Constipation - Costa Mesa, CA

Try using grapes...cut in half. Works for some kids not for others but its worth a try. Gerber makes an apple prune juice that worked really well for my kids too. Good Luck.

I have had the problem several times too and my baby was breastfeed. Stay away from rice cereal, bananas, applesauce. Try prunes, pears, sweet potatoes, peaches....my doctor also told me some Kerns apricot nectar...diluted
You can also try pear juice...no more than 4 oz a day.
My doctor said they can go a week without a bowel movement....usually when you start to panic, it happens.
Good Luck!

You probably shouldn't stop the solids since he needs those calories. try prune juice or apple juice! Adding the fruit juice will probably help thin things out a bit. I hope he gets better.
*M.*

my daughter has had some constipation since adding solids, specifically bananas too. iron in cereal doesnt help, and neither does the infant tylenol for her teething :(.

i found that mixing prune juice into the purees and adding it to cereal helps a bit. her food is all organic so there is nothing else that is contributing to her constipation. steaming is a great idea as you can definitely control the texture of the veggie. on a side note, not to make you paranoid, but if your steamer is plastic, check the bottom or call the manufacturer to see if it is a #3, 6, or 7. some people arent quite as concerned with BPA, phthalates and PVC as i am, but i figured i'd mention it. my oster is a #7 (BPA) and i won't use it since the reactive chemical can leech into our food. i am currently trying to get rid of arrowhead water as their large bottles have BPA in them. anyhow good luck!

The muscles which aid in pushing his food along the intestinal tract are still developing. Imagine your food trying to move through your body without anything to push it along. My son (fourth child) now a year was having the same issue at 8 months. If your baby is not screaming or writhing in pain then it will work it's way out. Give him water and if you are really nervous the good old glycerin suppository will do the trick, available at your local drug store. I used one once and my baby barely flinched when I inserted it 25 minutes later major poop. Stopping solids will not necessarily aid this, the muscles need something to push against in order to develop tone. If he is still eating, doesn't have a fever, isn't shrieking in pain he's probably fine. Once my son went 10 days without poop!!! It scared me to death (that's when I resorted to the suppository). Now four months later he poops just fine. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Your improperly steamed carrots did not start this, it's a developmental thing, so don't even get into that blame mommy game. Even breast fed babies need water.

Hope this helps

Hi C.,

Stop the pears and apples. That is what we should give our kides when they have diarrhea. Instead, give more prunes, and other fruits that are much lower in pectin. Such as: mango, kiwi, apricots, nectarines and even cherries! also, more vegies - broccoli, green beans, or even peas. carrots and sweet potato are too starchy.

Best of luck!

Good job breast feeding! They go through these poop phases, just hang in there and try to keep him comfy. It has nothing to do with how you prepare his food, their bodies just change and adapt as they get more and diff solid foods. They'll go through phases where they poop 8x a day, then times where they don't go for 5 days... Just feed him what you want him to have, they're systems are small and used to your milk, just takes time.

The same thing happened with my son... oh my gosh - he would scream and cry - it got so bad that we put him in the bath and massaged his anus even pulling out chunks that were visible. It hurts my heart to remember that constipation. I did so much research on diet and everything and always had something else to blame. My first blame was carrots... then it was that he wasn't getting enough milk... it just didn't make sense. We started putting a touch of flaxseed oil in his applesauce and he was going like a champ. I started taking flax too because I thought it would be good for my breastmilk too! WOW - that stuff hurt my stomach so bad so I immediately took him off of it. On askDrSears.com I read a list of all foods that help you go and all foods that constipate. Some were shocking! Isaac's doctor told me to get miralax its over the counter and you add a little into the foods. That takes two weeks to start working and I think that worked pretty well - just not well enough for us. Miralax works by putting more liquid into the stool rather than peeing all liquid out. I wasn't a fan of medicating him though so ---

Moral of the story... The big winner for us is avocado. I give him a quarter to a whole avocado at least twice a week. More is obviously fine and he loves it - I just don't want him to get bored with it and give it up because it has helped so much. The natural oil in the avocado lets everything slide out - sometimes his poop looks like it could have hurt coming out but he hardly pushes now! Yay avocado!!! Good luck!

To the other J. -- alot of Mom's breastfeed their babies well into their 2nd year of life. Many mom's try to do it for at least a year, since that is the age we switch over to regular milk anyway. I wish I could have breast fed for that long!

To C. -- my daughter suffered from constipation also. In addition to removing the apples and bananas, I made sure she had prunes every day, and plenty of liquids. You can also mix in a teaspoon of Karo Light Corn Syrup into a bottle of water and let the little guy drink it. It works really well if you get worried. I am also wondering if he is on iron supplements. If so, consult with your doctor about reducing or increasing iron through food rather than the supplement. Good luck. My daughter outgrew this by the time she was 1, so hopefully your son will as well. Just be sure to teach him to drink alot of water as he grows up, so that he doesn't have a chronic problem.

My kids are older and have had issues with constipation and the doctor always advised me to stay away from apples because they are also constipating. I know the pear and prunes are great but I think mango is also a helpful puree. Have you also tried to add water in addition to breastmilk. I breastfed my children for 13 months but added water to their diet at about the 7 month mark.

Hello C.. When my son was a baby, we had SEVERE problems with Constipation. Eventually he grew out of it, but until he did, I had to use Mineral Oil to aid in his Bowel Movements. It was a God send. I hope this helps.

I am a breastfeeding, homemade food mommy too. My first daughter got REALLY constipated from solids. Now that I am on my second baby who just started eating solids two months ago, I have figured out a couple things that work for us:

First, my older daughter got over her constipation around 14 mos once I took her completely off rice and only feed her Quinoa and Oatmeal for a cereal base. Today she is over 2.5 and still has a tendency to be constipated. I have to make sure she gets enough fluids each day and prune juice is still a staple in the house. (She actually has less problems now that she is potty trained and uses the toilet...go figure...)

Secondly, my youngest who is almost 8 months started to have the same problem and I have found that I wasn't adding enough water to the food before I served it to her. Also, I am finding that she just isn't ready to digest most grains so I am going back to making a cereal of Oatmeal and Quinoa only. (I only can find organic Quinoa at Trader Joes).

I only give bananas when I've seen a couple "good" B.M.'s and then a banana can be eaten. I hate to withhold bananas permanently since they are so good for you. I just strictly limit them and usually offer prunes or prune juice the same day.

Hope that helps a little! I know it is stressful to see your child in pain - I can totally sympathize!

I give PB8 to my kids - at 8 months, probably 1/2 capsule would do it. It keep them regular and boosts their immune system. You can take it if you are BFing, which will help. Also, if you are feeding him solids, make sure he's getting enough water.

Just went through this with my daughter. We just had one less solid meal a day until the issue resolved. But if he's screaming during bowel movements, then don't rule out the possibility of an anal fissure. These are common for infants. See if there is a drop or so of fresh blood in the stool- that's a tell tail sign. Ohhh they are so painful and are caused by hard stools. Something to consider.

I am so sorry to hear about your son. It can be very painful for us moms to watch. I have a 3 year old daughter who has suffered from constipation since she was 4.5 months old. Ever since she was on solid foods. My advice from doctors was always give her lots of vegetables, fruits and liquids. You're lucky your son will eat what you give him, my daughter has always been very picky. I don't think it was because you didn't steam the carrots correctly he's constipated. And taking away his food won't help, he still needs to eat, it's really in what you give him. I very rarely give my daughter filler foods, such as chips, gold fish, crackers, etc. That will make her constipated for sure. You are right in not giving him bananas, as well as rice and white potatoes. Does he drink alot of milk? or other dairy? Have him drink more water. Yoghurt is good for digestion.
Good Luck.
E.

My ped recommended pear juice. When they were little it only took perhaps 4 oz at best once a day. It never took more than maybe 2 days. My oldest I was pushed into starting solids a bit too early and it was of course rice cereal. What a mistake! I stopped all solids and gave him pear juice and it cleared up pretty quick. One word of caution...don't give too much or it runs right through them! I skipped the rice cereal altogether and waited longer with my second and always had pear juice on hand. I'd give them some every day, 1-2 oz diluted with water to "keep things moving" and they also liked it.

first of all, your child's digestive system is trying to get used to the solid foods you're feeding your baby. it's going to take a while to get the system going smoothly again. Secondly, apples, bananas, and carrots are especially binding. Those foods are going to contribute to the constipation. Prune puree is great to soften your baby's stools...if you can get your baby to eat prunes (mine hated it). Also, if you're giving your child formula, you can add a little more water to it or you can give your child a little water during the day. Our pediatrician said that was fine. Lastly, according to our pediatrician there is no hurry in feeding your baby food. You have several months to try different foods. Good luck!

http://www.herbalremedies.com/baby-calm.html
I use "Baby Calm" (magnesium supplement) every day for my 8 month old daughter and she poops like clockwork every morning. I didn't find this product until she was about 5 months old and she would go 3-8 days at a time without pooping (and be miserable).

Hi C., are you making sure he drinks plenty of water? and some juices, solid foods made of fruts and vegetables should not be a reason he is having trouble pooping. Is there a readon while you re still breast feeding him at this age? J.

My daughter struggled with constipation from the day she was born & the thing that seemed to work best was 100% natural prune juice diluted in her bottle or with water with her meals as she got older. This way you're still able to give solids but get the benefits of the prune juice itself. I did a 1 oz to 4 oz ratio at each feeding & it seemed to work well for her. You may want to start out slowly at first & work up b/c he may not need that much to get going & you don't want to overdo it causing the opposite problem.

Hi,
Pear, prune/plum and apricot are wonderful for losening stools. Apple, bananas, cereals (and w/ my daughter peas) make stool more solid. Keep nursing, but still feed him solids too, make sure he's taking some water or dilute fruit juice too w/ his meals. I'm not sure about adding oils, never had to do that, but I have noticed on some prepared baby food jars, Canola Oil is added. Good luck to you!

The prunes help to soften the stools, but apples/applesauce actually aid in hardening the stools leading to constipation. Applesauce is actually recommended for diarrea. I would stick with the prunes and probably add prune juice and apple juice. Good luck! And, kudos for homemaking all of his foods!!!

I had the same problem with my son. I too thought I had done something with the carrots. I made all of my food and had tried everything under the sun, including but not limited to grape/grape juice, apple juice, prunes, etc. I immediately stopped the rice cereal because that can be constipating. He loved the prunes but that didn't help as a matter of fact it made him go more but they were hard (sometimes as a rock- no joke). I tried prune juice and he didn't like it so then I tried it in his oatmeal cereal and that did it. According to my pediatrician my son could have up to 3 oz. of prune juice a day. So we started with an ounce and worked our way up to see what was best for him. PS I breastfed my son the whole time and did not supplement and "supposedly" breastfed babies don't get constipated. That was a joke. Good Luck!

I've been in the same boat with my 8 month old. Don't stop the solids. What helped me was to add a tsp of flax oil to her pear puree. She didn't notice it. I also temporarily stopeed the oatmeal/rice cereal because it has an iron supplement, which is constipating. You can also try a glycerin suppository.

I also have an 8 month old who sometimes seems constipatied. If your baby actually ate the carrots (without choking), I'm sure you cooked them correctly and most likely that would not be the cause of the constipation. Gerber has smooth-consistency organic prunes (although only stage 1, would not be too runny for your baby) that I give to my son as one of the fruits for breakfast(just a few baby-size spoonfuls). Since I don't give my son any sweet juices yet, the prunes work out very well. Now, when I feed him apples or mashed bananas, I always accompany those fruits with a bit of prunes. Also, breastmilk is better than formula in avoiding constipation.

Yes give him solids. Put a teaspoon of dark karo syrup in his milk it helps. Or give him half pair nector and half apple juice it helps your bowels, I do the pair nectar and apple juice alot. It works.

My breast-fed, nine-month old loves his solids, too, and has had some pooping issues as well. Have you tried introducing yogurt yet? (My pediatrician says yogurt is okay at this point even though milk isn't... go figure). My son LOVES it and it seems to have loosened him up a bit. No diarrhea at all, but I got four nice-sized, nice-consistency diapers out of him just the other day. If your son isn't into chunks yet (the chunkier yogurts took some time for my son to get used to) the Yoplait vanilla, lemon, and key lime are all lump-free. I also understand it's possible to make your own if you're trying to stick with home-made food (good for you, I'm too darn lazy, I guess).

I just read some of the other responses... good job on continuing to breastfeed! Is there a reason we wouldn't as long as we can at this point?

Best of luck!

Hi C.,

No apples! Apple juice is ok, but no apples or applesauce. I don't think that the steaming had anything to do with it, since it's not really about how soft the food is. For example, as you know, bananas are super soft, but very bad for constipation. I would wait and see how he does off of apples...Good luck!

Hi
Have you tried prune juice?
GOod luck

I thought I'd mention this because it hasn't been brought up. Over-eating can cause constipation. At this age, your son should only be eating 2 Tablespoons of food, three times a day. I wouldn't cut out the food, but if he's getting too much food, then cut back.

pears and squash (maybe carrots too, can't remember) are fiberous and would not constipate a person. Baby cereals, formula, bananas are. Skip cereal for a day or two. Add pear juice or prune juice. Don't skip meals, he'll just be hungry and more miserable.