What Can I Do for Constipation

A.,
Try giving her applesauce with each meal. This is something that she should like and will help with this.
L. P.

my daughter has the same problem. She is 14 months. i give her prune and apple juice made by gerber. They come in little bottles in the baby dept. Within a day or two she will go. But you have to keep giving it to her everyday. I have also put her in a warm bath and that helped her.

A.,

All I can say is grapes! grapes! greapes! Everytime my kids eat grapes they sh*t like crazy! Thankfully now the two older kids are potty trained but when they weren't and ate too many grapes! OMG! I always made my husband change their diapers! Because I WAS NOT touching it with a 10 foot pole!
Hope this helps you!!!! C.

I am also shocked that your doc switched your baby to whole milk...infants are not able to properly digest whole milk....it can actually cause constipation, let alone all the problems with early use and allergies.

Also, I wouldn't use any type of syrup or put anything in her drinks...there have been documented cases of infants catching botulism from Karo syrup.

What type of milk did she drink before the doc swiched her to regular milk? Certain formulas can cause constipation and others are processed with broken down proteins in order to be easier for the baby to digest. Soy can also cause constipation. Try one of the gentler formulas like Carnation Good Start or the new one by Enfamil...I think it's called Gentlease or something of the like.

And if she is eating solids, you can try prunes or pears, which are helpful for constipation issues. Sometimes straight prunes can cause stomach cramps, so don't over do it.

Try websites that utilize Dr. Sears or Dr. Brazelton for advice. They are both terrific peds.

Research carefully and make a informed decision before you do anything. Good Luck

Straight Pear Juice, no water added to it. One of my twins had the same problem and the pear juice worked for a while but he is now on a laxative (no stimulants) since switching to table food. Good Luck!

Prunes and bananas. They work great. Or you could try prune juice.

Hi A..

My mother always gave me Karo syrup mixed with water when I was little. Then there is always the crohet needle(or thermometer) up the rear end trick. I think that works better with little little babies since they don't wiggle so much. Also you can try LOTS of fruits and veggies. Prunes, apples, stuff you would take if you had that problem. Tyr it and let me know. Good luck!

I know that this sounds crazy but try kool-aid. My friends daughter got so contstipated that she would hold it for so long my friend would have to take her leg and bend her knees into her stomach to make her go. Finally a doctor who could help them w/out feeding her daughter medicane told her to try kool-aid. Low and behold after EVERYTHING possible, it cured it. Good luck!!

When my little girl was two weeks old she had a small tear in the lining of her rectum. We had to soften her stool to cut down on irritation. We put alittle dark karo syrup in her milk, and we also gave her apple and white grape juice. The karo syrup always worked wonders. Be very careful with the laxitives. and if you do the laxitives, remember to keep her hydrated.

well, not sure if this would be something you want to try, but an option. Chocolate and coffee are always good for me. I drink one cup coffee a day and then i go. If not that, try lots of applesauce or some sort of fruit. That should work. Thanks, A.

My 8 month-old was constipated recently, and he got better when I eliminated rice from his diet (both regular rice and those rice puff snacks).

That being said, regular cow's milk can actually cause constipation. The AAP doesn't recommend it for babies under a year old. Like a previous poster said, try switching brands of formula instead.

Mix 4 oz of milk with 1 tsp of dark karo syrup. The karo doesn't make the baby go, it just makes the stool soft. Give it in the first bottle of the day and the last bottle at night, if the constipation is severe you can also give it during the day. There are no side effects from the karo, just added calories, so be careful if your baby is overweight. Also feeding the baby prunes, peas, green beans, pears and peaches will help make the stool soft. I also give my son 2 oz of appleprune juice mixed with 2 oz of water to keep him going. It really works! Give it 24 hours after the prunes and karo and it will help.
If all else fails they sell infant suppositories that work immediately.
good luck

ok. I use to work for a pediatrician. Use Juices like, Prune, white grape, apple, applePrune, etc...
You can also use a rectal thermometer with a littl ky jelly to stimulate movement. DO NOT insert the thermometer. Just use it to stick in a little.
Karo syrup is not recommended for children under the age of 2 years!!!!!!!!!!
Good Luck.

try karosrup or minreloil or they do make over the counter lacsatives that you can give her. i have never heard of taking them of formula for that my son had it and they just put him on soy forumla.

My sister had this problem with my niece and she just put a spoonful of mineral oil in her milk and it worked fine. It doesn't change the flavor or anything.

1 oz of apple prune juice, found on the baby food aisle of the griocery store, mixed with 1 oz of water and replace this with 2 ozs of her milk. Wait 3 days if you don't see as much improvement as you would like, up it to a totally of 3 or 4 ozs. My first born had this problem until she went to sippy cups, it worked wonders.

have you tried juice? appple juice and plum juice work wonders for my son. He is 9mths and it has helped me alot

Put a little vaseline on a q-tip and place it inside the anus, just a little, and it will help the baby to poop. Make sure she drinks at least 8-16 oz. of water a day. You may also try getting a small enima bottle. It looks like a tiny squeeze bottle with a small straw on the end. Use warm water and place it gently in the baby's bottom. Let the water come out on it's own, don't squeeze. The water will help loosen the stool with no ill effects to your baby.

apple juice with water maybe just a guess

gatorade helps mine lots of it she hasnt had a problem since i started givng her that to drink

Lots of apple juice, and if she will take it, prunes.

i always gave my child a mixture of prunes and applesauce,,as the dessert,,if you start her off eating this,,she will eat it about 1 time a week or so,,keep her going good and gentle

For my oldest, 6 year old girl, the pediatrician said to try karo syrup - 1 tsp for every 2 ounces of milk, formula or whatever else she was drinking. This worked great. When my youngest, 3 year old girl, was having the same problem, the new pediatrician said that karo syrup was very bad to give a baby. There is some sort of bacteria in it that can make the baby really sick. It's been so long that I don't remember what the bacteria was called. Nothing happened to my oldest, so I don't know if was/is correct.

Anyway, he said to try prune baby food or, if the baby dislikes it, to put in 1 tsp of prune juice for every 2 ounces of whatever your daughter is willing to drink. This should clear it up by the evening.

I hope this helps.

My daughter had the same problem when she started eating rice cereal. I gave her prune juice mixed w/water, one part to one. It worked like a charm! She's 16 months now and I still give it to her every once in a while. She even likes it, if you can believe that! If you haven't tried this already, please try it before you resort to other unnatural means. Most of the time, the old remedies work, we just need to go back to our roots! ;-)Good Luck!

I agree with the others. I have recently had the same problem with my 19month old and was told to do the Karo Syrup. And within a couple hours of the first dose she had a normal softer bowel movement. It really works and is cheap!!!

My son is constipated all of the time. My doctor had me mix 2 oz. of apple juice and 1 oz. of prune juice and heat it in the microwave. Let it cool down awhile to where it is a little warmer than room temperature. Within 2 hours he would have a bowel movement that wasn't painful.

a teaspoon of karo syrup in her formula should do the trick!

When my daughter was 10 months old, I stopped breastfeeding & she had the same problem. My grandma told me to put a little Karo Syrup Light in her bottle mixed in with the milk or formula. Its a clear syrup found with the pancake syrup's or with the baking items. It really works. I put about a tablespoon or a little less. And it will not be long...you will be changing stinky diapers again. Then use as needed. Good luck.

my little girl had the same problem and even popped blood vessels in her head straining to go. I switched doctors and he told me the following. No rice cereal, no bananas, and no apples. Apple juice is ok because it is made from the skin,but nothing with the meat of the apple in it. I had to scour the babyfood because every fruit is mixed with apples or bananas, but I did and she is now 14 and hasn't had a problem with constipation since she was five months old.

Well, my doctor told me to press her legs up against her chest and stomach and do it a couple of times and it might help loosen whats in there. Also you can take your hand and press in a downward motion to help the bowel move down. And if all else fails stick a thermometer in her bottom, it sounds bad but I swear it works. Also ask your doctor about Castor Oil. I know it helps adults maybe ask the doctor about a child. You could put it in her bottle. I hope this helps.

If you havent tried Mylucan drops (i think i spelled that wrong), try them, this might help if she has gas pains and is not able to pass a healthy bm. If that doesnt or hasnt worked, get your child to a specialist to make sure it isnt an obstruction. I went through this with my daughter. Other things that we used to keep her regular was prunes and grapes (seedless/skinless), limit her bananas and dairy.

Hey A., Karo syrup works, put a little of it in her bottle and it will make the constipation go away without laxatives. I always used the light syrup, about a teaspoon. Hope that helps!

I am very surprised your Dr. switched your baby to straight milk so young. They REALLY need the nutrients in either breast milk or formula until they are a year old. I would go and buy some gerber babyfood prunes. Also give her a little bit of watered down juice (she is too young for straight juice). Seriously though, I wouldnt give her any of the syrup or anything like that so young. Give her prunes for a few days and you may get the opposite of constipation! LOL!

gerber baby prunes, or watered down apple juice..

A.,
My son was put on Miralax for several years. I believe he started with it before he was 2 yrs old and took it until he was 5. It worked well for him and caused his system no harm.
We took him off of the medication and began giving him a juice called Peach Nectar. A friend recommended it and it has been working very well for my son for almost a year now. I don't know if there is an age stipulation or not, but I would strongly recommend trying PEACH NECTAR. You can find it at most grocery stores near the juice isle or the "mexican" section of your store.
Good luck,
A. H
P.S. Don't be fooled by all fruits are created equal. Don't give your little one bananas frequently. Apple juice & sauce did not help us either. I would definatley try the peach nectar- you can mix with a little water to thin it some. Pear juice is also a good option. I saw that someone else had written that.

Hello A.,
You can try Karo Syrup. It can be bought in any food store, I believe it is in the baking section of the store. All you do is add it to anything she is drinking. Here is a website with info on constipation of children. Hope it helps!!
http://www.drgreene.com/21_69.html

karo syrup in a bottle, pear, apple, or prune juices or baby foods helped my little one with that issue!

I agree with the other ladies...prune juice or prune baby food has worked for me. I've also hear Karo works like a charm. If she's on rice cereal switch to oatmeal. Rice is really binding and can cause constipation.

I'd seek a 2nd opinion regarding using cows milk instead of formula. That just doesn't sound right. Your baby needs the nutrients from formula for the first year of her life. Switching to milk is of no benefit to her, especially if she's having problems with cow's milk based formula. Try a soy based formula like Enfamil Prosobee or Lactofree, without lactose. Get her back on some formula, she needs it! Good Luck, keep us updated!