My 16 month old, for weeks now, has been constipated and i don't know what to do. He use to drink 9 oz cup of milk about three or four times a day, i cut it down to twice a day now. I'm making sure he's drinking water all day and i even give him gerber prune juice. Every other day i try to give him prune gerber after meals (once a day) to help him. I've been making sure he doesn't eat anything dry. Everything is in soup/stew, moist, and been giving him fruit daily. He goes number two every other day like he's always been doing except his stool is hard and round marble size. I'm worried, I don't know what else to give him to help him. I thought for sure the prune gerber and juice would help him and cutting down on milk, but didn't. If you've gone through this before with your child please tell me what you've done and if it worked. I'm almost willing to buy prunes so he can eat through out the day as "snacks" to help him, cuz that has helped me before. But don't know if prunes are too strong for him, are they?
Thank you
I know you mentioned prune juice. Have you tried baby prune food. Or give fruit but stay away from bananas.
Avoid the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, apples, toast). You already have great advice.
You may also try an old remedy of karo syrup in water
Get him some probiotics. They regulate the bacteria in his intestines and help digestion and bowel movements. They help immensely with constipation. You can get them in a natural foods store. Try finding them in the refrigerated vitamin section. Also give him yogurt with "live active cultures" like Yo Baby. My son has always loved plums. (Prunes are just dried plums) He eats them up and that helps him get going.
One thing you can do with the prunes is to stew them in a little water in a saucepan. Cut them up into quarters first, then place in a couple inches of water and boil for a few minutes. Once cool, he can eat the prunes and drink the water.
Another very effective fruit is blueberries. Fresh or frozen, they are great at getting things moving.
Avoid bananas and applesauce for now.
Brown rice is a good source of fiber (not white-- it will have the opposite effect) too. Stay away from crackers unless they are whole grain. Anything with flaxseed added= good. Anything with white flour, incl. pasta will only cause more problems.
Pears are another good source of fiber. If you can make him some smoothies with the prune water, blueberries and pears, throw in some powdered probiotics or a bit of good yogurt, that will also help.
And no, regular old prunes won't be too h*** o* his system. The big trick is to get the water into them. Otherwise, it's just dried fruit wicking away water from his system as it rehydrates. If you want to serve raisins, be sure to stew them too.
Hope your little guy feels better,
H.
Increase the fiber. Whole grains.
Does he eat a lot of cheeses or bananas? Very constipating.
And white grape or pear worked pretty well for my son when he was younger.
fiber rich veggies, lentils, beans, whole grains (brown rice), will help bulk up his stool...
don't feed him infant cereal...
good luck!
Try whole grains like whole wheat pasta or brown rice. This has always kept our boys regular.
My daughter's doc recommended giving her some Cracklin Oat Bran cereal to munch on. I gave it to her dry to eat, not w/ milk in a bowl. Worked for her.
My second son had trouble with that, and he loved his very own special "giant raisins" (prunes) and prune juice. He felt super special that they were only for him and no one else could have them (as if we wanted them!)
He was obviously a bit older than 16 months, though.
I bet prunes would be just great, if he'll eat them. If prune juice and all that stuff you said you're doing aren't strong enough to soften things up, then I doubt prunes would be too strong!
My daughter wouldn't drink the prune juice so we bought gerber organic prune baby food - i gave it to her every day (1/2 of the container). It helped tremendously from the time she was about 9 months old until she started eating non-pureed food. Even now at 3 years old, she gets 2 real prunes every morning with her breakfast. I just keep a close eye on her when she uses the potty, to make sure I am not giving too much help (if you know what I mean!)
I agree on the probiotics. Also, papaya is a natural laxative and avocado works well too in cleaning them out.
I was just told by a nurse that giving a toddler warm water to drink is a natural laxitive. (she said it doesnt work on adults) My son was just constipated and thats what she told me, but it was after the fact so I will definately try it next time...
Good luck!!
I would try giving him fresh fruits they usually regulate my child. But call your pediatrician for them to give you advice.
my son had/has the same problem and our ped. recommended Miralax - we had to give him half a cap full several times a week for months on end (ped said it was safe and also this problem is somewhat common in children/toddlers). It helps a bunch (makes things move naturally - but becareful because if you give too much the stool can get loose). We still use it today when he hasnt gone for a few days. Good Luck.
my oldest was like that all the time when he pooped from the time he was a baby to when i quit potty training him. i think its just normal for some people. feed him ice cream if you are still worried about it.
If changing his diet isn't working, I highly recommend taking him to a doctor. It could just be constipation, but it could be something more serious.
You may also want to try giving him some mineral oil.
Organic blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cucumber... these work for my daughter. Also, organic pear juice.
Prunes are a great start. Other then that you should probably take him to see his doctor to rule out something more serious.
