Painful Constipation

I would add about a tsp of Karo syrup (I recommend white, but I've seen others recommend dark) to his bottles. When I began adding cereal to my son's bottle he became constipated also. The Karo syrup works very well. You may have to adjust the amount you use depending upon how much cereal you're giving him, but be aware that too much can cause extreme diarrhea, so look out!! Good luck.

We added lots of prunes to every cereal meal when our sons started solids, either in the cereal or after he ate cereal mixed with veggies. We fed him a lot of prunes! We did that for months. He is now 10 months old and we don't have to add prunes anymore. It will change once his body gets used to the formula and cereal but for now do whatever you can to relieve his pain. Good luck!

Have you contacted your pediatrician about this? If not, that's what I would suggest.

S. W.
mom to Avery - 10, Anna - 7 and Lily - 2

Hi M.,
you might check with your pediatrician but ours instructed us to give our daughter a 1/2 tsp of Metamucli powder in her bottle when she was 6 mos old.

My little girl has been constipated ever since we started giving her solids. The things that have worked best for us is using Barley cereal (Rice cereal is like concrete!) or Oatmeal cereal and mixing it with juice instead of water. We also give her 6 oz of diluted juice a day and as much water as we can get down her after that. We have found that applesauce makes it worse so avoid that, also bananas and carrots can be constipating as well. We make sure she gets lots of fruits and vegetables. We've found the best ones for loosening the stool are: prunes, peaches, peas, and green beans. When she gets really bad I skip the cereal for a couple of days until she feels better again (she will got up to 3 days w/o a bowel movement sometimes.) But she is breastfed so she needs the cereal for the iron more than a formula fed baby does so you may just want to cut back on the cereal to just once every other day or something. I've also found when she's really struggling to push one out if I put her in a warm bath where the water comes up over her belly button it relaxes her anus so she can relieve herself (sorry that's so graphic). It's kind of messy but at least she feels better! Good luck, this has been a constant battle for us as well. Oh and one last thing, I've noticed if we keep using the same methods for awhile her body adjusts and is constipated again. When that happens we swtich cereals (Barley to Oatmeal for example) and juices and that usually helps. Our pediatrician also said we can add some Miralax (over the counter medicine) to her juice, it's a powder that is tasteless. It isn't absorbed by the body so it is safe for babies, it just helps the stool keep more water in it. Hope that helps!

I would tak to your Dr and see about switching his formaula and maybe backing off of cereal for a little while. Here is what my Dr had me do for my DD who was just like your son. The message of the tummy is good also pick his legs up and move them up to his chest, kinda like he is riding a bike. Next water his formula done by one ounce, so if you make a 6 oz bottle add an extra once of water, continue with the juices. My dr said it is from the iron in the formula, not all babies need it or tolerate it well. It took my DD a little over a week before it got better, we still deal with constipation issues occasionally and she is 3 1/2 know. good luck, I have never tried the Karo syrup, didn't know about it, but a lot of moms suggest it on this site, could be worth a try.

Hi M.
How much water do you give your baby on a daily basis? The cereal that you are feeding him is a great source of fiber, but that's not important with an infant. Instead of formula or juice to drink, try giving him a bottle of water at bedtime or during the day. This usually clears it up. If not, I'd suggest getting him checked for food allergies.

Try switching him to a fomula without iron and have him drink plenty of just water.

Did you switch him to formula and start cereal at the same time? Maybe hold off on the cereal for a while. Talk to your doctor about switching formulas. Formulas are basically the same, but some can cause babies to be constipated while others can cause babies to spit up more and things like that. So try something else. But talk to your doctor about it first. He/she can help you decide which one is best.

I would think about holding off on giving him cereal for awhile. It sounds like his system is just not ready for it. The standard advice is to start solids between 4 and 6 months, but we waited until our son was seven months and started off really slowly. He's completely healthy, gaining weight appropriately and have never had any digestion or constipation issues. There was a recent post about a four and a half month old being cranky with cereal and it got a lot off good responses that you might find helpful. Our personal philosophy was that our son has his whole life to eat solid foods, so we didn't need to rush it. You might also want to try baby probiotics. Good luck!

The iron might explain the constipation and the green. Are you sure he's drinking enough to keep things moving? Some babies do struggle with formula, but I'm not sure what's normal for that. GL

My daoughter had the same problem- our doctor recommended a tsp. of Dark Karo Syrup mixed into her bottle. It worked better than any over the counter medications. Good Luck!

M.,

Try a couple of things. Switch him to goats milk. It is much easier on the body than cow/dairy.

Also, give him water. Instead of cereal try mashed avacados, mashed potatoes. Give him more real food than processed food. Just mash it up really good. Talk with your doctor.

J.-i have 3 kids, one 23, one 15, and one 5. Good luck with the planning. As you can see for us that God had his own plan. LOL