"Hard" Baby Bms?

Have you tried "kero" the dark corn syrup,? I was having the same problem with my daughter she is one an infant however it helped immediantly. she cried after every feeding she was having extreme intestinal distress.I put a teaspoon of it in 2 oz of her formula but you can put it in milk or water my ped said.You can also try the vaseline on the thermometer if he will hold still long enough. Good Luck..

Cut back on the solids. His tummy may need to adjust more slowly to this food. Also mixed grain baby cereal was the only one that made my son have a happy tummy. He didnt fully get used to solids till he was 8 months old but by hten he was ready to take off with no pebbly diapers!

Try giving him some infant apple juice. It is supposed to help with constipation. My pediatrician told me that when my baby went two days without going.

Fruit is defintely good - but non-constipating fruit is key. Here's the advice from my pediatrician that worked for me. My 10 month old has had constipation issues ever since she started solids. Bananas and applesauce are constipating foods, so are starchy things like potatoes. Rice cereal is the biggest constipating culprit. Apple juice, however, is good and non-constipating as well as other juices, and I've been told to dilute them with water. Cereals like oatmeal and barley are non constipating. And most successful for my daughter has been pureed prunes, and prune juice. Just be careful because once I overdid it on the prune juice, and it had the exact opposite effect- and that was yucky!!!

Good luck and I hope you little one feels better soon.

How much fruit is he eating? And how much water is he drinking? I would add fruit servings to every meal, apple sauce (adult apple sauce is fine, you don't have to buy the more expensive baby stuff), mashed bananas, canned in their own juice fruits that you puree yourself, etc. And if you can add some water, that will also help with constipation.

Had the same problem and a little apple juice worked as a MILD softener. Of course there's prune juice, but that can quickly go the other way!

We found from the time the kids were small, a jar (or half a jar, depending on how much they are eating) of baby prunes were a godsend everytime we went through bouts of baby constipation. I still keep 3 jars in the house (and the kids are not 5,9 & 10) for the occasional bouts, and always take them on vacation with us ... usually on vacation, by the third day at least two are asking for the "pudding that makes my tummy feel better" ...

My son too suffers from this problem. I just took him to the doctors today (for the 100th time LOL). They have told me to give him Miralax (check with your ped on that) and they also told me to increase fruits and veggies and to decrease soda or sugary drinks and too not feed him fast food or chicken nuggets. I have also switched him from whole milk to soy milk... Really seems to work the best because i have been around the circle changing his diet since he was 9 months old and stopped breast feeding... hope it helps maybe we can help each other

apple juice or just up the fluids.

My daughter had the same issue and the doctor said to make sure she was getting enough water. We also try to limit the amount of calcium products we give her.

My son has the same problem. Pears work for him and sometimes we give him 2 oz of water mixed with 2oz of pear juice. He went through a period of time when he was constipated and the pear juice really helped him. Hope that helps.
S.

Good morning A.,

I've noticed with my young granddaughters that the doctors today do not stress the importance of giving babies water between feedings. If your son is eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, it may be that he is not getting enough liquid to keep his bms softer.

From the old school, Grandmom M.

Once you finish another food and know there is no allergy, start with prunes. After you finish the 3 day trial for allergy (i doubt there will be on) you can always give him a bit here and there either for regularity or just when he gets all bound up. Apple juice works wonders too, just gave my 1 yr old a cup full and man did he go,hahaha.

Hi A.,

The dark greens are what's 'hardening' the poopies....Broccoli, spinach, etc. Balance that with applesauce & prunes to keep him more regular.

Good Luck!

make sure he is getting enough fiber in his diet. feed him oatmeal at breakfast along with some yogurt. make sure to give him fruits and veggies also.

I too have a 7 month old and she is having hard bms, now that she is starting to eat a variety of foods. I had to look this up for myself and thought it might help you. I found that it is best to avoid giving her a lot of bananas (which she loves to eat!). Maybe try giving your son watered down juice and vegetables. I hope this helps!

PS I'm also an elementary teacher, isn't it great to be with your children during the summer?

My one year old had the same problems and still does. I give her the dark Karo syrup. I mix 9 ounces of water with 2 Tsp of Karo syrup. I give this to her between 2-3 times a week and she's back to normal.

Good luck.

Hi, A.!

Definitely sounds like your little ones digestive system is not used to the solids yet. Try incorporating some prune juice into his diet. Gerber makes the baby prune juices that are not as strong as the adult kind. You can dilute it by mixing it with another tasty fruit juice. This helped my daughter when she was that age. Also, try introducing the baby green beans and applesauce. These foods help constipation. I also found that giving 8 ounces of water per day helped tremendously. Babies need water too!!
Good Luck!

E.

My now 12 month old experienced the same thing between 6 and 10 months of age. It really didn't matter what I fed him (and I tried to stay away from all the no-nos). I even tried juices (which is something I do NOT give my kids) to no avail. I ended up talking to the doctor at his 9 month visit and she gave me something called ENULOSE. It is a liquid medication. I was able to adjust the dosage to the point that while he was still pushing, his BMs were much softer. At 11 months old he kind of started to regulate himself (I was never really giving him the medication regularly- just on a needs basis). Bottom line is that I would put a call into your pediatrician. No need for your little one to be in discomfort.

A.,
I have/had the same EXACT problems with my baby girl. After talking to my ped. (who was a little baffled because I was breastfeeding so constipation or hard/difficult bm's were not supposed to be an issue)we tried EVERYTHING! About 5 different formula's (I supplemented breastmilk with about 2 bottles/day), to regularly giving my daughter apple juice, babyfood pears (lots of fiber), EVERYTHING. It was VERY stressful for me and my daughter. Whenever she had to have a BM (which was only 1-2 times a week) she struggled and painfully strained so much it not only made me cry but she actually made herself throw up a couple of times from pushing so hard. It is the most horrible feeling to have your baby clinging to you because she is pooping and it hurts her like that. Finally, after some research by my doctor, he prescribed a laxative used for babies and small children. It took about a week to work but now she goes regularly (every day or at least every other day). The consistency is not that of a normal baby but I only give her half the dosage (recommended by the doctor to start...don't want to give more than she needs). Even so, the BM process is much shorter, she still strains but not nearly like she was, and I worry much less about her baby insides. I definitely suggest you talk to her doctor...I'm so happy with mine right now!

I would avoid laxatives! Prunes always worked for my kids. I just gave them a jar of Stage 2 prunes and things would go back to normal. One of his baby foods is probably the culprit. Just pay attention to what you feed him and when the stools get hard.My first daughter seems to have trouble from time to time with her bowels as I introduced new foods, but it eventually all worked out. I wouldnt jump to soy milk as this is not the best choice for children, especially girls. Not too sure about boys, but it can play a role in early puberty in girls as soy acts as an estrogen in their bodies.

My son was the same way. I gave him 1 oz. of Aloe Juice with water. It is flavored so he thought he was getting a treat. You can get it at www.healthmadesimple.net and click on Ultimate Aloe.
Hope this helps.
L.

A.,
I would add fruit to his cereal (prunes or pears) and avoid bananas. Three fruits each day. Does he drink water or juice yet? If so half water and half pear (or prune or white grape). Avoid apple juice. Good luck!

My daughter had the same problem. Gerber makes prunes in their stage 2 foods. It works like a charm. Avoid bananas and applesauce OR only give them in moderation.

Try prune baby food. It's typically mixed with apple. Also you can add the prune juice (gerber makes this for baby's / toddlers) into his milk. I also switched to oatmeal from rice cereal. Pears are also supposed to help.

Good luck.

My 8 month old daughter has the same problem. Her pedi told me about benefiber. I put one teaspoon in her cereal in the morning and it works wonders! It's pretty expensive, but they do sell generic brands. If one teaspoon doesn't do it, you can give him 2 tsps up to twice a day. Just be careful, I was giving my daughter 2 tsps and she had a HUGE blowout diaper! I was just happy she pooped! GL!

A.,
Avoid avacado. I was told this was a great first food with lots of good fat, etc. However, it bound up my little boy! Blueberries have helped get things going, sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber... hope these help!
M.

Hi A.. My daughter went through the exact same thing at around that age. My ped. said to give her pears, peaches, green beans, prunes and apricots which all have a lot of fiber. Also oatmeal- not rice cereal. A bit of apple juice diluted in water helped too, Gerber makes little individual bottles you can get in the baby aisle. I just put 1/2 a small bottle in a cup of water then give it to her in her sippy cup. (Applesauce isn't recommended because the pectin in it is too binding)
We actually ended up giving her a laxative the first time because she was so constipated but after that initial bout her system seemed to have worked out the kinks. I just make sure I give her something with high fiber in it every day.
Hope this helps you!
R.

Any kind of juice should do the trick! I always mix half water half juice. They also have prunes puree.
Michele

What are you feeding him? It could be a combination of foods that are binding him up. Make sure you give lots of fruits and veggies that start with "P" like peaches, pears, prunes, etc. that should help.

Speak to the pediatrician. There's an oil, behind the pharmacy counter, expensive (It was about $20.), but the doc said to use it, and it worked. Began with a K, I think. Just can't remember the name, but the pharmacist will know. It was OTC.

Solids 3x/day for a 7 month old is A LOT! Also, if you're giving him something like cereal, which is completely overloaded w/ iron (since it's not really absorbed) that could be the main culprit.
A baby's intestines are extremely immature & at 7 mos they're just starting to be able to digest solids. He probably only needs to be fed solids 1-2x/day.

Are you breastfeeding at all? If so, making sure that you nurse him BEFORE solids will ensure that he gets good nutrition AND will help to prevent some of the constipation b/c breastmilk is a natural laxative (but in a good way, of course!)

Hope that helps some!

Definitely prune baby food or one ounce of prune juice in hie cereal. My sons loved the way it sweetened their cereal.

It isn't strange at all that his bms are starting to get hard/firm after starting solid food.

Any foods that have a lot of fiber in them will help to soften the bms. Some examples would be fruits like apples, pears, prunes, etc. The banana is a fruit that will have the opposite affect though. Bananas harden the bms. I'm not saying that you shouldn't give him bananas but more that you should also give him fibrous fruits as well. Also, give him fruit juices on a regular basis, every day, like apple juice, white grape juice, or the one juice that has the most fiber is prune juice. Be careful with prune juice though, because of the amount of fiber in it, if he is given too much, he will end up with diarrhea. You will just have to experiment with different foods/juices until you find the one or combination that will affect your son in the way that he needs to have the softer bms.

A.,
Prunes. I give my son who is 18 months old #2 prunes to this day and he still eats them. It really helps him stay regular. Applesauce is great too.
Christina

Make sure the he is getting lots of water to him with this. It will help soften it. You might want to see what pediatrition says. You might have cut back some.
Patti

my son had this problem too, the pediatrician said to give him yougurt. that seemed to work really well. He also took aplle juice when he was a little older (one oz diluted with 1 oz water.

More fluids. Your baby is getting more fiber from solid foods, but fiber only works correctly if there is enough fluid to help it along. Water is best, but juice will also help. Try keeping a sippy or straw cup or even a bottle filled with water around all the time. Even little sips will help.

If that still doesn't help, check with your doctor. Prune juice or karo syrup might help loosen things up a bit. But if you try either, start with small doses or you could have the opposite problem of hard poops!

This may sound odd but when my son was that age he had the same problem, my grandmother told me to add a little bit of karo syrup to his formula if breastfeeding to his juice, it really did work i don't know what it does but it did work.