Trouble Using the Restroom?

If she is on formula, you may consider switching her to a formula with less iron. Feed her a small jar of prunes. It usually does the trick. Call her doctor for more advice. Good luck!

HI A., look, I'm having the same problem with my baby, he's older, now 15 months, but he started when we put him on whole milk, now it turns he's allergic to milk. I don't know what the problem is with your baby because she's younger and I'm sure she's on breast milk or formula, maybe you started her on solids and that is causing it??? Anyways, what I wanted to tell you is that I tried too the Karo syrup, everyday, consistently and for my baby it didn't work. I tried the prune juice, plum juice, it didn't work, the doctor put him now on 1 tsp of Miralax, daily, till the stools are soft, and after that I have to gradually wean him off it. I hope this helps. Talk to your Dr about it, don't let her suffer, is so bad seeing them push and push and nothing!!!!!

It may sound gross and it may sound cruel but I was given the advice from my child's doctor to do a "temperature reading" rectally. I put the lanolin that's used for chapped nipples on it and inserted it. It helps break it up but you don't want to have to do it all the time so check out the diet. If you're nursing... what are you eating and if it's formula, maybe you need to change it. I was also told to use very small amount of the gerber prune juice. Check with her doctor first. Hang in there.

one word... Miralax. We live by the stuff. My daughter has similiar issues and we give her a half a dose of Miralax every day mixed in with her milk. It has helped so much! The doctor says it's fine to give it to her every day, and some kids are on it for years until things get better. Good luck.

HI A.!

My neice had a big problem with trying to use the restroom and got to the point to where she just couldn't. When it did happen, it was like you said very large and hard. My sister to her to a specialist that came to her area once a month. The doctor did an exam and told my sister that sometime in the past my neice had become constipated and never got over it. She was very backed up and the only way to get it out was with a liquid (I cannot remember what it was-but basically an oil) that would help soften everything and make her go. They did this until she was "normal" again and things have been much better.

Try apple juice. At 6 months old she may have trouble drinking it without choking but you could mix it with cereal or dilute it with water. The less you dilute it the better it works. Good luck!

No, please don't use Karo syrup! Corn syrup seems to be causing obesity problems and diabetic issues. Use pear juice first a couple of ounces is all it should take. Put it in her cereal or dilute with purified water. You can give a some herbs or minerals that are harmless just go to your local health food store and they will have what you need. Whole Foods or Earth's Fare all have a great safe variety. We use Cal-Mac when our little one is in a bind. Formula is the culprit or was for us. As soon as you can switch her to goats milk. It is the safest for most babies. She needs to have 1 or 2 bowel movements a day for proper eliminations of dangerous toxins in our environment. I pray she gets straighten out. Has she just had her 6 mo. shots? They always cause problems for us, be careful! E-mail me if this is the case, I'll explain. Your in my prayers.

Dear A. R., I am so sorry to hear that your sweet one is having so much trouble passing her stools. I have read some of the information about some of the comments concerning Miralax and what I have read about the drug on gicare.com is not comforting. I would recommend checking the formula that is being used if you are using formula. In infants, iron can be hard to process and some formulas gives a large dosage to keep the babies healthy... sometimes it can backfire and cause constipation. I would also recommend checking into what you are eating especially if you are breastfeeding. Anything that bothers your digestion passes through in breast milk and bothers a baby's digestion process. Good luck and all of the best taking care of your little one. I hope that my words assisted you in your decision process.

Hi A.,

My son is six months old also and since we've started solid foods I've had the same problem. The doctor recommended apple juice diluted (1 part apple juice to 1 part water) and that has seemed to help a lot. I just make sure he gets it every day between feedings. If she doesn't like apple you can also give her a small amount of prune juice or you can give her white grape (also diluted). Also, if you're little one is eating solids, she needs water. I understand if she doesn't like it (my little Alex refuses to drink it out of a bottle or sippy.) My solution has been to give him water from a regular cup, while he's eating. He loves drinking from the grown up cup and I give it to him with the solids so that he will associate water with thirst instead of always going for sweet drinks when he's thirsty later in life.

Also, I wouldn't recommend the Karo Syrup. A nurse once told me that Kayro Syrup disrupts their BMs in such a way that they will have larger ones that are even harder to push out and that this could affect how they are able to go for life.

Good luck A.. Every day is a learning process with them isn't it?

You may want to try feeding her more bananas or other fruit that will help regulate her digestive system. Best thing on the market when my kids were that age was the glycerine suppositories that had the glycerine in a bubble tube and you inserted just the tip into the anus and squriting just a little at a time. Have her lay on her tummy if you can while the glycerine has a chance to work. If that doesn't work you may want to give her a gental, warm water enema with a large bubble suction device the hospitals usually send home from the hospital. It works great because the opening is tiny and can fit into the rectum with very little discomfort. The water will soften the stool and should make it very easy to pass. Be prepared with lots of towels and or other clean up materials, because it will usually break everything loose. You may want to let her sit in the bathtub until the system has cleared itself out, then clean the tub and give her a good bath. Hope that helps. A.

Pear juice is helpful.

My son also had a problem with this at a young age and his pediatrician recommended Karo syrup. I think it's safe and you can ask the doctor but if you give it to your child every 2 or 3 hours that may help. Or once in the AM and once in the PM. Hope this helps.

You may want to talk to your peditrician about changing her formula that she drinks. It could that she is constipated becuase of the iron in the milk.

Also, try apple or prune juice and diluting it with water. Sometimes, if you put too much cereal in her bottle that could contribute to her being constipated as well.

My 22 month old son had the same problem before. Once his doctor advised to use a petroleum based jelly and lubricate the rectal area using a q-tip. It worked fast. I had to change the milk his drinking. He was breastfed but I had to stop and when I switched him over to the formula he had difficulty adjusting. We never had that problem since.

I hope this helps!

I would probably contact the doctor about it and then ask about Myralax. It is an OTC medicine now to help with these issues. I had an after hours pediatric nurse tell me when my son was 10 days old about the Karo syrup and it didn't help him. Then after arriving at the ER the pediatrician told me that the karo really doesn't help anything. Good luck!

Ask your doctor (or advice nurse at your doc's office) if you can give her a little "Miralax.". .and if so, how much. It's a stool softener (non-stimulant), that you can buy over the counter now. You used to have to have a perscrip, when my older kids were young. One of my kids (#2 of 5) had a terrible time going to the bathroom, when he was little. Lots of water and juice will help too, especially as the weather gets warmer. You may try that before the Miralax. E. :)

In order for Kayro ( it needs to be the light) to work effective, you need to give it daily. Start with about a 1/2 teaspoon once a day till she goes poop. You can also give her dulited (mixed with water) prune juice and see if that helps. Have you recently started her on baby foods? If so, it will take a bit of time for her tummy to adjust to the new foods.

~S.