No Poopy Diapers

Goodmorning S.
you said you daugter has a hard time with her B M my shild was the same way try another kind of cereal and see if she can drink few ounce of prune juice.
GOOD LUCK

I think you might want to stop giving her rice cereal. Maybe switch to oatmeai or something - anything but rice cereal. It really binds. I remember this with my son and I am experiencing it with my daughter now...I think I'm going to switch to oatmeal too because she just pooped today for the first time in 3 days. Best of luck!

The rice cereal is binding her up. Try prunes or pears. She may need a suppository at this point, I had to give my daughter one when she was this age. It makes them go poo within minutes and cleans them out. Try to give her something high in fiber everyday to keep things moving. I would try some other types of cereals too, just to mix it up a bit.

As a dietitian and mother of three I feel that you may have a constipated child. Rice cereal can be very binding for a little one just starting to eat solid foods. It took me till my third to figure out that pureed prunes is the answer to a happy digestive tract! They are easy to make (boil prunes for 20 minutes then put them in blender or food processor). If you don't want to make them, you can buy them at the store in the baby food dept. Prunes are nice and sweet and will make you baby girl go to the bathroom. My 8mo old has prunes (around 3-4 tbsp)everyday. I hope that helps!

Both peas and green beans are legumes and can be a little gassy. Is she eating fruit? If not, try to add that in to boost the fiber. Apples, pears, plums, etc. but not bananas. Maybe reduce the rice cereal a little too. The famous "BRAT diet" for kids with diarrhea and stomach issues is "Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast." For kids who aren't pooping, you want to avoid those foods. Be sure she is fully hydrated too - reduced water can harden and block up the stools. It is not normal to go that long without a poop and it may become very uncomfortable if it goes longer. The pediatrician may recommend a baby suppository or baby stool softener - I would call on Tuesday if nothing has happened by then! Good luck.

My son is 6 months old too, and he'll sometimes go days without pooping. I found that rice cereal made this especially worse, and we switched him to oatmeal. Also, for some reason green beans seem to back him up (but not peas...?). In any event, his pediatrician said as long as he didn't seem uncomfortable or wasn't running a fever, and when he finally did go that it wasn't hard and pellet like, not to worry. I think one time he went 6 days, but it has been much better since switching him to oatmeal.

Lastly, if you're really worried, you can always try the old thermometer trick. That usually produces a diaper within a few hours!

If she is breastfed, I'd stop the solids for a day or two.

Babies 'poop' schedules change as they get older. Its common to not go a day or two in between, but not this long. I'd try giving her apple, pear, or prune juice. If it doesnt help her definately call your pedi. Where shes eating cereal & veggies. You could also try switching her cereal to Barley, & add more fruits to her diet. Consult with your pedi to see what he recommends. Good luck.

That can be perfecly normal, especially if she has no sign of pain. I would try changing from rice cereal to oatmeal (rice tends to be binding)and consider giving her pear sauce (or pruce juice or sauce). By 5 days, I would give your pediatrician a call - just to get their opinion... they may suggest a suppository. I've also tried taking their rectal temperature - sometimes that will stimultate poops! Good Luck!

S., I have 3 boys and I have always found that Oatmeal cereal or Barley cereal cleared my kids and helped keep them from getting constipated. I would do Oatmeal cereal in the mornings with fruits, a fruit and/or vegetable for lunch, and then rice or barley cereal with a vegetale for dinner.

The other really gross way to get them to poop, is to stick a thermometer in their tush. Not far, but for some reason the act of having a thermometer up their tush causes babies to need to poop.

As long as she's not complaining, I wouldn't worry too much, but if it goes on my longer, call your pediatrician to see what he/she has to say.

Try putting a little prune juice in a bottle.

About me: RN, Kinship Caregiver. Married 36 years.

The rice may be what is causing the constipation. Try some prunes in her diet. If she doesn't like the prune taste try pears. Those are the 2 fruits with the most fiber. If that doesn't work go to the pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist. There is a baby laxative which isn't good for all the time but that should help soften the stool. Try a cereal that is higher in fiber. Earth's Best has a really good whole grain one. My little girl had the same problem. Even now she gets constipated. If the prunes/pears/baby lax don't work call your doctor since there might be an underlying problem. Usually the prunes/pears will do the trick. Stay away from banana's too they are a binding fruit.

Some babies naturally poop infrequently, especially if they're breastfed. If she's comfortable and the stools aren't really hard and dry, she's probably fine, but as with all things -- if you get to worrying, call the ped just for advice. If it turns out her poops are hard, then as others have posted, less binding foods may help (bananas and rice are big culprits -- oatmeal, prunes, pears and peaches may loosen things up) and if she's breastfed - keep it coming, it's a natural laxative.

As for me, my son went through a period around that age where he would poop once a week - sometimes every 10+ days, and everything was and is fine and healthy with him. I enjoyed it while it lasted!

Try Karo syrup ib her bottle. That's what my pedi's office recommended when my girls were little.

S.,
my son had constipation issues as a infant too. The pediatrition recommended giving him more water instead of only formula, and glycerin childrens suposotories (which you can get at CVS-just make sure they are the childrens)The suposotories worked quite well and as he got older the constipation seemed to fade. hopefully this helps, but i would call the doctor too just to make sure every thing is ok!

S. L

That is not normal. Rice cereal is very constipating. She should also be eating more fruits, like applesause, pears, peaches, etc. She may need a supository. Or if your Doc says it is okay, about a half a teaspoon of MOM (milk of magnesia). This is what I gave my son when he was constipated. He would go three days without a poop and on the third day I would give him a little MOM and he would have a bowel movement and everything would be all better. This would only go on for a few weeks. After that 6th month he hasn't been constipated since. Do something very soon!! Those glysterin (spellin??) supositories work well too. You put them in her bum. You can try that today before calling the doc to see if that works. Good luck!!

Hi S.,
I have been dealing with constipation in my daughter since she was about that age!!! She is now three and we still have issues! First of all rice is very binding- your daughter might not be ready for rice- you may want to start with barley or oatmeal (something a little softer on the stomach). You may want to try mixing a little prunes in with the cereal or put some prune juice in her bottle. If non of these work- I would def call her dr.- they may want you to change formula(if she uses formula) or try a supository. You can try the glycerin suppositories and cut them in half long ways. Hopefull this is a one time deal- like I said- we are still dealing with it- my daughter uses miralax every other day and MAYBE has a bm every 3-4 days!!! Best of luck to you!

D.

I would call the dr now, and see what they suggest. I bet you they will tell you to switch cereals, and not give her rice cereal, that is too binding. I wouldnt let this go on, she is going to get very backed up and the stool will be come so hard and dry it could be painful for her to pass it.

My oldest was often consitpated since day one, I would always have to keep track of when he pooped, once day 3 of no pooping would come, I knew he needed some help, prunes, etc...
Call the Dr and see what they suggest.

Rice cereal can be very binding. Try oatmeal instead.

stop giving her foods that make her constipated. give her prunes, and mix some molasses in her ceral it will soften the stool so she can poop

Rice cereal is highly binding - at 6 months, you could add oatmeal to her eating routine (alternating with the rice?) and help keep the digestive system moving more regularly.

For immediate releif from the slow movement, mix peaches or pears with the cereal, and offer lots of extra liquid (water, water with a splash of juice), or add molassas or Karo to a bottle of formula.

You also should call the Dr. office, and at least speak to the nurse ... she might have other suggestions, and will know when the Dr. would become worried enough to want to bring her in.

When my son was six months and we started with Rice cereal the same thing happened! We tried the prune juice and it didnt work-so then we tried all the P foods-Pears, Pineapple, Peas, Prunes again..nothing seemed to help. As a last resort the doc had my mix in a very small amount of Kayro Syrup into his bottle or cereal and that def did the trick! He had that problem continously with Rice so we switched to Oatmeal-Good Luck!!

My daughter once went 7 days. The pediatrician said not to worry. If she's not showing discomfort give it time and maybe some extra water!

My daughters both would do this at about the same age. My ped. said that it was okay for them to go 6-7 days without a poop. I guess when they are really growing fast they use more of the food they are eating and they have less waste.
If it worries you add some prunes to her diet or apricots, peaches or pears. Prunes always worked for my youngest- but Pears were the key for my oldest. They still work for her and she's 5 now! That should get things moving for her.
Good luck,
S.

Try giving her any of the "P" fruits - plums, pears, aPricots, prunes. Since she seems already constipated, she can have a couple ounces of apple juice (apples are constipating, but apple juice isn't) mixed with a couple ounces of water. You can of course try prune juice as well, but that can be a little harsh.

Try those things a couple times a day for a day or so. If she still doesn't go, call the doc.

Hi try switching from rice cereal to barley , rice is binding, as well as apples. All the fruits and veggies that start with p , i would still give the doc a call. Little about me i have a 18 mo boy had the same problem doc put him on miralax, he still takes it everyday. Give the doc a call it cant hurt.

Hi S.,

There may not be any problem at all. I know someone whose daughter had a bowel movement once per week and there were no issues going on there. However, it can only be on the safe side to call your pediatrician. FInd out what he/she thinks and go with that. Why not try adding a little prune juice to her food--that works wonders! If she is indeed having difficulty pushing, that will speed things up and loosen things up no problem for her.

When our oldest was potty training, she would hold everything for as long as possible, so I added about 2 ounces of prune juice to her diet each day--that way, when it came time to poop, I knew that she wouldn't have difficulty and get into the fear part of the cycle. Perhaps your daughter had difficulty, and since then has added the fear of what will happen the next time she goes--the prune juice certainly can't hurt. Or, if you'd rather, you can add pureed prunes to her diet; that is sure to keep her regular and her diaper colorful! You will know when they have worked their way through.

Hi S.,
Four days~that's about all I would wait to call her doctor~call now. Constipation is h*** o* little ones...Sounds like she's eating too little fiber. Rice is Nature's cork, you know...see if you can alternate her rice cereal with oat based cereal. That should help.

S.,
The "poops" will change when solid foods are introduced. Just make sure she's well hydrated; that makes the stools looser... and go slowly with the solid food. Also, make sure she's moving around some...scooting around or crawling some. Just give her time on a blanket or carpet, playpen, kiddie pool to move.
(Experienced mom of 3 grown girls)

Hi I am a mom of 3. My middle child who is now 4 was always constipated as a child. She would only go every 5-6 day, but the dr only said to give her all of the "P" foods. Prunes, pears, peaches, etc. THey are supposed to help a bowel bovemwnt. However that didn't work for her. She ended up going to a laxative for a year every day. She's ok now. She seemed to out grow it. But basically, call your dr. <ost likely she's fine. Babies aren't "too regular" at this age. But still check with the dr.

My daughter who is about 9 months did that too when I started to give her cereal, My doctor told me to switch to the mixed cereal and give her Karo Syrup( the Dark One) just 1TBS in her formula or Breast- milk, I did that and boy did she start pooping, I gave her the Karo Syrup once a week till she started to poop on her own again, The rice might be binder her up so try the mixed cereal. Hope this helps.

J. R

I'll echo what others have said. my now 9 month old went through the same thing when first starting rice& veggies. we introduced oatmeal, and the prunes (gerber makes an organic prunes stage 1). I don't give her rice cereal now, oatmeal in the am and mixed grain in the pm. prunes every am with the oatmeal. and introduce p fruits before apples & bananas, which are also binding. when we had this happen i called the pedi & they said not to worry, it'll work itself out. no intervention was necessary! good luck. she probably pooped last night for you!

If I were you I would go ahead and call your pediatrician tomorrow because the longer you wait the harder it's going to be for her to poop. They might prescribe her a laxative you can mix with her bottle to make her poop easier. I've struggled with the same problem with my daughter for almost two years now. Another piece of advice I've heard is to feed them "P" foods (veggies that start with a P) for example peas, pineapple, prunes.. Thats supposed to help. Or you can also try a glycerin suppository which works, but its not easy or fun for either mommy or baby. Good luck : )

Hello,
My Daughter also went threw this @ that age. (She's now 2) I called my doctor and this is what they suggested....use a little Karo syrup(Corn syrup) in her bottle once a day & in no time she was pooping. Hope this helps
R.

Everyone has said pretty much what I would about the p foods but I do want to add that for my daughter who had horrible constipation issues the prune juice always worked better and faster than the actual prunes. The doctor had me mix it into her bottle -- up to an ounce per 6-8 ounce bottle. Start with a smaller amount and then increase if necessary. They don't really notice it in the bottle and it works pretty quickly. My daughter was not on solids yet when she started the constipation issues so that is why we did it that way. Even after she started the solids though the juice worked better.

Also, make sure you vaseline her bum. Put a good little amount on so that when she does try to go it will help to lubricate, she will go easier and it won't be as painful.

4 days is too long and she might be constipated from the iron in the cereal and the veggies. I would call the pediatrician, but don't be too alarmed, most babies go through this is very normal. If you don't want to call the Dr. a more natural way is to give her some prunes, I think there is a stage 1. Don't overdo it. You might want to try some apple juice stage 1 too.

I see you've already had an overwhelming number of replies and I admit I didn't read all of them, so I apologize if I'm repeating anything.

First off, it takes some time for the little one's body to adjust to solids so some initial delay is normal. also normal that the poop rhythm will change. But if this becomes a continuous problem, take note of the frequency of BM and talk to your pedi.

My first born also had great difficulties. The main problem was that she wasn't drinking enough - so I sat with her everyday about a half hour just trying to get her to drink her fruit tea. After a month or two of this things improved.

You can also add some spinach to her food to loosen things.
Also, this may not be necessary, but for future bouts of constipation, smearing a little vasaline on her (you know where) can help ease the process and possibly avoid small cracks if it is very hard.

Good Luck.