Karo

My dr said breast milk is 25% more water to dilute the formula (no matter what the label says) to make the same consistency. For instance 2 scoops for not 4oz but make it 5 oz...etc...

I have done this w/my second son since I was so concerned after I stopped bf. I didn't do this w/my first son and he was always constipated...ugh!

Good Luck

The iron in the formula can be constipating. I don't know about karo syrup, it is not something I would do, but I am not the mom in this case.

Constipated stools will be hard and pellet like.

My doctor told me to not give her anything this early. She said their systems are just figuring out how to work. She said rub her belly in circles and move her legs alot. When you play with her and when you change her diaper. That movement will help their little systems.. When she was about 3 or 4 months thats when the doctor told me about Karo and I was also to give her gerbers apple prune juice and that worked the best with my daughter.

Karo syrup?? No offense, but why in the world would you give a newborn Karo?? It is full of sugar!

My son was never constipated really, so I don't have any advice for constipation. I would talk to your ped doc about, & hopefully some of the other mommies can give you better advice. But I wouldn't give him any Karo again. Good luck, & I hope he feels better.

The iron in the formula can lead to constipation - as can mixing it improperly (not using enough water). I'd definitely talk to your doctor.

Have you tried putting a teaspoon of prune juice in his bottle? The sugar in the prune juice draws water into the stool, making it softer and easily to expel. You can also use Fleet suppositories - I bought the child size and cut it in half for my son (he had some constipation when transitioning to solids).

If you have the book Baby 411, Dr. Brown has some good explanations and constipation tips.

J.
Mom to Quint, 20 months

Well my niece's pedi told my sister to give the baby a little Karo in her bottle. It helped my niece a lot. My pedi on the other hand prescribed Glycolax for my son. Glycolax is the stuff they give a patient who is about to have a colonoscopy. But just not the same dosage. It worked wonders for him. I would put 1 to 2 teaspoons in 4 to 6 ounces of water or juice. The amount would vary depending on how constipated he was, but it worked like a charm for him. However my son was much older when it was prescribed, almost a year. But maybe if you ask your pedi about it.

My little man experienced something very similiar to what you described. When i talked to our pediatrician she recommended that we add more water to his formula. So if you are fixing a 7oz bottle add formula as if it were a 6oz. She even said we could give him water straight from a bottle if he would take it, but doubted he would like it that way. It is just easier to add more water to his formula. It seems to do the trick and we haven't had any issues since. I notice also the more active he is the better it is getting too.

good luck!

Is high fructose corn syrup a safe ingredient?Yes, there are no safety concerns. The safety of high fructose corn syrup is based on science and expert review accumulated over the past 40 years. In 1983, the FDA listed high fructose corn syrup as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (known as GRAS status) for use in food and reaffirmed that ruling in 1996. GRAS recognition by the FDA is important because it recognizes a long history of safe use as well as adequate scientific studies proving an ingredient’s safety.  GRAS status is maintained indefinitely unless the FDA has a new reason to question an ingredient’s safety, in which case it will then look into maintaining or revoking the GRAS status.[5]Lara Field, R.D., answers the question: Is HFCS a safe ingredient?Watch the video.John White, Ph.D. noted, “Its safety was never seriously doubted because expert scientific panels in every decade since the 1960s drew the same conclusion: sucrose, fructose, glucose, and, latterly, HFCS did not pose a significant health risk, with the single exception of promoting dental caries [tooth decay].”In addition to government-convened expert panels, professional organizations have also confirmed the safety of high fructose corn syrup, including the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association).[5] 61 Fed. Reg. 43447 (August 23, 1996), 21 C.F.R. ###-###-####. Direct Food Substances Affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe; High Fructose Corn Syrup - Final Rule.

Giving a baby corn syrup can be akin to giving them honey if it's not declared botulism free. It can be a dangerous thing to do and that's why Dr's recommend against it. A quick Google search will find you info like this:

On a final note, light or dark corn syrup is often used to help babies with constipation. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that due to the potential theoretical risk of botulinum contamination babies should also not be given corn syrup that has not been pasteurized(sterilized) or declared "botulism spore free".

A better thing to do is to cycle their legs like they're on a bicycle. The movement helps loosen them up. Also, be aware that water given at this age can be a strain on their system (ie very dangerous as well) so please don't do that either.

Hi S.,

He is still so very young and his system is still working out all the kinks. He will have bouts of constipation followed by mega poos for the next several weeks. What you can do to help ease the pain is abdominal massage every day, warm baths and moving his legs in the bicycle motion to help move things around down there.

If you want to try switching him to Nestle Soy formula, that could help too. My pedi said that breastfed babies do better with soy formula. I know you said you stopped nursing, but maybe the soy is the answer. Also, those gas drops may help too. I used to add a dropper full to each bottle until my daughter was 4 months old. That helped her a lot too.

Hope that helps!!!

Why did you stop breastfeeding at 6weeks? You baby's intestines are now having to get used to something not nearly as easy to digest nor is it as healthy as breastmilk. He's no longer getting the stuff from you that works perfectly with his system. So he's blocking up. Giving him CORN SYRUP is not a good idea. He's too young to be able to metabalize it properly. doing a tummy massage in a counter clock wise direction can help move things along. Just gently massage in a spiral starting from the belly button and work your way out to his sides.

my son has always had problems w/ constipation, he just had an episode last week. I do not give him the syrup because it is high in sugar, what works well for him is a little diluted pear juice (he will love it) or taking his rectal temp it stimulates him to go without actually giving him anything and they don't even notice. I think it is normal for their bodies to adjust to the formula too.

Karo syrup acts as a mild laxative. It's been used by parents for years and years to help with constipation. It's not harmful to the baby. I used it more than once with my daughter, just as my mom used it with my brother and I when we were babies. Yes, it may have some sugar in it, but IMO I'd use Karo before I'd use a chemically made laxative or a suppository.

S., when my daughter was a baby(formula fed, not BF), her pedi told us not to worry too much about constipation unless it has been 2 days since she had a BM. What your going through is especially normal considering you've just switched from BF to formula. BF babies rarely get constipated, but formula fed babies are more likely to get constipated because the formula is just not digested the same as breast milk is. I would talk to your pedi about it, but I don't think you need to worry too much about it yet. Hope this helps!

Hi S. -
Congrats on your new baby boy!
One of my twins had horrible constipation and we tried it all. He's 3 now, and we still deal with it, but we give him fiber now in everything he drinks.
My pedi told us to give the dark Karo also, and we did it at least every other day (with no harm to my son) we also had to give him stool softeners - which I hated doing.
I wouldn't be overly concerned - it's common for babies to go through this... just painful to watch! L.:)

Wow lots of conflicting advice I see! My pedi recommended Karo for my daughter (who is now 21 months and healthy) for constipation and she did fine. My pedi had us add the Karo to her bottles whenever she was constipated, which was all of the time. We ended up putting in 2 tsp every other bottle for the longest time. Then when you see he is doing better you slowly back off of the Karo. The only difference was my pedi said to use the clear Karo, but I am not sure if that matters or not. Just make sure the Karo is well dissolved and I am sure that he will be fine.

Also remember that babies do not have to poo every day. My pedi said that they can go days and it is absolutely fine, and normal. Good luck, and congrads on the new baby.

The constipation is from the high levels of iron in formula. I gave my son 1/2 an ounce of karo in every 4 oz bottle until he was a year old and on regular milk, it didn't hurt him a bit.

WE did Karo too. Not a big deal. Our ped said to give mine water too. And he was two weeks and constipated. They change up things all the time. With my 1st they said no water with my 2nd the said ok. Ask your ped and just make your own judgements!! My first was consipated for years and if I had to do it all over again I would have just given her water every day in 1 bottle. Good Luck!!

Don't use Karo!!!
A child in the NICU bed next to my son was in there because his mother gave him karo for constipation and he aspirated and almost died. It's ture that it is not a very likely possibilite but is it really worht the risk at all??

My son had intestinal surgery so he's frequently plugged up. HIs surgeons suggested we use MIra-lax it's over the counter and I think it's like 1 teaspoon per 2 oz or something. Ask the pedi or the pharmacists they will know the exact dosing. It works great!!