my 10 mo. old has constipation, any advice? we have been feeding her fruits and vegs mostly today, is there anything to give her? could rice cereal be the cause? we do make her a big bottle with lots of rice cereal in it before bed and we like to do this because she sleeps 11 hrs. every night and we think this helps
Hi Kristin,
Both my kids have had issues with constipation, but especially my 4 year old son. For sure the rice cereal does not help. I would suggest moving to oatmeal. Also, I don't know what fruits you are giving her, but stay away from apples (including applesauce, especially the kind with cinnamon) and bananas. They start learning how to "hold" it at this age if it gets too painful, so I would definitely suggest talking to your pediatrician if the constipation doesn't improve...I hope this helps!!
I agree with Alex. First,its a known fact that breast milk is far easier for a baby to digest. Formula is a bit harder to digest. Rice is low in fiber and is (binding)so....If your giving her formula,plus rice before bed...Your really binding her up. Oatmeal and Barley cereal are alot better for digesting.Stay away from the apples and bananas for right now. They are both constipating fruits. Those are good, when diarea is present. If this doesn't help,consider a change in formula. Iron in formula milk,can also cause constipation.You may have to find one with less or no iron,and she can get her iron from another source. The best of luck Kristin.
Don't be afraid to give your daughter water. It helped my son. He was getting constipated from all the iron in his formula.
Try undiluted apple juice. I mean if you get the juice for babies then give it to her straight without water. I always up the juice in with their cereal, they seem to like it better that way anyway.
Karo syrup is magic. I put just a little bit in the milk or cereal one time, and within 24 hours I see results. I also used it for myself (I am pregnant and started having constipation) and it works wonders.
You can feed your little girl some cut up papaya it will help her tummy to digest the food properly. Also mix a little bit of baby prunes in her food.
Basically anything that starts with a P will help. (Peaches, pears, prunes, etc.) Applesauce is binding, so avoid it for right now.
(Remember when they have diarrhea up you put your kids on the B.R.A.T. Diet
My son has had alot of problems with constipation. I have even given him glycerin suppositories when he was having a really hard time.
Let me know what happens.
Hi Kristin: Rice and bananas are very constipating. When my kids had diarreah (sp?), the dr put them on the BRAT diet which is Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Is she getting plenty of water? Also juices may be helpful. Have you told your pediatrician just to be sure it's only food related?
All the best! Mary Helen
hello,,,yes there is other cereals? barley & ? i can't remember now. but if she will take a little prune juice w/water about 2oz & 2oz of water in the middle of the day. give it a worlllllll!? good luck! joanne
try prune juice ;)
do it in the morning so you won't have the storm in the middle of the night.
epsom salts have also worked with our little one.
Well, I have to say, I am somewhat surprised to hear that you are putting the cereal directly in the bottle-but I will get back to you on that in a minute.
Yes, rice can and will cause constipation. An easy and natural remedy is to get natural prune juice (and not one formulated for kids. A regular adult prune juice). Give to your child in a bottle or sippy cup diluted with either milk or water. This will work well. Start with one ounce of juice, and go with the same amount of water or milk. There is a good chance that your daughter may not like the taste, but keep trying.
Now about the cereal in a bottle. This is what moms in the past generations did. Today's medical advice is to feed cereal via spoon, and not in the bottle. This teaches baby to eat food with utensils, not drinking food down. The recommendation is definately feed, not drink. If you feel that she sleeps better because of the cereal, feed it to her, and give her a bottle right after.
You can also change to other kinds of cereal or mixed cereals to avoid the constipation issue!
Are you giving her apple juice (mixed with water to cut the sugar down) and have you tried prune juice? They make baby apple/prune juice which is what we had to use for one of our twins. My one twin has constipation every so often, now that she is 18 mos I can cut up a prune & she will eat it. The lots of rice cereal with her bottle could be an issue. Try mixing apple juice with your rice cereal & formula & be sure you are giving her fruits at every meal.
Rice made my kids constipated and miserable...I went to oatmeal...it seemed a little better?
Yes! Rice can cause constipation. Give her some prune baby food, and give her rice as a small serving.
two words: apple juice. prune juice causes too much gas.
Try to give her water to drink. Sometimes taking her temperature rectally can help "get things started" for her too.
It is amazing what Gerber prunes can do.
Give her straight organic pear juice, and watch out! She'll be fine in no time.
Prunes and prune juice seemed to help my son. Also, try oatmeal instead of rice cereal as it might be too binding. Rice can make her consitpated. Good luck.
Kristin,
Every baby is so different. Something that doesn't bother one, can bother another. My first son got really constipated after starting rice cereal. I read an artical about rice cereal that said it can sometimes be hard for a baby to digest. And could sit it the babies stomach, and making them even more sick. I think it is definitely pertaining more towards smaller babies. But I would be careful about the amount you give. If your baby has not had a BM in several days they do have baby enamas that can help.