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Hi All,
DS#2 is mildly constipated...
I'm ceasing rice cereal and just giving baby porridge instead...
heading to the shops soon to get prune juice as well...
thought pureed apricots might be good to try as well?
trying to get him to have boobie more frequently as well...
any other ideas???????
Brown sugar in warm water ...
The best thing would be to keep offering the breast. Have you figured out why he is constipated? Is there a particular food that has set him off? Are his stools dry and hard, or is he just pooing infrequently? You might be best off pulling back on the solids for a little while and sticking to breastfeeding. He will still be getting his nutrients from that and perhaps his digestive system isn't handling solid food well yet.
If you can identify a culprit, certainly avoid that food for a while. Rice cereal and potatoes can sometimes cause constipation in young babies.
We use a little sugar here as well and it has always worked a treat.
You might find this thead helpful as well: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ng-solids.html
What do you mean by mildly constipated? Do you mean that the poos are less frequent or that they are hard?
Jen has given you great suggestions. Bm has a laxative effect so I would start by offering more bfs. Most likely that is all that is needed, although stopping the cereal is a good idea too. I would avoid juice of any kind unless it becomes a big problem (unlikely while you are bfing) as the sugar in the juice is not good for babies. Brown sugar is not a good idea either, althoughwarm water on it's own might help and won't do any harm.
Have you considered baby led solids?
i was told just to offer some cooled boiled water if they'll take it, or try some pumpkin that usually helps my ds when he gets like that. also stop the rc for a little while and see how it goes.
hope that helps :)
my DS had constipation - hard pellets - and i skipped solids for breakfast that day & figured i would go a day without giving him solids & just give extra BFs - because they don't absolutely need the solids at this age....& he was back to normal within an hour or two, just by skipping a meal & replacing it with an extra BF.
in the end, he still had solids at 'lunch' that day & he was fine. i just needed to give him a little break.
more boobie, less food...if you're still concerned, puree a prune ... i found the juice itself didn't work well for us.
Jen has given some great advice. Certainly as she says increase the breast feeding & decrease the solid food...
It is also important to remember that anything very processed like rice cereal can clog up babies... You could try ground brown rice in future & serve it with some steamed pears... Pears can help too with constipation.
When babies first begin solid foods their bowel habits do change some. Just watch that they are not too hard and dehydrated - if they are just a bit less frequent it may be that his body is just finding it a bit tough to deal with all the new foods.
Brown sugar is an old remedy - that I wouldn't personally use... :redface: Sugar isn't great for tiny babies - breastfeeding him more frequently & cutting back on the solids I am sure will help.
Good luck! :hug:
Hi All,
Thanks for the advice and suggestions.
Sorry I haven't been back in with more info/updates but we've had a couple of rough nights (and then subsequent days) here.
Jeremy's poo was much more solid but not hard or pellets and he was straining and crying and fighting to pass the poo which is why I described it as constipation.
I ceased the rice cereal and then all solid food for a day or two and he is much better now.
I think maybe I was rushing him as I already was offering him solids three times a day so just today I've started offering only one solid meal a day (he wasn't too excited) and we'll just see how he goes!
I gave him a sippy cup with boiled, cooled water and he seems to really like that and drank quite a bit this afternoon so happy about that as well.
Thanks again ladies...
Thanks for letting us know, Heidi. It really does sound like his digestive system is not quite ready for solids yet. It's fine to offer him food, but I'd tend to try finger type foods that he can pick up, explore, and start to eat when he's ready. His body will tell him when he wants to!
Glad to hear he's feeling better now though.
Pears are a gentle laxative much more child friendly than prunes or the brown sugar.
Nicer too :D