Help My 5 Month Old Is SO Constipated.

Hi C.. Ask your pediatrician about Miralax. It's an OTC laxative that works very well. I have three kids that had constipation problems for different reasons and the doc told me to use Miralax. We tried mineral oil first but it didn't work at all for any of them. The Miralax has no flavor and can be mixed in with a bottle. I don't know if you have tried pear juice yet but that was one our pediatrician recommended even over prune juice. It always helped some.

Prolonged constipation can be the sign of other things going on. If it continues, I would ask the pediatrician for a referal to a GI specialist (gastrointerologist) and to have food allergy testing done.

Hi C.,

you may want to try giving her a lactobacilus - my nutritionist recommended for my 2-month old son to loosen his stool. I give him 1/4 of a teaspoon a day of "ultra bifidus DF" made by Metagenics, which is safe for infants. If you are nursing, you can place the powder right on your nipples but my son did not like that. Instead, I pump so I can put it in a bottle and he takes it well. I asked my pediatrician about it and she said it is fine to give him that but just to be safe, you can always ask yours. Good luck.

My son was constipated once. Constipation is a sign of dehydration so make sure that she is still getting some breastmilk or at the very least formula on top of her food. Her digestive system is still fragile.

If you want... you can do what I did. I got one of those ear syringes for babies and used it as an enema bulb. I used lukewarm water and squeezed it very slowly into his rectum. A couple of squirts and out it came! Just make sure she's in the bathtub or over a sink or something that you can throw out. Do NOT do this on the changing table thinking you'll just clean it up because it will be a mess. (use water only!)

I would also suggest starting to add in acidophilus in to her diet.

I am an Infant Massage Instructor and I have a 9mo old daughter who went through the same thing at that age. How much are you massaging her tummy and what strokes are you using? I would rub her belly in a clockwise motion all the way down to her pelvis region up to the bottom of her rib cage. Do that 6 times, then pull her knees up to her chest and hold for 6. Straighten her legs and do that again 2 more times for a total of 3 knee-to chest presses. Do this entire exercise 3 times or until she releases herself. There may be a lot of groaning and grunting, but it works on my daughter. I was also told by my doc not to give her so much Oatmeal or rice cereal. Just once a day is good. And I also started giving her water after every meal and that seemed to help.

Hi C.,

I have had the EXACT same problems with my 5 month old exclusively breastbed baby boy since he was a few weeks old. It's gotten so bad that he would bleed as he pooed. Our doctor recommended giving him mineral oil with his bottles and it has made a big difference. I would be careful using too many supositories. As our doctor explained it, when you help babies poo they become dependent on your help to do it. :) Hope it gets better! And stay away from the banana's!!

Hi,

Both my daughters had this problem...do you use rice cereal?? That usually constipates babies...used single grain oatmeal, give her some plum, and I have also used a teaspoon Caro Syrup in one ounce of water, and that had worked as well. If you can get her to drink it, mineral oil works also, but is really nasty..my daughter had one gulp and would never try it again...lol. In addition to staying away from rice cereal, stay away from banannas and apples, both constipate babies. Apple juice is good, but no apples as a solid. I ahve also used prune juice...about three oz in the morning and 3 more around noon and she was poopen' by 3pm.

Hope this helps!

D. :)

Hi C.,
You may already know this, but steer clear of both applesauce and bananas. High fiber foods work for some but actually increase constipation in others. I'm assuming you've already tried prune juice. Unfortunately, we had to go with meds (or chose to, though we had tried not to), starting with milk of magnesia and then Miralax, so I don't have much else to offer. I have heard of acupuncturists who work with children as young as six months; maybe that would help? When pooping hurts, even infants will try to avoid it, which can worsen constipation and cause other problems such as anal fissures. I completely understand not wanting to give your child meds, but when nothing else worked we went with meds, which he took for about 1.5 years. He is just fine now.
K.

Hi C.
In addition to apple sauce & bananas these foods are also constipating, milk, cheese, meats, saltine crackers, potatoes, white bread, pasta. It is always better to cure this with diet. Some kids just need more fiber than others & also make sure the baby gets enough fluids esp. in hot weather you need more fluids.