Infant Constipation

T., prune juice is a really good idea. So is mineral oil. You just squirt it into the side of their mouth, and things will go very smoothly! You might also try just water. This helps things to start moving. I hope this helps! H., mom to Ethan(4) and Emma(3).

Don't know if anyone said this already. I would put a teaspoon of brown sugar in a 6 oz bottle of formula. that seemed to help both my boys.

My son had the same issues . . . he was on Gentlease also.
Karo syrup worked for him! 1/4 teaspoon of Karo syrup for every 4 oz of liquid. I just mixed it in with his formula bottle.
We tried prune juice too, but that didn't work as well. Be careful using apple juice. . . a pharmacist told me that can have the opposite effect you're going for.
Good luck!

yes the prune juice and water does work. Water is great by itself too. My son is 13 months old and the Dr says 200 ml of water for him a day so not sure how much you can give your daughter but it helps a lot and also we give him infant glycerine suppositories, again ask your Dr first, but that is because he goes sometimes 4 days w/o going. Good luck!

Have you taken an infant massage class? In the class they teach you how to massage their tummies to help them pass gas which also helps them with constipation. A simple rainbow across their belly with two fingers is a good start, gentle pressure. A wonderful tactic for gas pains is a warm pack laid across the stomach. (It helps break the gas bubbles up. Works like a charm for our little one.)

I think you better get her to the doctor. Ask to work with a nutritionist. You need to stay on top of EVERYTHING when it comes to kids. Never overlook anything. The prune juice sounds good. Your baby may need a stool softener, if there is one for babies. I really don't know. But I do know of a little girl that had the same issue. It's because the mom wasn't feeding her fiber foods and she was between 1 - 2 years old. Water and fiber is very important.

Mixing the prune juice and water wouldn't hurt as far as I'm concerned. If I were in your shoes, that's what I'd be doing, because your little one is uncomfortable.

I'm wondering if you're feeding her too much formula and not enough water? You really need to bring her to a doctor to work right along with a nutritionist. Things will get better. It's a learning process.

T.,

Definitely try probiotics for your little one. It will help tremendously. You can get a powdered acidophilus that will be easy to give to your little one diluted in water or formula, or that she can just suck off of your finger. Also, colic calm works great for infants dealing with gas. It is homeopathic and all natural! www.coliccalm.com. Hope this helps!

Hi T., I have had the same problem with my little girl, since birth, she is now almost 5 years old now and we still have problems. I did try the prune juice/water mixture, it does help some. Apple juice/water 50/50 also helps. We had to use a soy based formula, which also helped alot. There is also a medicine that really helped with the gas and tummy aches, it is call Hylands Colic Tablets they are very tiny and dissolve fast and are 100% natural, they were a life saver for us as they really helped with the discomfort my baby girl had. Good luck, K.

I strongly sujest that you try the prune juice. My daughter had the same problem. It lasted for 3 months.
And after taking her to the Dr. (and trying medication that didn't work) the prune juice worked instantly. She may need the juice once a day for a few days.
I hope this helps you.

She may be having problems with the store bought formula. I found a naturopathic formula that I can make at home and it's way better for the baby, not to mention the effects and price. It's way cheaper than the store stuff. Contact me if you want the recipe. I used it on my last one and he's a really robust kid. I mean he's been doing sit-ups since he was 8 mo old.
My sister had 3 kids with SEVERE constipation problems, I mean hospital admissions bad and she used the formula. Her kids have Hirschsprungs.

-S.

P.S. The formula is not something you will find on a store shelf, it's a simple barley formula.
button-style link

Hi T.,

I've felt your pain. I've skimmed the responses and just want to share a few things. My own DD started this at 1-month. Because of some medical issues I wasn't able to nurse so I used Horizon Organic Formula. It turned out she's unable to handle dairy.

My sister suggested I massage her tummy in the direction of her digestive track using olive oil. That got past the immediate hurdle.

Then I switched her to goat milk. My older sister almost died as an infant because she couldn't tolerate any of the formulas on the market. My grandmother insisted my mom put her on goat milk and she's still with us today 43 years later.

I bought powdered goat milk to start and for traveling. I used fresh as she got older. I went to a naturopath and bought some liquid vitamins called Pediatrivite (sp?) and added it to the goat milk. I also got a really high quality probiotic from the ND and my DD would suck it off my finger. I'm sorry I don't remember the name but it came in a small brown bottle with a red rubber dam top and a white screw on lid over that.

We also used chiropractic care starting at age 4 months. My DD was born with rapid progression and her lumbar region was displaced with one hip below the other. She never had any more problems until we were potty training and that was a fear issue. We used organic apricot nectar for that.

I would be cautious with any chiropractor I allowed near my child. It took me a couple of months seeking referrals to find Dr. Katherine Ellison on Westlake. She still sees my children and myself.

I would be very cautious inserting anything into a young child's rectum because you could puncture the walls and that could lead to sepsis.

I would also be very cautious of using chamomile. I adore chamomile but it's a member of the ragweed family and it is recommended that anyone with allergies to ragweed avoid it.

Improperly adding water to a young infants diet can create electrolyte imbalances which can be dangerous also.

Your DD body is trying to communicate something. If you can find and eliminate the cause now, you can forever be rid of the symptoms.

It could be something as simple as your formula has too high an iron content for your DD. I'm not familiar with the one you mention but that should be looked at as well.

Congratulations on your baby girl! Best success in your business!

C. WAHM to 4 y/o virtual twins

Hi T...When our daughter was a baby we used 1-2 tablespoons Karo syrup mixed with 2-3 oz. of formula. It always worked. Good luck.
T.

Hi T.. I had a very constipated infant and now still have a 2 yr old that is on a perscription laxative. When he was about 3 months old the doc told me to try dark karo syrup in his bottle. This helped alot. I would put about a teaspoon in a 4 oz bottle with his formula and shake it up really good. He seemed to like it. It has to be the dark Karo though. The light Karo doesn't work. You can find Karo syrup in the baking section at the grocery store. Hope this helps.

Hi T. i had the same problem with my son sapositories is the cheapest and easiest way to go your baby is to young for juice plus its full of sugar and can make her crampy. Thats what i did and it work great for my little pooper. Lol
S.

Instead of prune juice try pureed prunes or apple sause Gerber I think has both. I believe the actual pureed fruit will give her the extra fiber that will get her system going.

I'm a first mom with a 12 months old boy, and it happended the same that your baby and one time I tried prune juice and he had diarrea so my friend told me that he was way to young for prune juice so the next time happended she told me to give him apple juice mix it with water and in the same time try to massage her back quite afew times and it worked for me ..now he is regullar guy that do when he has too.
about the milk I used to breastfeed and also baby formula similac soy milk (for one month) and then we changed it for similac advance and is been great.
good luck
and congratulations

I did try the prune juice with water and it worked very well. My daughter loved the juice to and would drink it right down. It will help get your daughter back to every day. Good luck

I am a 50 year old mom, raised 6 and have 3 grands. I would give your baby an ounce of water between feedings. Sometimes dehydration causes constipation problems. Or if she hates the water, dilute a few of her formula bottles with extra water. If your tap water has a lot of chlorine in it, boil it first for 5 min to steralize. I wouldnt give her juice this early. Good luck and good work!!

We found Good Start to be the best! We will never use a different formula if we have more kids. But you have to remember if you keep changing the formula on her it is going to cause problems. You need to stick with a formula. We learned that the hard way. She is only 3 months old she shouldn't have tried more then 1 or 2 different formulas by know. It can really mess with there system. But we have had two very constipated babies (caused from genetics) and Good Start is awesome!!!!!!!!

Hi T.,
My first son was really gassy and had acid reflux. To help his gassy stomach we used Gripe Water and that was just what he needed. It even works on you too instead of Tums if you both need some relief too. He was also formula fed and we used Nuetramigine that is finally the easiest formula on his little tummy. We also had a constipation issue and when we looked it up and called our friend who is a nurse at Children’s hospital she told us to use a thermometer or a suppository that you break in half and of course cover either in Vaseline and try to stimulate them to go. It does work. And if after a few days it doesn't you should call or check with your doctor so that they can help and be aware of what is going on too.

I know it is hard to see your little one in pain. But don't go changing the formula if you have one that works and they are feeding on. Take one issue at a time. It could just be the little tummy and nothing else. Switching formulas right now will only complicate figuring out what the problem is.

Good luck to you and I am sorry ya'll are having to go through this.

My oldest son also had this problem on occasion. We used to give him apple juice diluted 50-50 with water, 8 oz. per day did the trick. Good luck!

Hi T.,
My daughter is 5 months old, but when she was around 3 months old she started having trouble w/ constipation. We started giving her 1 ounce of pear or apple juice, per our doctor, and this has worked great! We don't give it to her every day, usually once every 2 or 3 days. Her constipation is much better but she never has diarrhea. Good luck!

T. we have been battling this problem for ten months now so I could go on and on with ideas. Yes a little prune juice mixed right into her formula bottle works great for MOST kids. White grape juice is another very good natural laxative. Mixing some Miralax into her bottle when she gets backed up should help within a day. Try these and if they don't work let me know, I can give some more ideas. Hope this helps...good luck!

S.

We had some troubles finding a formula that worked for my son as well (due to both constipation and colic - probably the colic caused by constipation) and what we ended up doing was watering down the formula. We gave him the formula which was diluted from the time he was 3 days old until just recently (he's now 18 months) and he grew normally. It eliminated his tummy aches and helped him become a little more regularly.
If you're not comfortable doing this, talk to your pediatrician.

I feel your pain! :o)

My daughter (Brookelynn - Nov. 2) also has suffers from extreme constipation. We give her a couple ounces of water or gerber pear juice (target and walmart sell it in 4 oz bottles) to help move things through. It seems to help, but it will take a couple hours. The specialist has told us we can give her up to 4 oz of juice a day if she's really in pain.

Hi T.,
My oldest son had occasional constipation as a baby (he's 18 now) The prune juice diluted worked for him. I don't remember for sure, but think I diluted it 50-50 with water. Hope this helps.
Blessings,
Vicki

I have several ideas. I had problems with my first, who was also formula fed and sometimes would only go every 8 days. All the doctor had to say about it was that it's only an emergency if it's 11 days or more! OUCH! Anyway, here's my research: I went to soy and that didn't work. Goats milk worked best, with about 2 tsp. full strength molassas (for iron, sweet, and other nutrition), but you should use supplimental vitamins, which are available everywhere. When she starts food, put a little olive oil in with it. You'd be amazed with the result!

If this doesn't work, or you don't want to stray from powdered formula, here are some alternatives:

A visit to the chiropractor. This cured colic for him.
Liquid minerals
Digestive enzymes (empty a capsule into the bottle)
Pro-biotics (yogurt enzymes - empty capsule on baby's tongue)

All the nutrition options are available at Moscow Food Coop. Good luck!

A friend told me to use a little olive oil on their tummy and rub/massage it in and that helps digestion system move. I have never had to try it, but I have heard of some others doing that. Juice and water is good too. Sometimes they don't go everyday either. I was worried about my son when he was that age, but I guess it's normal. Good luck.

My twin boys had lots of problems with constipation. What worked best for them was mixing the dark Karo syrup in their formula. It has to be the dark syrup. I think we put about a teaspoon in. This idea came from their pediatrician and it worked like a charm.

Hi T., my daughter, Kaely Jo had constipation when i started formula feeding her. I tried a few different things that my doctor recommended, ther karo syrup mixed with water, or formula; prune juice mixed with water, 1/2 and 1/2; and I put rice baby cereal in with her formula,not too much that it would clump or get thick, but just enough for it to still come through the hole in the nipple. You can try some of these things, and even ask your pediatrician for some advice. If it gets too bad there are always infant suppositories. Good luck and I hope she gets to feeling better! K. W

You can try baby prune juice or baby pear juice. I had a little problem with my son and that is what the Dr. office told me to do. I used pear juice because he really didn't like the prune. They also say karro syrup & water. Try moving her legs like she is on a bike. Before you try anything you might want to consult your Dr. Good luck.

Hi T.;

When daughter was about the same age she had a similar problem. My doctor suggested I give her warm, watered down, chamomile tea. I used sleepy time and it worked just fine.
I all started to make sure she was getting plenty of water - My daughter is now 25 still drinks sleepy time and so do her two little girls - ages 6 and 2.
Hope this helps, R.

Have you tried the lactose free formula? I know it is spendy but it does help. Another thing to try is goat milk. I used this on my son when he was a baby, he was sensitive to everything but did well with this. With my youngest of the clan, I was told by the nurse to give her about a teaspoon of dark Karo syrup in her bottle. Give in the AM and if there is no results by late afternoon give her some more. The syrup helps move things, and it works. Oh yea I was also told that warm bath scan also sooth a sore tummy.

Hi T.,

Although my baby (3 months old) is breastfed, I was having the same problems. Our pediatrician recommended mixing one tablespoon water with one tablespoon pear juice, and also said that Gripe Water could help with the gas. Preston, my son, also has trouble with constipation and only goes once every 4 or so days...it definitely is hard to see him in so much pain. The Dr. said that as long as the BM is not in little pellets, everything is fine. Hope this helps! Congrats on the large baby! Ours was 10lbs 8.2oz so I know how you feel! :)

My son went through the same thing since he was first born. He didn't have his first poop until 28 days after the black tarry stuff came out the day after he was born. I was freaking out , convinced that he was suffering in horrible pain.. My doctor reassured me that he would be fine and that its not like he is digesting bulk foods like steak. (that he wasn't as uncomfortable as i thought)
I still worried, then after a month he would go once a day or every other day. The suggestions i got were to try a little bit of karro syrup with water or formula. moving his legs around ( like he's riding a bike) and (or) stimulating his rectum with the tip of your pinky finger to help stimulate a bowell movement. Some babys just dont poop alot. Prosoybee formula seem to work best after trying alot of them. It helped with the gassy tummy too.
good luck! Oh please check with your doctor befor you try the prune juice. J.

T.

You need to get your sweet child on probiotics. Digestive Enzymes, to help her digest her food. You also need to up her water intake. Some yogurts have live bacilli which are digestive Enzymes that are needed by everyone to digest their foods well and with out Gas or Acid Reflux. If you want to talk with me privately about other sources of probiotics my email is ____@____.com

Good luck.
C.

My 20 month old has suffered with constipation pretty much his whole life even though he was breastfed. The juice that we have found that works the best is Welch's white grape cherry. I still give him one to two cups a day of 2 oz juice and 4-8 oz water. As long as he gets at least 2 oz a day he poops just fine. If we miss a day or two, then we're back to having problems. Good luck

I havent tried prune juice but I have tried apple and that seemed to work well with my son who was constipated alot and fussy he was a bit colicky... And that his what his Dr. recommended. hope this helps

We had that trouble too a few times. You can also try a little pear juice; it's not at harsh as prune juice. Try mixing the pear juice with the formula; substitute a little juice for some of the water. Good luck!

Some of the things that I have done with my kids is prune juice. Apple juice. Both of these would be mixed 1/4 juice 3/4 water.
The other thing that I have used is to use mineral oil about 1/2 tsp in her formula. This might help with softening her stole a little.
You may also want to talk with the dr to see if they have any ideas.

Mirilax has gone over the counter. It is the best for constipation. My daughter used it for years. You will only want to give her like 1/3 of a capful in juice once a day. It will make all loose.

I would try giving her water in addition to her milk. If you have then, you may want to dilute some apple juice in water about 50/50 giving her 2 oz twice a day. Your right it's not normal and you may have to see the doctor and that could result in a laxitive. (yuck) -Washington

I would try very very diluted apple juice. like a teaspoon of apple juice to two oz of water. it should be fine on her tummy. i havent ever heard of using prune juice on babies so i dont know about that but my younger son was consipated to the point wherei had to help the poo out of him (TMI). It was messy and very hard to watch him in so much discomfort. he apple juice did the trick. Good luck and i hope all goes well for you and the little one.

Hello I'm a mother of 3 children. My daughter is now 17 my boys are now 10 and 8. My daughter had problems with constipation when she was a baby. Yes it wasn't fun to see her in pain. What parents told me back then was give her water with a touch of sugar in it to soften the stools.its worked like a charm. or maybe some watered down fruit juice. Might be ur baby is lacking water in her little body. Hope I was of some help to you have a nice day hope your bay gets better take care.

My son was on soy formula when he was little and he would get constipated. I took a tablespoon of dark karo syrup in a bottle of warm water and that helped him.

Dear T.:
Yes! The prune juice idea worked EXTREMELY well for my Grandson when he was very little (just turned 5 years old) and the relief was in the 'same day'! We were traveling with him to Arizona from our home in Santa Cruz, CA his mother was being deployed with the Army Reserves and we were notified we had a final chance to visit with her if we went to Arizona. So we went. Nathaniel was kinda off schedule because we were traveling and my husband had me stop and pick up a little bottle of prune juice (in the baby isle at a grocery). It did the charm within hours he had two bowel movements and was relieved the rest of the trip. Give it a try I think it will be 'just the ticket'.

Grandma S.
Mom of 3 grown children and Grandma 7 times with number 8 on the way (in July).

It could be the formula that you are using. Consult your babies doctor about constipation. You could also take her to see a doctor that specializes in that area.
You also said that you work part time as a Partlite consultant. I love Partylite. Can you email me a catelog to ____@____.com
thank you.

Prune usually juice helped me. Once or twice I had to try inserting a thermomitor/Q-tip with vasaline on it for lubrication - just a little way into the rectum to stimulate the bowl movement. It doesn't hurt the baby doing this if you are careful and choose a time when she is not too active. I'll tell you what, that really helped.

Later on when you begin with fruit, watch out for serving too many bananas, as that seemed to be constipating, too.

Hi im a mother of a 2 1/2 year old and now 6 months prgo. About the constipation thing my daughter always had a rough time pooping and she was very gassy. I know for the gas infant gas drops are good. We did actually give our daughter prune juice if I remeber correctly it helped some but I know it wont hurt your kid. You should also consult with your doctor due to your daughter might have problems with dairy. Good luck!

My daughter has had the exact same issues since she was a newborn. My doctor tells me that she may grow out of it someday. When she was an infant I would give her glycerin tablets to help her go, these worked great but I was warned by several people not to use them too often. You can buy them at the grocery store. The thing that has helped has been getting her on a daily dose of glycol (PRESCRIBED BY HER DOCTOR) or you can get it over the counter and it's called Miralax. With it, she goes regularly and it's not as hard. You'd have to talk with your doctor about an age that's okay to start it, but my daughter started it when she was a little over one. It has truly been a lifesaver!