My Son Is Constipated...

Bananas and apples can constipate, so try some other fruits. If he's only 6 months old, I don't know how much solid food he's eating yet, but also try to steer clear of the apple juice. Breastfed babies rarely get constipated, but with the introduction of solids, he may not be digesting everything very well yet. I have heard that the Karo syrup added to a bottle can get things moving in kids that age, so you may want to give that a shot (my pediatrician told me it works for younger kids....I had tried it on my daughter who was about 20 months old at the time and she said she was too old for that to work).

Hi Maria. I know that in some kids apple juice actually constipates them, so apples and applesauce might have the same effect. Banana also tends to constipate, so you might stay away from that. Some kids just tend to be more sensitive to stuff like this than others. We had problems with my daughter when we started her on solid foods at 6 months. The thing we had the most success with was prunes - baby food, or boiled and pureed when she was younger and then just cut into chunks when she got older.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck, I know it is so hard to watch them struggle with this.
- P.

Applesauce/juice can be painful even when they are effective. I recommend pear juice/food over apple as it tends to be nicer on their little tummy. I'm not sure why apple causes stomach pains, but it does. I don't think the banana is solely to blame, but since he's so young, he might be fighting to process it. Has your diet changed any? If you're stopped up too, then it might be something you've eaten that he's gotten from your milk. Does he take a rice cereal? Rice cereal can be constipating (something to do with the iron?). Perhaps oatmeal instead. Also, maybe a little (4 oz) water could help as well. best of luck! :)

Bananas have the ooposite effect - they will plug you up! Try straight prunes or a little very diluted prune juice. I gave both of my kids straight prunes and within an hour both would have a bowel movement. If that doesn't work, try taking his temp rectally without caring what his temp is! Sometimes that will help "move" things along! Good luck!

The best fruit to get regular either for kids or for grown ups is Papaya, you can find it at HEB, just smash it for your baby and I am sure you and your baby will be happy the same day. Ofcourse prunes are famously good too.

My breastfed daughter had the same, but infrequent problem. Try a warm cloth between his legs. Sometimes warmth will help relax things. Our ped also suggested taking her temp. via rectum. Both worked. Good Luck!

I am a pharmacist and have 3 kids...I hear about constipation a lot! Apple juice/sauce is something that can cause constipation. I would try to stay away from it. It is better to give the baby 1 part of regular prune juice (like what we would drink) mixed with 3 parts water. Glycerin suppositories can be used to help break the "plug" which needs to come out so he can go easier. Little babies would use Sanni-suppositories...available at the pharmacy behind the counter usually (but they are non-prescription). These are very safe and one of the few things I would recommend. Try little exercises with his legs (pushing up against his feet) to help him develop his little "pushing" muscles. Hope he feels better..po babee.

Poor guy! We went through this with one of our daughters. What we did was add a small amount, less than 1/4 tsp. to a bottle with my breast milk of DARK Karro Syrup and it didn't take long to get her going. We actually still gave that to her as she got older and she'd know - she'd tell me she had a tummy ache and would ask for the brown medicine and I'd give her a small spoon full.

We never gave banana babyfood, we always smashed bananas, so I doubt that would be it.

Dear Maria:
I heard of bananas and chocolate that they constipate. Prunes and teas are good. You can get OTC stool softeners for kids, not sure about 6-month-olds though. Make sure to give him plenty to drink.

Regards,
W.

CALL YOUR PEDIATRICIAN before you do anything. He or she may recommend Miralax, which is now sold without prescription.

I think Banana's can constipate. Try the baby food prunes or pears. My guy is 6 months old and gets pears in the morning with his cereal and it has helped with that issue.

To help him go I suggest putting a bit of vaseline on a q-tip and putting just the cotton part of the qtip in his bum and keeping it in there for about 30 seconds while making small circles. This has helped stimulate my guy to go...

We added some Apple Prune Juice to her bottle and it worked really good for us. Pear juice also really does the trick for our lil one. Good luck
T.