Everyday constipation

CourtneyRenee9109 · December 2011

I posted the other day about DS only pooping once every 3-4 days.

Well his poop is VERY solid (like adult-solid) ever since we changed from purees to BLW.

When he does poop...it takes him SO much effort I think his head might explode! (lol. Not really but you know what I mean.)

Anyway, what is a good way to avoid constipation?

I've been giving him apple juice once a day but he's still only going every 3-4 days, maybe I'm watering it down too much?

By the way, he still has rice cereal in his milk because of his reflux. His milk will not stay down any other way.

SeasideBride06 · December 2011

Is he on any medication for the reflux other than the cereal? DD1 had HORRIBLE reflux, but we just could not stay on the rice due to the constipation issues. We went to a pediatric GI specialist and he gave us two other medications on top of the prevacid and it was able to get it under control.

As for foods, completely avoid bananas. They are known for causing constipation. I also give DD2 a jar of prunes whenever we are having trouble. Pears and grapes are also great for constipation.

pam1005 · December 2011

Can you put oatmeal in the bottle instead of rice? I find that my kids are less constipated on the oatmeal. I tried it with DD and she didn't go for three days, put her on oatmeal and she has been fine since. Not sure if it really had anything to do with the switch but it may be worth a try.

Nancy729 · December 2011

My poor son is constipated almost every day too (and also has rice in his bottle so that he keeps it down). Here's what we've tried:

-Juice: would not drink a drop of it. We tried several times

-Oatmeal in bottle: clogged the nipple too bad and he could never get out what we wanted at a time and got very frustrated.

-Lactulose (rx): disgusting. He took it a little bit, but then realized how gross it was and refused. Seriously vile.

-Karo Syrup in bottle: helped, but I didn't want to give it to him every day.

-Daily serving of plums, peaches, pears: helped some, but not potent enough

-1.5 tsp of miralax once daily, and a serving (2-2.5oz) of prunes! Seems to be the winning ticket. I think it actually worked too well yesterday so I backed off to 1 tsp of miralax today.

We also avoid bananas and apples and try to give him as many "p" fruits and veggies as possible - prunes, pears, plums, peaches, peas, etc.

This was all done under his doctor's guidance, and I think we've finally found the winning solution. Good luck. It is sad to watch them struggle so hard.

sunshine1234 · December 2011

earth's best baby food prunes does the trick for my babies...........no meds needed.............works perfect

dbertagni · December 2011

We were told to do pear juice, you can find it in the baby aisle. Two parts water one part juice 3-4x a week. We were also told to do oatmeal and not rice cereal. DS also has reflux and he is on meds for it. He poops daily but they are firm, hard poops. I did think the pear juice helped, but it was hard to get him to drink it. People said to mix it in oatmeal.

Mikeswife1024 · December 2011

My son wasn't having as much of an issue as you stated above but, I could tell his was not comfortable and he'd only go every couple of days. My mom suggested slightly diluting his formula. So for example, if it's a 6 oz bottle- I put the powder for 5 ozs. This is helped and we haven't had any issues since. It's a really easy remedy as well. Good luck!

radema63 · December 2011

I would stay clear of any reflux mediation if possible. My son had reflux and was prescribed Zantac. Long story short, he had a terrible reaction and it ended with my family in the pediatric intensive care unit at e hospital. While I'm sure this reaction was rare, I would rather be safe than sorry. My son also had constipation and during the switch to solids, we gave prune juice mixed with water everyday to assist his digestive sytstem. Like others have said, bananas are binding and surprisingly, my pediatrician said that apples are too. Try sticking to peaches, pears, and prunes. The veggies are all pretty much fine. He reflux should also lessen with his solid intake. We also switched over to the baby barely cereal bc it's better than rice for the degestive system.. It's a good fiber. Also, if he will drink water alone, that can really help too. Just find a good balance so that he doesn't fill up on it. Hope this helps!