Help for 7-Month Old with Constipation, Hard Stools

Prune juice, apple juice, apple sauce- these are all great options. You want to stay away from too much bananas or cereal when they are constipated because that binds them up more. So does dairy.

D.,

If you can sneak in some apple juice or prune juice it might help. This helped both my son and daughter when they were babies.

K.

Hi D.,
I had the same problem when my little boy was smaller. I tried everything,from olive oil to mineral oil. It never really worked. It wasn't until we went to see a gastroenterologist and he prescribed LACTULOSE. Cleared it right up. A miracle!!

Prune Juice. You want to avoid apple juice due to the fact that it makes them gassey on top of being constipated.

Hi,

Are you feeding him baby cereal that is fortified with iron? If so, that is your culprit, the iron binds them up like you wouldn't believe! Get a cereal that has no added iron and blend it if you have to. This will turn it around right away. If you use prune juice, dilute it quite a bit.

D.

My nephew had issues with that. Give him some prunes or pears and that will help. Also don't give him alot of bannanas because those are very binding. Rasins work good too. Hope it helps.

hi D.
i have 25 month old twins that had suffered with constipation in the beginning. i thought what helped a lot were those gerber jar food (pear). pears seemed to do a lot of good. i am syaing jar food because that's what i fed my girls but if you make your own food then get a very ripe pear and give it to tristan. i hope this helps
good luck

Hi Diane,
mineral oil works wonders. you can put a 2 tea spoons in his baby food wait a day and repeat the process, if it doesnt help just increase the dosage. it will defenetely help

Hi Dear you can give her Prune juice or the desert of Prune

PRUNE JUICE FOR BABIES- DELETE WITH WATER IF NEEDED

my daughter's pedi told me to give her mineral oil. 1tbsp once a day. it's natural and softens the stool. It tastes horrid so if there is a food you little one loves, try to mix it with that. I gave to my daughter at night. Worked wonders - still use if she needs it.

I went through this with my 3 year old. My pediatrician suggested, applesauce, pears, prunes, apple juice, white grape or regular grape juice and the karo syrup. The suppositories also work. And if that is still a problem you can try a table spoon of baking soda in his warm bath water to help relax the anus so that it does not hurt when coming out. That is why my son would have hard stools. It would hurt to go and he would hold it.

Good luck.

S.
SAHM of 3 boys

Prunes area great idea if your little one will eat them. My little guy had a simular problem and my Dr. recommended warm Apple Juice and it worked - real well! Good Luck with it! Did you ever think you would be so focused on Poop! Gotta love this motherhood thing :-)

Try giving your child formula with no iron whatsoever. Also, give your child canned sweet corn. It helps stimulate and soften bowels. This used to work alot for my 1st born. Good Luck! S.

I had this problem with my daughter and prunes or prune juice worked wonders. She would just drink the prune juice but you may have to mix it will formula or breast milk. She also liked the gerber prunes with apples or pears. Good luck.

L.

Hi D.,

My daughter was constipated when I started weaning from the breast and started formula. Her poops were as big and hard as a golf ball!! I felt so bad for her she hurt so bad. Her pediatrician advised me to feed her prunes (baby food of course) and it worked!!! She loves them too. I also tried putting a tablespoon of the Dark Karo syrup in her bottle. That worked well too. Also try giving plenty of fresh water in sippie cup!

Hope this helps!

L.

Hi,
Try with food first. Freshly squizzed orange juice or carrots (raw) helps (not too much and only in the morning for orange juice). Also cooked apple. Fennel is a vegetable that helps intestinal transit (cook it with potato, and zuchini, give these vegies mashed with just a hint of parsley, and canola oil). You can keep the broth if the vegies were organic and washed before, and give it to drink to your baby with his formula or as a juice.
Avoid cooked carrots and raw fruits and vegies, avoid banana (these are constipating). If you use baby cereal, replace rice by another sigle cereal, easier to digest than multi.
You can try homeopathy, you can also massage your baby abdomen in cirlces (clockwise).
There are also some gentle suppository for babies (glycerine) that you can give occasionaly when it's been days without any stool. It doesn't cure though, so just don't over use them. And ask a pediatrician first.
My son had constipation until almost 1 year old, it also has to do with teething. The saliva changes, and digestion is sometimes just harder...
And please excuse my poor English
Hopethis will help
S.

My daughter used to have constipation problems and her doctor to me to mix 1-2 tsp. of Karo Syrup with 2 oz. of water. I would give her 2-4 oz. a day depending on fast it started to work.

My son had similar problems around same age. Our pediatrician recommended certain foods (applesauce and many fruits and veggies have natural fiber) and plenty of liquids (apple or prune diluted with 1/2 water). For extreme constipation (my son got very upset and uncomfortable), he recommended an over the counter glycerine suppository. Fleet makes one for children- just use 1/4 - 1/2 of a tube. Be prepared- the results can come very quickly! Good luck!

Hey D.,

I have 3 children, 19 year old son and 13 year old twin girls, I know about constipated children. Waya back when my son was a baby and he had problems the doctor told me to put a teaspoon of sugar in his bottle. IT WORKS! I know some people don't want to give their little ones sugar, but just a little bit for this problem does not hurt. If you would rather, try the fruits like prunes first. Honestly, I know sugar is not good for their developing teeth, but like I said, once in a while doesn't hurt.

Ack! At your sons age, Id stay away from raisins, or anything that could potentially be a choking hazard!

At his age, Id stay with the pureed foods (baby food style). NO BANANAS! Those can bind them up, badly, as was the case for my daughter. Try an elimination diet to see what might be causing his constipation. For some, rice will do it. For my daughter, who was eating limited 'solids' when her constipation began, we found the culprits to be the 'rice flour' contained in many baby foods and also the carrots, also in many baby foods, and as stated earlier, bananas.

My Pedi told me the "p" foods: peas, pears, plums, prunes, peaches. I had the BEST success with pears (or pear juice). I didnt try prunes... had a funny feeling she wouldnt like it. But our Pedi also suggested green beans... but many babies (like mine) dont like baby green beans. (Funny, she loves them NOW) :)

If he goes more than 3 days without a BM, my pedi recommends Fleet baby lax, which is a liquid laxative that you give anally, not orally. Its tough to give to some babies.. but it works very, very quickly.

Finally, when mine stopped wanting baby food, and wouldnt eat 'real' foods that would help with her potty issue, my pedi said I could give her Milk of Magnesia daily for a couple of months to help her go. Check with your pedi for correct dosage. We are happy to report that she rarely needs help having a BM now :)

Good luck, sweetie. A bound-up baby isnt usually a happy one, I know. (((hugs)))

Iron does cause constipation, but I wouldn't discontinue using foods with added iron - they need iron after 6mos (that's when their supply from you during pregnancy starts to run down) - that's why it's added to formula and cereal. Iron helps with building red blood cells - it is necessary. I use the babyfood prunes with apples or prunes with pears for breakfast. Then, if it isn't taken care of by lunch, she'll get Gerber's Garden Veggies (has spinach), or regular spinach if you like and he'll eat it. And instead of formula after lunch, I'll give her Gerber's LiquidLytes made from the powder (love those packets for traveling) or you can just use regular Pedialyte. This works everytime for my daughter. HTH, good luck!

try 3 oz of prune juice 2 times a day...this should work in a day or so! We had to do this with my daughter when she was 4 months old. Dr. recommended!

My ped recommended prune juice. Just a little bit in a bottle. Works like a charm.

J.

1 oz PRUNE JUICE diluted with 1 oz water.

Also, a jar of PRUNES with PEARS (Beechnut makes one).

These work every time. My daughter is 8.5 months old and she started having constipation problems around 7 months as well, so it's pretty common. Everyone says prunes are best followed by other fruits that start with the letter P.

a little corn syrup in the formula; babyfood: prunes, plums, bananas

I'm not sure how "natural" you'll consider this, but it doesn't involve any medications. At that age, my doctor recommended adding 1 tablespoon of Light Karo Syrup to every 2 oz of formula (can also be mixed with water if your son is drinking water already). (A six ounce bottle, we would add 3 tbs of Light Karo). Do this to no more than three bottles per day until the problem resolves. With any luck, it will only take one to two bottles before things are better.