My son is almost six months old and recently (about a week) started eating organic, brown rice cereal. He has only had one minimal poop in the last 2 days. This alarms me a little, should it? He is farting and they are smelly but other then that nothing. He seems fine otherwise like he doesn't seem uncomfortable.
I thank you all for your advice. To answer some questions/concerns I wanted to post this. I do not believe he is constipated as he is not uncomfortable in anyway. I am breastfeeding and he is eating 1 tbsp of Happy Bellies with probiotics with 2.5 ozs breastmilk once per day. I am thinking that no unhappy baby means everything is OK and I am glad that a few of you think that too. I will have to wait for his next poop to tell you all how things are going. I am going to get some oatmeal as well but for now I am not ready to introduce anything else. I choose brown rice because it is easier to digest than white rice and all around better for you
HE POOPED 3 TIMES AT DAYCARE!!!!!! YEAH!!!!
We had the same problem when we introduced rice cereal to my son. He got really constipated. The doctor said to give him a little bit of apple juice (not baby food apples). We also used to give him the baby food prunes. He loved them and they really helped.
Feed him some prunes. Between that and switching to oatmeal, it should really help. My daughter was like that and I had to feed her prunes at almost every meal.
A.,
According to Weston Price Foundation www.westonaprice.org they actually don't recommend cereals until the age of 1. Of course, this is totally different from what everyone tells us. But they say that the babies can't digest it well at all. That could be what is happening with your son.
I held off on cereals until 12 months.
Another tip, if constipation continues to be an issue in the future, is Natural Vitality Baby Calm is a magnesium supplement. The label says to increase until the stool is comfortably loose. The majority of the US population in deficient in magnesium and that is why so many people are using laxatives.
But it's very simple to solve.
Blessings,
C.
He is obviously constipated from the rice. Most doctors will recommend the BRAT diet for diahrea (spelling) which is bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Try something else, like some organic fruit. It smells because the poop has been in there too long and needs to come out!
It is not uncommon for your baby to not poop for a few days but, if the rice cereal is new it might be the cause. My son had some issues with pooping before we started solids so my doctor had reccomended using oatmeal cereal rather than rice becuase rice can cause constipation. SHe also reccomended avoiding bananas and apples as first fruits and instead using pears and peaches which have more fiber.
Just to be safe I would call your doctor to check.
Good luck,
N.
a
I battled with my son's constipation forever! He is now almost 11 months, and things seem to have regulated themselves, so there is hope. However, it does not sound like your son is too constipated as of yet. Is your son breast or bottle fed? The very best thing that I found to help with my son was just to give him a little extra water. He was bottle fed, so it was a easy fix for us. I would add a extra ounce or two of water every other bottle, and you would be amazed at how much it helped. The extra water would really soften his poop. If he does try and poop, and he gets hard little pebbles, you could try a infant suppository, which I think is actually worse on the parents than the baby. We had to do it on my son a few times. It always helped him go, and never seemed to bother him. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call your doc or to talk to an advice nurse. Lemme know if you have any questions about what I did with my son. It really helped the poor guy out!
Not all brown rice cereals are created alike. Some have too much iron. Earths Best has 45% DVD for iron! Check Iron levels on the panel. Try to reduce the amount of cereal given or change brands. Happy Bellies brown rice cereal has
probiotics added to help with bowel flora. I dont know the iron content tho but many say they like it.
Congratulations on your baby! When my little girl started with her solids, she went a week or ten days without a BM!! I bought some dried prunes, steamed them, pureed them and added a bit to her cereal and it worked OK. You can also try a suppository to help.
Good luck!
N
This happened to my son too when he started rice cereal. It was awful! It is due to the supplemental iron in the cereal. I couldn't stand to see him struggling to poop so I went against my pediatrician's instructions and stopped the rice cereal altogether. Instead I cooked organic oatmeal from scratch with milk, and put it in the blender with some fruit. That totally solved the problem. I made sure to feed him lots of things that were naturally high in iron, and we continued breastfeeding. His iron levels were perfect when they checked at 9 months.
Hi A.,
I think you have your answer in your request. Since your son isn't showing signs of discomfort or pain, then it's safe to assume that nothing needs to be done to "help him along" when it comes to passing a BM. My first son had a BM every 8 to 10 days from the day he was born until about 15 mths. He was eating solids at 4 mths & still no real changes to that event. Thankfully his ped. assured me that it's just how his little system works - don't mess with it. Yes, you can give small amounts of prune juice or suppositories or peas & they'll eventually poop. But, why? Make a note that rice may cause him to "stop up" for a day or two, probably bananas too. But then move on to something with more fiber in it & see what happens.
Oh & my son is now 3 yrs old & still only has a BM every 3 to 4 days - when there's a stink, then I know it's coming! :)
It's correct that a baby might not poop for 5-6 days. Especially as their diet is getting changes. However, at 6 months old, it's not necessarily appropriate to start messing with water (as their electrolytes can get dangerously messed up), I wouldn't start adding things like prunes, since he's only eating a tiny bit of solid. Other than perhaps a 1/8 teaspoon puree (talk with pedi) in the cereal mix.
Regardless, I would be making a call to the pedi on day 3 to discuss WHEN you should be worried.
When you start adding other foods, consider ones that assist with smooth movements... anything with a pit... Like perhaps avocado. Then peas, (fiber), carrots... etc...
Banana's are constipating.
Although a child is probably not in any danger if they don't poop daily, they are not functioning at optimum. They should have a big healthy poop DAILY. I'm talking as they get fully introduced to solids. I have 4 y/o's. They poop daily, and it looks like something out of an adult... and has for over a 2 years. HUGE! Daily! One eats more fruits and veges than the other, and you can tell. The quality, quantity, and how often one poops is indicative of a good diet.
You didn't mention if you're breastfeeding or formula-feeding or a little of both. Breastmilk is a natural laxative, but MANY breastfed babies go a few days between poops. Sometimes, just a change in diet can trigger a temporary stop-up, ie: introducting solids, changing from breastmilk to formula, etc. Dr. Jack Newman, the world's foremost leader in breastfeeding, said the longest he's seen a breastfed baby go between poops was 31 days!!! So, if he doesn't seem uncomfortable, go with the flow. :)
Hi A.,
It is important for everyone to have regular bowel movements. If you do not the toxins build up in your sytem.
I found it important to drink alkaline water. It is a filter that makes your tap water into alkaline water and your body absorbs it better and helps in releasing toxins with regular bowel movements.
If you want more info let me know.
Have a great week.
N. Marie
totally normal, my son did not poop for 6 days once he started eating, Pears help relieve constipation, but if he does not seem uncomfortable then I would not worry. It is normal
