possible, raw baby food, and my too girls are so healthy as a result.

She already takes a bottle so do apple juice with half water. Increase the amount of juice to water ratio if needed. You can also do prune juice that way but I preferred apple. I have done that with my kids. It worked very well. It sounds a lot less harsh that a laxative.

Hi No one wants to see there baby in pain I am sorry to hear that. apple/prune juice are great but also try the the fruits like peaches, apple sauce, pears, ( bannanas make your baby constipated ) and your baby should be eating rice cearl. If none of this works and I want to say this part especially for your friend try this all natural product called ( Optiflora ) This product promotes colon health. You can find this product by going to SHAKLEE.NET/HEALTHYDESIRE and it will tell you a descrition on what it does. This is my site but if you or your friend have any questions feel free to contact me at ____@____.com
I wish your babies the best :o)

L.

Check with your pedi, but when I had the same problem with my son she recommended 1/2 apple juice or prune juice and water. My son wasn't a fan of juice so I started feeding him prunes (baby food) and that really helped. The baby cereal is what caused a problem for him, so I mixed his cereal with prunes and breast milk that helped his constipation.

when my baby starts having problems with that I give her apple sauce and I have also tried pureeing papaya. Hope that helps,
Good luck

Hi there! I'm sorry your little girl isn't feeling well. I have a 6 month old boy and he doesn't have constipation. He has one to two soft BMs a day. I feed him baby oatmeal cereal instead of rice (he didn't like barley). I think the oatmeal helps to prevent constipation. He also has 1 jar of veggie twice a day with the oatmeal (but not mixed in).
The couple of times that he has been constipated, like when he first started solids, the pedi said to give him prune juice. I bought some baby apple/prune juice and gave him 2 ounces. It worked like a charm and softened up his poo. I think it is ok for them to have juice at this age as long as you only give them a little bit to get the poo softened up and moving out.

Good luck!