Bm

Try giving him more fluids, a little more water and see if that produces a result. Some harder bowel movements are due to a lack of fluid in the system and can be fixed simply by adding more water or juice. Watch the juice intake however, diarrhea is a lot messier then hard bowels...LOL

K.,

You need to check what your son is eating. It sounds like he is low in fiber and high in protein.

There are few easy changes that can be made.

I am a nutritionist and if you have questions or if you need help, give me a call. I will do your first evaluation for free

L.
Nutritionist
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Hi K.,

My son had the same trouble when he was younger. Our Dr. told me to try giving him pear juice. Actually the nectar type with pulp in it. It worked wonderfully! I found it in the natural/organic section in the grocery store. The Dr. said for some reason pear juice works even better than prune juice for little ones. I don't think I would try stool softeners unless absoluetly necessary. I have been told that the kids as well as the parents can become dependent on using them. My son eventually outgrew the problem. I know how frustrating it can be to watch them try to go and not get results. I hope this helps - good luck!

K.,
I agree, apple juice is good way to keep the baby regular. However, something that I have found that works even better, that my 18 month old son LOVES, is craisins. He can't get enough of these little "treats." Since he started having a handful a day, we haven't had any problems.
Good luck, J.

my daughter has the same kind of BM... I just make sure she gets atleast one glass of 100% apple juice a day. It helps keep her little body regular. I finally got a juicer so now I get to give her fresh juice each day which is much better for her body. There are other juices that work in the same way, I'm not sure what they are.

I have also just been offering as many fruits and veggies as possible and when I make things like banana bread I use whole grains...oat flour... wheat germ..whole wheat flour... when I buy bread or bread like products I always purchase 100% whole wheat products..

food these days aren't that great for us....they are packed with perservatives and are bleached or stripped of their nutrients and then it is added back.. I try not to buy too many processed foods..

first you should definately discuss with pediatrician first. does the baby get enough fluid? just like adults we get constipated if we don't get enough fiber or water in our diet.

I always keep some baby food prunes around. They are very sweet, so my son loves them and it keeps him regular. I have had to use Fleet (the little kids ones) suppositories a couple of times. They work within 15 minutes without taking a harsher laxative that may have longer affects. I had a little trouble with my son when I weened him from the breast at one year and started him on baby food and regular milk. It was a harsh transition but he is doing better now. Good luck.

One thing i can say helps my child have regular BM's is juice. If you give your child a little bit of juice, not a lot, it really helps this issue. If you haven't tried juice with pedialyte, maybe try that.

K

For my daughter, when her bowel movements became hard to pass, my doctor had me put a small amount of Kerol syrup (I used Betty Crocker Corn Syrup-same thing and it's in the bakers isle at your grocery store) in her bottle or juice. It's really thick and syrupy. It works better in a warm bottle because it melts and mixes better. Her bowel movement just following the syrup would pass easier and she would return to normal. It's like a gentle stool softener. I would do this every time she seemed to be having harder than normal stools...just as needed. I put maybe up to a tablespoon per 6 - 8 ounces of formula.

My son gets that way from time to time also and he is almost 2. I would not give any kind of stool softener, but I would something like extra juice in his diet. The sugars in this loosen the stool. Apple, Orange, and Grape usually work well. I also give my son extra fruit in his diet and this works well too. Canned peaches or apricots work really well also and he loves them. I would try a natural alternative before giving him the stool softener. My son absolutely loves bananas, but when he eats them he gets very constipated. Also, rice is very constipated. Maybe look at your son's diet and see if something could be causing it. You can still continue to give it to him, but make sure you give him something that will counteract it. Good luck!

If they are like little pebbles then he is probably constipated. Try to get more fluids in him throughout the day. If that doesn't help, consult your pediatrician.

I would wait on a stool softner until you talk to a doctor. And before even bothering with a doctor I would offer more juice, especially apple or prune. Most kids are okay with drinking a little extra juice. ;) My son is like that some times too, he's almost 3. Sometimes it lasts for several days, but he usually seems to work it out on his own and we get a non-pebbly BM after offering a little extra juice. If it seems like he's uncomfortable then maybe talk to a doctor, but if not I wouldn't worry too much.