Constipation in Almost 8 Month Old Starting Solids

Totally normal!! Long gone are those wonderful, sweet smelling, runny breastmilk poops (well, compared to solid food poops)! Have fun.

My pediatrician said that if it's not hard or she's not straining and in pain then it's not constipation. For some babies it seems to be normal to go once or twice a week or less. My daughter used to cry and scream and shake whenever she had huge hard bowel movements. What you're describing sounds okay to me, but if you're concerned you can always call the ped. Good luck!

My daughter is a similar age and going through a similar pattern. I've also heard from other parents that this is pretty normal as babies' digestive systems adjust.

Best of luck!
R.

it is very normal for this to happen once starting solids. her body will adjust soon and she will become more regular but it will still be stinking and so will the gas. it's just because of the solids. as long as she isn't in pain i think you are good.

Totally normal...you're introducing something new. It will even out soon. Remember though potatos, applesauce and bananas are binding. Go for greens to keep her regular. Also, remember to keep trying things she seems to not like. It takes 10 tries to make that determination accurately. I thought my daughter hated green beans, but now they're one of her favorites. Oh yeah, one thing more, the color going in is the color it comes out. Don't be afraid of colorful #2. Its gross and stinky but normal. And, stage 2 is ok for independent sitters. use stage one to get her used to eating, but switch quickly to stage two to get her used to textures. I didn't do that with my first and now I'm dealing with a very texture frightened picky toddler. I let him be picky with baby food and now its like pulling teeth to get him to try things. My 6 month old is paying for that mistake because she has to try everything till she likes it.

A whole pack of sweet potato may be a little much. Potato is binding. Get some other veggies in her, even a bite of this and a bite of that.

A.,
I am just a grandmother, but this does not sound normal to me. I suggest you talk to your baby's doctor about her constipation. She may have a problem with her bowel and this could be very serious. It is often hard to find in so young a child but you should at least ask for some tests to be sure her bowels are working properly.

Make sure her diet still includes plenty (if not mostly) still breastmilk/formula, Fluids are important too. The b-milk is still the main nutrition.

I don't worry about frequency as much as comfort. When my son is constipated I can tell by how much he has to 'work' at it. As long as he's not obviously trying to go I don't worry about it. When he is having trouble, prunes or prune juice work for him. I use prune juice or apple-prune juice to make his cereal or just mix prunes in with his other purees. Now that he's older it's more prune juice (diluted) in his sippee when he needs it. Good Luck!

What does the poop look like? When you say she's 'blown out the diaper' is it the same kind/consistency of poop you're used to? If it looks like it normally does, then it likely isn't constipation. Once you introduce the solids, things will get stinkier.

If the bowel movements are like dry little pellets or if she is really laboring and grunting to get them out, it might be constipation.

Hi A.,
At 8 months, if your child is having constipation issues, it is most probably a slight misalignment of the spine. This is so easy to fix and you will not need to worry about special foods, syrups, etc. We really should not be giving our toddlers any over-the-counter medicines, suppositories, etc. Once you start using this as your solution to the various issues our babies go through, it will cause so many other long term health issues. You will be shocked at how many things can be prevented through regular adjustments, for children and adults. Just try it out, you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain to keep your child happy and healthy. Please contact me if you have any questions as my husband is a chiropractor.
My daughter's first food at 6 months, after exclusive breast feeding, was also sweet potatoes and she had no constipation. Sweet potatoes are totally different than white potatoes, much more fibrous, so it should not cause constipation. Try making the sweet potatoes yourself, they are so easy, you can make a whole bunch (just freeze leftovers) at once, and thus so much cheaper. Her other first food was fresh avocadoes, great natural, fatty food which is so good for them and easy to digest. Hope it all works out and please contact me if you have any questions!

I am not into wholistic medicine or organic foods but my MIL is, and she introduced us to infant acidophilous when my son was 6 weeks old. Acidopilous is active good bacteria in yogurt. We asked the pedi about it, and he said it is fine to give him. I am proud to say that my now 18 month old son has NEVER been constipated, and poops at least 2-3 times a day! Whether or not you believe in wholistic products or not, this is the best thing I have seen to help with the pooping problem.

P.S. The product we use is Udo's Choice or Natran Infant Acidophilous. We purchase ours at Fruitful Yield in Lombard, but you can purchase it at any GNC, or health food store! Good luck and please let me know if you use it and how it works!

With constipation always think "P's"; prunes, pears and papaya. All three of my breastfed babies were constipated once introduced to solids. Our pedi recommened a jar of prunes, pears or papaya daily. Even if if meant putting it directly into their bottle of breastmilk or formula. My 8 month old son doesn't have the rabbit like pellets but he's very thick and pastey that's hard formed. The extra fruits helps keep him regular. I also give him 2 oz of fruit juice a day. I also mix his fruits and veggies with oatmeal or mixed grains more often than rice.

You can try giving her diluting a little apple juice. If she doesn't like it you can mix it in with oatmeal cereal. She may also try peaches, apricots, pears, peas (not peas and rice), spinach. Her stools will improve with time. : )

Totally normally. My pediatrician told me to put a tablespoon of Karo syrup (that's right the corn syrup used in baking) in with the baby's bottle once or twice a day. I think this was one of those old wives tales but it did the trick and I found out later that many people knew this. But make sure you check with your doctor first before you do this in case something has changed in the past couple of years.

M. G.

I was always told that a child is constipated only if the poop looks like rabbit pellets (hard and round shaped). If it comes out normally, then it's just her pattern. The other thing that worked for me was to give the kids pears. The loved the taste and it helped them poop. You could also mix the prunes with something really sweet like bananas or pears...that way they go down. Good luck!