best foods to keep LO's poops regular?

[*happy*]

just starting out with the solids (on wk2) & she's loving them!only problem is that her poops have gone haywire!!!she pooped the other night at soem point after the bedtime feed but before the dreamfeed, so i had to change her (&thus wake her) at 10.30pm...cue a very upset baby.this morning, she had pooped before i got her up at 7.30am....i heard her shuffling at 6.10am so it was possibly then. i hate the thoughts of her havign a dirty nappy for so long. she hasn't pooped at all then for the rest of today...am dreading the night coz i'm sure she will &  it will disrupt her sleep. is there any way of helping to keep things more regular for her?she is exclusively breastfed & was always a "once/twice a day" type of girl!& always durign the day...never at night!

here is what i have fed her so far:
wk 1  day 1 pear
        day2-4 pear & EBM
        day 5-7 butternut squash & EBM

wk 2 day 1 sweet potato & EBM
       day 2-4 1oz pears & sweet potato & EBM
       day 5-6 1 oz carrots & EBM, 1 oz butternut squash & EBM

i'm guessing that i'm the one making her all bunged up!!!i had planned to introduce apples next...no allergy history in the family....what would you advise?any tweaking?things to avoid combining?things to combine? i'd be really grateful!x

[amayzie]

If anything the pear is helping her to go- ears are good for making things loose! If anything it could just be that she's getting used to it. It takes their little tummies a little while.. so although it's good to be careful, even with a baby with no physical problems or allergies you might get a bit of trouble while her gut workes out how to manage solids!!

Here's a link on constipation- and if you haven't checked out the website yet please do- it's GREAT gives you lots of ideas for introducing foods!

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/constip.htm

[ZacsMumme]

I agree with Katy, pears work a charm for constipation, apricots or peach too but they can be a bit acidic for first foods.
I found around 6-7 months along with food I had to start introducing water to help hydration, just in a sippie, to start with they just play with it, but later down the track it helps a lot if LO likes water!

Apples and prunes are good as well not to much prune though or LO will get a sore Tum .

[*happy*]

thanks ladies....i have been trying to intro water in a sippy...the first one i used just taught her to bite it to get teh water out...not good for a breastfed baby!!!ouch!!!trying a different one again today but she's still just trying to bit it.should i just put some water in a bottle altogether?i'm not feedign her "on demand", it's more like every 4 hours & cluster in teh evening....

[amayzie]

That sounds about right with the feeding schedule- that's how we did it. I found too that a straw cup was quite good with a BF baby- he picked it up pretty well If you'd like some more specific tips on teaching him to use a straw let me know and i can tell you exactly what we did. As well as this we've always used a sippy with the valve removed so that the water flows freely- more like a cup then.

[ZacsMumme]

That sounds about right with the feeding schedule- that's how we did it. I found too that a straw cup was quite good with a BF baby- he picked it up pretty well If you'd like some more specific tips on teaching him to use a straw let me know and i can tell you exactly what we did. As well as this we've always used a sippy with the valve removed so that the water flows freely- more like a cup then.

same here you can also get soft silicone straw spouts or sippies ths are good for some LOs like these to start with
http://nuby.com/en/nuby/cups-spouts/10056/

[amayzie]

Sara- do you still have to bite to get the liquid out of those ones? I thought you did- but i haven't used them...

[*happy*]

it was a nuby sippy that taught her how to bite!!!!that was the first one i tried....tried taking the valve out of a tommee tippee one yest & we both just got wet!!!!would love any tips on getting them to drink from sippy....yes please!thanks!x

[amayzie]

Ok- the tips for the sippy are wait till closer to 12 months! BUT- if you get a straw cup- then this link has some good strategies- (except the using a juice box... we just use water). I used the 'finger on the straw' tip- and i also used that with my friends 7 month old- it worked really quickly and well.

Also- they don't always drink much water in one go- unless they are thirsty. Try to perhaps add a little more to the puree perhaps?

[*happy*]

oh great!!!so i dont have to use a sippy yet?yay!!!that's fine with me! i thought i had to intro one!!!cool!!!would love to read that link...thanks!x

[*happy*]

that link isnt showing up for me...sorry....

[amayzie]

hmm- it might have helped if i'd added it!

http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/chow/how-teach-your-baby-or-toddler-drink-straw.html

You just should introduce SOME alternative to a bottle as the general suggestion is that they be off all bottles by 12 months. So you want to start practicing early! We went with a straw cup for home and out and about and an open cup for home (under SIGNIFICANT SUPERVISION- and not every day- just when i felt happy with getting a bit of water about! Then closer to 12 months or so- perhaps 11 months- i gave him the sippy and he just seemed to have a better idea- wasn't trying to bite it, or suck it like a teat. BUT still had lots of water in the mouth- spitting the ater out action

[*happy*]

great...thanks for that link...i thought it was my baby-brain that i couldnt get it working!!!!that's great!!i couldn't find a straw cup anywhere i went today, btu i did find one with a much free-er flow & silicone spout so she seems to find that easier....didn't bite as much...will keep a closer eye tomorrow....
btw....we got a dirty nappy this afternoon...big relief!!!!might do pears every second morning to help her....would that make sense?

[ZacsMumme]

Oh I thought they were sucking...We didnt use one (discovered them later) but a friend recommended them for BF babies. Whoops!

Oh I also thought, if your LO is susceptible to constipation probiotics may help through this process to keep the gut nice and balanced.

[*happy*]

Oh I thought they were sucking...We didnt use one (discovered them later) but a friend recommended them for BF babies. Whoops!

sorry, am abit confused here?

re probiotics...what ages can i give them from?what form is best?

[ZacsMumme]

Sorry, that the nuby ones worked on sucking like feeding rather than biting or chewing etc.
We gave probiotics as a powder form - safe for Los over 3 months I think. Something like this can be added to food or milk.
http://www.healthy.co.nz/product/3141-inner-health-for-kids-powder.html
http://www.healthy.co.nz/product/293-primadophilus-children.html

[*happy*]

great, thanks for that!the nuby one that i had initially def let some water out if she bit on it, but worked better with a suck. the new nuby one i got today seems to work less with a bite, so she is sucking it more than she was the other one..hoping this wil work.was in agony yesterday when she bit me during a feed....not good!!thanks so much for the probiotic tip....would never have thought of that!