Help Please in Spoon Feeding and Softening Bowels

I've had really good luck with sweet potatoes & pureed pumpkin for constipation. A sweet potato could be cooked & then cut into small pieces. As others have said, pears work great, too. For fluids, a half a tsp. or so of corn syrup in her juice/water/milk might help. I was told by our nurse to provide warm liquids. Warm apple cider is tasty & helps relax the colon. I've had 100% success with that, too. Lastly, our nurse also suggested a warm bath with a tbsp. or so of baking soda in the water.

good luck!
A.

Can you dip prunes in something she finger feeds herself? Or include them as an ingredient in something she'll feed herself? Prunes are what we always used to help our daughter, who had big trouble going to solids for the same reasons.

Maybe you could get regular prunes and cut them up, that way she could pick them up and eat them herself. You could try the same thing with apricots. Or if she will drink it you could always give her prune juice.

My nephew has the same problem with his bowels. He is used to drinking a combination of orange juice and prune juice. Or Apple and apricot nectar, which is a juioce. She also gives him a warm bath.

Mix up whatever foods she needs and put it in a bottle so she can drink it. My son is almost 7 months and does not like eating veggies. My mom was just over this past weekend and she put a 4 oz jar of the veggies, plus 4 tablespoons of barley into his bottle with 4 oz of water and 2 scoops of formula (for a regular plain bottle I combine 6 ounces of water with 3 scoops of formula), and he ate it all! I love the idea, now no struggle with the veggies. I still spoon feed his fruit b/c he likes it. Don't add the stress, it's not worth it, all the food needs to end up in her belly, not on you and her clothing.. ..

You can add prune juice to her juice/water/milk.
Good Luck

Try prune juice in a bottle. Helped my son! Or you can try baking whole grain muffins with prunes but that takes time and you need a good recipe that is good for baby.

Hi R.,
Why spoon feed her baby food? Give her the prune or apricot juice diluted with water in a cup or buy the actual fruits - apricots, plums, cut them up and let her eat them.
You might also ask your doctor about doing a glycerin suppository if she's unable to poo.
Good luck

There's a brand of prunes (I think it's called Sunsweet) that makes flavored dried prunes i.e. cherry, orange which my daughter loves. I agree with Joann to cut them up and let her finger feed them. Frozen peas and carrots nuked for less than a minutes are nice veggie finger foods, too.

try beans, cut up prunes for her to feed herself. Prune juice, water, water, water.

How about prune juice? You could water some down in a sippy cup or bottle. I've done that before and my kids actually liked the taste of it?!

I too would suggest prunes cut up into bite size pieces. Another thing I use to get things moving for my little guys is MANGO!! It is sweet, yummy and very fibrous. I think it also works well. For my older son, he also responds to straight apple juice.

On the feeding front: I guess I am lucky here because my 13 month will eat anything we are eating (from our fork) and refuses to eat anything that looks like it may be baby food. He will eat yogurt, but mostly only if his older brother is eating it too so he knows it's not baby food.

Good luck!

Two things...if she is already constipated, while the prunes may help with currently-forming bm, it may not help with the bm that is presently stuck. This happens to one of my boys every now-and-again. Magnesium Citrate is an over the counter medication but your pediatrician will need to give you the dosage. It allowed my son to go to the bathroom (painlessly too!) within a half hour of taking it. He felt so much better!

Then for maintainance, make muffins! The trick is to substitute the oil in the recipe, with baby food prunes! The trade is exact amounts, i.e., 2 tablespoons of prunes will be replaced for 2 tablespoons of oil.

Good luck!

My daughter was often constipated at that age too & also loved finger food. Have you tried giving her prunes cut up to feed herself? Or cut up dried apricots etc? My daughter loved when we did that & it helped a lot. You can also give her regular pears (cut up or whole if she eats whole fruit) because they have a lot of fiber too. Stay away from bananas!! I hope she feels better soon!

When my 1 yr old went through this I tried EVERYTHING.
Then we went out for dinner & she had a lemonade for a treat & w/in 1 hr she had a normal bowel movement. From then on when she got just a little "backed up" & made her lemonade.
Someone else swears by a small teaspoon of olive oil everyday & none of she kids (2) ever had a "plumbing" problem. Good Luck!

Hi R.. Will your daughter drink some juice? If so, try mixing water, prune juice and apple juice - tell her it's "yummy fruit punch" with lots of smiles. She might like it and get the benefit of prunes (and apples, which should also stimulate her). I don't know if they're a "necessity", but I know they help the process.
There's also a cookbook out there by "the sneaky chef", check it out online. Simple, easy recipes about sneaking different veggies and fruits into everyday meals for "picky eaters". Might be something in there for prunes - and might be something she'll eat herself without even knowing she's having prunes.
Good luck!!

miralax softens stool. my pediatrician always had us mix it in my son's milk and it worked!

My daughter had a terrible time as an infant and toddler with constipation I was told by my doctor and various visits to the ER that I could put baby prune puree into her juice also I had to make sure that I put Vaseline on her bottom to help her not be afraid to pass a hard stool. Lastly movement was also something they encouraged so I would lay her on her back and like playing a game would move her legs in a bicycle movement they said that would help to stimulate her to move her bowels. She is now 14 yrs old and as she got older this pattern stop. I understand your feelings completely. I hope this helps good luck.

I give my kids plum smart for digestive health juice by sunswee.You can find it in the juice aisle.I add some water to it and we call it grape juice that come from the red/purple grapes. It seams to help. Good Luck!

softening bowels: 1 oatmeal, cheerios, beans are awesome(red, black, white etc.) cornmeal with fiber(vitarroz)barley, add honey make a happy face on the hot cereal.

I juiced carrots,apples,grapes and spinach for my son he's 5 now, if he doesn't drink it he totally enjoys it as an ice pop. And I also put the juice in his spaghetti sauce. You can juice your vegetables and put it in their favorite meals. I juice carrots and add it to his mac and cheese, he's found me out but he likes it now.

With the spoon problem try getting her animated spoons, forks and plates, eye appealing dinnerware. Have a blessed day.

Hello,

I would try some items at this site:

http://www.westonaprice.org/children/nourish-baby.html

With both of my kids they get a little cup of whole milk plain yogurt at every meal (Seven star farms, find it at Whole Foods, is our favorite). They drink it from a straw which has worked well for messes and the fun aspect:-) I would add cod liver oil to her diet also! I give my one year old a 1/4 teaspoon and my 2 year old 1/2 I get 1-2 tablespoons depending on energy levels! I use Carlson's Kids Lemon Flavor and like it.

S.

Hi R.!
When we had this problem with my son I started putting a bit (1or 2 ounces) of prune juice in his bottle. It worked well for us and based on his bm's you'll know how much more or less to give him on a daily basis.
Hope this helps.

Give her prune juice, mix it with water to dilute it a little since it is a different taste. Also get the soft whole prunes and cut little pieces for her to pick up with her hands. yes prunes are perfect for constipation.

prunes work best, but you can try plenty of apple juice.

R., I find that apples or applesauce works wonders for losening the stools. I would not give her breads or pastas because they are binding-even if they are whole wheat. I would focus on a hight fruit and veggie diet and you could invest in a juicer to juice for her. Carrots and apples to start and slowly mix in a little bit of a green veggie. Lastly, I would give her a probiotic to put good bacteria back into her intestines. Water, water, water as well. Pleaes note that pastas and breads are usually the main source of constipation.

I have been feeding my 7 month old twins yam (sweet potatoes). That seems to help them with their bowl movement quite a lot. I peel and steam the yam then mash it. The twins are spoon fed, I wonder if you can give your daughter chopped up steamed yam as finger food. Yam is very soft once it's cooked so there may not be a choking problem.

Apples, pears, avocados, beans and most berries are also very high in fiber. If it's the texture that's the problem try prune juice instead of puree or try spreading it on bread or crackers. Beans are great if she likes finger food, just make sure you mash them up a bit before you give them to her to feed to herself. Good luck!

Try prune juice instead of the thicker spoon-fed variety of prunes. Put some in her sippy cup or allow her to drink in whatever way she feels comfortable. If prune juice doesn't work, give her a little warm water.

prune juice works wonders. also, you could stew and mash prunes and put them on toast for her. ceres makes mango juice as well as apricot juice. both good for loosening up bowels. you could put a probiotic with liquid in her bottle too. good luck. this has been a constant battle with my 18 month old since he was about 1 too.

If your daughter still takes a bottle you can try getting the stage 3 gerber prunes & mix them in w/milk or formula - whichever she is taking.

It's not something you'll do very often, but in this case I would give it a try. You may have to widen the nipple a little to get that thru, but I would try it. Good luck!

Hi There,
I have a few suggestions... one is, will she spoon feed herself if you give her a small bowl of baby food and a spoon and let her go at it?? It may be messy, but it's not too soon to let her try. And, there are other things that might help with the constipation, that aren't "baby food" and she can feed herself. My son loves canned mandarin oranges... they are soft, easy to chew and work as a laxative. He also loves peices of ripe pear or the little cups of pear peices... again, helps them poop. Your daughter should be able to feed herself little pieces of almost any soft fruit, such as berries. Beans and lentils are also full of fiber. My son especially loves baked beans. When in doubt, try pear juice or prune juice. Straight prune juice is pretty strong, so mix it with apple juice and/or water. Just be creative and you will find things that keep her regular. Also, just make sure that any carbs she is getting are whole grain or wheat (ie. waffles, bread, pasta etc.). Try cutting milk out for a couple of days... sometimes too much milk can be binding... you just need to find a balance. Good Luck!

My daughter doesn't mind the prune juice, I just buy the little cans andhave them on hand. Also, if you peel a dried prune the inside is sticky and tastes really good. Your daughter may like that also. Prunes and prune juice have always done the trick in this house. Good luck.

Well you could try prune juice and water. That helped my daughter. I also used just plain water. That should loosen the stool. As for the spoon fed. Just give it time and be patient. Take some spoonfuls yourself and say different things like "yummy" As she starts to watch you doing it then maybe she will want to try it herself. That is what my daughter did with using a fork. She watched us and then she wanted to try it. Also try leaving the spoon with her and give her finger foods. Aventually she will pick up the spoon and try to pick it up herself. Hope this helps and Good luck!

I've heard that adding apple juice or prune juice to a bottle can also help...that way you don't have to worry about spoon feeding and she can still get the additional laxatives. Another option is feeding her some grapes cut up - that should help as well.

In terms of not doing spoon feeding, I stopped feeding my kids with a spoon sometime around when they were a year old. They started to use their hands and trying to use a spoon themselves. It was definitely quite messy but I stuck with it and eventually they got the hang of it and were able to get most of the food into their mouths. I found that the key, though, was a hard plastic bib that had a catch at the bottom that would then catch most of the food. When they ran out of food on the tray, they would go looking in the bib.

Anyway, I hope that helps...good luck!

hi R.. since she is one is it at all possible to feed her torn appart regular prunes? the insides are soft and if you break them appart would she feed herself? also have you tried prune juice? we go threw this from time to time with my now one year old as well.

I don't think prunes are a necessity but they do work. If she insists on feeding herself try cutting up dried apricots and prunes into small cubes rather than pureed stuff - they will have more fiber anyway. They work quickly and she might like them.

Hi, when I switched from breastfeeding to formula my little girl got constipated and her doctor said we can give her some prine juice diluted with water. What I usually do is 2 oz. prune juice/1 oz water. Maybe your baby will drink the juice if she doesnt like to be spoon fed.

Try prune juice mixed with a little pepsi or coke. I know it sounds terrible but you do what you have to do when you are desperate. Miralax is also helpful when you need to get over the "hump".

I don't have any help with the spoon feeding, but what if you tried prune juice or dice up some dried prunes or apricots for her to feed herself with if that's what she likes. Also plenty of fluids to help soften the stool as well. Hope this helps.

I have never given prunes to my kids. I have found that giving a large amount of pears, peaches, and mandarin oranges (which you can cut into small pieces and feed as finger food, always lead to softer stools. For spoon feeding I would focus on something tasty that she really can't eat any other way like yogurt or even ice cream.

Hi R.,

Since your daughter is a year old, have you tried fresh fruits and veggies?? They can be cut up into finger foods; steamed broccoli, cauliflour, carrots or unsteamed if she doesnt have a problem chewing this stuff & apples, pears, plums, pears, apricots.

Apricot nectar is in liquid form, I usually find it in a can by the Goya stuff in the spanish section of the grocery store. It will go well into a bottle or cuppy.

Prunes you can get like raisins and can be eaten as finger foods, you may have to cut them into smaller pieces for her. From what I understand about prunes, they are one of the quickest/safest/natural ways to get the bowels moving.

And keep it on hand while your little one is beginning with solids/table food - at least for the next 6 months to a year; you never know when this may happen again.

And for constipation, dont forget plenty of liquids; apple juice should work well also and water. You may want to keep her away from cheeses for a couple days until this is under better control.

You should also keep an eye on what you give her that works, and try not to 'try' too many things at one time, you could end up with a real mess and may be looking for the opposite advice. :/

As for trying to feed with a spoon; thats a hard one. I tried to feed my little one stuff she could easily feed herself without too much mess. I also let her hold her spoon while I fed her with another.

Good luck

Pears work like magic. Then she can eat the fruit or drink a cup with the juice. It tastes better than prunes too.

Ditch the spoon. ;-) Use a pair of kitchen snips to cut the dried prunes into raisin-sized pieces and let her feed herself. (Or larger, if she can chew.) Also, try raisins...and prune juice in her sippy cup.

Also, when my daughter was that age, yogurt seemed to soften things up...while bananas and cheese were "hardeners." Feeding babies can be like a science experiment!! Good luck.

I fill the baby spoon with some mashed potatos (smash them down a bit) and give that to my daughter. She holds the spoon upside down but she is starting to catch on to self feeding with the spoon.

Try to vary your baby's diet as much as possible. My daughter loves surprisingly spicy foods (even chicken curry and hummus with artichoke hearts!). I use a lot of fresh herbs mixed in with high fiber veggies that are fun to eat (basil, olive oil and garlic in peas, oregano with green beans, olive oil and spinach or kale etc). Try giving pieces of peeled apple, fresh apricots etc. Locally produced fruits and veggies in season are really healthy and taste better than the mass produced processed stuff. I really think kids will eat a lot of veggies if they are not forced to eat them and are given a wide variety to try out. I absolutely do not recommend trying to force spoon feeding or force anything when it comes to food. Just focus on allowing your baby to experiment and decide what she likes for herself! The spoon feeding will come when she is ready for it.

Hi R.,
If she drinks juice, maybe you can try prune juice. If she doesn't like the taste, I mixed it with orange juice and water for my daughter. If you can get her to drink water that helps too. Sometimes I give my daughter unflavored sletzer water just to get it in her. She loves it and calls it "tickle water". Applesauce is also good to help but again that is spoon feeding. Maybe try cutting an apple into pieces so she can hold it and feed herself. One more thing I recently tried is an herb mixture called "potty time" that I got from the health food store. It's to help with healthy bowels. It's NOT a laxative so it won't harm her body's natural process of elimination.

My daughter suffers from hard bowel movements when she eats to much sugar and doesn't balance out her diet. It's hard to watch them suffer when trying to their bowels. She will be 3 in December and sometimes is "diffcult" at meal times. :-)

One more finger food suggestion for fiber is beans. My daughter loves kidney beans.

Good Luck,
C.

Oh, this might be a bit too obvious, but why don't you just give her prunes??? They don't need to be spooned - she can just eat them herself! That, or prune juice that you can dilute with water.

what about prune juice.. raisins, cereal (especially with bran) cut up watermelon, cut up pears, cut up cucumber pieces, cut up string beans and or peas, cut up grapes.. good luck

My son had/has similar problems. For probably 6 months, I added prune juice to all of his bottles. That's one way to get the benefits of the prunes into a little one. I have weaned him from the prune juice but I add miralax to his milk know to help him out. I've tried weaning since I don't like him to be on the softener but it's heartbreaking to see how difficult it is for him. The miralax makes a big difference and I only give him a small amount each day. Good luck!

Hi,

I'm sorry you are struggling with your daughter. Two of my three struggle with constipation so I totally understand. For the prunes - try buying prune juice and mixing it with apple juice and getting her to drink that. Even just some apple juice will help soften her stools. Avoid too much meat and cheese and bread(I know - they are easy finger foods) and add more fruits and veggies. I buy diced pears, apples and dice up avocado and mango for my 14 m old and it helps. You can also use the baby food in recipes for your waffles and pancakes. I have made sweet potato and prune flavored pancakes that I've gotten my son to eat. Lastly try massaging her tummy and do lots of warm baths. Immediately after her bath coat her bum with ointment, either vaseline or A&D that way when she does pass a stool it will help stretch and not hurt so much. Keep pushing fluids and it will pass. If this problem continues - don't be afraid to take her to a doctor to talk about it but I have always tried to treat naturally with diet change vs meds. Wish you the best of luck!

Hi R.-
You should try giving you daughter prune juice mixed with what you usually give her to drink. You can also give her pear juice. I did this with my son and it works.
Hope this helps
K.

put a+d or vaseline on your finger (cut long nail first) and push a 1/2 of a glycerin suppository in her cute lil bum. within an hour she will let it all out. this is good to liquify what is stuck! this happened to my little girl and it was great! ask your doctor about it.

clearly prunes isn't working for your girl. tell her you need to wipe her or put cream on her so she wont clench it out. i advise not telling her you will give her bum medicine unless it will help her! you know her best.

anotehr option is miralax- a tasteless powder u can mix into any drink. it will make her go immeditaley. but dosage is important! it also softens whats there so it can come out easier. some peopel believe in mineral oil to drink which coats the bm and helps it slide out! (YUCK) anyway, it will all come out and i know how sad it is to see your baby in pain! good luck!

R., give her the fruits in the form of juice.. also make sure u give her ALOT of water to drink.... maybe a sip or two every 10-15 mins....

try giving her gripe water (you get the non-alcholic one, made by little remedies).. gripe water always works wonders with my daughter- infact with that i see an effect almost immediately....

also, make her walk/ excercise by moving her legs like she is cycling... helps with the digestion and pushing.....

finally cut off rice and refined flour items from her diet and replace it with whole wheat stuff....... add butter to her food... that also acts as a laxative...

i hope she feels better sooon....

Put prune juice mixed in with her regular juice....i little goes a long way....I did this with my son around the same age and it worked wonders! also limit her dairy intake...believe it or not it can REALLY constipate the little ones....

Good luck to you...

also coming from the mom of a VERY strong willed 3 year old...pick your battles....she'll get the spoon feeding eventually....maybe even have her pick out a spoon that she likes at the store...maybe that would help....that helped with my son with brushing his teeth which he MUST do alone...LOL!

I had a similar issue with my little guy. As soon as finger food was introduced he was so difficult to spoon feed. I will not make the same mistake with my newborn. I am holding off on the finger foods as long as possible. I was not able to re-introduce spoon food. Ugh.

My son also struggled with constipation. It was awful. The pushing the crying each time. I tried the apricot nectar but he wouldn't take enough to make a difference. You can see if she will drink prune juice -- even mix it with another juice.

My pediatrician recommended Miralax (over the counter with a big pink top). I gave him a teaspoon a day in 8 oz of whatever he was drinking. You would never know it was there. I experimented with it on myself. No stomach pain, no discomfort. It's not a laxative. It helps the body bring moisture to the bowels so the movement isn't so hard. It worked wonderfully. I still give it to him periodically since he has such a bad diet he still has some difficulty.

Good luck with it. I know that is stressful.