Constipation! - Brunswick,ME

Both of my daughters had this trouble too. Prune juice (even a shot of it in some apple juice) makes a big difference. If he continues to have trouble, I would call his pediatrician. They can prescribe Myrolax which just allows the stool to absorb water thus making it easier to get out. It was a miracle for my oldest!

My doctor recommend pear or white grape juice because apple was to acidic. I also found that homemade applesauce with prunes added worked beautifully!

My son had the same problem and most times eating baby prunes or drinking prune juice helped but if things aren't getting better you might have to take him to the drs for them to tell exactly what it is and then you might have to use suppositories. They aren't fun but they work wonders.

Hi Diluted pear or prune juice always worked for my kids. Is he eating cereal? Rice cereal can be very constipating. The oatmeal cereal worked better for my kids. Call your MD and get their opinion as to what will work best for your little one.

Hello,
I have a 14 month old Daughter that has the same issue once in awhile & has had since birth. I just put a little corn syrup or karo syrup in her bottle or sippy cup. It works great for formula feed,breast feed & babies on milk. Hope this helps.
R.

Try prune juice with apple....maybe evem prune baby food. my ped even recommended light karo syrup in the bottle once too...but maybe check w/ them first. I have a 3y9mo old who only drinks prune apple juice b/c of her constipation issues. Good luck :)

Hi Louise
My daughter had the same problem. I was told by her doctor to either use children's senokot or give her prune juice daily. I personally prefer not to use medications if I don't need to, so I gave her 4 - 5 oz of prune juice every morning. Anyway problem solved.
Hope this helps.
C.

well, my 2 yr old daughter had that a little while ago..so, i did a lil of everything..i gave her oatmeal,some fiber powder in food,some fruit juices help really well (homemade is best, less sugars)..but after the oatmeal and fiber powder, she was able to go by the afternoon. if you type in "natural cures for toddler/infant constipation" into a search,it'll come up with a lot of info. the fruit juice is best option for your 7 mth old though, unless he can eat oatmeal..

i would suggest pear juice

Louise,

I feel your pain - I've been there. My now 5 yr. old had serious constipation issues from 6 months old - present. I used to have to pull it out of him as he was screaming. My pediatrician put him on Miralax, which is a laxitive and it worked great. However, it's not something that I would want to use if I didn't have to. Definitely try prune juice or pear juice, not apple. Plenty of fluids. When he's a little older, you really want to bulk him up on as much fiber as possible. I finally got my son off of his laxative using a great fiber bard product 8 months ago. I had tried everything else, including Children's Hospital, a Chiropractor, etc. Nothing worked. He just needed a lot of fiber which isn't easy to give to a toddler. Both of my boys (3 and 5) eat at least one of these fiber bars per day. They love them and I love that they are healthy!

R.

Louise,
My daughter had a constipation problem when she was younger. After discussing the situation and my concerns to the pediatrician (and after x-rays confirmed it), he recommended gel suppositories. It killed me to use them, but the good thing is that they melt as they're being inserted. After using them for several days, it was an enormous relief for me to see that 'comfortable' feeling back on my daughter's face. She did go back to normal bowel movements. My advice to you is to contact your pediatrician's office and speak w/a nurse or the pediatrician. They'll know what's safest for your baby.

Apple juice contains sugar which will make it only worse. try prune juice

Try feeding him Pears, Prunes, Plums or Oatmeal. It always worked for my little one. Also, our doctor said rice, banana and apples are binding, so you may want to try and minimize those foods.

Hope this helps.

my son had the same problem. the dr.s told me to get the benefiber that you can mix in. i did 1/2 teaspoon in his bottle twice a day. it worked great.

My son would go a week without going. His pediatrician told me it is not unusual for babies to go up to 2 weeks! Did you try a bit of Karo syrup mixed with water? Also, you can try glycerin suppositories. They work instantly.

My two girls used to get constipated all the time when they were babies. The nurse at my Pediatricians office gave me the best remedy. Combine 1/2 oz prune juice, 1/2 karo syrup (light) with 3 ounces water. The kids love it because it is sweet and it works in as little as half an hour (sometimes a little longer). Good Luck.

My son inherited my stomach problems too - try juices(apple works great), prunes, fruit, raisins.. if all else fails and he needs more help, you can try a mixture of karo syrup and water (1T to 3 T water). I'd suggest a rectal thermometer, but he is older now and I'd be afraid he'd break it. Bicycle his legs when he's uncomfortable, massage in circular motions on his belly. Stay away from cheese, bananas, anything that can bind him. good luck

Hi Louise,

I'm sorry to hear your little one is struggling with this. It's very difficult to watch them deal with that & not be able to do anything. My daughter was going through the same thing & her day care provider recommended a particular brand of apple juice, made by Apple & Eve. She's been fine ever since! Try that! Good luck!

-W.

HI
I have 16 mth twins. We used sm amounts of prune juice w/water. We also used Dark Karo syurp. The doctor said try these ways in moderation. Here is what they say about the syurp.

Karo Syrup for Constipation?
Please read our General and Medical Disclaimers
Pediatrics Expert Advice from Shari Nethersole, M.D.
Question: I heard that Karo syrup prevents constipation, but that it's not good for babies. Does it have some kind of bacteria in it?

Answer: Your statement is actually incorrect. Corn syrup (Karo) can be eaten by infants. The confusion may come from the recommendation to avoid giving babies honey. A number of years ago a concern was raised about whether corn syrup might contain the same bacteria that honey can have, and some physicians told parents not to let their kids have it. That concern, however, has been proven wrong.

Corn syrup has often been used by parents to manage constipation in infants, though it is not always necessary. Often, just giving the baby as much as two ounces of water once or twice a day is all that is needed to soften the stools. For infants who are already on solid foods (five months or older), pureed prunes are another good way to treat constipation.

If you are going to give your baby corn syrup, the syrup should be put into water, not into the baby's formula, and just a small amount should be added. A teaspoon in two ounces of water is a reasonable amount. Corn syrup is sweet like sugar, and when it gets into the intestine it stimulates it to move the stool along. It also draws a little more fluid into the intestine, thus making the stools less hard. You don't want to overdo it though, because too much can cause diarrhea and change the balance of salt in the body very easily.

I just had this conversation with my son's pediatrician yesterday because he is 14 months and still has dry poop. She said fruits that start with P. Pears, peaches, plums, prunes. She also said to stop giving him bananas as they are contipating. Rice cereal is also constipating. He was on oatmeal cereal when he would eat baby food. When he was a baby baby I had to give him 2 oz of prune juice a day. It sounds gross to us but the babies actually like it. The other trick to make poop slicker for them is Karo syrup and water bottle. Excercising his little legs also helps. Lay him on his back and do the bicycle moves for him. Another trick to make him comfortable is a warm wash cloth on his belly. She also said that apples can be constipating for some babies. That is why she recommended the P fruits. Another juice that works for Walter is pomegrante juice. It is really sweet, so I dilute it. That is all I can think of that we have tried. Good luck. Patti

Pear juice, prune juice, prunes... I've also heard that corn syrup and adding a little bit of brown sugar to the bottle helps too but I prefer the juices and natural foods.

GOOD LUCK

try giving him some prunes! It helps!!

There's good news here...there are so many different ways to get rid of diahrea that at least one of them is bound to work. First of all, is your 7 month old on formula or breast milk? Another words, is he drinking off a bottle yet? If so put about a teaspoon or two of prune juice in his milk. Is he eating baby food yet? Grab a kiwi and mash it well and feed him about half of it. Is he on more "solid" type solids (ex. cheerios) if so, give him a hand full of raisins. Any of these tricks will losen his bowels and relieve his stress, and yours. =)

Louise,

I just had the same problem with my son and I pushed some baby fruits, like apple sauce and prunes (not his favorite fruit), mixed berries and I also tried to get him to drink juice and water and it helped and now he is fine. I think this happens as we start to introduce new foods because my son will be one this week and he is pretty much eating all solids and that is what happend. Anyway, hope this helps and I wish your husband the best, my husband already did his tour hopefully there will not be a second one.

A.