4 Month Old Constipation

Updated on May 18, 2008
R.B. asks from Dallas, TX
71 answers

Hello Ladies,
My now 4-month old has had a problem with constipation since about 2 months. The pediatrician's basic suggestion is give her juice- which we do, but she still has very thick, clay-like bowel movements that are sometimes painful for her and sometimes come out in big pellets. Any other suggestions? The doctor recommended a different formula that he said is not easy to find and more expensive than the regular formulas, but if that's what helps... Right now we are using Nestle's Good Start because it has a little less iron than Similac or Enfamil. Any info will be appreciated.

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C.B.

answers from Dallas on

My now 3 year old had acid reflux and constipation when she was a newborn. We went through 4 formulas and finally found a formula that was easy for her little tummy to digest and seemed to help with her constipation. It is called Enfamil Nutramigin. It is expensive but well worth it. Her bowel movements were not longer like firm peanut butter, but more like breast feed baby stool, kinda like cottage cheese.

Unfortunately, she still suffers from constipation. At a year and half years old I started giving her prune juice with her breakfast, at two I sent her to a GI and he put her on Miralax which you can buy over the counter. It seemed harsh to give a little one a laxative, but it was better than her getting impacted. And now at three years old, I discovered a new product that seems to be helping her. My sister in law told me about it because it was helping out her daughter. A preschool teacher told her about it. It is called "Plum Smart". You can find it in the juice isle and she loves the taste of it, unlike prune juice.

Good luck

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T.K.

answers from Abilene on

Try soy formula, there might be a milk protein allergy. both of my babies had this and they are very healthy today (3&8)due to soy formula.

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T.T.

answers from Dallas on

My baby boy had the same problem fairly often so we started using the Enfamil-Low Iron formula. The constipation lessened and when it did come back I would mix about 1/4 teaspoon kyro syrup in with the formula. Usually after a couple of feedings with the kyro he'd get better.

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D.J.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter started having the same problem at about 4 months also. Our doctor recommended several things. First was to change her formula to Parent's Choice (the wal-mart brand)!! I almost fell out of the chair when he told me, he said all formula is regulated by the FDA so its the same exact thing but usually gives a looser stool. We also then switched to oatmeal, and used apple juice instead of water to mix it. Our doctor also said that we could just put the powder fiber into her bottle. We never did this one because the formula switch helped A LOT. When your daughter gets older and can have yogurt, that will also help too.

1 mom found this helpful

I.H.

answers from Dallas on

Kefir! But don't buy ready kefir from the store because you cannot control how old it is. It is much better to make yourself because fresh kefir helps with constipation, and "old" kefir is opposite. "Old" kefir is very good for diarrhea. I made kefir from Tibetan Mushrooms, bur there are other names for kefir mushroom: kefir grains, Chinese Mushrooms, Tibicos and etc. You can find a lot of informatin in the Internet.

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R.F.

answers from Dallas on

Try putting Cayro syurp in her milk or cereal ... I use to do that with my kids when they were baby's.

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A.Y.

answers from Dallas on

Add a teaspoon of Karo syrup to her bottle. That will loosen them up. Old home rememdy it worked for me. And is not medications.

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S.L.

answers from Dallas on

This may sound crazy, but my mom ("an old wives tale") told me to put peach syrup, like from a can, in a bottle and mix it with water. I did this and it worked for my boys. It is hard when they are that young, but mixed, she will not get it straight and it should help. Anothe idea I have tried, is to give her a bottle of water in the middle of the day to help. Sometimes the formula is just hard to digest. The water thing is a 50/50 among doctors on whether it is needed. My last bit of advice is to try a chiropractor. Some people think they are kooks, but you can adjust a baby from the first day. They have chiros' who work on infants (I know several) and my son, now 6, was always constipated once he got on food. Our chiro told me he could help and I was unsure..I finally got desperate enough and let him adjust him. IT WORKED and he was much better. Just suggestions, it is so sad to watch them in pain, you will try anything. Good Luck!

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H.D.

answers from Dallas on

I've heard that prune juice is helpful. Wish I could think of something else! good luck. I would do research on Karo syrup before giving it. It seems that I remember something about Karo like the honey thing (botulinum spores in it) which isn't supposed to be given to babies under 1 year of age.

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P.M.

answers from Dallas on

Hello R.
my son is now 5 years old but had the same problem when I switched him from breast feeding to solid food. Pear,apple and prune juice helped him.
P.

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P.K.

answers from Dallas on

Despite what you have read and been told, take your daughter off of iron and you will see an incredible difference. All 3 of mine had problems until one by one I eliminated iron from their diet. No suppliments. Nothing with iron. My daughters are now 21, 23, and 28. Perfectly healthy.

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L.L.

answers from Dallas on

he may be lactose intolerant. My son is that way. he cannot drink regular milk because it constepates him so badly but he does perfectly fine on soy milk. Try switching to the carnation good start soy forumula and see if that doesnt help. Karo syrup also helped him a bit, before we found out he was lactose intolerant.

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C.P.

answers from Dallas on

Try a 1/4 tsp of Karo syrup in the bottle...worked for my daughter like a charm!

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W.S.

answers from Amarillo on

My son is almost 3 and we have been going through the same thing since he was that age. We switched to soy formula and that seemed to help but also apple prune juice has helped a lot. I don't remember how young he was, but our pedi had us start adding Miralax to his bottles. (you can buy it over the counter but would def check with doc about amount) Also when he switched to milk, we stuck with the soy milk and Silk has one that has added fiber that seems to help some. I also started taking him to a chiropractor to help with it. You might check around to see if ther is one where you live that sees children. Mine is in Amarillo and he is wonderful. I understand what you are going through and it is so horrible to watch the little one when thay are in so much pain. Hope this was of some help. Good luck!

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H.B.

answers from Dallas on

My now 11 month baby boy was very constipated. Our doctor suggested giving prune baby food....it has worked very well. He just has to eat prunes once daily and he is fine. She also suggested kayro syrup to help with the constipation. Hope this helps and good luck.

H.

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T.H.

answers from Dallas on

Hi R.,

My suggestion is to try prune juice. A little bit goes along way. You might also try alittle (like a teaspoon)cod liver oil in her formula.

Good luck,
T.

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L.T.

answers from Dallas on

Make sure she get plenty of water. A small amount of milk of mag will also help.

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J.H.

answers from Dallas on

I had the same problem with my baby girl when she was that age and the milacon drops would only help her pass gas. My mother told me to give her just a little bit of kayro syrup. Just put a small drop on your finger and let her suck it off. i did this about every 30min till she pooped. This is what worked for me. Hope she feels better.

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W.M.

answers from Dallas on

I had the same problem, we changed to Enfamil Lactofree and it helped a lot and we would also add prune juice to it. And that also helped.

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D.A.

answers from Dallas on

I havent' read other responses yet so hope this is not a duplicate. My daughter just turned 4 and has had constipation issues since about 2 months when I stopped breast feeding. Anyway, GOAT MILK is really good and easy to digest. I was told it's as close to breast milk as you can get. It helped her a lot...in fact she still drinks it today along with soy milk. You can get it almost anywhere now. It is expensive though (about $3+ for a quart) but worth it to not see your little one in such pain. I don't recommend soy milk until your child gets older. Prune juice worked well for my daughter too. She's also drinking it again. You can check out a health food store and they can recommend things for an infant.

Cow milk constipates my daughter really bad...so be prepared as it might yours too. We didn't know this until she was a year old and the doctor said to put her on whole milk...I tried them all...1%, 2%, Fat Free...it didn't matter it was still cow milk. I don't let her eat a lot of cheese either unless it is lactose free.
Hope this helps.
D. :)

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H.H.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter battled this as well, some of it was due to a milk/soy intolerance. Her gastro. specialist had us mixing her oatmeal with apple prune juice and 1 tsp. of Miralax. As well as trying to make sure she got the 3 p's when eating baby food---Peaches, pears, and prunes. These tend to cause looser stools. But of course you wouldn't want to start your baby girl on solids until her pedi gives you the OK. Also ask the dr. for the correct measurement of Miralax based off her your daughter's weight. My daughter is breastfed, so I'm not sure about which formula is easier on the tummy.

Hope it gets better soon.

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N.C.

answers from Dallas on

this is the same that happened to my son, now 7 months. we finally found a formula that helped his constipation, the same one you're on. it helped with so much other things to. i gave my son water. i know what people say, dont give an infant water, they are humans too. this helped with his consitpation. sometimes when he wouldnt go for a day or two i gave him an enema, it worked also. i would keep on the good start and see what it does. like i said, that really helped with my son after trying 3 other formulas. give her prunes, she old enough for it. or mix water and apple juice warmed....this will make her go!

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J.B.

answers from Dallas on

I won't repeat what others have told you but here's a couple of things to take to heart. I have boy/girl twins who are 2. My daughter (most everyone seems to have a girl w/ this)has been constipated since about 2 mos. old. I have her chart documented w/ many calls about constipation. YOU HAVE TO BE THE AGGRESSIVE ONE. My pediatrician recommended 50/50 apple juice/water, that helped. We also did the Karo syrup & it helped, she went soon after.

The thing to keep in mind as your daughter grows is that this "syndrome" may not go away. I'm still dealing w/ it 2 yrs. later & it's only gotten worse. Now her poo sits in her colon & grows outward instead of downward b/c it it too hard to come out. It's like very hard molding clay. She may go 3-5 days w/ skid marks in her diaper, each day holding on to a table or window seal trying to poo.

Some days I would give her 2 suppositories, prune juice, 100% apple juice & nothing. I finally gave into Miralax. THIS HAS BEEN A MIRACLE! Of course you need to try other natrual methods first & consult your pediatrician. My Ped. NEVER recommended this, friends did but I did call him & he approved telling me how much to use.

Good luck.....my best advice is to not let it go on & on & on w/o any luck. Keep calling your pediatrician.

PS: I breast fed the twins for 3 mos. until they weren't gaining weight anymore due to my low milk supply. I then used a SOY based Enfamil & they did beautifully!

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J.C.

answers from Amarillo on

My daughter (now almost 5 yrs) had the same problem. We even ended up the ER a couple of times because she would get so constipated that it would back up her bowels. We tried juice, meds, kayro syrup, you name it, we tried it. She was 6-7 months when we discovered that it's the milk (regular whole milk/formula). We switched her to soy formula and now she drinks Silk (soy milk). After 2-3 weeks, we never had another problem with constipation. Yes, soy formula may cost a little more, but it was worth every penny of it. We're now expecting our second child and are starting it on soy. We don't want to have the same problems again. Also, we discovered this by talking to my husband's family. Several of them have the same problems and they're 60 yrs old!! Anyway. Do what you feel is right. It's your child and you know your child better than anyone else.

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J.L.

answers from Dallas on

I used Good Start on both of my kids, Enfamil did the same thing to them! Try adding some Karo (sp?) syrup into the bottle. Ask your pediatrician about how much they would recommend adding into it, I remember I would do a tablespoon or so 2 times a day for several days and it would help quite a bit.
Good luck!

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E.H.

answers from Dallas on

My girls had tummy troubles when they were younger including spitting up to constipation. We used goats milk and all problems were solved. Our pediatrician wasn't thrilled with it but as long as we supplemented with a vitamin, he was fine. Personally, I think all the things they put in those formulas are terrible for kids but its the only option anymore. It doesn't smell great, but it's natural and it was a lifesaver for us. It's worth a try!

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

Shaklee has a product called HerbLax. I would buy some, and take it to your doctor to develop a plan of action. This product is excellent quality, safe and effective.
Take Care,
K.

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G.M.

answers from Dallas on

My kids are grown but the "old school" doctor I had used to tell me to put a little karo syrup in the bottle with the formula. It seemed to help my son alot. He was clogged up and would cry until I did this. It's worth a try isn't it.

G. M.

D.B.

answers from Dallas on

Hi R.,
In my home child care I have had several infants w/this problem. One thing that has always worked was adding the clear, Light, Karo syrup to bottles as you feed them. You don't need much, only 1/2 tsp. per 8 ounces. Try adding it to 4-5 bottles the 1st day than cut back and adjust (maybe every other bottle) as her stool becomes looser.
Although I have never used it myself I have also heard good things about the Walmart brand formula with regard to looser Stools.
Good Luck!!!
D. B.

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T.T.

answers from Dallas on

All of my children have had bouts of constipation. With my oldest (17 month - has had bouts since I switched from breast milk to forumla when she was 9 months) we give her Miralax (sp?) [recommended by ER doctor and our pedi] and that seems to work the best. With my 3 mth old twins our pedi told us to give them between 2-4 oz of pedilyte everyday and give glycerin suppositories as needed. As of last week our pedi told us to give them 1 tsp of baby apple prune juice every other day (i started that on Sunday and that really worked). Having said all of this my best advice is to call you pedi and see what they say before you try anything.

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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

As a mother of seven, ages 26-7 years, I found homeopathy 19 years ago and it is almost all I use for my health care needs. There are different remedies for different symptoms. We do not just treat one symptom. You look at all of her symptoms, some that you may not think are important; physical, emotional and psychological. Look for a homeopath in your area to get to the real problem. constipation is just a symptom of something else going on that needs to be addressed!

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A.L.

answers from Dallas on

I remember my son having an episode of constipation right around that age. We ended up having to give him a suppository in order to have a bowel movement. From then on we began giving him watered down pear juice each day. We also used oatmeal cereal as opposed to the rice cereal. And since then I've never had a problem. He is 19 months old and to this day still has 3 bowel movements a day. I think it's because he still gets juice all day, and an adequate amount of water. Plenty of water is necessary for the bowel to soften the stool, and be less painful. Hope this helps and good luck.

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M.O.

answers from Dallas on

one of my twins had terrible constipation with Good Start and we switched to Lipil Gentelease- his BMs are much softer and more liquid now and he doesn't struggle as much- usually goes once per day now. My other twin is still on the Good Start and while his BMs are more claylike etc he doesn't have problems with it and goes once per day usually. The Gentleease also helps with has pains.

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J.H.

answers from Amarillo on

If your baby will take water, more water sounds like what is needed. Some milk is constipating. An (old) remedy of abut 50 years ago, which Dr.'s probably won't like now is to put karo syrup (small amt) in the milk until it clears up. But my three year old had to have colace drops for a bit to help, because the Dr. said her last intestines secreted too much water, and that was the trouble. Colace isn't a laxative, it just helps retain the wathr in the last intestine.

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D.L.

answers from Dallas on

my daughter had the same problem as an infant and did have a tear in her rectum because of it, we were told to give her a teaspoon of mineral oil each day and increase the amount as she grew. i would just add this to her juice or milk. there is no taste so you could give it to her in a syringe as well. it seemed to help us. apple juice is good too. she is 14 now and has a problem from time to time and i still give it to her if needed. good luck!

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C.Y.

answers from San Antonio on

My daughter is four months old also and had the same problem a few weeks after she was born. Her pediatrician put her on Enfamil Gentlease and it has worked wonders. She no longer is constipated and she is less gassy. Hope this helps.

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A.J.

answers from Dallas on

Hi, My dr told us to use Prune juice or pear juice (those are the 2 best) mixed in with my babys bottle (if he would take it that way if not then alone) so we would give him 1-2oz of prune juice subsituted for water when we made his bottles. we did this with every bottle and he became regualr. (at first we were giving it to him like once a week and the dr told us to give it to him daily to keep him regular and it really worked.) also when you start cereal use OATMEAL cereal instead of rice cereal because rice is binding and will make it worse.

when it would get real bad I would use a glycerine supository and that would work pretty good but those are only for when it has been longer than 5 days for a poop.

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J.B.

answers from Wichita Falls on

Try lacto-free formula. Sometimes there is too much iron in the formulas making it way harder for the little ones to digest.

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M.W.

answers from Dallas on

I have a 5 1/2 month old and we had the same issue. Some pediatricians will tell you it's a little early but we gave my daughter prunes (baby 1st foods) and it's amazing what just a little bit will do. It makes for a much happier baby and we usually did this on an every other day basis. I prefer this over juices b/c juices are acidic and I was told that doesn't help the irritation with every bowel movement.

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P.R.

answers from Dallas on

These are the things that helped the little boy we are fostering to adopt. If you have started rice cereal, I would definitely cut it out of her diet. You can add flax seed oil to her bottle, and ground flax seed to her fruits and veggies, when she starts on those. I use a coffee grinder for grinding the flax seeds. Offering water in a bottle could also help.
The big change I would consider if I were you is making your own formula with raw goat's milk. There is a lot of research on the benefits of goat's milk for babies. It is much more similar to mother's milk than cow's milk, making it easier to digest.

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V.S.

answers from Dallas on

I just went through this with my 8 month old. Our pediatrician told us to give the juice as well as, try giving him Activia yogurt and Benefiber. Benefiber is colorless and tasteless and can be added to a liqued or any food for them. He is actually on a laxative right now but we used the Benefiber with my daughter and it helped. Good luck!

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A.C.

answers from Dallas on

What I used to do with my baby when she was constipated, was to buy prunes and boil them in water. Then used that water to prepare the formula in.

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A.C.

answers from Dallas on

We had the same problem with my daughter who is only 2 months right now. We switched to Nestle's Good Start and we give her water not juice - that seems to have done the trick. We also give her Mylicon to help with the gas that upsets her tummy (the legs moving rigidly up and down) - that seems to help as well.

Hope it gets resolved!! I know how terrible I feel when she's in so much pain!

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B.S.

answers from Dallas on

We have dealt with this with our girls. What works best is prune juice, at least for us. Sometimes 4 oz is way too much after the first "full" diaper so you will have to experiment with how much juice and then add water. For us alot of time it was half and half. Also my dr said we could use glycerin suppositories for children if she seemed to be having a lot of trouble or pain, but start with giving onlt 1/4 to 1/2 if it. We did this when the baby was one to two months and she was screaming and in pain...they go immediately! Once we did this 2-3 times over a couple of weeks we haven't used suppositories since and the juice is what keeps her regular. Plus now we can let go of the prune juice and use more apple or pear juice and then fruits to eat. And we were able to stay on the same formula. Hope this helps.

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T.D.

answers from Dallas on

Have you tried giving her a small amount of dark Karo syrup in her bottle? That is something my pediatrician suggested for my 5 mo. old.

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S.B.

answers from Abilene on

first off increase water using a little corn syrup to make her like it also helps with constipation. then i know they say no but get that baby some cereal or first foods something. my babies ate as soon as they were able 3 wks they did not suffer for it are happy 22 and 30 year old fiber always helps milk doesnt have it cereal and food items do good luck

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H.B.

answers from Dallas on

Hi R.!
My son had a problem with constipation too! But his stools weren't so hard! I gave him suppositories to help with the constipation and because I was breastfeeding changed what I was eating. He really didn't get on a good schedule with that until recently and now he goes everday on schedule! I think what helped him was starting him on the baby food. Your daughter is four months old and that is when I started feeding my son baby food. Ask your pedi if this is ok for her and give her lots of veggies, and it should help with that. Also, I don't know if it would work or not, but my son is now on similac sensitive formula, it is made specifically for fussiness or gas, and I really think that may help him too, it is easier on his stomach to digest. I don't know if that helps but I hope it does!

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E.J.

answers from Dallas on

Surprisingly, I had this same problem with my breastfed baby. My doctor recommended a little pear juice also. He also told me to start cereal and that barley cereal has more fiber (rice cereal is a known to add to constipation). I had a difficult time finding the barley cereal, but finally found it at Babies R Us in Plano.

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S.M.

answers from Dallas on

Hello R.,
A 1 or 2 ounce of apple juice will help.
S.

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B.H.

answers from Dallas on

My oldest daughter had issues w/ constipation right after she was born. I breastfed her until she was 14 mos old.

After she turned 4 mos old we realized her constipation was b/c she was born w/ Urinary Reflux. Children w/ that disorder for some reason (they don't know why) always have a problem w/ constipation. We discovered she had UR when she kept having fevers for two weeks. I thought it was the shots, then teething but no...It turned out she had a urinary tract infection. An X-ray showed too she was all backed up.

She is 6 and we still struggle w/ constipation.

My dr recommended yogurt when she had to be put on antibiotics. Now they have Activa by Dannon. I would try that. We did diluted prune and apple juice. That eventually lost its effectiveness. I finally took her to a chiropractor and she taught me how to massage her back to stimulate the nerve in the digestive tract. W/in 30-1hr she would poop. I also did frequent visits b/c my daughter did have some things out of alignment. I go to Dr. Milne w/ A&M Chiropractic in S. Arlington.

I went through alot of trial and error and found what worked for her. I chose not to do the laxative b/c it can give them bad cramps. I wanted to try everything first before I became dependent on a laxative. For her I think the chiropractic treatment did the trick.

We did do the deflux procedure to fix her Urinary Reflux at 2 and hasn't had any UTI's since. She does still struggle w/ constipation but it's more behavioral now. She also holds her pee. Not good for someone w/a history of UTI's.

Oh, well.

Good Luck.

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T.L.

answers from Dallas on

I remember now, it is called BabyLax and it works.

----------------------------------------------------
I would ask the doctor about this because I'm not sure about what age you can use them on babies. I remember having to use Flex baby enema on one of my children when he was a baby. It worked almost immediately. I never used a whole one, only half.

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D.L.

answers from Dallas on

Hi R. -

My daughter went through the same thing. We tried many different formula's including breastfeeding and the only formula that help and basically regulated her was Similac Alimentum and /or Enfamil Nutramigen which basically the same thing. They don't smell good at all but it sure kept her from being constipated. I would try one of those for atleast 2 weeks. They are a little more expensive, but we were willing to do anything to make our little princess comfortable.

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S.E.

answers from Dallas on

I went through the same problems with my daughter, now almost 3, starting at age 6 months. We have even had to take her to Children's Hospital from constipation. What happens now is mainly mental. From the stool being hard and larger from her holding it, it got painful, so she was causing fissures which caused bleeding. They did all kinds of tests on her, but decided nothing was wrong, it was a mental thing, that hopefully when she gets older and can understand it, she will do better. My Ped., rx'd her a stool softner that we use daily. It is now over the counter...Miralax. If we back off of it, or don't give it, we go through the crying and not wanting to go. I feel your pain. It is tough to deal with. The Miralax is safe for long term use, talk to your ped. Good Luck.

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G.G.

answers from Amarillo on

Hi R., My daughter had this problem with her son and the Ped. put him on Miralax. It worked wonders.Talk to your Dr and see if this might work. It is not habit forming. God Bless
Eve

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C.A.

answers from Dallas on

R.,I had the same problem with my now 3 1/2 mo. old. She is my sixth child...I have always had to put them on a low or no iron formula after I quit nursing b/c of constipation. Last year was the last year all formula companies stopped making that an option. I even called them recently. I am currently nursing full time, but realize not everyone has that option. I had to put my first child on fresh goats milk b/c I had problems nursing. It worked great! There are some goat milk suppliers around in the area, but you have to make sure it is a good and clean one. It is the closest thing out there to mothers milk. If that idea bothers you, you could call my clinical nutritionist number and get a product called IGg Pure. Mix that with a little milk, and add Udo's Essential Fatty acids to each bottle and you have a formula superior to that on the market. I have researched this for the last five years and at one time was considering starting my own formula co. Who wants hydrogenated fats, and high fructose corn syrup as the main ingredients for their childs formula. Add to that , the carb to protein ratios are too unbalanced. The nutritionist office number is ###-###-####. I make this concoction up when I can't be home to nurse. Hope that helps. No doubt it is the baby formula that is causing the constipation. Also, may I recomment you calling the number on the formula can and issue a complaint as I did. Maybe if enough people complain they will get back to the good ole days. And to add insult to injury, the pediatricians are worse...their solution is drugs, to alleviate what the formula is doing. How about we avoid the problem all together. Good luck, C. a.

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Y.M.

answers from Dallas on

My son always stayed constipated and still did at 2 years old. He doesn't chew is food and loves cheese and milk!
I put my family on Juice Plus vitamins and what sold me on it was that we just don't get our veggies and fruit in anymore and this was such an easy way of doing it. I lost my taste for veggies when I was pregant with my son. With my busy schedule fruit and veggies spoiled before we could get them eaten or cooked.
I was told a lady used 1/2 of a capsule in her infants food starting at 6 months old. This has been backed up by many health professionals and it all started with a Pediatrician.
Check it out! http://www.juiceplus.com/+ym04185

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L.S.

answers from Dallas on

Before adding anything to her bottle or giving her meds or trying to find a homeopathic method, I would just try switching formulas. Our ped said not to give our son the "extra iron" formulas for just that reason. Apparently it is one of those nutrition fads that all the companies have jumped on the band wagon with and the added iron is hard for little tummies to digest. My son was on the Sam's Club brand of Enfamil regular (not the added iron and not the one with low iron that may not have enough!).

Side note: It is so crazy starting over with a new baby (my daughter is 12 and my son is 1), so we have that in common. It seems like everything is so different than when my daughter was little. I had to get a special wedge for her to sleep in to keep her on her side and with my son, we were told no side, no tummy, back ONLY! There were maybe 4 brands of formula on the shelves that all did the same thing, now there are like 10 brands for 10 different types for each brand. So funny!

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J.I.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter had to use the actual Low Iron formula. We used Enfamil Low Iron. My son had to be on lactose free. I would try one of those. We also could not use vitamin drops with Iron.

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G.B.

answers from Dallas on

R.,

My boys both had some minor problems with this. Our pediatrician advisde that if adding the extra fluid didn't help enough then we could try 1/4 tsp of brown sugar (preferably dark brown sugar) in a bottle once per day. We usually only did it every other day or even every third day until it seemed that the problem had passed. I have no idea why or how it works, but it did for us. It was also an inexpensive, readily available and natural choice for us.

Good luck!
G.

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K.H.

answers from Dallas on

i always used prune juice, if that doesnt work then i would try either dried fennel (its natural & you can get it at the health foods store) just add a little to their bottle...or you can ask if she is old enough to have miralax, my nephew takes this & it has worked great for him but he is older & i'm not sure when they can start taking it, but you just mix it into any drink

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S.K.

answers from Dallas on

hi R.
my son had that same issue at about the same age.....i was tired of trying juice so the dr offered to have an x-ray done of his stomach...SOOOOOO glad we did....he was EXTREMELY backed up......she prescribed a liquid laxitive that cleared it all out and has been fine ever since...he's 11 months today!
S.

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M.G.

answers from Dallas on

My 2 month had the same thing and her MD reccomended 1/2 tsp of Miralax mixed with her bottle once or twice to see if it would help- we only had to do it once- my baby had a regular poop within 10 min of giving it to her and now she goes everyday and its not painful for her anymore.

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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

Our pedi recommended a little dark corn syrup (two-three teaspoons) in a bottle or two each day until it clears up. Worked like a charm!

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S.G.

answers from Dallas on

Hi there,
You have a lot of responses here, but what ever you try, check with your pediatrician first. My daughter (15 years ago) went through the same thing. We did have to change her formula and she went on to being lactose intolerant when she was old enough to go on whole milk. Still has problems sometimes with lactose today. But, way back in the day, our awesome pediatrician, (who would still be my 5 kids' doctor if we hadn't moved here from CA) suggested a little sugar water (now I see where the karo syrup is coming in) and taking a thermomater with lots of petroleum jelly on it and just putting the tip in to her little bum. It stimulates the bowel to come out and the jelly helps it come out easier and prevents tearing. This all helped my daughter tremendously and once we got past that point and she was on a different formula with low iron, she was better and regular bowel movements. It's awful to see them suffer like that.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

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M.R.

answers from Dallas on

At this age, the sugar in apple juice is indigestable, so it sits and ferments in the intestinal tract, thereby drawing water into the tract. That's why your MD told you to give her juice! It works!! When she starts cereal, if she hasn't already, give her oatmeal not rice. My daugher, who is now 11, had the same problem. See still is not regular, so I watch how much bananas, milk, cheese and white bread products she consumes, and she consumes lots of raw pears and whole grains.

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A.J.

answers from Dallas on

put karo syrup in the bottle it has alway help my little girl

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D.J.

answers from Dallas on

A teaspoon of prune juice a day won't hurt. we gave it all the time in the newborn intensive care unit.

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A.L.

answers from Tyler on

Hi my son had constipation too. We switched to Enfamil Gentleease. Also if she is constipated put 2 tbs. to each 4oz. of form. of Dark Karo syrup in her bottles till she has a normal bowel movement. Its an old remedy but it works. Our ped. told us to do that. Good Luck!

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P.H.

answers from Dallas on

Both of my girls had trouble with constipation. We woudl put about a tbsp. full of the DARK Karo syrup in every milk bottle. It ALWAYS worked. This was recommeneded to me by my pharmacist.

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T.D.

answers from Dallas on

Poor thing!!

Yes, it sounds like she probably has too much iron in her system. These formula's are known to cause constipation. Are you breast feeding at all? If so, I would exclusively breast feed.

You should go to a Natural Healthfood store and see if they have some type of drops, OR....here is a link for you that may be helpful.....

http://www.babycareadvice.com/babycare/microsites/infant_...

Good Luck!

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N.H.

answers from Dallas on

The only juice i used was prune juice. I mixed it with her formula b/c it is strong. I never switched formula. I did use a soy based one thouhg and stirred clear of the full milk style formulas.

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