Solids causing issues

My lil man is one week short of 7 months and his little tummy just doesn't seem to be ready for solids yet, everytime i try he is fine for a few days then all of a sudden the poor lil pumpkin is all clogged up (constipated) and screaming in pain. I know it's the food because as soon as i stop giving it to him he settles back down , no stomach cramps, poo's are normal and he is happy. I'm just a little worried, is it ok for him to just have his BF's and no solids ??? I'm taking him to the Dr's on Friday so i will see what they suggest too but just wanted to see what you lovely ladies think.

Does anyone else have a nearly 7 month old who is happy with just having (.)(.). I'm just worried he might not be getting everything he needs.

I don't see why it wouldn't be ok if he just has BF's, you don't want to upset his tummy if he's not ready for solids yet. My DD#2 didn't really start on solids until she was close to 8 mths old, much to the MCHN's disliking, but she simply wasn't interested in food.

What type of food are you introducing ? Or maybe it is just the way it will be for your little mans digestion system to get used to solid food ?? A few mls of the Colxyl (anti constipation magic stuff) with the food may be the trick to stop the cramps... Only suggestions ...

I'd wait if I were you, I had the same kind of issues with DD, then at around 7.5 months she took to food like a duck in water, eating everything in sight with no issues whatsoever. Let your baby lead the way.

Sam...thats right i dont want to upset his tummy and cause him all this unnecessary pain and he is extremely healthy so i think i will just stick with the BF only a little longer. He is definately ready and interested in food but it just doesnt seem to agree with his little tummy just yet.

bubno.3....i have introduced rice cereal, pumpkin,sweetcorn and apple so nothing too major. Thanks for the thumbs up on the Colxyl i went to the chemist the other day and they insisted i tried brown sugar and water first or even a little prune juice.....i tried the first but only gave him 20mls he did manage to pass some and has been fine since but that said he has only been BF no solids at all.

turtleschell....thats what im going to do i think just leave it another month or so and try him again then.

Thanks for replying ladies :)

food before one, is just for fun :)
my neices (twins) were on solids at 4months and 11 months. the smaller twin just couldn't handle it till then.

I wouldn't stress too much if he's doing well on the breastfeeds. He is still quite young really.

I would want to encourage solids ONLY if the BF wasnt sufficient in the sleeping area.. and they are increasingly waking up and not properly settling . Thats how i start my kids on solids due to the settling or lack of

Poor little bub! Its so hard watching them struggle to do a poo isn't it! My DS is the same, he really struggled with solids at first so i cut them out and went back to BF's only. I just started him again a couple of weeks ago really really slowly, but didn't realise that the rice cereal is the worst offender for constipation and fed him only this for the first week!

I would start him with some coloxyl and offer him a small amount of food every couple of days when you think he is ready to start again. I am loving a website I found for guidance if you have time to check out a few ideas.

I disagree - settling ability or inability is not specifically related to the need for solids. There are many developmental changes that can result in changes to sleeping.

Please consider alternatives to manage constipation before resorting to medicated treatments which may have a long term impact on bowel function. Have you considered BLS as an alternative to puree??

I also would avoid things like coloxyl unless absolutely necessary. Since stopping solids helps the poos, then it doesn't really seem necessary. Rice cereal is bad for that sort of thing, so maybe just avoid that at any rate.
And also have to agree that settledness/sleeping doesn't say anything about whether a baby is doing well on bf or not. It's quite common at this age, for example, for babies to go through a period of separation anxiety that may see them waking up more often. Same if they're learning to sit/crawl or do anything new.
BLS is a great way to go, particularly if you're uncertain about readiness. Your baby will decide for himself.

hey babe,

DD isn't all that interested in solids at the moment (am hoping that she shows an interest soon!) and is doing really well breast feeding. As you know your DS and my little one are 2 weeks apart. I guess his little body is just telling you that he's not quite ready for solids. If he's doing well on b/f I'd stick with that for now.

He's very healthy and very happy - that is very obvious!!

I agree, maybe try BLS? He'll then decide what is good for him and what isn't xxx
Sue x

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Please consider alternatives to manage constipation before resorting to medicated treatments which may have a long term impact on bowel function.

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Oh yikes, i didn't even think about this! Do you have any research on long term impacts? I have been using it quite a bit for DS and would like to know more.

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I wouldn't stress too much if he's doing well on the breastfeeds. He is still quite young really.

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He is doing great with just having his breastfeeds so i know i have no reason to stress but this is the first of my bubs that i have successfully breastfeed so i do still feel a little new to it all iykwim. He is still young and i'm sure in his own time he will be ready for something other then mummy's milk :)

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Poor little bub! Its so hard watching them struggle to do a poo isn't it! My DS is the same, he really struggled with solids at first so i cut them out and went back to BF's only. I just started him again a couple of weeks ago really really slowly, but didn't realise that the rice cereal is the worst offender for constipation and fed him only this for the first week!

I would start him with some coloxyl and offer him a small amount of food every couple of days when you think he is ready to start again.

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It is very distressing to see such a happy little bub so upset and in pain. I had no idea the rice cereal was a big offender as far as constipation goes so thank you so much for telling me that, i will definately be giving that a miss then.
I didn't bother with the Coloxyl, i tried the other and it worked so i was happy with that.....i must say i dont give my children things (medications) unless i feel it is absolutely necessary iykwim. Thankyou for posting the link of that site i will have a look a little later :)

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I disagree - settling ability or inability is not specifically related to the need for solids. There are many developmental changes that can result in changes to sleeping.

Please consider alternatives to manage constipation before resorting to medicated treatments which may have a long term impact on bowel function. Have you considered BLS as an alternative to puree??

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I haven't really looked into BLS but maybe it's something i should be looking into a little more :) As i said i opted not to go for the coloxyl but thanks for your bringing to my attention the long term impact it could have on my DS if i had chosen to use it as a long term solution. :)

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I also would avoid things like coloxyl unless absolutely necessary. Since stopping solids helps the poos, then it doesn't really seem necessary. Rice cereal is bad for that sort of thing, so maybe just avoid that at any rate.
And also have to agree that settledness/sleeping doesn't say anything about whether a baby is doing well on bf or not. It's quite common at this age, for example, for babies to go through a period of separation anxiety that may see them waking up more often. Same if they're learning to sit/crawl or do anything new.
BLS is a great way to go, particularly if you're uncertain about readiness. Your baby will decide for himself.

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I must say since bubby was sick a few weeks back his sleep has been not that crash hot, that said during that time he started sitting up and also saying Mum and Dad and i know that when they start doing all these things their sleep is affected. I have never given my children solids with the hope they would sleep better, as i know there sleeping patterns has nothing to do with their readiness for food. I think i will look more into BLS.

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hey babe,

DD isn't all that interested in solids at the moment (am hoping that she shows an interest soon!) and is doing really well breast feeding. As you know your DS and my little one are 2 weeks apart. I guess his little body is just telling you that he's not quite ready for solids. If he's doing well on b/f I'd stick with that for now.

He's very healthy and very happy - that is very obvious!!

I agree, maybe try BLS? He'll then decide what is good for him and what isn't xxx
Sue x

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Hi Sue, i think thats exactly what his little body is trying to tell me :) poor little man loves his food but seems right now it doesn't love him as much.

Might have to get some BLS advice,tips and hints from you next time we meet up :)

OMG why are all of these replies seperate i thought id done them all in one post....sorry what did i do wrong?

Can't find a specific reference yet but the concern with frequent / regular use of bowel medications is missing an underlying reason for the constipation, which is a sign, not an actual disease.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/...x/fulltext.pdf

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Might have to get some BLS advice,tips and hints from you next time we meet up :)

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Definitely!! xxx

ok obviously my post re sleep and solids was 'disagreed' a few times over lol as i said it was only what i found and a suggestion. Oh and cololxy when used correctly doesnt hurt especially if nothing else is working .... i wasnt suggesting with every meal just until that poo had happened :)

It isn't that coloxyl will *hurt* - it is more that if you need to use it frequently to manage recurrent constipation then further investigation should occur. Just in case there is an underlying issue that has not been recognised.

Constant use of laxatives can give you a lazy bowel and the more you use them, the more you need them so the dose increases.

Appletree, there is tonnes of research to show that using any sort of laxative is a problem, especially in young kids. I'm sure it even says on the consumer information that long term use is not recommended. Even in the short term, the body becomes dependent on it - ie regulates to the level it needs to with the additional help - so it can be a very long and difficult process to get the bowel working properly again. I'm surprised your medical practitioner didn't give you more information about this, although I think many are so pharmaceutical focused that forget the longer term impacts.

Definitely giving foods that are as close to "normal" as possible is the best idea. There really is no need for baby food after 6 months (the recommended time to start solids). They can eat finger foods so chunks of fruit and steamed vegies is a common place to start. Also starting solids very slowly is a good idea - BLS is great for this for this because you put the food down in front of the baby and they only eat what they want.

If a baby isn't showing signs of interest and food is upsetting their tummy, it's a pretty safe bet they are not ready yet. My first DS wasn't ready until nearly 1. Once their iron stores start to deplete and they need extra nutrition in their diet (and this can happen anywhere between 6 and 12 months depending on a number of factors), they will start to eat. Again, BLS is great for this because you don't need to know when they are ready. They will play with food until they are ready to eat it, and then start eating themselves when the time is right.