Constipation! - Woodstock, GA

Someone previously mentioned pears. I gave my son pear juice (up to 4 oz) in his bottle mixed with the formula. He had a problem with dairy so that really helped him. The doctor told me to give him no more than 4 oz. in a day. Good luck!

S.

I have two boys and every time that they are constipated I give a teespoon of olive oil after dinner and by next day they don't have any problem. It always works for my kids.

I feel your pain! All three of my boys had issues with constipation for different reasons. the best things I found were prune juice you can mix it with apple juice so it doesnt taste so bad, warm clothes on the belly (helps to relax them), if it was bad Senokot has a Childrens Stool softener that works wonders, and if it was really really bad Baby Lax liquid suppositories. I would also call the pediatrician for suggestions if need be.

Good Luck,

Jess

My pediatrician has always told me that applesauce helps to harden their stools up, not soften them. My kids ALWAYS seemed to go if I gave them pears. Maybe that would work for your little guy. Good Luck.

Try to use some sugar water. My kids loved it. My doctor suggest a thermometer, trying to stimulate things. But I would not suggest that unless your doctor says so. I have also used baby suppositories, which were successful as well. Again, talk to your Ped. But sugar water or Karo syrup water worked for us. Good luck with your little guy. Sorry he is so miserable.

Hi V.,
My oldest had severe constipation! When we took him to the ped. we were told to start weeding out foods that could be the problem and increase his fiber and juice intake. Well it didn't take long to find that milk and milk products do not agree with his body! He doesn't like the taste of soy milk so his regular milk intake is very limited. Stay away from bananas (actually are high in fiber, but when too many are eaten it acts in the opposite way), pastas, applesauce they are natural blockers. Oatmeal, high fiber bread, nuts (when he's old enough), green veggies are all high in fiber, along with many more. If you go to ezine article and click on health and fitness/nutrition it will give a list of foods and their fiber content. Hope some of this is helpful to you and your little one. Prayers ~ J.

Hi V.,
My daughter had a lot of trouble with constipation a couple months ago. She will also be turning 1 soon, in three weeks:) The best things I found to keep her regualr were peaches, pears, apple juice, and prunes. Oatmeal seems to keep her regular too. If he is having trouble, stay AWAY from bananas, applesauce, and rice cereal (yes, applesauce actually causes constipation). Hope this helps!
J.

Stay away from the apples and applesauce...I thought that they would be good to give for constipation too, but they aren't. Green veggies, whole grains, beans (my 11 month old loves black beans), peas, plums, peaches and pears are all good. My doctor does recommends juice.

Hey V.,
Well, my daughter who is now 13 mnths has some issues as well, she is sometimes in pain when she goes. When I see this, I have her drink a lot of water, she loves it and is good with her sippy cup. I also give her lots of fruit, she can eat prunes and plums when I peel it and cut it into pieces. This seems to work. She had a problem today and after she had a lot of water and some fruit at lunch she had a big soft present waiting for me. :)
So, try fruit, no bananas or apples, stay away from crackers, bread or pasta, and lots of water. IF that doesnt help I would call the dr and talk to a nurse and see what they suggest.
It sucks seeing them in pain isnt?

My daughter has had constipation issues all 21 months of her little life. She was so bad I would have to get out the Q-tips & vasaline & help her get it out because nothing else would work. About 6 months ago the doctor finally did something about it. They prescribed Miralax for her (now you can get over the counter) the dosage they gave her was 8 grams (1 1/4 teaspoon)in 4 ounces of juice, everyday.I had to play with the dose until I got what worked for her. She was getting too much I had to take it to every other day. The doctor wanted me to wean her down & see what happened so we when to 3 days a week, 2 days a week, 1 day a week & now we only use it when she needs it. We have not used the Miralax in probably a month. I would talk to your doctor & see what he/she says & what the correct dosage would be.I give her lots of raisins now which I think is helping her. Also you want to stay away from apple juice & apple sauce they are binding. My doctor did not say anything about milk to me but a friend of mine said her doctor told her to reduce the amount of milk she was giving her son. You do not want to let this continue because then he will be afraid to try and go because it hurts which will hinder potty training when he is ready.

I know this sounds strange, but as a massage therapist who knows refelexology, I can tell you it works. Gently rub the insides of both knees several times a day until the constipation clears.

Well, like some of the other mom's prunes and pears helped with my children. If he is not lactose intolerant you might try some organic yogurt (smoothies). I've noticed that it helps also. My co-worker also mentioned beets which you would probably have to grind up and maybe mix with something...

You could put some mineral oil in his juice. About 1 tablespoon in 4-8 ounces or try miralax. It is now over the counter and very safe. If he does not have a bowel movement for about 3-4 days, you may want to call your dr. Our pediatrician says that the children don't need to have a bowel movement everyday but at least every other day.

try prunes baby food.
worked for us.

Hi, Don't let it get to u sweetie give him alittle bit of prunes it should do trick or maybe some prune juice mixed in some oatmeal. Let me know how it goes.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

Prunes(the baby food kind) works well and yogart.Those 2 things seem to keep my daughter from getting constipation.
RachaelF

Hi V.,

You don't say how old your little guy is but I use prune juice or baby prunes (the consistency of apple sauce) when my son is having trouble doing a BM. The baby prunes are sold right along with the rest of the pureed baby food.

D.

I feel your pain. My 21 month old has had problems with constipation for as long as I can remember. What keeps her regular is eating Gerber stage 1 prunes. She didn't like the prune juice (although if you haven't tried it yet, you may want to: 1 part juice - 2 parts water), but thankfully she'll eat the baby food. It works like a charm! You could also try putting some wheat germ in foods like yogurt to aid in digestion. If these things don't work, you may want to ask your pediatrician for more suggestions. Good luck!

How old is your son?When my oldest son was an infant, he was always constipated.He was then on enfamil w/iron and he had to be switched to a soy-based formula.My now 4 year old son was breast-fed as a baby and he also had constipation issues.Apple juice usually worked for him. But to this day, he still has issues with having a bow-movement. I still give him apple juice to keep him on some kind of schedule because I know that he will not drink prune juice without being "forced" to.Depending on the age of your baby, I would try prune juice if apple juice did't do the trick.Fortunately, my youngest son never had any issues with constipation--actually I wish he would just take a break sometimes!!!

Hi V.,
you can give him grapes ... just make sure they are seedless and that you cut them in half before you give them to him... raisins and prunes help too....I bet even watermelon would help and its coming into season now...

good luck
S.

I went through exactly this situation with my son, who did survive it all and is now 23, lol. It was the start of IBS for him, which is something that needs to be managed. He was so constipated that he became impacted several times. The little surprises throughout the day were from the log jam in his bowel, and little bits seeping around it. He had so much trouble having a bowel movement that there was a little blood in it at times.

What worked for him was to get rid of all sources of bleached flour from his diet. That was the suggestion of his pediatrician, and I was so much at a loss that I tried it. Lo and behold, within 6 weeks everything straightened out, and continued throughout his childhood years. It sounds crazy, but I have seen articles on the internet that support this idea. Anyway, I still only use unbleached flour, and use only whole grain breads. The biggest challenge was to find pasta made from unbleached flour. But it really worked.

It may not help you, but we were to the point of using daily Senecot with no success. This did the trick. It's worth a try.

I thought apples and apple juice would help too but my sister said that makes it worse and that is what she gave her kids when they had diariah(spelling?) I too used baby prunes and it worked every time. If nothing else the dr. can prescribe stool softener. I couldnt stand the thought of suppositories and never had to. though my daughter was just as you describe your son.
K.

I know you've gotten a lot of responses and I haven't read them all, but I hope I'm of help. My Pedi told me applesauce is a BIG no-no for people who are prone to constipation. My son is a little over 1 and (recommended by his pedi) I give him a medicine called Fletchers, it tastes like root beer and it DOES THE JOB without going overboard. When I give it to him about 5 or so hours later he has a nice soft poo. That's what we always use now. Here's a link to show what it looks like. It is a laxative made for children. I buy his at Wal-Mart. http://www.shopinprivate.com/fletcaslax.html HTH!