Constipated 6 Month Old! HELP!

Hi,

When my twins were 3 months old, one became constipated and the other was not. They both ate the same - breastfed and supplemented with formula. I took him to the chiropractor who did regular adjustments. I also added probiotics to his diet. I think the probiotics were really the key. He and his twin (and me and my five year old) take probiotics every day. It helps to digest and process food and it's a great boost to the immune system. I started with a brand called Bio-K. Then, I switched to a powered probiotics - HMF formula - which I added to one bottle a day.

I saywsome suggestions saying switch to soy. Do a little research before you do that. Soy can mimic estrogen in the body and cause thyroid problems.

Hope this helps.

Give him gas x its in the infant isle. Its usually a little bottle that's what my docter from sutter would tell me to give my boy. He will poop better and may even fart a lot. But he will be happy.

T.

We used Karo since he was a few months old. Never bothered him. We've also done pear, apple, and prune juice. He's now a little over 2 years old and we've been using miralax for a year now, but will eventually wean off of it. He is allergic to all dairy and drinks soy milk instead, but too much soy complicates his constipation issue. Rice was also a big culprit for constipation. Oh...we also used glycerin suppositories when he was that small.

my first born would go ten days without pooping and of course i freaked. everyone did, come to find out it was her norm. but pear juice seemed to work, might wanna dilute it a little with water. they take to it better also. just the gerber brand will work the kind you find in the baby isle

I used an over-the-counter suppository for infants. I cut it in half because it was so big.........a couple of suppositories later things began to come back to normal for our son.

When they get "backed up" we need to find a way to soothe them. Try the suppository.......I was amazed that it was so easy (after slipping out a few times, I finally had one stay in)....but once it was in, it worked within 1-2hrs :o) I could see an immediate difference in my son's little face.

Hope it works!

~N. :o)

You have already received many answers but I was surprised only a few reported switching to an alternative formula (like soy milk) to solve the problem. My son had the same problem as soon as we switched him exclusively to formula at 6 months. The doctors said constipation was not a sign of an allergy so we believed them and did all the laxative solutions like the ones given to you here. But, I can tell you, nothing made the constipation go away until we ignored our docs and followed our own intuition and switched him to Soy milk formula. Voila! Everything was fine. Then we moved him to soy milk when he was done with formula. We still gave him small amounts of regular cheese and yogurt though. By the time he was 2 he could tolerate drinking regular milk at preschool (the school provided the lunch) and by the time he was 3 he could drink regular milk at each meal and he was fine. He was recently tested for allergies (at 11 yrs old) and he has no food allergies at all, just the normal trees and grasses. So, I think many babies just have an immature digestive system that is not allergic to milk, but that cannot yet handle it. Good luck to you!

Our Doctor said to do a teaspoon or so of Molasses- seemed to work for us- good luck!

Please DON'T do the Karo - it is really not advisable for a child that age.

This is an unfortunate example of how HMOs like Kaiser are not operating in the best interest of the patient at all times. Sorry.

We had the same problem when our daughter was that age. The recommendation from our pediatrician was to dilute juice and try to get foods like prunes/pears (that are high fiber) into their diet.

If that didn't work in a few days, they suggested bringing her into the office so they could manipulate it out. It is really not advisable for parents to try because of concerns of tearing the delicate skin there.

Here's what the American Academy of Pediatrics says: http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20100217/US...

I would try prunes more times a day and apple juice. My son got very constipated from rice cereal around 6 months and that is what we were advised to give him. Also pureed pears. I would stop any rice cereal for a while if you are giving it to him. I would also consider cutting out the formula and possibly trying soy formula or one of the hypo allergenic formulas that are already partly broken down. Your son could definitely be allergic to milk. My son is and it didn't really show coming through the breastmilk ( I think because it is pre-digested) but after we tried to switch to formula it was a huge issue. I ended up nursing him until one year (cut out most dairy from my diet) and at one year old we introduced soy milk.

My son is almost 10 months and he gets constipated for anything. Bananas, rice, apples, you name it. I have to always watch what I give him and I always give him something to counteract. Aloe Vera works like a charm and is all natural. Go to your health food store and get in in gel capsule form. WHen you get home open the capsules to reveal a powder substance. Put small amounts in anything you give him other than water. The taste is strong so just a small amount. Try to give him the contents of one whole pill daily.

Also I am not sure what type of cereal you are using but if it is rice cereal stop and swith him to oatmeal or mutigrain. Happy Bellies is a great brand and has probiotics to help keep tummy happy.

http://www.diapers.com/Product/SearchResults.aspx?FreeTex...

You can also purcharse it at your local Target or Whole Foods.
I don't think he is waking up because he is hungry. His poor little tummy is probably in so much pain.

Have you tried to give him an enema? I know this may be extreme and only a last case scenario but it would work.

Good luck mommy

I don't know if you feed him any solids, but it you do watch out for cereal and bananas. Bananas caused my little ones to become very constipated. The cereal that is fortified with Iron also caused a lot of issues. The dairy in the formula may be causing more constipation too.

But back to your question. Some diluted apple juice might help. It always loosened up my babies, sometimes too much! Other than that just plenty of water. If worse comes to worst see if you can increase your milk supply and keep on breastfeeding. I know that isn't easy, but it might help.

If he is having a hard time "getting it out" I would buy some disposable gloves or use a wipe, and coat it with Vaseline, and then gently rub around his anus (not to be crude, sorry) to help him stretch and get it all out. This helped tremendously with my youngest. She would scream helplessly when she was constipated and was always so relieved after the fact. I hope somebody can help you more than I am. But that is all I have... :( Sorry, I know how horrible it can be seeing them in pain like that!!

My little guy (17 mos.) has low muscle tone and chronic constipation, too. Ask your doc if it's okay to give him a little flax seed oil with his food. In addition to daily prunes, we did that with my son every other day. ChildLife makes a pediatric supplement. Stewed apricots are great as well.

We also avoid bananas and cheese.

We had the same problem. Just about the time we started solid foods, my daughter got very constipated. In hindsight, I think we ramped up on her solid foods a bit too quickly because we were letting her control the portion size - just as we had with her older brother - but unlike her older brother, she chose bigger portions sooner (I think) and so the balance of solids to liquids plus her unique self = constipation.

Here's what we tried:
- water with every meal
- breastmilk or formula between meals (keep in mind that formula is more constipating than breastmilk, so if it's an option, now's not a great time to be increasing formula)
- applesauce, & pear puree (lots of good fiber, and these tend to be pretty watery - yay!)
- just a tiny bit of prune puree mixed in with one meal a day - it can cause gas which can be its own source of pain so we used sparingly
- smaller & fewer meals, more liquid (they really don't need much, if any, nutrition from solids yet, and very few calories)
- oatmeal as the only cereal (no rice, it's constipating)
- no bananas (again constipating)

It's hard, I know, take care! It won't last much longer.

My son also had this issue starting at this same age. At only six months, though, his pediatrician advised us against Mirilax, Benefiber, etc. The concern is that a baby this young needs to be able to drink plenty of water for these products to work properly. If not, the constipation will become ever worse. Sounds like your baby may be drinking enough water for one of these products to help him though...mine was not. She recommended that we add 1 teaspoon of mineral oil to his food a couple times a day. It's natural and not harmful. She said to avoid, cheese, rice, bananas, and sweet potatoes.

Try a few ounces of mineral oil a couple of times per day. It is totally natural - can't hurt him at all. it comes out the same way it goes in but it will "coat" what's in the bowel, help to soften it up and slide out. You should do it a couple of times per day until you think you have him "cleaned out" and then perhaps just once a day to keep it going. Again it is completely natural - no artificial anything and cannot hurt him, even if he were to drink the entire bottle. It would just make for a mess.

Is it possible to eliminate the formula altogether? It seemed that all of my friends that introduced formula had this issue. I just stayed with nursing and we were never trouble by constipation. Maybe we were just lucky!
I was advised to give pears as a first food, then introduce cereal (mixed with the pears), so that might also have something to do with our 'luck'. Since I don't really know why you are introducing formula, but if you can stick with just breast milk until 11 months or so, you can skip formula altogether and just wean off with milk or soy milk. If that really just isn't possible for you, I would go with pears. I still use them for my whole family if anyone is having difficulties. Works for me everytime! :o)

As for the sleeping, it could be related to the constipation. Constipation causes them to want smaller meals since what is going in is not always coming back out. This will cause them to need to eat more often. If it really is just a pacifier 'addicition' it will pass. My oldest was a paci baby and for a while I would have to go in and give it back to her (no talking, lights, etc. just pop it back in and leave), but soon she learned to put it back in herself. I would keep a couple extra in her crib so there as always one close by during sleep time. At this age some kids really just need to suck more. At a year we told her that her paci needed to live in her bed, but she could go in there and have it whenever she wanted. Sometimes she would go in, suck for a minute and then come back out to play, but really if it is only allowed in bed that gets boring pretty quickly and they self limit to sleep time in a couple of days. :o)

Hello RyansProudMama,
I have been going thru the same thing. We tried prunes, prune juice, changed from rice cereal to the whole grain, pro biotics and nothing has worked except Miralax. My pediatrician recommended using it every day or every other until I found how much he needed. I have been using it as needed. I know someone on here will say dont do it but I couldnt stand to see my child scream and turn red. We stay away from the BRAT foods and used Miralax every couple of days when I notice his poop firming up. It has been perfect but it is better. Good luck!

hi, ryansproudmama!

don't worry! my son (who is now shy one day of being 1and is also named RYAN!) had the same problems. i exclusively breastfed him (and still do). once i started to introduce solids (cereal) to his diet around 6 months, he became extremely constipated to the point where he wasn't having a bowel movement for 8-9 days. he'd have a bm, and then it would be over a week before the next one. my wonderful kaiser pediatrician started me off trying to give him prune juice and more water, but then that didn't work, she suggested pear juice and pear. that still didn't work nd she was concerned about his discomfort and lack of bm's. she told me that if he didn't go regularly, it could create a problem where he might lose the reflex to push out a bm and that could be a loger term problem. his body just wasn't mature enough to digest the non-breastmilk diet. so she started him on a very safe laxative that pediatric gastroenterologists use called lactulose. it's a synthetic sugar not absorbed by the body so it sort lubes the intestines making it easier to pass bm's. once he started that, he had movements every 2-3 days. often, he'd pass a "plug" and then a softer bm wuold follow a few hours later. he only had to take the lactulose for a couple of months until he was able to have regular bm's on his own. now he's doing great!

as for sleeping through the night, the same thing. my on slept 12 hours at about 4 mnths for about 4 weeks. then he was waking up every 2 hours from 8pm until 6am! my oldest slept 12 hous a night starting at 8 weeks so i was so not used to this! but i realized that he just was hungry and needed to know that i was still around. i decided to allow him that comfort of nursing every two hours which became just twice a a night (midight and 2 am) until he turned 11 months when i knew he didn't need to nurse for nutrional needs. then over a weeken, i let him cry it out and after just two nights of him waking up and crying, he got the hint and now sleeps 12 hours.

ahhhhhhhhhh, yes, I have one of these babies myself. Changes in diet, teething, growth spurts, etc. ALL got my little one constipated. My suggestions are these (some more pleasent than others), give him a bottle of half water, half apple juice if it doesn't work, try a half bottle of straight apple juice. Within half an hour, this got my son going and literally he wouldn't stop till everything was out. I guess it was better than him being stopped up, but please be prepared for a HUGE "poo".
if he's having a hard time pushing and it seems painful, try putting some vaseline on a thermetor and playing it about half an inch up his bum....he won't like it, but sometimes that extra pressure with the "lub"(sorry I even giggled at that) helps to get things moving.

Good luck! None of this is fun......everything on that end is a chore.

K.
oh and one more thing, try giving his belly a massage and than pushing his legs over his head to sort of give a "pressure" effect on his belly, bring the legs down and massage again, than over the shoulders......if it's not painful to him, this has worked for me as well.

Glycerin suppositories.
They work like magic.
Until you get the lower end cleared out, everything you put in the top end of your kid will just build up and stay stuck and it's really hurts their little tummies.
I only had to use them a few times and there were no problems after that.

Best wishes.

I would seriously take him off of all milk products to do a test on his allergy issues. Some children have gut allergies to milk, these allergies are IgG in variety. They are also termed delayed food allergies becuase you do not get immediate response, it can be 2-24 hours that you will see responses. Sometimes they will just be very uncomfortable (the inflamation is localized to the gut) but after a time, it will show in other areas. For instance my son got sever ear infections as soon as he started on milk - he was 15 months old, and had been breast fed up to that point (of course he ate other foods by then...) but he went from breast milk and he cold turkeyed on me to cows milk. Previous to that we had occaisionally supplemented with different formulas, trying all varieties, and every time had a sever constipation response (to the point when he was 5 months old, he had been screaming for over an hour, and we checked him and he had a huge bowl movement stuck, and had to help him go - I know gross...). It turned out he has a severe allergy to all forms of cows milk, whey, caesinate, cheese, as well as soy, and numerous other things as well (but he was 7 before we ran all of those tests).

We also discovered quite a bit later that he was autistic (2 yr). Not to say that your son is or will be, but I would at least ask the doctor to run an IgG allergy test (it can be done with as little as 3 drops of blood like a diabetes test). Then you will know if that is the cause - as opposed to just guessing.

I wish with all my heart that I knew then what I know now, and that I could have taken out of his diet the things he was allergic to. It would have greatly reduced his gut issues. He is 10 now, and as long as I keep him off of milk, he has no ear infections, but if he gets milk, he will still have sinus/ear issues for 7-10 days...you can mark it on the callendar.

I have an 8 month old who had started getting hard poops well after baby food and formula were introduced. I read so many conflicting things on what was too much water to give OR fruits but not too many fruits, my head was spinning! The thing that has shown good results for us is YoBaby yogurt.
It has 6 different probiotics in it, which I think helped balance out her digestive tract, and comes in lots of flavors (mine loves blueberries or pears). It's perfectly safe and healthy for baby and it doesn't hurt that it's organic too. I'm so happy I found this stuff. Also, a jar of prunes a day helps her too but I know you have already tried that. Good luck!

The Karo syrup will not hurt him. Kaiser suggested this for my baby when she was having some constipation problems and it works like a charm! But be ready for a blow out. It really, REALLY works!

Hi Momma-
i know it's not all natural, but my sister had to use miralax for her little one because he started to get constipated around 6 months. She gave it to him once a day in watered down juice. Also, she used the enfamil lipil premium formula. I have nephews on the good start, nephews on the similac, and let me say the enfamil lipil premium is the LEAST stinky and the smoothest formula on the planet. They are all a little sticky, but as far as your babies odor and processing, it seems to be one of the gentlest.
I would try a small batch of that and add a little miralax to a watered down cup or bottle of juice. Little babies shouldn't have too much water just yet anyway. Cereal is for bigger babies that are getting ready to leave all formula behind and go to solids- don't mix that in while he is constipated unless he needs the nourishment- it is alot of fiber for the baby.
Hope this helps

Hi Dana,
My daughter is chronically constipated. Her Pediatrician had me give her Miralax (over the counter stool softener) daily in her formula or juice since she was about 6 months old. She is now 16 months and now I give it to her about twice a week. For my daughter, I use 1/2 a cap full to 8 oz. of liquid. For your baby, I would use at least 1/2 of that. Her Pedi said it was perfectly safe. Ask your doctor about it. Good luck!
A.

Feed him some Pumpkin. Has worked every time with my family

I've had a similar problem with my daughter.

She had difficulty passing a stool, crying and pushing. I called the pediatrician whom suggested letting her pass the stool in a bathtub. It was messy and gross, but it relieved the pain a bit so she could go potty. The pediatrician also suggested adding oatmeal (given no family history of oat allergy) to her diet a couple times a week for the fiber. Pears have lots of fiber too.

I went from breastfeed to formula. Breast milk is sweet and I found if I put 1 teaspoon of prune juice in his formula he never minded. I would also put 1 teaspoon in his oatmeal since he never like rice cereal. He never has a problem after that. Now that is he 3 year old I give him popcorn which is the highest fiber in any food. Hope this helps!

So sorry you and your baby are going through this. No fun! I have found that instead of treating just the symptoms, you might want to think about the cause! My daughter had this problem and I found out later she was gluten intolerant. This can lead to autoimmune problems. Dairy can cause constipation too. These are a couple of the reasons our kids tend to get constipated when we start adding solid foods. We add in wheat products (cereals, crackers, etc.) and yogurt and cheese b/c the doctors tell us to. Our kids need the fiber and the fats but htere are other way to get them. I know you will think I'm crazy b/c this thinking is not the norm but it is kind of a long story. You can talk to your doctor about it but he/she will most likely not be very sympathetic. Doctors Gluten intolerance is a complicated and genetic condition but you may want to do a little research to rule it out. For many of us, whole wheat and dairy can do more harm than good to our bodies. If you want to know more about the topic, just search on line. Try "gluten dairy constipation" and you'll find tons on info. You can also search "gluten intolerance symptoms" and see if you or the baby's dad have any of them. Doctors don't tend to put all the parts of the equation together since the symptoms vary so much from person to person. They include eczema and other skin rashes, digestive problems, sleep problems, fatigue, canker sores, difficulty concentrating, depression or anxiety... The list goes on!
Let me know if you have any questions. :) Take care!

My daughter also had the same problem but I did give her the karo syrup at about 4 months and it worked like a charm. I think it just helps it slide on out. I think it was better than to just watch her in pain. Good luck! Hope you find something that works.

Hello, I would suggest Soy milk and try that. Our daughter had the same problem and it worked for us. Its more expensive but it is so worth it! Good luck. :-}

We have a similar situation. This is what we've done that is working:

*Oats (limited amount), pears, peas and prunes have all been good anti-constipation foods.
*Used suppositories to get the system unstuck.
*Lots of water.
*Enfamil premium already has probiotics in it

Side note: Applesauce constipates but apple juice doesn't.

good luck

I don't know if anyone else said this either... too many to read. But my doctor also recomended when my daughter was really bad, he said to try straight purple grape juice, just as if we would drink it. It helped a lot with my daughter, and she loves grape juice now, he had actually told me it works better than prunes, it didn't quite work THAT good for my daughter, but it did the job without over doing it

hi,

I have been reading some of the posts and I agree with increase water/juice intake. Any fruit starting with the letter P helps. Pineapple juice can work well.
I am surprised by miralax been given to babies. My daughter was on it because of constipation and if you read their website nobody should be on it for more than 2 weeks.
I found that talking her off rice, bananas, bread...bulk food and simply increasing fluids helps her.Constipation seems to be an epidemic!!

Hey there,
Don't worry. There is a very simple and easy answer. Go to a local health food store or online and buy "Baby Calm". This is a magnesium supplement. People with constipation are deficient in magnesium. Follow the directions on the label, which are start with their amount and increase daily by small amounts until the stool is comfortably loose. It takes about 24 hours. Our baby was supposed to be on laxatives and suppositories for many years according to our doctor. He's totally fine and we'll never go back to living like that again! Now our doctor tells all his patients about magnesium. It's funny how doctors know soooo much and yet almost nothing about basic physiology.
It's how the body works. If you don't have enough magnesium you're constipated. Sooo glad we figured that out.
Good luck! I'm sure you're baby will be fine by tomorrow.
Blessings,
C.

One option would be to try to start increasing your milk supply and lay off of the formula, cereal, etc. Formula is not the same as breastmilk and it is not what babies bodies were designed to run on. I know there are times when moms can't breastfeed for good reason, but if you have it that is a different story.

Buy children's suppositories. Insert one and he will have a BM within minutes. DO NOT let him go more then 2 days without a BM. Your ped needs to give you more suggestions besides water, prunes, etc. If things aren't working, they need to help you with getting his bowels moving before there are further problems such as a bowel obstruction. Yes, do not use Karo Syrup. I had the same problem with my daughter. Just don't use the suppositories more than twice a week. You don't want your baby to depend on them. But look for a new Ped if they are no help. Good Luck!

I know your son is quite young, but mandarin oranges (canned) worked everytime for my kids.

If you are still breastfeeding check your diet also, and I suggest you personally drink mango juice or eat the fruit when it is in season. Are you using spices in your food? You might want to cut spices out of your cooking if you are still breast feeding the baby. You need to be careful what you give to your infant, and should not give give powerful herbal teas to a 6 months old. I know that people means well, but you cannot give strong herbs to an infant. I would not worry if he was older, but he is way too young. You can put him on his back, and bycicle his legs. You can rub his tummy, and use suppositories. I just want you to be careful what you give to your baby, and a teaspoon of milk of magnesia once a week is OK. It has been use for years, and we all familiar with it. You can also cut on the starch, and can even make your own baby foods. Boil sweet potato, and carrots then blend it with no salt or grease. I bet you he will like the sweet taste of it, and it is full of fiber. Please let us know how he is doing on this site, because I particularly do not like for kids to be sick as a mom and grandma.

I had this problem - but I am still breastfeeding. I used one drop of Karo syrup (the clear version) and rubbed it on my nipples - then fed him. You could also just rub a small amount on the bottle nipple. Within 3 hours - we had a BM! Of course - follow your pediatrician's advice - but this has worked wonders for us. Good luck.

Stop the ceareal in the formula/breast milk. Cereal is a carbohydrate and is digested faster than protein. Cereal shoud be given by spoon mixed with milk. Cereals, especially rice, causes constipation. Oatmeal has far more fiber than rice. Try green veges, fruits that have a pit, peaches, prunes, plums, avoid apples and bananas and yellow veges, these are constipation specials.

He should be drinking between 24-30 ounces of milk each day and having 1-3 meals of cereals/veges/fruits each day.

You should offer 1 new food every 5-7 days to check for allergy responses.

Call your pediatrician with your questions..

My niece had this same problem and the doctor told her parents to give her sugar water, maybe that will work for your son. Good luck!

the whole family should try coconut water with no additives. you can find it at your local health food store. the baby can have 10-30 drops of fennel seed tea as often as 4 times a day, but it is doubtful you will need to do it that often. just boil water and add a tbs. of seeds to steep.

Boil 1 cup of water with 10 prunes until it reduces to have. Give him at night 2 full spoons. It works really good. Try to give him everyday at least 1 teaspoon.