7 Month Old and Constipation

Updated on August 30, 2011
L.H. asks from Livonia, MI
10 answers

My almost 7 month old is struggling having bowel movements. I started rice cereal at 5 1/2 months and added a few fruits and veggies ( with the 4 day allergy rule) at six months and since he had bananas he has had hard bm's. I switched him to oatmeal and I give him no bananas and either prunes or pears daily. I have had to use a liquid glycerin suppository twice. My concern is no matter how I have changed with his diet his stools are still small and hard. My doctor suggested juice but he hates it. I breastfeed and give him solids two to three times per day. Any suggestions. He is harder to get to sleep, waking up more frequently and just not himself since. Anyone have this problem and found a solution!! Thanks!

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S.T.

answers from Denver on

Yes, stay away from rice and bananas for a while, they did the same thing to my son. The nurse told me to feed "P" foods: prunes, pears, peaches. My son wouldn't drink juice either, but I found if I put some prune juice in with his oatmeal or other fruit, it helped after a day or so. Just try not to worry, it will take a little while for his system to regulate :) After we stopped bananas and did the "P" food thing, it still took a good 7-10 days for his poops to get back to normal. Good luck :)

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M.S.

answers from Grand Rapids on

My son has had bowel problems since he was born and is now 4 years old. We used the Barley cereal with his baby food because our doctor said that was the easiest to digest. I would actually cut out the juice unless it was a little plum juice in the morning. My son was also lactose sensitive, and I know you said you breastfeed, but maybe cut out any lactose you are having and see if that works. Hope it all works out. We are actually looking into either a gluten sensitivity or the full celiac disease with our son.

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C.M.

answers from Detroit on

I would back off the solids to cereal only, nurse him whenever he wants and give him some water. His change in sleeping habits is probably just that he is on a grow and really IS hungry or even thirsty in the night. More breastfeeding will help with the constipation. So, when he gets up at night...plug him in and go back to sleep. It works! Good job keeping with the breastfeeding. You are doing the BEST thing for him! Rock on Mama!

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H.P.

answers from Houston on

Mine eats brown rice cereal mixed with apple juice for breakfast each morning. (White rice is actually a remedy for diarrhea.) What works for me when he has fewer bowel movements is for me to eat more carrots. (You're changing HIS diet, but are you changing YOURS?) Bananas can most certainly stop up anybody. He doesn't like the taste of corn syrup, but pure maple syrup is good.

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S.H.

answers from Kalamazoo on

They started giving my son Noah Mirlax. Check with your doctors to see how much. This just adds water to their stool so they can go more easily. Some doctors give you hard time but stick to your guns and tell them the other things are not working. The Dark Karo syrup will be more effective than the light- if you try that.

You might need a different doctor if they will not listen to you.
Good luck.- Remember you are the only one who knows your child best.
S.

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M.W.

answers from Detroit on

Stop solids for a while. There is no reason to HAVE to give them at this age, its just a good time for them try new tastes and textures. His gut might not be ready to handle it yet. You can start them in 3-6 months again and see if that helps.

Best wishes!

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S.B.

answers from Savannah on

:( aww poor little guy. My youngest went thru something similar and she was also breastfed. We gave her pretty much prunes and pears (she also hated juice) until her stools were soft again. She still goes thru stages where she gets constipated and we just make sure to give her lots of prunes and pears. :) Her dr also suggested to give her a little bit of Karo syrup (I guess this helps soften stool). We never tried it but it could help.Hope he gets well soon!

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G.B.

answers from Detroit on

As nice as bananas are, they can cause hard stools. Rice cereal isn't the best first food for babies. Kiwi, mashed sweet potato, avocado, applesauce. Is he nursing often enough? You can keep him on one breast per feeding to get the richer milk that comes down later in a feeding. Getting more breastmilk might solve the problem because this sounds like a solids problem. Some babies this young aren't on solids yet or are just trying them out. Breastmilk usually doesn't cause hard stools.

C.R.

answers from Boston on

Poor thing.
Try ultimate aloe juice. It's amazing. All natural and safe for babies. All my boys have been on this since they were babies. It got them off zantac for acid reflux but it really helps with constipation too. :)

http://www.marketamerica.com/nicoleryan/index.cfm?action=...

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C.K.

answers from Madison on

When my 11 month old started solids - rice cereat first - she became quite consipated and didn't have a BM for days. I tried adding the fruits (prunes, etc) that would help things along but nothing really made it get better. We move away from iron fortified foods (all infant cereals) and ground up regular, old fashioned oats mixed with breastmilk and that only helped slightly. Then, as I was thinking about iron in her foods, I thought about my prenatal vitamin - which has tons of iron. I stopped taking it for a week and tada - her constipation disappeared. I'm back on a multivitamin and she still nurses and her BMs are normal. But once I used some frozen milk that would have had the higher iron levels, her constipation was back. Not sure if you are still on a prenatal - but something to think about!

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