March

What Can You Do for Constipation in a Baby?

Posted In: baby care, baby health by Infant Care

Yes I want to ask you that question because many parents, especially new parent, including me will ask that question if they found that their babies got constipation problem. Constipation in baby is really painful for our babies, they will feel really pain every time they try to push out his hard and firmer stool.

You must sensitive with your baby constipation problem. Act properly with the constipation problem, just do not panic when you know that your baby got constipated. Your baby could get constipation problem because of his food, so please beware with Foods That Cause Constipation – For Infant Constipation Problem.

How to Deal With Baby Constipation

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Baby constipation is distressing both for the baby and the parents. There are simple steps you can take at home to relieve your baby’s discomfort and to prevent it from returning.

Steps

Observe how baby’s diet changes as some foods become constipating, producing hard stool. Eliminate any constipating foods including:
- Rice cereal
- Bananas
- Cooked carrots
- Applesauce
- Cheese
- Yogurt
- White bread
- Pasta
- Excessive potatoes
Give your baby foods that help soften stools. Foods that help soften stool include:
- Peaches
- Apricots
- Pears
- Plums
- Peas.
Offer baby fruit juice, diluted with water, twice a day. Prune juice can be effective. To dilute juice:
- Add 1oz juice to 4oz water or…
- Dilute 10z juice in 20z water.
If baby is bottle fed, offer him additional cooled, boiled water to prevent dehydration. If baby is breastfed, increase the frequency of the feeds.
Massage baby’s tummy, preferably in a warm bath. To massage baby’s tummy effectively, start at the navel and massage outwards in a clockwise direction.
Cycle” baby’s legs which causes the stomach muscles to move and puts gentle pressure on the intestines. To cycle baby’s legs:
- Lay him on his back
- Grasp his feet
- Turn his legs in a quick but gentle cycling motion.

Tips

Dehydration is a common cause of baby constipation, particularly in warmer weather.
Trace blood in baby’s stool can indicate ripping of soft tissue near the anus as the body gets used to new foods. It’s probably not anything to worry about, but you should consult a health professional.

Warnings

Make sure that you are dealing with true constipation normally indicated by hard, dry stools. Babies often strain and grunt when they have a bowel movement, or may go several days without having a bowel movement at all. These are not necessarily signs of true constipation.
Never give your baby a laxative without a doctor’s approval.
If you suspect your baby is constipated, consult your child’s doctor to rule out any underlying illness.
Always consult a doctor before introducing new foods, fruit juice or water to your baby.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Deal With Baby Constipation. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Tag:baby constipation|newborn constipation|baby constipation problem