What can I do to help my baby with constipation?

Give Baby juice not milk juice anf pediatex

three days is just fine. Sometimes preemies have trouble getting there bowels going. You may double check w/ your dr to make sure there isn't something preventing him from having a stool on his own.

THERE IS STOOL SOFTENER JUST FOR BABIES AND CHILDREN. IT IS VERY MILD. ITS CALLED CASTORIA. YOU CAN GIVE THAT TO THE BABY AND IT WILL HELP HIM. IT IS A VERY SAFE YET MILD LAXATIVE. YOU CAN FIND IT AT YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY.

Your doctor is right: It is normal.

In fact, it is normal for them to go up to 7-9 days, sometimes.

Constipation in an infant is defined as hard, round, pellet-like stools. I'm betting your son is not passing those.

Just relax. 10 days is the time to start worrying & trying suppositories — not 3. Really, he'll be OK.

If you start relying on the suppositories now, he may just come to assume this is the way it is done, and NOT have a BM on his own… waiting for the suppository.

Please, just nurse him as much as you can (breastmilk is a laxative) and understand that if he doesn't go, it's simply because his body is using it all — there is no left-over to make ****.

some babies suffer with consitpation, and some times need a trip to the doctor or a nurse call,don't let it go to long

Give him a little fiber powder in his bottle.

did the doc give you the suppository? I wouldn't attempt to alter anything about my baby unless under medical advice. I was in a large mum and baby circel when mine was that age and I remember they ALL went through a phase about 3-5 months where they only went a couple of times a week. If your doc is worried, he will tell you.

Can you reduce his iron supplement, like you said, this is causing him problems. I can't take iron for this reason, and none of my children can either. It makes everything like rock and bound. Is the extra iron really necessary. Your ****** milk has iron and so does the formula. Talk to the doctor again, ask him about reducing or not giving the iron as it is causing problems.

I just had this problem. I asked my pharmacist who has a new born and she said little tummies infant laxative. I gave it to my daughter and within 6 hours she had 1 and by that night it was the normal color and consistency. on the box it says uner 2 ask doctor but you just give half a dropper for under 2 year

Take him to the doctors office, there is something they can do there to make him go and it should also make it easier for him to go in the future too. My daughter had the problem of no bowel movements and the doc helped her go in his office.

You can go into the baby isle and get juice made by Gerber it dosen't have any sugar or any preservitives in it. I like to use either apple pear or you can but prune juice I like to dilute it about half and half with water and that seems to always do the trick.

i had the same problem with my son. he wasn't able to move his bowels either and when he did he would cry cause it hurt him anyway i brought him to the doctor and they gave me a laxative to give him and that worked he is now 18 months and still sometimes i give it to him. they said to give it to him until his eating habits change so now its better.Get a second opinion if your doc. said its not a big deal. good luck

Every three days can be normal. Next time if you see your baby struggling to ****. Rub his/her tummy in a clockwise motion. I don't know why, but it helps. My health junkie, nurse, sister-in-law suggested it to me when my daughter was an infant.

First of all I felt that the doctor should have checked to see if his system is twisted. (The baby bowel system that is) Also you may have to try a different formula because it may be to much iron. It's to harsh for his stomach so maybe trying a different formula one with a lower dose of iron since he is on an iron supplement.

I would also get a second opinion before he gets very backed up.

Keep an eye on this issue. My now three year old had constipation as an infant and the doctors didn't seem concerned. She has encopresis and is on medication. I'm not saying this is what your child has, just that constipation if it continues should definitely be looked into.

I'm sure it's the iron supplement, I had to give my new born apple-prune juice by Gerber, even one oz. helped, if not go to plain Gerber prune juice. As long as he is not fussy, I wouldn't worry too much. My daughter only went ever 3-4 days, then after a while it was more regular. If he does start to get fussy like he has an upset stomach, I would take him to his Dr. or get another opinion.

How old is your baby? After 6 weeks, if they are primarily on breastmilk, they can go a week without pooping. My daughter went for 3-4 days sometimes without pooping. Are you sure the baby is constipated? There is an infant massage you can do to help with constipation. It has to be done correctly, but it does work.

First, with your baby lying down facing you, rub his belly in a clockwise motion. Do this for about 10 times. Then gently bend your baby's legs and bring his knees to his belly. This will help loosen any trapped gas. Repeat the rubbing and bending about 4-5 times.

Then take your index and middle fingers and gently press just below his ribcage on the right side and move your fingers down to the top of his leg.

Then take your fingers and place them on the left side, just below his ribcage and move them across to the right side and then down to the top of his right leg. You will be making a line like a 7.

Then take your fingers and start at the top of his left leg, move it up to just below his rib cage and then over to the right side, and then back down to the top of his right leg. You will be making an upside down u.

You can repeat this about 5 times. You are following the path of his large intestines. These movements are done to help move the stool along. By doing them in the right order, you won't cause one area to get blocked up.

I am a NICU nurse, I'm sure your son was transferred there after birth. All babies have different bowel schedules. If it is your son's normal routine to not go for that long, than this is probably just him. It's true that Dr.s don't usually become concerned until after the three day mark, but the fact that he hasn't been able to go on his own for 3 weeks is a little bothersome. Check his tummy to see if it feels distended and firm, if so you should definitely take him back to the Dr. to make sure there is not an obstruction or something. Otherwise try letting him go 3-4 days without a suppository, and see if he can go on his own, you don't want his bowls dependant on laxatives. Depending on his age you could try colace(stool softener) added to his bottle. Talk to your pharmacist.If he is unable to go on his own, you could try putting a little pressure on his rectum with a soft cloth, sometimes the pressure helps them to contract the mussels and go. If he is very irritable and distended, definitely go to your Dr. Iron is constipating but is essential for babies to have, he is probably on Ferrous sulfate drops or something, so maybe you could get a formula without Iron if he is having the Iron supps.

Breastfed babies don't **** as often. There is very little in breastmilk that isn't useful so they don't have a lot to pass. He's only getting 2 bottles of formula per day so that still sounds normal.

a nurse told me that you shouldn't give babies karo syrup. i have read that it is normal for breastfed babies not to go everyday and in some cases that once a week is normal. you need to follow the directions of the pediatrician. don't give him anymore karo syrup. stick with the suppositories.

You might try half a bottle of apple of Apple juice ,ditute the other half with water, maybe twice a day until he goes.We had this problem and this worked.It took a while but after it worked I cut it down to one a day to keep him normal.

first of stop the karo syrup, it can cause botulism, my grandmother used to give my daughter this and my doctor immediately said to stop
botulism can cause death in a child under 2
its similar to honey and kids under 2 should not have it for any reason
also since he is only 10 weeks no juice not healthy for a baby that young
it is very normal for a baby not to go even up to a week sometimes but if you are worried my doctor always said 2 ounces of water helps move things along
but seriously dont give him anymore karo its very dangerous if you dont believe me contact a doctor

my daughter had the same problem. my mother in law told me to put a drop of the Karo, a light cooking syrup, in the formula or bottle and that should help. if not try mancania. it's good for them to help flush they're system out.

My doctor told me to give my son juice when he was that young and constipated… But he wasnt premature so I would ask the doctor before giving it to him. Also I would massage his tummy starting above the bellybutton working downward. He likes that and I think it works… It IS normal to go a few days but I would keep trying and talk to your doctor…

My daughter is four months old and what i do when she is constipated is, take all her clothes off, give her a warm bath, then lay her on a towel naked, Get a wash cloth and soak it in warm water and with your finger in the washcloth gently massage her "tush" very gently. Gently put alittle preasure on it and themn let up a few times. After you're done with that, put a few drops of baby iol on her "tush" and put a loose diaper back on then lay her on her tummy for a few minutes…she should have a BM in the next half hour or so. It works for my baby..

I think that I would get a second opinion from a different doctor. With my son(who was full term) I try to get him to **** at least every other day. One other thing you could try is to lighten the formula a little bit just for 1 bottle, but let your doctor know first. My doctor also said that baby's not having a bowel movement for 3 or 4 days is normal, but I don't believe them. That just can't be good for your baby or anyone.

Since the baby is a preemie (and from some of the answers it's obvious a number of posters missed that point) the baby's bowels might not be fully developed and every three days could be quite normal for your baby. If you're in doubt contact your doctor, stick with the karo syrup, it's not going to work overnight you have to give it time. You might ask the doctor about brown sugar as well, sometimes that can help. Giving meds without a doctor instructing you is asking for trouble especially with a preemie (take the hint all of you who missed the fact that this was a preemie). Anytime you have questions you should be able to at least call your doctor's nurse, there may also be a "nurse's line" you can call when you have questions call your doctor and ask if there is one available in your community, you might also check with the social services in your area. For your baby's health as well as your peace of mind it would be better for you to ask someone who has an education and expierence in what you are dealing with rather than strangers on a message board.

Try the apple juice dilluted with water and have him drink water so it will loosen the stool. hold his legs and do like the biking movements.

I have my son also constipated for 6 days only, the doctor said its normal as long as he doesnt bother him.

For more information go to

My DR. advised me to put Karo syrup in his bottle. I have heard good & bad of it. It worked though. Ask your Dr. and see what he thinks.