7 Month Old Constipated

Hi A., It sounds to me you are trying the right things to feed your little girl. Have you checked what you are eating that may be affecting her? Also she may need some extra water. I do not think carrots are binding, maybe gassy. Also if none of these work, check with your baby doctor. Let us know, Grandma Mary

mylittleone has similar issues. I will give her an ounce or 2 of warm water and that usually does the trick...not immediately, but usually within a few hours.

I found that this happened when my son went on more solid foods, and my friends (and doctor) told me that it was completely normal! What a pain for her...and for you, when the dam finally breaks... :)

My son had great success with pears (loosened him right up), and also with prune juice. I filled a bottle with 1/4 cup juice, and 3/4 cup water. If your daughter won't take a bottle, you can feed prunes to her as well. Neither pears nor prunes are particularly allergenic, so you don't have to wait too long before giving her the juice.

Good luck, and seriously- be ready for a crazy diaper change (and possibly a shower for you!) when she finally goes!

A.,

apple prune juice has done wonders for me and my son LOVES it. even pear juice is good.

My daughter is constipated quite often. I give her prunes every day to keep her regular. If you are going to make your own and you buy dried prunes I would suggest you buy organic because dried prunes have a preservative that can make some peopple sick. I also found avacodo works really well for helping her go and that is really gentle on the stomach and really healthy. When everything fails and she hasnt gone for a couple of days then i use the glycerin suppositories. She is 1 now and I have only had to use them 3 times. But I know hthat if she hasnt gone in 2 days then she feels really unconfortable and it makes her very unhappy.

A. - You've gotten some great advice! Prunes usually work for us. BUT - one time my daughter needed a glycerine suppository. I was nervous about it - but it really worked wonders. Again - try all of the food remedies and extra water first - the last resort is the suppository - but it might be a good idea to keep some on hand - just in case....GOOD LUCK!
P.S. YAY for YOU for breastfeeding so long - my daughter is 13 months and we are still going strong!!! Keep up the good work - MAMA!

prunes, plums, and pears work wonders! my 9mo is mostly breastfed, but gets a bottle every night and we add 1-2 oz prune juice to each. sometimes if its still a problem i mix some with her cereal in the morning. honestly, i wouldn't worry about waiting the few days. i did that for my first daugther, then for the second realized that people don't just go thru life with pear or prune allergies (which is the point of waiting the few days) and just fed her what i wanted to (aside from the high risk foods). good luck!

Friends of mine have suggested a few drops of prune juice in a bottle. (Does she take a bottle of BM?) They all swear by it. You can ask your dr. about it, but I believe once they are three mo and older you can put a little in their bottle.
Good luck.

If the pears don't work over the next few days then the prunes will definately do the trick. Try those next.

Could need a little more fluid. Try some water. Also, you didn't say if she was eating cereal or not, but rice is definitely known to cause constipation.

Good job on the breastfeeding!

Nothing works faster than pureed pumpkin - it's very high in fiber and nutrients. add a dash of cinnamon and serve it as a meal. It usually does the job before the day is over. Also, a drop or two of corn syrup in her food will help, but I found pumpkin to work much faster. Butternut squash also has the same effect as pumpkin.

good luck-
A.

My daughter's pediatrician suggested giving foods that begin with the letter P: prunes, peaches, pears, peas... She said that usually helps. It sounds like you're already doing that though. She also suggested giving her a little water. If necessary, she said to use a pediatric glycerine suppository. I've never had to resort to that yet but she said it should work within a few hours. It will probably be hard at first, then much more liquidy.

Hi A.,

My daughter had the same problem with constipation. I give a water and lots of it through out the day. I boilded raisen about 5 to 6 pieces. Then I would removed them and give her the room demp water. My doctor also told me to give her water with a few drops of corn syrup. 4oz water. I tought the water worked great. Good Luck! :)

my doctor always told me about 2 oz of water when that happened with both my kids (often with my 2nd. That normally cleared it up. Ask your Dr.and see what he/she says. good luck

Hi. I have an 8 mo old that used to get constipated a lot when we really got going with the solids. He's also exclusively breast fed but i don't make my own baby food. that's amazing! what I'd try first is what you're doing and give him more fiberous and watery type solids (pears, peaches, applesauce, carrots, squash). If not helping then I skip lunch solids and breastfeed a little more during the day. That usually helped soften the stools. Hope this helps. Good luck!

go to your local pharmacy and purchase infant suppositories. they only cost a few dollars and really do the trick! i had to use them on my son when he was 2 months and it really helped. they are safe to use and will give him relief within minutes.

When my boy was that age and constipated, I would give him a little water (2-3 oz) and a few hours later I would need to change his diaper.

Blueberries are also high in fiber.

Agree with Hilary A. Lots of water and prunes helps. Water is the key.

Hi, Ashira.

You've gotten lots of great advice so far, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents too. I try to natural remedies before medicine and I make my own baby food also. When my son is a little backed up I mash 1/2 an avacado for him. He loves it and it helps move things along. Lots of water and some diluted prune juice are good too.

Good luck.
R.

My daughter also had the same problem when she started "real" food (I also made my own baby food). I just bought pitted prunes, steamed or boiled them, then pureed them up. She loved them and it worked wonders. Pears are also good for loosening up the bowels a little, but without increasing gassiness. So you might be on the right track anyway - good luck!

My son has a similiar problem. We stay away from bananas and give him pears and prunes and prune juice when he hasn't had a movement in a few days and that seems to do the trick. good luck!

Try the prunes, my doctor always recomends it. If your baby won't eat the prunes, do the prune juice. Just about 2oz will do the job. I've tried this with my baby and it works every time. I tried it with him when he was about 5 months old.

I don't know if you're feeding her cereal or not, but oatmeal is better for pooping issues than rice cereal. i'd also give the prunes a try - but the pears should definitely work. they sell pear juice too. You could dilute some pear juice in water and see if that helps. Give your pediatrician a call if you're really worried! Good luck!

HI A.,
I'd do more fruit like the applesauce. Apples have pectin and lots of fiber that she needs. Check your diet of fiber and fruits! If you are nursing-it's also what you are eating!!
I do have a product from my company that is liquid and has trace minerals and enzymes that will help her. It tastes great and everyone loves it! Goodness 7mo! Young!If you are interested in this email me and I will help you. You can check out the info on the juice here: http://mariji.limuplus.com Good luck with this!
M. G

Talk to the pediatrician, but when this happened to my son around that age, my ped told me to add some flex seed powder to his food.

Hey there, I am on baby boy #5, and advice has changed in the past years on what is approriate for babies to eat. My oldest is 10 and my youngest is 6 mos. I breastfed all 5 of them until 1 year and started foods when they told me they were ready, which was anywhere from 4-6 months old. We do not have allergies in the family, so I gave different foods at the meal times not worrying whether or not they had tried them. I did read now that it is not recommended anymore to "try" foods out for several days if there is no allergy history. Honestly just feed her whatever you like, and if she is getting constipated, trying giving her high fiber foods in the am and lunch. Just see what works for her system. Breastfed babies can get constipated too. She may be starting a new bowel movement routine. Just take it meal by meal, and give it 2-3 days to see what she does. If she hasn't pooped in several days then I would suggest a laxative of your choice, rectal or fruit. Some babies poop 1x a week, some several. Also belly rubs and back rubs are wonderful to keep the gas and poopy moving in her belly.-

You really don't have to wait to introduce the prunes, they are very unlikely to cause a reaction in your daughter, and by 7 months or so, you can introduce new foods pretty quickly. Those are the best for constipation, and of course, water. I would give her a sippy cup with water in it, or a bottle if she takes them. Constipation is sometimes a product of not enough fluids.

Add Water to her daily diet.
prune juice and bannas will help.

I don't know how you feel about introducing apple juice but my son had bouts with constipation and apple juice or water actually worked!

My son was on formula and went through a bout of constipation as well - the doctor told us to get prune juice and give him 1/2 ounce and make sure he drank plenty of water the water helps too. Good Luck

I too have dealt with constipation in my child from 5 months till about 8 months old. What completely helped was creating a schedule of feedings where I would give her her breakfast apon waking first thing in the morning....even if it was 5:00am consisting of gerber prunes and barley cereal mixed with b-milk or water. Make it watery so your child can digest it easily for now. I would only stick with stage 1 foods too since your little one is not use to chunks yet...but do try small pieces occaisionally to get use to them slowly. Then I would follow the food with a NUK sippy cup of 4oz.b-milk, (or half prune juice half water (2 oz. each) if constipation is still a factor.) When she finishes the sippy cup then offer the breast. At noon do the same thing again...if you do not have enough b-milk to pump try 4oz. formula. (I didn't want to do this either but she needed her calories, and when we started giving solids she wasn't getting all the calories she needed from my breast alone or from the food because she was new to it). For noon lunch I offered her a meat and a veggie, followed by 4oz of liquid. At 4pm I offered a snack...yogurt or pudding, followed by 4oz. of liquid. Then at 7pm (her dinner) I offered her a fruit and a veggie and followed with a 4oz. liquid. For veggies I typically encourage her to eat green veggies more than the colored ones because they have a higher fiber count...but I did eventually mix it up once the constipation stopped. It took almost a whole 2 days to see a difference, but it really worked and I didn't have to give her any lactulose prescription for constipation to help it out because she was mainly dehydrated from eating the food. For the first few days stay away from bananas, any non-green veggie, and rice products (including rice puff snacks and toast snacks). Once we got the constipation under control she then began to only like finger foods and took a strike against anything pureed or given to her with a spoon (which lasted about 1.5 weeks), but she eventually went back to some pureed. Meat sticks by Gerber work wonderfully for the meat requirement too, I cut them up and put them in a suctioned cup bowl on her tray and she LOVES them much better then the jarred mushy meats!! She still has trouble with bananas making her stool more formed, but she isn't constipated at least, so she eats them sparingly. Oh and do not give more than 4 oz. of juice or 4 oz. of water in a day to the fear of water intoxofication and diabetes.

Hi A.,

My name is C. & I am the mother of Kaden 14 months. My son suffers from constipation from time to time. This can be very frustrating for a parent and terribly bothersome for the babies. His doctor said that he was not developing enough water in his intestines. So for me its an ongoing thing that I must do in order to avoid. Here is what I do; a teaspoon of mineral oil as needed. Prune juice & dilute with water. Also massage the belly. Once you see your baby pushing put her in a comfortable position that the stool can slide out easier, for my son I usually put his feet up. Hope this helps

Hi A.,

I have two children ( 1year old and 3 year old). When either one has constipation I give him/her 1/2 to 1 prune. Every time they're okay within a couple of hours. I hope this helps.

I would give her the prunes and also there is a medication called lactulose possibly the md can give you to help her go

If you're breastfeeding, then it sounds like YOUR diet is the culprit. Eat those high fiber foods yourself, remove all processed foods, sugars, and eat lots of good probiotics - like yogurt and kefir (but be sure they're not the sweetened kind - use unflavored and mix it with your own fruit). Try this for a couple weeks and I think you'll see a huge improvement in your daughter's digestion.

Flaxseed oil (or maybe even ground flaxseeds) is supposed to be a good natural laxative. I'd talk to your pediatrician first before you give this to her though.

A small amout of Caro corn syrup worked for my daughter. It was information handed down from my aunt a mother of six. Took about an hour or so for it to work. Start a small amount on you thumb and have her suck it off or on a binky if you use one.

My now 9 mo used to have the same problem. Pears changed our life! Keep up the regiment of pears and your baby girl will be filling diapers in no time.

Before the pears, when the constipation got really bad, we tried the karo corn syrup in water. She took it no problem and it really helped. I didn't like giving her the corn syrup but didn't have to do it again because the pears did the trick. I must warn you that the brown Basc pears were the only ones that really worked (http://www.usapears.com/pears/varieties.asp) Good luck!