First Time Mom - Abington,PA

Hi J., my doctor says "P" fruits are good for constipation (you know, p for poop, he he!). Peaches, plums, pears, prunes, etc...and lots of water.

As far as lunch for daycare, I'm stumped! Maybe baby yogurt and small pieces of soft fruit? Maybe you could pack last nights dinner (coursely ground meats), soft veggies, etc. Sorry I'm not more help!

Best of luck, Jen

Hi J.. I found with my 3 children it was a matter of balancing different fruits. If you increase the amount of applesauce, apples, grapes, pears and peaches, etc (whatever will loosen your child) and decreased the amount of bananas (this is what hardens my children) this will help stabilize your son.

Hi J.-
For the constipation I agree with the mom who wrote about the 'P' fruits- prunes, plums, peaches. You could always try a couple ounces of prune juice. Bananas, applesauce, cheese- try to limit these as they have a tendency to be more binding. You might also try yogurt to keep him regular-Stonyfield's Yo-Baby is great.

As for lunches, you could give him yogurt & soft fruits. Check with the doctor, but since he is almost 1, you might even be able to start him on peanut butter & jelly cut into bite size pieces. Also, if the doctor okays it you could try fish. Tuna is easy, but not more than once every week or two because of mercury levels. You could also try meatballs- without sauce & cut into small pieces- or meatloaf. My 9 month old eats these without any problems.

Even though he doesn't have a lot of teeth, you don't need to avoid too many foods. Just make sure what you feed him is soft enough to be gummed.

Good luck
A.

Hi J.!

Both my kids had/have constipation problems. But luckily, Beech-nut has come out with prunes baby food! I feed my daughter 1 jar of that for lunch, and before bedtime she's softened up enough to be able to poop!
Food ideas for daycare: hard boiled eggs, macaroni, grapes, grape tomatoes, rolled up turkey slices, any kind of dried fruit (my son likes dried blueberries best), graham crackers, bagel & cream cheese cut up, fruit spread on crackers/bagels/rolls; raisins, yogurt, string cheese; and for treats: lorna doone shortbread cookies. I'm sure you've probably tried many of these, but hey, it's worth a shot on my end! :-)

R.

Hi J.. Giving my son fresh fruit always helped with constipation, and when my little guy was one (and relatively toothless!) I found these little mesh fruit holders at Babies r us that really worked well (called 2 +2 Baby Feeder Starter Kit
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp? productId=2404768&cp=2255957.###-###-####.###-###-####.###-###-####.###-###-####&parentPage=family).
You can put a slice of fresh apple, peach, etc. inside so baby won’t choke on the fruit (just be sure to peel the skin off first). An added bonus is that if you put the fruit in the fridge the coolness with help soothe his gums while teething. The only warning I have to make sure you have very absorbent bibs! Fresh fruit juice stains are a bear to get out of clothes and the drool is inevitable. Good luck!

When kids are constipated, I use an old remedy my grandmother told me. Mix a teaspoon of "Cairo" syrup with water and have them drink it. It will relieve constipation. As for lunch ideas, I would suggest any food that can dissolve fast when wet so he doesn't have that much chewing to do.

Hi J.

For lunch @ daycare I liked the gerber graduates meals and pasta dishes. They are soft and well portioned. Easy to send and easy to prepare. Just warm and serve. If your little guy isn't ready for such meals, soft fruits like banana in slices and yyogurt, well cooked carrots things like that always worked well for us. Our center has a microwave and always was able to warm foods for our son's lunch.

Pears always did the trick for us when my son was constipated as well as plenty of water. I think Gerber even makes pear juice an ounce or 2 not diluted might help move things along.

Good luck!