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EAT => Feeding Solid Food => Topic started by: Mom to M&M on March 09, 2006, 12:33:15 pm
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Besides the P fruits (Apricots, peaches, plums, prunes and pears) are there any other laxative foods for my 7-month old with chronic constipation? Any veggies? Peas maybe? Still on purees - late start with solids due to tummy issues and some allergies so only currently having peaches, carrots (pears and avocado caused rash and congestion). Starting squash possibly next - but open to ideas. I do a mixture of make homemade food and buy organic jars (Earth's Best, Gerber Tender Harvest). Ped wants us to stay away from cereals from now - she is concerned will be too hard for her to digest and that extra iron will only cause more constipation.
TIA.
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Hi there
Broccoli works wonders for my DS (as does weetabix but I see you are still no cereals) - peas and potatoes seem to go other way for him.
Good luck trying bits and pieces
Lin :o)
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Hmmm, I had lots of ideas till I read you lo is only 7 months, but maybe a few coudl still work.
Oatmeal has always worked on my boys. Especiallly when its really warm. Perhaps you could make some really watery and then puree it? It wouldn't be like the fortified baby cereals, but it would still be the whole grain to help move things along.
Do you warm her food? My mom told me to try that one day and I blew her off...then I tried it once out of desperation, and either it was coincedence or it worked because things got moving shortly after that.
Also I've heard things like cooked carrots and squash can actually make constipation worse. Not sure if that's true, but I avoided those things when my oldest was having terrible problems.
Hope you get it figured out soon!
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Thanks guys. I just read online in another place about carrots possibly making things worse - ARGH - especially since I gave her some this morning!!! But I gave her peaches too so hopefully it will offset.
Will hold off on squash. Just talked to my friend's GI doc as well and she disagrees about the cereal and does think I might try a little barley - so maybe try that Saturday and then 4-5 days later try some peas?
I do warm her food - hasn't helped so far. Her problem isn't going - she'll go 3-4 times a day. It's just too hard!
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I like to give my daughter ripe banana, one that you can squash easily. It has been used in family since generations. :D The other think is sweetcorn can help you tell how long is the bowel transit time, because you will see them again in your lo's poo. In general it should be around 6 to 10 hours and not more than 24 hours.
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bananas is described as the miracle fruit , it can bung them up if they are too runny and un bung a constipated baby. try a littla amount first ! apricots did wonders for Ryan . so did custard but i'm not sure what age you can give custard .barley works well but we found oatmeal bunged him up worse . what works for one doesn't work for the other . it's trying allsorts to see what works for your lo.
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blueberries are a super fruit too! I have been feeding them to my DD frozen as finger food and she loves them but you can also cook and puree them.
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Thanks guys - maybe bananas and blueberries will be next on our list - trying a new food tomorrow anyway! That's so interesting with bananas. You always hear about them as a constipating food - I didn't know it could work the other way. Maybe it will for DD - since the "laxative" foods like prunes and peaches aren't helping soften her up at all!
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if you can get your dd to drink juice , white grape juice works well , dilute with water.
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Thanks Ryan - I just worry about getting her used to juice - KWIM? What about unflavored Pedialyte?
She does go 1-3 times most days - it's just that they are little pebbles/cat turds and not real BMs... Do you think the banana might help?
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OK - so we are still just getting little pebbles and balls here. Plenty of them a day but nothing soft. We try a new food Wednesday morning - do you think we are better off with bananas, blueberries or peas? Help! If we can't get her going more softly Ped said we are going to have to go to a GI doctor since this has been an ongoing issue.
BTW, so far have tried the following:
oatmeal: didn't help
barley: had bad reaction - rash and more spitting up
prunes: didn't make go and gave tummy cramps
pears: gave rash and gas
avocado: seemed to help go but gave terrible rash
peaches: seem to fit well for her but not softening stool at all
carrots: no bad reactions but if anything just constipated more
TIA.
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we battled with constipation since Ryan went on solids , although foods and juice where helping we still ended up having to give him a sugar based med , he is still on this medicine but goes regular evryday , good amount and no straining . it may not be a bad idea to have her checked over .
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Marisa'sMom--
just thought I'd let you know that my lo got constipated on bananas. I'd forgotten that they contain pectin- the ingredient in antidiarrheal drugs like Kaopectate. Pectin is the ingredient that makes bananas and apples turn brown when exposed to air- brown apples were what Iwas told to eat to get rid of diarrhea when I was young... Not the thing for constipated los!
Good luck- Joy
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I too would not do bananas. My lo gets constipated with them. I do feed them to her now but I balance it with prunes or some apple juice with water (as suggested by a nurse).
Leslie
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I am going to try a very ripe banana tomorrow. My SILs Ped told her that often ripe bananas can be a mild laxative and unripe or jarred constipating. Worth a try and will help with her reflux too (as bananas act as natural antacid). Have some organic ones here and ripening them in a brown paper bag right now.
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I say try some juice (we started with pear, and then did white grape) - it worked wonders for my DS. Use it diluted as much as you want, and keep reducing the amount of water every time you give it till it gets things moving. I too was worried about all the sugar, and him getting used to it, but he still loves water, formula etc. and doesn't seem upset when he doesn't get it. I HAVE to give him a full cup diluted a day or else he has issues. My doc told me it was better to give him juice than to have him straining so much.
Oh yeah, I also found that in order for prunes to work for us we have to give A TON of them - at least a whole jar.
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I can vouch that pureed prune and baby rice does the trick 8)
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I would vouch for this recipe along with lots of water between bf and with meals
put 60g each of dried peaches, apples, apricots and prunes and one dried fig in a saucepan with a 2cm piece of vanilla pod, just cover with water, bring to the boil then simmer for 1/2 hour.
Once done, puree to desired consistency put in ice cube trays for freezing
hope this helps, dd and dh love it
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I just wanted to add that my DS is 5 1/2 mo's old and after a few weeks of solids (rice cereal, butternut squash, sweet potatos, pears, bannanas) that he was getting quite constipated. His stool was very firm but still tubular in shape?!?! So, I gave him 2 1/2 oz of prunes last night and again today and they worked well cuz we had a huge blow-out diaper! DH said it was very similar to a breast milk only BM.
Just wanted to add that sucess story for anyone else w/ a young baby.
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my 6 mo. old is const., too. I've done research and found:
yes: green beans, peas, peaches, pears, prunes and prune juice
no: banana, any form of apple (incl. juice), squash, carrots, cereal (darn, my baby LOVES squash!)
kind of limits Baby's diet, huh? I offer lots of water. She takes water better (warm) from an old-fashioned sippy-cup ( no handles, fast-pouring spout). When Baby's in pain while pooping, I read to put her on the changing table, hold her legs up and rub her lower belly.
Glycerin suppositories work short-term, but it's important to do water and poop-inducing foods 'til Baby is regular. then add the const. foods in small doses. I go to the ped. tomorrow, so I'll find out more.
Funny that the "first foods" everyone recommends are const.-causing!
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Just an FYI that we've had a lot of luck with banana as a mild laxative - despite it being constipating for some. We only use a very ripe organic banana and puree about 1/3 of it with some peach puree and a tiny bit of water. DD loves it and it has softened her up more than plain peaches. We are trialing peas tomorrow.
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OK, I am glad we found this post. Dd has been constipated for about a month now, similar to Marisa's mom, pooping every day but only little hard pellets. We have tried prunes, peaches, oatmeal with apple juice (now my pediatrician said that applesauce is bad but apple juice is supposed to help ???), water with sugar (another pediatrician recommendation because it is supposed to draw water into the intestants). So far nothing is working. Now I was told squash is OK and green beans which are really the only two vegetables left, and she is not fond of green beans so if the consensus here is that squash is no good, does that mean she will get no vegetables for a while. This is really frustrating and it is hurting her sleeping because that is mostly when she tries to poop and gets really uncomfortable and of course wakes up.
Maybe I will try the superripe organic banana as well, do you have to puree it, I always thought you could just mash it up, or is the pureeing what helps it be more of a laxative.
I have learnt more about this stuff than I ever wanted to know, and it is still not working :(
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I puree the banana because DD doesn't like it just mashed. If your DD is ok with it mashed it should work the same.
Also, have you tried peas? We are trying them tomorrow - supposed to be a good food to help them go because of all the fiber. Fiber is the same reason green beans help - have you tried mixing the green beans with a food she DOES like so it tastes better to her?
I would avoid apple juice - can cause tummy cramps. If you must give juice, white grape juice is much gentler.
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Good to know about apple juice, I tried Pear Juice as well but she hated the flavor. I was actually thinking about going straight for the prune juice, but have not done it yet
Its funny that you were told peas were OK, we were doing Peas (and she likes them OK) but our pediatrician said that they are bad for constipation because they are starchy. How are we supposed to make heads or tails out of this if our pediatricians can't even keep their story straight?
Anybody know about spinach, I was going to try her on that, unless that is a bad one as well? How about Yoghurt? Great idea about mixing the foods, maybe I will mix some pears in with the green beans to make them more yummy for her.
Thanks
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I just wanted to add the same thing that CourtnetandMiles said about helping them poop when they're having trouble....
Our little guy was trying so hard to push out his firm stools, to where we would have him on the changing table and we would watch him strain to push out a BM while we held his legs in the air to watch... Well... we found that by holding his legs up in the air, it somehow makes it easier for him to push that BM out and whatever else is backed up behind it! haaaaaa
I'm assuming it's not the best thing to do to always help him poop like that...but when we suspect he's having trouble, we put him on the changing table and hold his legs up and whooooooaaaa nelly...a whole lotta poop comes out EVERY time!!! I'd much rather try this before doing a suppository.
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Jasper also has reflux, and struggles with constipation. We've avoided grains, since even homemade whole-grain oats seem to bind him up. Also no apples, and definitely not bananas, since even the ripest seem to be trouble for him. I've been giving him 50% white grape juice, about 2 oz once per day and it's REALLY helped. Having an older one, I can tell you that he won't get hooked on juice (we used it with Josie too, until she was around 1 year, then stopped...now she gets very little juice [only orange, and only with weekend breakfasts] and never missed it). We also give a lot of yogurt, which he loves and has been a help, as well as pears, yams, peas (mixed with applesauce), and mango. Oh yes, mango is very fibrous and works great.
Finally, if she's struggling with other things, you should definitely AVOID blueberries until 1 year. They're a very common allergen (same with corn & strawberries).
I used "The Super Baby Food Book" by Ruth Yaron with Josie and Jasper, and it's been very helpful on figuring out what foods to feed when.
Goood luck,
Amanda
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i agree with the yoghurt , i have mentioned this before on a similar thread to do with constipation , and nearly everyone disagreed . most said with reflux , dairy should be avoided and yoghurt was constipating. we have always found yoghurt works really well , we had Ryan on a prune yoghurt at 10 months and he would have some daily , now as he's got older vertually any yoghurt is good ! . this is the reason i held back on this thread about suggesting yoghurt . we use white grape juice , but Ryan loves water aswell , most of the time he will want water rather than juice .
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Actually, blueberries are not a common allergen at all. See below from wholesomebabyfood.com:
**Many believe that blueberries fall under the "no berries until after age 12 months old" rule. Blueberries are not really a common allergen - they are not in the "berry" family. Blueberries are related to cranberries - cranberries appear on many lists of "least allergenic foods" Blueberries are not related to
strawberries, raspberries and the like. Those "true" berries may be mild to highly allergenic. In the book, Managing Allergy and Intolerance in the Allergic Infant (published for Health Care Professionals and The General Public), blueberries are recommended between 6-9 months old. There are also several
other pediatric allergy books that say that blueberries are ok from 6-9 months old as well.
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We achieved success
In fact we had 4 poopies yesterday, two of them huge. What finally worked was giving her oatmeal made with undiluted prune juice, and that seems to have done the trick. In fact we are going back to diluting the juice again today because 4 is a little much ::)
Thanks for everybodys help
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YAY ! now that she has had a good empty , try and keep on top of it .try putting less prune juice in but tiny amounts just incase it back fires on you . i'm glad she has had some relief .
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I'm so glad I found this post, so prune juice it is then... Arwen has a similar problem with walnut sized solid poops that are painful to push out then they pop back in again ??? Legs in air must help because they appear when she has her nappy off... being in the bath seems to help too (poor DS). I have tried a homemade prune puree with baby oatmeal, and Gerber? prune puree with outmeal, but I think I'll try the puree by itself tomorrow, before going to get juice. I have also been avoiding bananas, apple & rice (of course these were her first foods ::)) but if I scratch squash & carrots from the list that doesn't leave much... and of course I just cooked up a batch of sweet potato.
Now I'm off to seek some of your wisdom on the opposite problem before attempting to potty-train DS.
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The only real thing that will help is prune juice, add it to cereal, yogurt, vegies and fruit, and mix with water in a sippy cup for your little ones to drink.
It definately helps.
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Prunes and Sweet Potatoes have worked with both my boys. ;)
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Have made this a sticky since it seems to be a question alot of people are interested in.
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I really feel foer you my DD suffered for about 7 months with it and it was really hard to see her suffer like that can i ask what sort of milk is she on as that can make a difference i was advised to change her milk brand and appart from the other advice all i can offer is boiling raisons and using the water to drink (health visiter suggested that) and also is she on any medication for it as DD ended up on something strong that she could only have 1ml a day but it really worked. when we really changed her diet from milk to solidsit started to ease, just a thought have you tried wholemeal toast to start as finger food??
Good Luck with the battle it does get better trust me .
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Hi Karen found this on the internet thought it might help you and others who are having similar problems.
How can I tell if my baby's constipated?
When it comes to a baby's bowel movements, there's no "normal" number or schedule — only what's normal for your baby. Your baby may pass a stool after every feeding, or he may wait a day or more between bowel movements. His individual pattern depends on what he eats and drinks, how active he is, and how quickly he digests his food and then gets rid of waste. With practice, you'll be able to tune in to your baby's unique schedule.
That said, if you're concerned that your baby may be constipated, there are a couple of clues to look for. One is if he has less frequent bowel movements than his norm, especially if he hasn't had one in three or more days and is obviously uncomfortable when he does have one. And if he has hard, dry stools that are difficult for him to pass — no matter how frequently — he may be constipated.
Why is my baby getting constipated?
If your newborn baby doesn't pass his meconium within 48 hours of birth, his doctor may check to make sure he doesn't have a rare condition called Hirschsprung disease. (Meconium is a tarry substance usually passed in the first few days after birth, made up of everything your baby's bowels have accumulated during his months in the womb.) Once your baby has passed his meconium and is feeding normally, there are several possible constipation culprits:
• Formula. Babies who breastfeed exclusively are rarely constipated. Breast milk has the perfect balance of fat and protein, so it produces stools that are almost always soft — even if your baby hasn't had one for several days. If your baby is on formula, it's possible that something in his formula is making him constipated. Ask your baby's doctor about switching brands. (By the way, despite what you may have heard, the amount of iron in formula doesn't have any bearing on constipation.)
• A medical condition or illness. Though it's uncommon, constipation can be caused by an underlying medical condition such as hypothyroidism, some metabolic disorders, some food allergies, and botulism. If your baby passes hard, painful stools, you'll want to have his doctor check him out, just to make sure.
• The introduction of solids. Don't be surprised if your baby becomes mildly constipated as he steps up to solid food. That's because rice cereal — usually the first choice during this transition period — is low in fiber.
• Dehydration. If your baby isn't getting enough fluid, he will become dehydrated and his system will respond by absorbing more fluid from whatever he eats or drinks — and from the waste in his bowels, as well. The result is hard, dry bowel movements that are difficult to pass.
How can I treat my baby's constipation?
Here are some things you can try at home to ease your baby's bowel movements:
• Get him some exercise. If your baby's a crawler, encourage him to do a few laps. If he's not crawling yet, try pumping his legs: While he's lying on his back, gently move his legs in a forward, circular motion as if he were pedaling a bicycle.
• Massage your baby's belly. Measure three finger widths below his navel and apply gentle but firm pressure with your fingertips. Press until you feel a firmness or mass. Maintain gentle but constant pressure for about three minutes.
• If you feed your baby formula, ask his doctor about switching to a different brand. Some babies are less constipated on soy formula. And sometimes adding a teaspoon of Karo syrup to the formula also does the trick.
• Switching from rice cereal to barley or oat cereal, or adding pureed fruits or vegetables to his regular cereal, once your baby is ready for them, can help. Read about what foods to introduce when.
• Once your baby is eating a variety of solid foods, ask your doctor if you can boost your baby's fiber intake by adding a teaspoon of bran to his cereal. Cut down on constipating foods like rice, bananas, and cooked carrots, and try mixing his cereal with a little bit of apple or prune juice or a few tablespoons of pureed prunes, apricots, or pears to help loosen his bowel movements.
• Increase the amount of fluid your baby drinks to help keep his stools soft. If your baby is over 2 months, give him 1 ounce of prune juice diluted with 1 ounce of water, twice a day to start with. As his constipation improves, you can cut back. Talk with your doctor first if your baby is 2 months old or younger.
• Talk to your baby's doctor about treatment options. Never give your baby a laxative without your doctor's approval. Ask her about using an over-the-counter stool softener to make bowel movements more comfortable for your baby. She may also suggest you try a glycerin suppository if your baby is severely constipated. The suppository will stimulate the rectum and help him pass a stool. While using a suppository occasionally is fine, don't do it on a regular basis, since your baby could wind up relying on them to have a bowel movement.
• If your baby is passing such hard, dry stools that he tears the delicate skin near the opening of his anus (you may see these tears, known as anal fissures, or a little blood), apply a little aloe vera lotion to the area to help it heal. And be sure to mention the tears to your doctor.
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My lo has been prone to constipation and the only thing that helps him is a bannana a day. It is fantastic and works wonders for our lo. He was actually hospitalised for constipation. Although he is on meds - I find that if I miss a day and do not give him a banana he is constipated again.
Let us know how you are getting on.
Paula
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it's the same in our house . Ryan is on a constipation med but if we don't give him 1 bottle of dilute white grape juice then upsets the mix.
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My Lo is 10 months and we have been struggling with constipation for a few months. Nothing seems to work well. Prune work but I have to give her a lot and frequently. I also had to get a prescription for a stool softener b/c she was starting to hold it in. I've tried all the P foods. Broccoli is okay but still not reliable. I will likely put her on Benefiber (recommended by Doc.) regularly to avoid this problem.
Has anyone else tried Benefiber? Any problems with using consistently or long term?
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never used benefiber but Ryan has been on his constipation med since he was 6 months , it's a sugar based medicine.it works really well , since he has been on it , he has been regular and no straining. we also found foods that worked but had to give plenty and often ,it wasn't reliable as sometimes he didn't want these foods. between 7mths and 12 mths Ryan was havind prunes with everything , it worked but it seemed that everything he ate tasted of prunes , he got bored of this flavour.
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Ryan's mum, what is the name of the medicine he is on, I wonder if I can get it in the US, because I have the same problem, dd has to have her oatmeal with prune juice every day to stay regular and I can tell she is starting to get really tired of the flavor. I tried grape, apple or pear juice but only straight prune juice seems to do the trick, but who wants to have prunes every day ??
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it's called " lactulose " we can get it over the counter in any pharmacy , Ryan gets it free on prescription .here is a link for you to read about the medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682338.html
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Hi ya,
I hope things are improving. My DD got a bit bunged up when we started weaning. One of of the foods that stuff her up and a couple of her little friends was butternut squash. I've also heard that banana could help. My HV said that it can have two different effects depending on your baby. 1) help them go 2) bung up more.
We still rely on fruit pots by organix to keep things following if there are signs of starting to get bunged up.
Are you sieving or using a mouli with the foods your using. One of my books suggests doing this with things like apricots, parsnips, peas, potato, sweetcorn etc to break down the fibre otherwise it is too hard for young babies to digest. Just a thought.
J
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Is she too young for corn?? Corn usually makes my kids go..apples? How about the cereal mixed with apples and cinnamon? Its new..also another new cereal,mixed with either pear and grapes or its banana with grapes....could work also..wish i knew how old your child was,try a little bit of molasses cookies,just a tad..just put a couple of crumbs on your finger to put in her mouth,a few times a day...i have 4 kids,2 were always like that,my oldest sometimes couldn't go for days then when she would go,boy,the tears came until we finally found the solution for us,my daughter now of 10 months will sometimes have a hard time too,she'll go,but it'll be like a hard walnut...or like this morning have a hard time and cry...so i understand your fear! Try those ideas,if i think of anything i'll let you know! GOOD LUCK! charmed_angelca
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I haven't read all the responses so i don't know if anyone has alredy said this, but linseeds. Add them to other food and you don't notice them. Just check with ped though as you don't give seeds to little ones if allergies in the family. Careful though, they can work well and fast so don't get carried away and add too many!! ;D
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Hi, I was wondering for everyone that has const probs w/ lo, are they ff or bf? Keira will be 6 ms tomorrow and is only bf, but started solids just past 4 mos. She always went days between bm, but were like water, which is normal, I guess!! Past few days she seemed to didnt poop, but today it was hard. Never had this before. I did switch her rice cereal to a diff barand. Could that be the prob. She has also had peas and sweet potatoes. I thought if they were bf they shouldn't be const, or does that not apply once solids are introduced? I was going to start changing over to formula slowly, maybe one bottle a day, but now this happened I don't want to make it worse for her. Thanks
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Hi KeiraDawn.
Sweet Potatoes with both my DD and DS are a food to watch when starting solids. I use a mouli or put them through a sieve as they go too starchy if blended but even still I don't give them 2 days running and always follow up with a pear or apricot puree to keep things going. This is only my experience. Apricot puree normally does the trick but I have to put it with baby rice as the flavour can be a little strong.
HTH
J
p.s the other ones we had to watch were butternut squash and bananas. I know the books recommends giving new foods for a few days running but this was where we ran in to problems with certain foods. At the first sign of problems or it looking a bit hard I hit the pureed fruit. With my first one I remember poo's looking like a rabbits poo. Hopefully it won't reach that stage with number 2. Good luck. x
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Just this past week, we had to call our ped because our 3mo DS was having constipation problems. (We suspect he just needed more fluids, due to hot weather.) He hasn't started solids, but - after asking how much he takes in a bottle (6oz) - she told us to add 1 oz adult prune juice to his next bottle. She was very specific that it be adult prune juice. We saw results a few hours later.
BTW, I noticed an earlier post mentioned Karo syrup. Some of the info I've found on that says to avoid it, because it can lead to botulism.
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Hi guys,
just wondering...have you tried pumpkin?
It works very well for me, I haven;t given it to my son yet, since I just started him on solids.
He's only had, pear, apple and rice cereal, which is also making him constipated, so today I'm going to try pumpkin.
Another one is papaya, I don't know if in america they usually recomend that for babys, but I'm from Brasil, living in Australia now, and
I've been talking to friends (docs') over there, and they seem to agree on papaya and pumpkin.
Hope your lo gets better
I'll let you know how we went today on pumpkin
Cheers
Liv
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Does anyone know if switching from liquid concentrate formula to powder formuila (within the same brand) could cause constipation? We tried switching to the powder but wonder if that is the culprit?
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Hi ,
I would not have thought so. Have you introduced anything new into your lo's diet recnently that has caused constipation? We found that rice cereal was the culprit on our side.
Let us know.
Paula x
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I noticed when I was on holiday (and I had time to read the ingredients ::)) that the ingredients of the power and the readymade cartons were different. So possibly it cold, if you are unsure and would suggest you called your formula help line.
Lauren
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I also did a comparison read and they are different. We switched back and her tummy trouble are history!
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Just wanted to add what helps for my DS - because he gets bunged up easily (rice cereal, bannanas etc.and form) we give him wheat germ in his cereal every am and in his lunches we add some flax seed - just a pinch. This seems to keep him regular - when I feed something that may be consitpating i always feed something else that is like a lazative in hopes of counteracting the "bunger" Also - I see a naturopath as my son seems to have always had gas and stomache pain since birth - he takes something called afa-gen (ble grren algae supplement) and he also takes a powder that helps restore the flora to the gut and therefore aids in digestion - esp for kids who may have damaged the gut lining from allergens etc., its acidopholus and bacto something or other - laymans terms - probiotics. So far for us his has been very helpful - he also takes homeopathic drops.........
and one things that always works for us is BLUEBERRIES!!!!!
hope this may help someone
Sarah
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I am having the same problem with my daughter. I have just been told to squeeze an orange into babies water. or a bi of prune juice. i going to try.
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Hi
My 6.5 mnth DD became constipated the moment I introduced solids, hard at times and pebbles at other times, over the last week or so I have been giving her stewed apricots and a ripe banana (must be very ripe & easy to mash) and I have begun to notice an ease in her constipation, less straining, much softer & in fact yesterday we had a 'Squishy' one. It will take a few days for the constipating foods to leave their system so it will take you a few days of trying, I noticed a change after 4-5 days. Also offer lots of extra water, helps a lot too. My DD is also a reflux baby so we have been late starting solids, but I am not worried as she is gaining weight and I am also taking my time with introducing new foods until her system is ready for them. Let us know how you get on.
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DD was exclusively bf until six months. we started solids then and it wasn't until a few days ago that she had a "hard" poop. i took her off cereals, and her poops went back to normal. i am convinced that my troubles were due to the iron in the cereal and the fact that she had been eating more cereal than usual. only took one "cycle" to get back to normal.
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I've just bought my little boy some pear juice (Robinson's diluted I think) and can't remember if I've read on here that even just a spoonful of pear juice can help constipation, does anyone know if that little would help? He doesn't suffer all the time, just ever now and again but he isn't very good with his sippy cup yet (actually he won't drink from it at all) so I thought if a spoonful would help I could syringe it into his mouth like I do medicine? If he would need more than that I'll put it in his bottle but I keep reading to try and not let them drink juice out of a bottle
Sal
x
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what can you do for constipation if ur lo is only 11 1/2 wks. she had her milk changed and that done the trick-shes now on gaviscon infant sachets and its bunged her up again-doing the ater thing, tummy massage, bicycle legs. im upset for her coz i see the pain she goes through-if she goes everyday then shes happy but she hasn't gobe for 2!! any advice? :'(
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Do you give water throughout the day? Is it hard or just not frequent?
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i give her water, do tummy massage and the bicyle legs every day. she was put on gaviscon infant sachets and it must be that coz nothing else has changed. they have become non existent!! she pushed for 2 days and about a nail size poo came out-i took her off the gaviscon yest afternoon and by 3this morn shes poo'd. i think ill need to go back to the docs bout this one but any other advice would be grateful. xx
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Any small thing can affect their digestive system, my LO gets constipated from follow on milk and hungrier baby milk! I s'pose if Dr cant give you anyting different you just have to weigh up what best for baby.
Goodluck, hope you find something that works. :)
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My LO is constantly constipated and i give her apple puree for the day as her desserts after each meal and plenty of water/juice.
I also ensure she has plenty of vaseline on her bottom as i was advised it helps it to slip out easier.
Hope your LO is ok, i know how it is hunnee.
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Blueberrys!
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PeppaPig, just wanted to let you know that Apples can be constipating too. We find that if our DS drinks apple juice it really bungs him up.
Strangley though if he eats Bananna's then that helps him go.
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Tomtoms mum, thanks for that hunnee, i didnt know it could bung them up, It seems to have the opposite effect with my Lo tho so i will try without for a few days to see if there is any difference.
xx
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When dd seems to have trouble I give her more liquids- watered down juice. Apples can go both ways, so can banana's but blueberries always work for us. We give her frozen blueberries...
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Just wanted to add what has worked for us - our pediatrician said to try 2oz of pear nectar a day or 1tsp of DARK karo syrup twice a day...it took us four stores to find the pear nectar which she wouldn't drink. :-\ So we tried the karo syrup and it is magical!! After we got her a little more regular, I went down to 1tsp once a day, then stopped it altogether. If she gets bunged up again, we give her 1tsp a day for a day or two until she's regular again and then stop again. It is nice because I don't have to watch what she eats anymore, either...
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Has anyone heard of putting a teaspoon of dark brown corn syrup in a bottle with formula/bm to help with constipation? My lo is also constipated, my grandmother told me to try it. Never heard of it, not sure if it will work or if it is an old wives tale??
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Hi ashleamc, check out my post above yours - karo syrup is basically corn syrup. It worked great for us! We used it until we found out peaches is her magical poop food. ;)
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Our little one suffered from constipation when her first two teeth popped through... We used organic dried prunes. Rehydrate them by boiling in water till they are plump then push through a sieve and add some of the cooking water- you can feed them directly or add to breakfast cereal or yogurt. Worked a treat and much better than the sugar based med the DR gave us.
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I didn't have the chance to read all the posts, but my son is 6 1/2 months and has had chronic constipation for the last 2 months. I had similar concerns about giving juice... I ended up buying some organic preservative/sugar-free prunes. I boiled them and gave my son the water/juice from boiling. It worked wonders and I felt a bit better about it than just giving him bottled juice. My pediatrician said to avoid carrots and bananas, both of which are constipating. (As well as rice cereal, not an issue for you though.) We have tried everything! (Different foods, etc). We finally started giving 1/4 tsp psyllium in his food once daily. (natural fiber). HTH
-megan
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My first LO had constipation - a daily poop but rock hard. Nothing worked until we were prescribed Paediatric Movicol, it softened them up and she started having huge daily soft poops, this allowed her lower intestine to shrink back to normal size and regain elasticity and she's pooped daily ever since with little problem. My current LO has a similar problem, and the discussion on foods to avoid was varty valuable...thank you!
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My lo has the same problem right now (7 mo) and my doctor said to switch from rice to oats and to give her diluted prune juice. I have tried both things and they have not worked yet. She has gone a little more but still just little ones. My doctor said if worse comes to worse they do like a baby enima, which I am trying to avoid at the moment. She said that as long as it keeps coming out and she seems fine most of the time that it isn't a problem. But it sure is sad to see them cry when they go. Let me know what works.
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Organic prunes stewed in water and then puree the prunes with some of the water they cooked in - works a treat!
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Have you tried fresh orange juice? Our DS used to suffer terribly from constipation, and every now and again he has problems.
We give him a sippy of orange juice, within an hour it starts getting things working.
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My baby is prone to constipation.. I have been giving her 1 tsp of undiluted prune juice after dinner,.. it seems to help [ It was recommended by my ped]
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My dd is having such trouble with constipation. I find carrots and bananas really clog up the pipes. My public health nurse suggested apple, prune or pear juice. I've been using prunes and prune juice without great results, and I think she's getting tired of them. I've found that what works for one doesn't work for others, but I will definitely try the Karo syrup or corn syrup (like my mom suggested weeks ago). And go hunting for pear juice.
One question... I know you aren't supposed to introduce honey until after a year, is honey different from corn syrup? I really want to find something that works so we don't have to look at meds or enemas.
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With regards to Apple Juice, this can be vary constipating. I would watch out with this.
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My DD was having problems with the rice, barley & oat cereal which are ironically suggested as first foods. I was having to mix the cereal with prune juice just to keep her comfortable. One day I was eating brown rice and DD kept trying to get it so I just mashed some up and gave it to her. I guess there is more fiber in that because she has been eating that and squash for the past week and has been having 2 BM a day. Yeah! Hope this helps someone. :-*
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A friend used to have the same problem, she cooked some pears and gave her DD the juice that is obtained. miraculous.
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I found oats the best just recently. By the straight oats (not iron fortified as this is the prob). I used a blender to break them down as much as I could. cooked with water as per directions, then used a stick blender and pureed. put into ice cubes. take one out and heat in mw, then add a cube of breast milk and voila! I then add fruit puree too for some taste. Worked a treat - going every day (sometimes 2) and not hard like it was with the rice cereal - was also every 4days. Better than when not on solids,
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Hello,
I have been givin LO a couple of prunes a day, works a treat. Also keeps her quiet for 10mins, trying to chew it!
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Right, a quick list of laxatives:
One of the most powerful is pear, then prunes or plums and then orange. This, talking about fruit. They must be ripe, some pears and certainly prunes or plums may act differently if they are a little green.
I hear you writting that your baby gets "plugged" with banana, oats or peas. It may be that they are still hard to digest. Ripeness in banana is a factor, for peas or oats their being "well cooked" and pureed (passing them through a chino, or pushing them through a colander) as it is the skin that may create difficulties in a baby, specially if less than a year old.
Apples and carrots are wonderful regulators of the intestinal function. They do not "plug you up", and they do not make you go to the bathroom when you have Moctezuma,s revenge because they are very mild and are tolerated well by an inflamed intestine. An inflamed intestine follows any intestinal flu, that is why you (an adult) will plug up after having that complaint. Again, they must be ripe or, if necessary, cooked which makes them even easier to digest.
My dd had a tendency not to go...even when only bf, which is not supposed to happen. For her, having a puree made with half a banana or a small one, ripe, half a pear and orange juice, all together made all the difference, and I started that (on her doctors orders) at about 7 months. Later, for lunch, she had a puree made with chicken, veal or white fish flesh together with a little potato and carrot. I added day by day other veggies: spinach, or lettuce, or broad beans, and even some peas (but just a few). Then I added a bit of onion, tomato (skinned and without seeds) frying them lightly in olive oil, and later peeled marrow or squash or pumpkin (one of the three). I even added mushrooms and green pepper in small quantities, after she was 9 months old. I waited until she was about one to add brocoli, cabbage, kale or cauliflower simply because they ferment and create a lot of gas, not for any other reason (and she had trouble with that). I never put rice in that puree. I did not use rice as a base cereal. Rice IS an astringent (apples are not).
When she was about 8 months old, I tried to give her watermelon which she loved and at 9 (it was the season) grapes which she also loved. They have lots of sugar and water, and water helps.
Because you cannot use full cereals before a certain age, in case of allergies, people tend to use rice but one alternative is corn starch and there are other cereals with no gluten to be tried for their fiber.
I may be wrong, but think that constipation problems when you start weaning - 6/7 months - may have a lot to do with less intake of liquids (so remember to offer at least water, and dont be shy of natural fruit juices, it is soft drinks that are bad, not natural fruit juice), with abuse of rice as cereal of choice and with the sudden removal of part of the fats contained in milk. That is why the purees for my daughter always contained a little bit of virgin olive oil (a natural lubricant, I might say).
Remember that milk or its products is the last thing you have to add to your diet when you have had intestinal problems, so they are good against constipation. A bit of yogurt (not much is needed) is a help, like various correspondants have said. Those who have mentioned "cooked juices of pear" (or apple) have got it right: it makes anything softer, and easier to digest by a small baby.
Remember that purees must contain WATER as well, too much concentration will constipate baby, and that variation is the key.
One trick is the "adding one thing at a time" (to pinpoint what is disagreeing with your particular baby), and there,s another for a baby that age. Purée and pass through a colander any three allowed fruits separately, always mixed with liquid and if not enough with a little water so that it is a light paste, and present the three to your baby letting her try them out with her fists (they suck them) and that way you may find what she likes and what she rejects. In Spain doctors tell you to give him "banana, pear and orange juice" (normally, to start with) but then maybe baby rejects the mixture. It happened to a friend once, and with this method she found out that her son hated banana, so she replaced it with other fruits rich in soluble fiber (like peach or apple) and the boy took to his fruit with a passion.
By the way...we do not give plums to little children or cherries, either here. Maybe they are considered consider them too tough on their digestion.
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Elvira - your post is helpful. Are you in the US?
Why all pureed food for you 7 m old. My DS is just now starting food (late b/c of intolerances) and the ped. said to give him soft mash chunks of sweet potato that he could pick up himself. I did find that I wasn't following with enough pureed pear early on and he was constipated and straining for 3 days. I gave him diluted pear juice today and that did the trick.
Thanks
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Thank you, fitfamily. No, I am in Spain though I lived in the US a long time ago. Here they tend to go the purée option at least the first two months (6-7) as they seem scared of choking, a problem that is less likely at around 8 months. Anyway, mashed potato or avocado would "count" as a pureé. Some children prefer solids and gag with purees, some others really hate the mixture of a smooth puree with "solid bits" and gag... and it is better to observe the baby and follow his lead on that "texture problem" (I hve known of children who did not eat because of texture, and not because of taste).
Besides puree can help them self-feed if you let them dip a spoon and do revolting things with it (licking, thumping on the chair or their own faces, etc), at an age in which they still may have difficulty in grasping solids...
Again, watching the reaction of your baby is the best help, as many have said here perhaps she will reject raw pear but love the juice or love it boiled (it is softer), so one has to keep trying. I must tell you that some doctors think that many supposedly constipated babies are not constipated, just have more solid stools because there more waste to get rid of when they take solids....and that includes cereals. But hard little balls, or not going for three days does sound like constipation (I was told once, every two days can be very normal ....for a one year old), but certainly a 6/9 month old does have his difficulties in adapting to new foods. Besides, we mothers are used to their going various times a day, so we get frantic with worry.
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Elvira, your post is so helpful. I've tried several of what people have mentioned on this thread, but your detail makes sense as to why things aren't working. I found it hard to find nice pears and apples at the moment, so I went the tin variety. I did notice that the pears were not as soft - from your post, they are probably not ripe enough and maybe this is the prob with her constipation now. I will go back to the fresh variety I think.
Plus she is having veges not so cooked now, so this may not help.
Does anyone have any advise about fat in bub's diets? I know in adults an amount of fat is important esp for constipation. I don't give any extra to L, maybe this is the prob too now that she is older.
thanks
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Thank you, Aly Mac. Before posting, I read carefully all the posts and I could see that perhaps the "whole picture" was missing.
For instance, there are two kinds of fiber, soluble in water (like the one in most fresh veggies or fruit) and insoluble (like the one in bran, wholegrain cereal, and in some measure in all cereals/pulses). You need to take both, in your diet. Now, the high content of fiber in banana - or in a whole grain cereal - can make you go oftener, as it speeds up the passage of food through the intestine. But.... you need plenty of fluids and some lubricant to help that passing. So, eating wholegrain toast in the morning can make you go or can bung you up very, very badly (if you forget to drink in your breakfast one glassful of water, or juice, plus your coffee or tea).
Food should be ripe, even for us, much more for a baby (I mean fruit, of course) and natural is always best. Some kinds of fruits were offered to small children cooked, traditionally, in most countries. Apples, for instance (baked, boiled with cinnamon and sugar, in pies). Bananas can be baked, too. Besides being ripe, the habit of mixing them with pear and orange juice (the spanish habit) helps them not to bung you up, since they contain fiber but is being offered with liquid (orange juice) and a laxative fruit. So, it is a balanced "meal", and balance is everything. That is why if one of the elements of the fruit mixture was missing, my daughter had a harder time. I learnt to try substitutes if one thing was not available, peach instead of pear, grape juice instead of orange, etc.
When your stools are very hard (as an adult, too) and painful to pass, you will avoid trying...which makes the problem worse and worse. Normally, after an operation or giving birth they give a mild laxative (since your intestines have been "asleep" for awhile) based on paraffin. That is to say, a lubricant. I do believe that on starting solids, and specially when they replace part of the breastfeed or a bottle, we tend to forget that babies are taking less liquid, that must be replaced with water or juice. Water as a routine, but I do not fear juices as much as many people here seem to fear them. Soft drinks are full of empty sugar, natural juice (I mean the real thing) is full of vitamins, apart from sugar and having a little a day (a glass, after one year, half before) is a lot better for children or adults than most drinks. Actually, orange juice fills you up with C vitamin and yes...sugar. Sugar is needed in a diet, your brain demands it and babies brains even more (until they finish growing up). And the best way to have it is in its natural form: fruit or veggies, grains or its juice and after one year, honey.
This is a precaution not needed when you are having a tomato, for instance, or grapes, watermelon...because they contain a lot of water.
Nobody got obese when I was a child on that kind of diet, and certainly olive oil was used in moderation, also when cooking for babies. It is added to the vegetable or vegetable+protein meal. Milk is fatty, has a certain amount of fat. Once you cut that intake of fat, you must replace it and as I say a small spoonful (half a teaspoon!) of oil is enough. And it is good if it goes together with the food, like milk mixed with cereal, or the olive oil on the veggie, or yoghurt on the fruit....
It is all a matter of balance. I,ve also smiled with the description of pushing your baby legs up and how it helps (used to do that to my dd). ¿Have you ever tried to "go" lying down? .... it is not so easy! the natural posture would be on your haunches, on the floor ??? Actually, I have this little "mania" of a lower than usual toilet bowl. Here in Spain they measure normally 38 cm of height. It is MUCH better if can get one at 35 cm. I managed, when had to do reforms at home, but it took me a lot of searching. So, just imagine having to go on your back!
Lastly, some posts also made me smile as you should not expect your solid fed baby BM to be loose like the one of a milk-fed baby. That would mean, actually, diahorrea. They take a tubular shape, a normal BM color (and ... smell), and they are firm. The objective should not be that your baby has the runs all the time...
Having said all that, remember that in UK people have always relayed in stewed prunes (or in castor oil, yuck!). Certainly in victorian times, at least.
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have had the same exact issues with my DS.
we live in germany and our pediatrician said that pumpkin is good for softening... i had been giving the poor kid carrots and rice cereal not knowing that it would make things worse.
we were also instructed to add something called "milchzucker" powder to his bottle (i BF and then he gets a suplimental bottle afterwards since my milk production has been ramping down). i looked up "milchzucker" and found out that it is lactose !
in any event, since stopping carrots and rice cereal, starting on pumpkin, broccoli and the milchzucker, he is no longer pooping pebbles nor straining so hard.
good luck !
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Hello,
Since starting Solids my LO has gotten constipated too. I believe it's the fortified Oatmeal but could be the peas or carrots. Hard to to tell.
He didn't go for 4 days and I had only been feeding him pears and prunes. My doc recommended a suppository. I wasn't keen to use it, but he ended up in so much pain, I had too. When I asked my doc why it was so bad to use the suppository, she didn't give me a definitive answer. I was wondering why is it so bad?
The suppository did work wonders though and I felt good about starting again. When I next offered oatmeal, I mixed prunes with it, thinking this would help, but it hasn't, he now he hasn't gone again in 3 days. Tomorrow I plan to offer pears in the morning and I may offer diluted prune juice. But it looks like i'm going to stop the cereal for a time and see if this helps. It's a shame as the oatmeal is really the only food he's shown a real interest in. (And water melon).
This solids introduction is very tricky, I had no idea!
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I reccomend any type of berry- they go right through my son, seemingly cleaning out everything on they way!!!
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ugh...i'm in the same boat....
I have a question for Jaylabliss....do you know what kind of berries are safe at this age?
she is only 7mos?
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read through pages.... have a nearly 7 mo old that is constipated, hard pellet poops as everyone describes.....
been doing ripe bananas, but maybe not ripe enough as not helping. apples & peaches are every other day. also have quite a few pears in the mix.... still, he's constipated. all of these are boiled until very soft.
was thinking of trying prunes tomorrow, but realized DH bought 'Lemon-flavored Prunes' ???? by accident, so do you think raisins completely softened in water would work also? wanted to give him something to get things moving before heading out of the house tomorrow a.m.
thanks!
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Sorry didn't get back to you in time for you to get out of the house :-[ did you find something that worked for your lo?
Ax
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Ive just come for a peek on this thread as now my lo has more established meal times and is consuming more solids he quite often has the pellet poos you describe and is visibly straining more and more. Like just now after his lunch there was some mega red faces and grunting, I thought it would be a monster poo but there was just a little hard one. He has cereal or porridge every morning I wonder if that could be the problem? He's always had this though well before he started getting constipated.
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Hi,
my 9 month old little one suffered terribly from constipation once we started solids. I even had to resort to giving him a suppository....twice!! I have no clear cut solution but I have done the following which seems to have alleviated his constipation. At least he goes every day now without too much straining...
* No bananas. I was told that bananas actually make the constipation worse.
* No carrots. Same reason as with bananas.
* Prunes. I have starting buying dried prunes, which I boil in water for about 15 mins, and then puree. I freeze the puree in an ice block tray and pop out a cube every morning, heat it up and give it to him before his cereal in the mornings.
* Stopped taking my pregnancy multi-vitamin. Someone advised that perhaps the iron in the tablets comes through in my breastmilk and adds to the constipation. Just have to be extra careful with my own diet to keep up my energy levels while I am breastfeeding.
* Spinach. I feed my little one lots of spinach. I actually make a spinach lasagne for the whole family and before putting the lasagne together, put aside some of the spinach filling and he loves it. I also mix it with a little tomato sugo before feeding it to him.
* Water. I give my little one lots of water in sips throughout the day.
I'm not sure which one of the above has made the difference, or whether it is a combination, but I have introduced these five things over the last 2 weeks and there has been a marked improvement with his constipation.
Hope this helps
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It does thanks! he eats a lot of bananas so that may well be the culprit!! I thought I had read they help with both constipation AND runny poo?? I will certainly limit these now (pity as he loves them). I do have some spinach I had pureed some so will add that more often.
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My boys (2 and a bit years and 8 months) both had quite a lot of dried apricots with their breakfast and omg we have had so many poo's today. (gross bit coming) ds#1 had liquid poo's for most of the day and ds#2 went for 3 poo's today which is not like him at all. I can only put it down to the apricots.
They're gonna be my constipation stopper from now on!
Sally
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Banannas can be one of those fruits that can either help or cause problems. With my DS, they helped him, and he had a bananna a day to keep the constipation away.
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My LO was so constipated again last week that I took him to the doctor. The doctor told me to manage the constipation through diet (which I thought I was doing ???) and I should definitely avoid the following:
* raw apples
* not very ripe bananas (he did say that very ripe bananas are good however)
* carrot
He also prescribed a lactose syrup and I have been giving my LO one teaspoon per day. Since then he has been going once per day and seems to be straining less. I think they key difference has been this lactose syrup.
The lactose sysrup I got is called LAEVOLAC. I am based in Austria so don't know what it would be called elsewhere. Maybe you can find something similar where you live?
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This has been a very interesting read. I didn't have a clue about the carrots - Dan loves carrots. It's probably the only veg he is happy to eat by himself.
We are having a problem with constipation too. Dan really strains. It must have taken him a good 15 mins to pooh one hard lump. Poor little boy's in tears.
I've taken to giving him 1ml of lactulose a day. Been 4 days now and it's really hard for him to go.
I think I will get some dried prunes tomorrow and give those a go.
Thanks for all your suggestions ladies.
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Raisins are fine with my LO, but with nephew they come out whole! eww!
I just give my Lo a small bag of prunes, she loves them, weirdo!
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Sorry that it took me forever to get back to this post!!!! Yes, i did try boiling one pear, one apple, one plum, 3 prunes & a handful of raisins in 2 inches of water on the stove. Once everything was very plump & soft, I mashed it with a potato masher & added a touch of nutmeg & a tsp of cinnamon. He loved it -- I mean absolutely loved it -- and it helped move things RIGHT along. We were good to go.
P.S. -- This is also a favorite of DH & I over vanilla ice cream now. So good!!!!
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Just reading through these posts is it true about carrots ive just started my lo on solids his poos are firmer but didnt know if he has been constipated hes been eating butternut squash carrots and apples Think ill give carrots a miss 4 a few days just incase
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hi- after earning the T-shirt I just wanted to give you the heads up about what really helped us.
YOGURT!! Not much needed (1 or 2 tablespoons per day)- and never looked back since!!
I know this is not exactly a first food, but if I recall correctly we started at around 7 months and DS still gets at least 3 tablespoons per day!!
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What I have read is that the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, apples, and I forget the T) can actually constipate the baby. Pears are good, but your LO has trouble with them. Try papaya if you can get it. It can also be a bit of a diuretic, so push the water.
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You might try homemade cereals made with whole grains (b/c they won't have the added iron). I roughly follow the "Super Baby Food" diet for my 11 mo DS and he's never been constipated. I make a lot of homemade cereals (by grinding the grains and then cooking them on the stove - only takes 10 min. - the instructions are in the book). Barley is very high in fiber and should do the trick. Broccoli might also help. Lots of fluids too.
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We started introducing solids last month, along with moving from breast feeding to bottle feeding. My LO suffered with constipation, i had a look at this thread and followed a lot of the advice *Thank you*. We stopped with carrots, bananas and apples, and introduced prunes. I boiled up some dried prunes and raisins, pureed them and then i just add a teaspoon to my LO's breakfast and it seems to have worked a treat! I was also struggling with water/juice in a bottle but found once we tried her with a beaker she was much better (although it's a lot messier and she needs a lot of help!!).
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When my son was regularly constipated GP advised against banana and carrots and apples and rice. Is your LO drinking any water as it really helped when I offered at each meal and he actually started drinking it. We had to play with several cups and ended up with two handled with no lid and he drinks very well now and goes easily.
Also you mention several foods resulted in a rash which may suggest a tendency towards allergies - have these been investigated as maybe intolerances to some foods are making the stools very hard?
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Hi, our DD has had a terrible time with constipation ever since she went from boob to formula + solid food. I've tried everything under the sun, I finally had success this morning with the following:
1. Readybrek (luke warm) made with prune juice and 1/2 pot of fruit cocktail added to it.
2. A 1/4 of a banana mashed with a little prune juice - I never gave DD bananas before as I was terrified they would make things worse, then I read that it may actually help.
3. 70z Bottle of cooled boiled water + prune juice + orange juice (which DD guzzled at lunch time)
The result of the above was that a little after lunch things started moving and she was able to poo without being in pain and also it wasn't rock solid - the later bit doesn't sound nice I know, but anyone whose LO has been constipated will appreciate what I mean.
I think one of the changes I made was to increase the amount of prune juice by a large amount - a small amount of prune juice didn't work in DD's case.
Hope this of help to anyone whose LO suffers with constipation, it really is dreadful for them.
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I had an issue with constipation when we started solids too... bananas cause constipation for us... things that help: yams, peas... and advice from my mom: an ounce of warm water :) The water helps soften and the heat seems to get it moving :)
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My daughter had a terrible constipation too. I stopped with bananas and added natural juices, like orange, prune, etc. It helped her a lot and I.
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Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread.
My LO started on solids a few days back and I've already noticed he didn't poop yesterday and only did a small one today (not rock hard but just not enough) so this thread has helped me.
I had no idea carrots could cause a problem, I suspect with my LO it is the porridge he's had for breakfast that has caused the problem, or perhaps just the fact he's started solids.
I'm going to try some prune puree and apricot puree, perhaps in yogurt, and I think we will skip porridge for a few days. Want to get this under control before it gets worse.
Thanks again to everyone it is a good resource and will keep helping lots more people.
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Recently started DS on solids. Started with baby rice and he didn't poo for a week. He loves fruit, but need some suggestions for vegetables that won't bung him up. I was going to give him carrots but looks like that's off the list after reading this thread. Any suggestions??
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Peas are a great one as long as you ensure he has a bit of liquid with it as they are higher fibre which can bung them up without ample fluids... another good one - green beans :)
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Kara- you mentioned you used an ounce of warm water. Was this added to purees at each meal? Or given in sippy cup? And was it an ounce a day or per meal? Thanks!
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My LO also suffered constipation, but we've got it sorted now.
I recommend everyone should read Elvira's posts, they are very informative and correlate with what the doctor told me, which I shall try to sum up:
Fruits such as banana and apple can constipate or act like laxatives depending on their ripeness. Greener fruit has more starch and pectin which constipates, riper fruit has more sugar which irritates the bowel and gets things moving, hence why people used to give a teaspoon of brown sugar in water (or corn syrup or molasses or lactose syrups etc)
Iron fortified cereals are constipating, try things like oats, quinoa etc.
Rice, toast and starchy veges (potato, sweet potato etc) are constipating
These things help:
Ripe fruit
More water
More fibre
Good fats such as flax, fish or olive oil
Warm baths
Tummy massage (clockwise around tummy)
lying them on their tummy
The best fruit we use is kiwifruit, I mash up a kiwifruit (gold as it's less acidic) into his cereal at breakfast, or cut it inot pieces for him to pick up. Works a treat, way better than prunes or fruit juice. I also give him 1/2 a teaspoon of flax oil with breakfast, which is loaded with good omega 3 fats and also helps things along.
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Kara- you mentioned you used an ounce of warm water. Was this added to purees at each meal? Or given in sippy cup? And was it an ounce a day or per meal? Thanks!
Just saw this - so sorry!
I used an ounce of warm water in a bottle (DD is bottle fed) when she was tiny...
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The best fruit we use is kiwifruit
This is really interesting as DS usually eats several fruits per day and so long as I have them in (and they are ripe) he will eat a kiwi every day, plus a prune every day, plus a banana every day (plus several more fruits per day! He's fruit mad this boy, I'm trying to limit it now!)
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My 8mo has lots of problems pooping, even when she was exclusively breast fed, her record was 11 days! We swear by brewer's yeast. (Health food store or I got mine at the chemist). I only mix half a teaspoon in her puree and she is getting more regular. I only use it now if she hasn't gone in three days.
Good luck!