Need Help with Constipated 5 Month Old

Try miralax it's an over the counter powder that you'll add to her bottle. My son in chronically constipated and his GI drs told us to start giving it to him at like 2 months. It used to be prescription but it's not anymore the directions are on the bottle

Try making a tea from cumin seeds with a little sugar in between feeding. Also try rubbing warm olive oil on the belly feel the oil not to be too hot for the baby.

My son had the same problem when he was younger. I switched to the diluted formula instead of the powder formula and it made him more regular.

A little about me:
Mother to two active boys, 2 1/2 and 8 months. Married to a wonderful husband for almost 4 years.

Flaxseed oil will also help things move along 1/2 tsp or so given in a bit of water or prune juice. Keep in mind that it can take several weeks for a baby's system to adjust to a change in diet. You will want to wean her off the prune juice over a week or two.

Also, I've found that the flaxseed oil or prune juice are more effective NOT mixed with the formula. At least in part, it is the iron in the formula causing the problem.

"Bicycle Legs" is a great thing for their digestive systems, as is a little lavender oil massage on their abdomen. There is also a baby massage technique call I Love You--here is a link with the diagram--that helps keep everything moving.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/dailycare/massageforbegi...

My niece had a quite a bit of trouble with formula and she actually occasionally got some of my expressed breastmilk to keep things moving. Know a nursing mom?

When our pediatrician told us to use prune juice for constipation, she said to start out with 1 oz & work our way up from there if our son was still struggling. I suggest giving her more prune juice than you have been. It's common for babies to have constipation at her age & the best things are natural remedies. If you want to switch her formula, try Enfamil. My son did well with their soy formula. He did have bouts of constipation, but once we figured out how much prune juice to give him it cleared up. Eventually his digestive system got use to the foods & formula & he usually doesn't have any constipation issues now, at 17 months.

Hi R., My grandson was about 8 months old when he got constipated I went online and looked it up on americanbaby.com (I think) and it said to give him apple juice daily, (I diluted it about 1/2 distilled water 1/2 apple juice because it burned his bottom at full strength,) and he won't have that problem and I did and he doesn't. So i hope that this helps.You can look it up also just to get the particulars about it. God bless and Happy new Year. L. S.

Our little girl was constipated a lot too. The two things that would help...
1. Dad would pick her up under her arms and lift her up and down. Like as if she was "jumping" in the air. That freed the gas that was trapped...
Same idea, different method - do you own a large exercise ball? If so, put the baby in your lap, and bounce.
2. Lay baby on her back. Hold her ankles and then bend the legs twoard her belly. Where her thighs are pushing down her her belly. Go back and forth....should help!

Good luck, I know how hard it is to see/hear your baby go through that!

I use XYLITOL, which is a sweetner like Karo syrup. You find it in health food stores. Give her 1 tsp in her formula once a day. This should soften her stools without making her body dependant on it. I use this fo my son and so doe smy friend.

One thing I discovered with my daughter when she was little was that I had been mixing her bottles too concentrated. Instead of leveling off the scoop, I had just been scooping and dumping. When I started leveling off the scoop (and therefore making a more dilute formula), she had fewer problems. Make sure also that you aren't packing the scoop, as that can also lead to formula that is too concentrated. If you are breastfeeding as well, try breastfeeding or giving an expressed bottle one more time a day. The prune juice is a good solution too, as well as the rectal stimulation. Just be careful with the rectal stimulation to only insert no more than 1/2 inch into the rectum...any more than that isn't safe. Good luck!

My daughter is breastfed plus baby food and has the same problem. I have to include prunes at every other breakfast to keep her bowel movements a little easier on her. It works like a charm and when I skip it I can definitely see a difference. Good luck!!

HI R.

My son is 6 months and does 4 oz. of straight prune juice everyday along with similac soy formula. I know you will hate this suggestion because I know I did when his pediatrician told me but you could try a thermometer with vaseline and just insert and wiggle enough to stimulate their bowels and the "poo poo monster" comes out immediately. It was rought to do for me more then him the first time but it works amazingly well and quick. I was also told that rice cereal causes constipation and holds no nutritional benefit so skip it.

Breastfeeding is best for babies and does not cause constipation. If you are unable to breastfeed, I would try another formula until your sweet baby is not in pain. I am so sorry for her. Good luck.

Try a little olive oil in every other bottle. 1/2 teaspoon. If you don't see any improvement then you really need to change formula.

Mineral Oil will do it but DON'T give her a lot. Maybe 1/4 teaspoon.
The light Karo used to do wonders for my son but when he was about 12 months he grew accustomed to it and we put a teaspoon of that stuff in his juice or milk and within an hour it's OUTTA THERE. lol. I wish you luck. I have two kids that suffered from a lot of constipation..so I feel the pain. You don't wanna see them in pain. :(

Shaena

Its time to take her to the doctor for something better.

Hi R.
You have gotten some good advice. You might try using the Karo syrup more than once a day. You did not say how much you were using- about 1 tbs for a baby that age- you might try it in the am bottle and the night bottle- see if that might work- and, are you sure she does not have an obstruction- your dr. should check if it continues-
Good luck

We had the same problem. I found that the Emfamil Gentlease formula worked wonders. Good luck!

Hi R., my son went thru a variety of formulas before I found one that worked. It is called Nutrimagen (not sure about the spelling) It worked and he did not suffer from any more feeding woes. You may also want to try adjusting the diluting of the prune juice (is it baby prune juice or adult?)feed/juice her before a warm bath. The pushing of legs up to th tummy helped my son as well. Good luck.

A little Mylicon in her bottle sometimes helps. If you need instant relief you can take a Qtip and put LOTS of vaseline on it and gently insert it into her anus and twirl it around a bit. It sounds horrible but I learned it when my baby brother's were in the NICU. I also used it on my own daughter. You can also try putting her in the tub with warm water and splash it up on her bottom, or use a warm wet towel. Hope you both find some relief soon. It's no fun having a constipated baby.

First, Help her get cleaned out and comfortable with a suppository, they make infant size, blunt end first, when she clenches the suppository will move up, not out! Pinch her little butt cheeks together for 5 minutes so it can dissolve.
This will cause her to be uncomfortable, when when the bowel moves watch out!!

Applesauce w/prune juice...with whatcha normally do for breakfast will keep her regular!!

I went through the same thing after changing formula's several times ended up with soy. But my daughter still had problem's going poop. I used diluted apple juice with water. It worked for her. Hope this works for you. Been there.

My 5 month old has only been going the bathroom every few days and seems really uncomfortable. Just this past week, it had been friday and she hadn't gone since sunday. She had been terribly grumpy and having trouble sleeping so we got her Fleet Pedi-lax glycerin suppository and the doctor said to give 1/2 of one to her. It said it can take up to an hour, but she went in like 30 seconds. She was such a happier baby afterwards. I know it is only temporary, but maybe it will help 'unplug' Riley and get her back on schedule, especially taking the prune juice.

Hi R.,,,
My granddaughter had the same problem they where told by a specialist to use ,,fiber supplement i'm sorry my mind went blank as to the name the container is green has no taste or color i'm sure if you ask or just look you'll find it .It worked great i've told other people about they all love it .You just put some in the nitetime bottle .
Good Luck L.
P.S. sorry i cant rember the name

Both my exclusively breastfed babies went through a period of constipation somewhere around 5 - 6 months. I remember it particularly hitting around the time they needed to switch to solid food, and having to do prunes and prune juice mixed in with cereal to keep them going.

So, please don't stress too much, and know that she really will outgrow this phase. Just try to work with what you can and know that she will outgrow it.

And if you get really worried, the Q-tip and vaseline suggestion below does REALLY work.

Try a warm bath.
Let her suck on some peppermint, or melt a ball in some water and give it to her. There isn't as much sugar as everyone thinks and the mint is one of the best things for the diggestive tract.

Soy formula can be an allergen and yes, can cause constipation as well as gas. When have you last tried Good Start? You might try mixing the soy with the Good Start, increasing Good Start gradually over a few days to see if she tolerates Good Start just fine. You may be able to drop the soy all together. Some also find that it's not the milk but the additives in the cow milk (antibiotics, hormones ect) and when they switch to organic formula the baby handles it beautifully.

S., mom to 5, the first two on formula, the third on formula and breastmilk and the fourth and fifth exclusively breastfed (so I have experience in all of it!)

My son is now 5, but we went through the same thing -- switched to soy early on, but at 6 months had to switch him to Nutramegen (sp). It is expensive compared to other formulas, but was well worth it. We had NO other problems after that.

Good Luck,
L.

Hi R.,
My baby boy (now 20 months old) had the same problems when he was a baby. I found that giving him a couple of ounces of prune juice, mixed with a couple of ounces of breastmilk or formula, helped most of the time. In a couple of more extreme cases, we did have to use the Fleet suppositories that someone else recommended (just a half-inch "chip" off of the narrow end).

We found though, that once we adjusted his diet to ensure he got plenty of fiber, we very rarely had to resort to either the prune juice or the suppository. For instance, feeding him a higher-fiber baby cereal for his meals, such as oatmeal or barley, instead of rice, along with lots of fruits and vegetables, helped to maintain our baby's "maximum poop-ability" without any "corrective action"!! ;-)

By the way, I'm another oh-my-gosh-why-did-I-wait-so-long mother of "advanced maternal age" (I just hate that term!)---turning 42 in February, with a 20-month old little boy and another baby due at the end of June---and just LOVING IT!! There aren't quite as many of us, so if you want to chat or get together, then feel free to contact me...

I hope this helps!
D.

If you can place a warm towel on her tummy abdomen and lightly press for a while that can help. Also put your baby on her back. Take her legs and peddle them slowly very close to her abdomen like she is peddling a bike, that should also help to get things moving.

Sometimes just a little warm water with the prune juice can help.

Have you tried watering down the formula just a bit with each bottle - like an ounce or two of water extra. Or, you could give her a bottle of water during the day, even sugar water. I would personally add water to her diet since she is on formula. Breastfed babies do not need the extra water. But, I firmly believe that formula fed babies do. All my kids would struggle when given formula, unless I added water to the bottle or just water to their diet.

Hi R., My granddaughter was breast fed and when she started eating food she had some problems. We made most of her food from frozen or fresh vegetables that were steamed and put in a blender. But Whole Foods has an organic baby food line that makes a prune oatmeal cereal in a jar. It tastes great, and my granddaughter loves it. It does the trick. Also, my daughter used Udo's Choice Infant's Probiotic's in the baby's food on occasion. As the baby became a toddler, my daughter added some raw foods like Avocado - mashed bananas - fresh apple - carrot. I hope this helps. L.

Try 1-2 oz gerbers white grape juice or prune juice with 2 oz of water. Works great

Probiotics! Go to your local pharmacy and ask the pharmacist for the granules. It's non prescription. Ask the pharmacist how much to give your daughter and put it in her bottles. This is the nice little intestine helping bacteria that we all need. It can really help make things "work" right in that department. Also, it can't hurt to try it out. The worst thing that can happen is she gets some good bacteria. It's the same thing found in yogurt. If she is eating some solids, at 5 months you could try some out, give her some yogurt if you don't want to try the granules. It's all good no matter how you try it.

Also, is it possible that you're not diluting the formula enough? When we pack the formula in to the scoop too heavily our daughter will start having some constipation too. I now shake the can to loosen the powder before I scoop it and I don't fill the scoop up all the way. She's been getting her formula like this for a long time and as long as we keep it loose she's loose too. We also had terrible problems with the soy formula. We ended up using Similac lactose free and it worked like a charm.

If all the things you try don't work please make sure to mention it at your 6 month check up.

Good luck,
Jen
http://www.mommysjoy.com

My daughter got constipated when I started giving her rice cereal at 5 months. My sister recommended the prune baby food, so I gave her the gerber kind. It worked. I would try that.

Have you tried apple juice or feeding her some prunes?

R., I haven't tried this but I was at a potty training class one day and the woman suggested putting Epsom salt in their bath to relieve constipation and then about 3 woman in the group all agreed that it works... I never knew that, but on the carton it does say it is a laxative and it is all natural. Give that a try, she said to put in a fair amount, your body soaks in only the amount of magnesium that it needs, so you can't give too much. For severe constipation she said there are epsom salt packets you can buy and put in their drink.... good luck... J.

Try infant message. I bought a book on it and did the stomach messages. Worked like a charm on my son.

I had lots of problems w/ my daughter starting at weeks. We ended up giving her apple juice in her bottles.

I had the same problem with my 7 month old and the dr. told me to give him an ounce of apple juice or white grape juice (straight, not diluted). This may sound gross but the dr. also told me that when you take their rectal temperature it helps them squeeze some out. I have tried it and they worked for my son. Hope your baby gets better! God bless you!