Constipation Trouble

My son had a problem digesting milk because of a protein intolerance and used a formula called Nutramigen(i believe that is how it's spelled) It was pretty expensive at the time but his doctor had him use that formula so he wouldn't get constipation from the soy formulas. My son is 13 now, I know it's been a while, but that's what I did. And if you're wondering how it's pronounced...New-tram-i-gin

I had this same issue with my son. My pediatrician recommended giving him pear or prune juice. This worked great. Everyday I give him pear juice and it's worked ever since! GOOD LUCK!

A.,

My daughter had the exact same problem. We mixed a little pear juice (available in the baby food section at Target) in with her bottle for a while, and it solved the problem.

L.

My DD has hard poops so the doctor prescribed a stool softener which is in powder form and I mix it her drink. It's not anything that she will develop a dependancy on either. I'd suggest talking to your doctor. My daughter is on solids and I'm assuming your girl is not at this point or will be in a month or two, but I do not give my daughter apples or banannas and try to give fruits that start with the letter "P" along with brown beans and more fiber. This is some information I received from my ped. Hope this helps.

my DS had troubles with this too...my doctor suggested I put karo syrup in the bottle (about a tsp)...worked like a charm!

We were in the ER at Fairview Southdale and the wonderful nurse advised a teaspoon of prune or pear juice in the bottle with his formula.
It works wonderfully.

Hi A.,

My daughter had the exact same problem and still does sometimes. The doctor told me to put 1-2 tsp. of pear juice (found in the baby food aisle) in each bottle until she starts going regularly and then cut back to however many tsp. work a day without causing diarrhea. It worked great for my daughter. Good luck!

M.

A.,

We had a similar problem with our daughter. Her doctor had me mix 1oz of 100% prune juice in every bottle to get her unconstipated and then I mix one bottle like that everyday to keep her regular. Hope this helps J.

look into acidophilus. it is a naturally occuring bacteria in the stomach and some people do not have enough of it. it is sold in liqiud form at any natural food store. it is also great for adults. she'll be great in no time.

Two words - prune juice.

Gerber makes a baby version, so it's a little more refined, but I still watered it down for my son. Maybe half and half. Just 4 ozs total should do the trick. And the nurse told me you can give them up to 4 oz of juice a day, so if you're watering it down, you could give two 4-oz bottles. (total of 4 oz water ad 4 oz juice)

At 6 mos., I'm guessing your daughter is starting solid foods, or maybe has been eating them for a while. More fruits and veggies, instead of just the cereal, will get her more fiber and help her situation. If it's a chronic problem, then increasing her fiber for the long term might be good.

Hope that helps!

I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and both were born lactose intolerant (like their mother). I used the lacto-free formula for both of them but they also had constipation problems. At my pediatrician's advice, I started adding prune juice to the formula... not alot, probably a teaspoon per bottle. Depending on the looseness of the stools, I'd either add more or skip it. Works like a dream. Good luck.

Hi. Both my son and daughter are lactose-intolerant and handled the lactose-free milk formula quite well. There are a few varieties out there. I would also try giving her acidolpholus, which you can get in the health food department of most grocery stores. It helps build back any "good" bacteria in her intestines that may have been lost through the food changes, loose stool, or vomiting.

Good luck!

My mom used goats milk on me.

Out little girl too had problems with cows based and soy formula as in throwing up, and major rashes and eczema...we went the alimentum advanced sensitive formula route until one year of age with much improvement...since then she has been on goats milk...powdered goats milk is way cheaper than the alimentum....but we waited until she wa one year to start that. We also have kept dairy, citris, nuts and other items out of her diet...she is very healthy and happy! We also are very selective in the skin care products we use including making our own diaper wipes too.
T. Molitor

Hi! I have an 8 1/2 month old and he has had constipation twice. The first time my pediatrician recommended a couple drops of Dark Caro syrup (in the baking aisle of the grocery store) in his bottle. This worked like a charm! I have passed on this tidbit to several friends and all have had good success. I hope this helps!

When our son was 6 months old and could not tolerate the regular formula the doctor kept changing him to soy, then lacto-free, the to NUTRAMEGIN...the only one that actually helped his stomach to heal and did not cause any bad reactions was the NUTRAMEGIN. It is a lactose-free, soy free, milk based product by Enfamil. The protien in the formula is already broken down so their tiny little tummy don't have to work so hard. It helps them to heal the inflamation in their tummy that can be caused from interance to other formulas.
Not sure if this will help your daughter, but it certainly helped our son. You may want to ask your doctor about the option. Using this formula does not mean they will never tolerate milk, our son is 3 now and he loves milk and other dairy foods. It just gives them time to get feeling better. Hope some of this helps.

J.
Willmar

When my son had some constipation issues when he was about the same age, the pediatrician had us add approx. 1 teaspoon of dark Karo syrup to his first morning bottle and his bedtime bottle. This was extremely effective and didn't take long at all. If you want to try it, you may also want to check with your pediatrician to make sure of the 1 teaspoon measurement, as that may vary with baby's weight.

Hi A.,
My youngest who is not almost 3 had a tough time with constipation. We would add a tbls or two into each bottle of 100% no sugar added, all natural prune juice and it would do the trick. Hope that helps.
T.

A serving of prunes or diluted prune juice a day keeps the constipation away!

My daughter had problems with constipation around that age when we switched to formula and started on solid foods. We would use prune juice in her rice cereal or give a small amount of prune baby food with her breakfast. Worked wonders and very quickly! Good luck!
R.

mother to 11 month old daughter

Hi A.,

I used to do home daycare for a baby with this issue. Her doctor had her add prune juice once a day to the bottle of formula, which you'd think would taste gross but the baby actually loved it. Of course you'd want to talk to your baby's doctor before doing this, but it did work well for the baby I cared for.

Hope that helps, S.

I had the same problem with my little girl. The Dr. recommended adding an ounce or two of prune juice to her bottle once a day. We only had to do it for a month to six weeks and then she was regular again.

Have fun with the little peanut - they grow up so fast!
Angie

My daughter was chronically constipated when she was an infant through about 6 years of age. She would have bowel movements that would have hurt an adult. We tried everything!!! Citrucel, prune juice, apple juice (that is constipating), white grape juice, cherry juice. Nothing worked (except suppositories) until we got her on Miralax at age 4.

My 2 month old neice has Hirschsprungs disease, where it is actually painful for her to pass gas and have a bowel movement. She is given either suppositories or PEAR juice. Apple juice may have alot of fiber, but it is actually constipating. Prune juice causes too much gas for their little tummies to handle. When she has Pear juice, she goes easier and more frequently so it is not painful for her.

Mixing the 2 isn't a good idea, you said she had trouble digesting the milk based formula, which I assume gave her diaharreah, correct? Mixing the two is just going to confuse her digestive system as they need to be broken down differently. I would try some pear juice and if that doesn't work talk to your doctor about Miralax, my daughter was on it from 4-6 and she has no problems now. I know it is a laxative, but it is one that actually trains your bowels to work correctly so you do not need to be on it forever and you don't become dependent.

Be careful with Juicy Juice brands as in all juices except white grape have the main ingredient as apple juice so you will not get the full effect. Gerber makes pear juice, it's found in the baby department at every store we have purchased it from.

Good Luck!! I hope some of this helps.

The best thing for constipation for anyone is drinkable aloe juice. It is a natural laxative with healing powers and you can find it in different flavors.

Hi my name is S.. I am 31 years old and have 2 children. My youngest is 2 1/2 and he had the same troubles. His Dr. told me that juice helps (pear juice and baby prune juice) and also fruits that also start with the letter p. Pears, peaches, I dont know what it was about the letter P, but they told me to increase the intake of this. My son still has problems though he is on a daily laxative to keep him regular. Hope this helps you some. Also now my son gets loosened up from apple juice as well.

I would try giving her 1oz. of prune juice mixed with 1 oz. of water or even mixing an ounce in with her milk. I have to do this for my son everyday and it helps quite a bit.

Try a little prune juice with water dilute 50-50 - both are great stool softeners. check with dr -, my granddaughter had that problem at the same age. Her dr said to get small suppositories. They worked within an hour. She was a much happier baby. She outgrew this and now is a happy 3 yr old.

We had the same trouble. Have you tried prune juice (I think there is a prune apple juice that is a little nicer) and suppositories - that's how we got through it!

Now that she is 6 months you can add some baby food prunes to her cereal...it worked great for us!

My son had problems with cow's milk ie severe constipation when he was very young and we switched to soy and that was so much better so we kept him on unitl 12 months when we introduced "real" milk into his diet....comes to find out he was allergic to it! Our peds poo poo'd us for a long time and my poor baby was suffering for so long until we saw worse results and hives when giving the milk. Severe consitpation is a big allergy sign and I would take her to be tested by a peds allergy person. They can draw blood and do it in a test tube your daughter will not suffer the allery symptoms at all. Milk and soy are one of the most common allergies. I would try nutramagen formula. it is for very sensitive and allergic kids, see how she does with it. My son is 5 now and still has a severe allergy to all dairy products.
T.

my son had that problem when i switch him to milk. i asked my doctor what i could do and they suggested prune juice. which worked well and then i did whole milk instead of 2% has he couldnt handle the 2%. and that seemed to help. but any fruit that starts with p or veges shouls help your child. good luck

We went through the same thing a couple of months ago. I switched my now 8-month old to soy and she struggled with consitpation on and off for a couple of weeks. 2 ounces of apple juice did the trick every time and she seems to be totally adjusted now. I know there are a lot of cautions about abusing juice but she had it about 4-5 times for "medicinal reasons" and never since. Of course it tasted so good she drank it right up! Good luck to you.