Constipated 10 month old???

Question

My cousin is 10 months old. She's always had constipation problems since she was born. Every now and then she will have a good bowel movement, but sometimes it takes a few weeks... other times she just has small hard pebbles. (Sorry if this sounds gross to anyone...) We never paid no mind to it, we just thought it was the formula. But now that she's on foods, we've gave her tons of prunes. Nothing seems to be working. We took her to go see a doctor, he prescribed some laxatives for infants, but that doesn't seem to be working. Any other home remedies??? I'm out of ideas and desperate.

Answer 1

Talk with the doctor and explain that the laxatives didn't help.

You might try switching formulas, adding more high fiber food to her diet. Give her real oatmeal (not the instant kind- the high fiber kind!) See if you can find some whole grain crackers in a health food store. Lots of real, fresh fruits and things. Applesauce!

Infants on breast milk don't have this problem. Yet another reason to consider breastfeeding when you have a child!

Answer 2

It's hard to tell what's causing the constipation without knowing everything, but here are some ideas/suggestions on how to deal with it. With the weather getting warmer, it's easier to get dehydrated, offer him more liquids (preferably water) during the day. Also, try to give him more "p" foods (prunes, plums, pears, pees, peaches) -- all these help to relieve constipation. Prune juice has been a miracle with my daughter when she had the same issue at about 7 months old. Try to find the one with as little sugar as possible and dilute it with water. Also, eliminate bananas, rice, apples and bread from the diet for now, they help to solidify the stool. Hope that helps. If there is still no poo by the end of the weekend, you can try BabyLax (it's a suppository that provides almost instant relief (so make sure to put a diaper on the kid right away)). And as always, if in doubt, call you doctor. Good luck.

Answer 3

If she's breastfed, don't worry. Technically, they're never constipated.

For the quick fix - try taking her temperature rectally. It's often enough to stimulate her to go.

However, if she doesn't appear to be in pain or seeming to strain to go, don't worry too much. Try giving her more things with fiber - prunes are a good start. Decrease any applesauce or rice she gets - those can be constipating, along with cooked carrots and yogurt. You can give her one ounce of prune juice (or apple or pear or cherry) per month of her age up to twice a day to try to help her go too. I would start with a ounce or two once a day - you don't want her to fill up on it and not eat - and see what happens.

Since you say this is an ongoing issue - I suggest she see a pediatric gastroenterologist. They might be able to pinpoint exactly what the issue is - if for no other reason than peace of mind. Keep a journal of what she's fed, when she goes, and anything else you've tried for her. Sometimes, it's just a dietary tweaking. Some kids don't go every day. Sometimes there is an issue bigger than that.

Answer 4

Hi at 10 months old don't go poking thermometers into rectums please! I understand your frustration here. It is a matter of finding the right combination of natural laxative and diet that works for your child.
keep up the prunes if she is enjoying them, they can only help.Add more water and juices to her diet.At 10 months she really only needs 3 bottles of milk/formula a day,and one for bed at the most.apple juice has pectin and won't help with constipation,actually the opposite. Try pureed pears or pear juice it has a better effect. Adding some metamucil type fibre to her diet can help. Good luck, ask the pharmacist about a more effective laxative,until the food,fibre and juice changes are helping .

Answer 5

My 5 month old baby daughter had the same problem. The doctor told me give her prune juice, enimas, rice cereal, laxatives and so on, but that stuff never worked. Well, she died because of this constipation, she had a twiseted colon, and the doctors didn't know this until after she died.

Answer 6

If your baby goes on being constipated for over a week, i would suggest an at home anema. They make them for babies. But it could be what your feeding her, go easy on cheese and harder foods to digest. Make sure she gets alot of water. My son has the same problem. He's off formulas now and he's better, so it might be the iron in your formula.

Answer 7

Try fruit juices such as apple or white grape, or what I have used and it works like a charm...put some Kyro Syrup (Clear Kind) in the bottle of warm water. Maybe just a teaspoon to 4 ozs. It works like a charm.

Answer 8

Now that she is on soft table foods you need to push the fluids. Water and all the natural fruit juices that suits her tastes. Try giving her apple, grape, and other baby juices in her daily intake. Make sure she drinks plenty of water. You also need to make sure that the food she is taking is also easy to digest. Try more of the vegetables, cereals, and fruits and stay away from the carbs and meats.

Answer 9

i had the same problem with my daughter, the doctor said give her an enema, we tried it was just to painful, so we talked to some older midwives they recommended putting a little bit of Caro syrup in each bottle until you get a soft stool and once a day or as needed after that and let me tell you it was a life saver we did that for months it was the only thing that would work!!!

Answer 10

Juice! Try the gerber baby juices - apple, white grape, prune, etc. That should clear her right out!

You could also try taking her temperature rectally (don't stick it too far in, it could tear - they make special rectal thermometers for babies that won't go as far in). That is how they got our baby to go in the hospital.