Constipation in Infants

We had GREAT success with dark Karo syrup when my daughter was that age.
She still gets constipated from time to time and we now use Miralax in her juice/milk when it happens.

Years ago, before formula (and I did this with my kids) they put Karo syrup in the milk to keep babies from getting constipated. It's worth a try!

We had a similar story. We got formula and vitamins without iron for awhile, fed her prunes, grape juice, and doctor prescribed a bit of Miralax powder in her drink once/day. Miralax works wonders, no more straining or crying. You can also buy it over the counter. We have to use it everyday for now to keep things moving properly...

I know exactly what you are going through. My daughter (just turned 2) had Acid Reflux (until 10 mos)as well and still has an umbilical hernia and problems with constipation. I just recently found out about the Miralax that other people have been suggesting. I wish that I had found out about it earlier because it has been working well. It is a tasteless, odorless powder that you can mix into their drinks. My Dr. suggested to start at 1/2 tsp. a day and go from there depending on how she reacts to it. I'm not sure, but for a 5 mos old, I would start with less and maybe check with her Dr. I wish you the best of luck!

My son has been on Mirlax for 2 years (he has more issues than just acid reflux and constipation and hernia), but you can get it over the counter, it has been a true live saver!!!! My son doesn't have to strain anymore. The Mirlax is gentle and softens, not runny. Not to risk turning everyone off of peanut butter, but that is the best description.

My pediatrician prescribed Miralax for my daughter. She used it until she was almost one.

I have a 7 month old daughter that has also been having constipation problems. Her doctor has been having me give her Milk of Magnesia as she needs it, to keep the stool soft, for her it has been a dose about every 3 days. I tried juice and prunes before this but it didn't help. The dosing will go by your babies weight so you may need to talk to her doctor for correct dosing. My baby is about 20 lbs, he had me do a large dose (10cc) to get things moving, then now she gets 3-5cc every 3 days or so. He said not to let it get any thicker than peanut butter. It has really been a lifesaver. If you do give this a try, get the berry flavor if you can, I think the mint is a little strong. Good luck!

Constipation is so frustrating! Our third child was just seven days old and being breastfed when she quit pooping. She went nearly twelve days! I phoned her pediatrician every two days - and tried tummy massage, leg movements, the tea, more nursing (her urine output was good) - and still nothing. Our biggest concern is that her bili-numbers had been over 17 and they didn't come down until she quit pooping, and we thought that was how she would expel them (thru the poop) - so we were pretty frightened. At day twelve, I took her in, unannounced to the ped's office. They gave her an enema - and a very scant amount came out. This didn't ease my thoughts (oh - and she did strain throughout the twelve days - with no results). Being a new mommy for the third time was very exhausting to me - and somehow - seeing her get an enema in the office gave me the 'ahaa' moment. We took her to the chiropractor directly afterward. That was the key.

We had also taken our first two children to her for constipation issues. It needs to come out. We shouldn't have to strain. I'd try everything, home remedy wise, but consider chiropractic!

Good luck!

The best remedy I have had to use is Karo dark syrup. Add to water in their bottle. Enough to color the water. I would measure to a 4 ounce bottle and add enough syrup to cover the bottom. I hope this works. It always seem to for me. I don't know about acid reflux in children but I would check with your doctor.

I'm not sure if this will hurt the acid reflux disease but when my son became constipated, I gave him baby food prunes. It always worked. Just start with a little bit.

My son has also suffered from constipation. My pediatrician advised me to use Karo syrup which helped slightly. After not great success the doc advised to use Miralax which is available over the counter now. We have had great success with this!!! Be sure to call your pediatrician for the proper amount to use for the age and weight of your child. Good luck!

Hi N.
Have you tried infant massage? That is what helped my daughter and still does at age 5. If you start at the top of her tummy and go Clockwise in a circle it should help her alot. Make sure you do not go counter clockwise this will bind her up more. Good Luck :)T.

N.,

I know you have had tons of responses for both of your posts already, but I wanted to ask if you have tried chiropractic care. Many times children have symptoms such as GERD and constipation when their spine is out of alignment. This is because if your spine is out of alignment it can cause irritation on the nerves resulting in an improper nerve signal throughout the body. If the nerves to the organs (in this case stomach and intestines) aren't working properly than the organs do not function optimally and can in many cases result in common childhood illnesses/diseases such as those that your daughter is experiencing. There are many pediatric certified chiropractors in the twin cities and to locate one in your area as well as find information on how chiropractic can help children visit www.icpa4kids.org. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Dr. K. K.
Bridge Chiropractic
Shakopee

N.:

I would try Chiropractic for her constipation, especially if she is sensative to what you feed her, otherwise pear or prune juice mixed into her formula may work as well. I have also heard that chiropractic has done great things for acid reflux in infants. Perhaps if you take her, you can address both issues naturally.

Hi N.,
Would definitely not recommend anything for the dtomach 'coz of the acid reflux. Insert a Glycerine suppository(frozen and then cut in half along the length). It helps lubricate the passage and helps to ease the bowel movement. Worked wonders for my son. However, check with your baby's doc about this. Warm water(about an ounce)as soon as she wakes up, works great for my daughter who also has acid reflux.
Good luck.
SAHM of 3 year old son and a year old daughter

My daughter was constipated from day 1. When she was 5 days old we were at the doctors getting our 1st suppositry(which you can get over the counter, not fun to give, but they do the trick). 3mths & 5 formulas later I discovered Nestle Good Start with Comfort Proteins. With in 5 days Mady was pooping at least once a day. Good start is also a lot cheaper & good coupons available at nestlegoodstart.com . Also we started taking her to a Chiro. that was always good for at least a few days after a treatment. Good luck!! K. L. (mother of 2 1/2yr old Madyson)

Hi N.! I used a powdered infant acidophilous that helped both the constipation and the reflux. I bought mine at a health food store but I'm sure you can get some from a chiropractor. Also, I know people say this all the time on here but the chiropractor was a HUGE help in easing the reflux for my daughter. Treatments also work for constipation but I think you are right about the Enfamil AR causing it. It has rice in it??
I also did a warm bath and infant massage with some lotion right after bath and that seemed to help her discomfort.
I hope you find a solution! Have a great day!

well, first of all formula fed babies need a bottle of water once a day. formula is more concentrated than breast milk, and so that causes a lot of problems plugging them up. have you started any solids? solids can also start plugging them up, especially things like rice cereal, banana, and applesauce. those are 3 of the foods you give kids with diarhea! so of course they would plug up a normal kid. remember that you do NOT have to start with rice cereal, no matter what you are told. its what is normally told to us, but theres no reason you cant start with pears or peaches. i started my son on pears because they are the most un-allergenic foods! of course they need the iron in the cereal, theres just no reason to consider it the first food.

so, water, and maybe if you are feeding cereal, mix it with juice - or give baby juice/water mix if baby wont drink water plain. my son is 18 month old and i still mix his juice with water. it helps the juice last longer and gives a little less sweetness. LOL

try that and that should help. i had a kid in day care that was constipated, and i found what works (dont try this a LOT, just if its really getting bad) get gloves on or use a ziplock or sandwich bag, put vaseline on your finger and actually lubricate just inside (its and icky job but it works!) for a little while and the poop should come out pretty easily and quickly. baby poop should never be hard and like pebbles. that is AWEFUL. if you cant get the constipation to go away, go to the doctor.

what happens is that the poop can cut or tear the inside or outside. then it hurts to poop, so baby stops pushing. after a while, the muscles in the intestine stops telling the brain to push, and the constipation only gets worse. i know a lady whos sons constipation went on for over 6 months!!! they went in and got all that compacted poop out... and how aweful must that be! :( so the more you can stop this constipation, the better.

when you chose your baby's formula, did you consult the doctor, or did you just choose one off the shelf? do you know that doctors used to prescribe formula? we should get back to that kind of a time. we should always consult our doctors to tell us which kind of formula they think is best for our kids. they can make the educated decision based on all the factors involved. if she truly does have acid reflux (and i believe you when you say she does - you are mom after all) there are probably other options. ask your doctor.

also, if you are on WIC, they tell people that they only supply one brand of formula. thats not true and cant be true. if a formula is causing health issues, they shouldnt force your child to have it. im know the WIC office in my area told a mom once in the office that if the doc wrote a note to the wic office 'prescribing' they supply a different formula.

anyway, good luck with this. constipation in formula fed babies is SO common, so its all about balancing that and the other foods to keep it from happening. that extra bottle of water or water with juice can probably make all the difference.

www.askdrsears.com

Chamomile tea is amazing. My daughter was just born on may 3rd and she already has a sensitive tummy. I am breastfeeding so whatever I eat goes to her. Our Dr told me to drink a cup of chamomile tea before bed and also for her to drink it. You bring around 4oz to boil and let the tea bag brew for 3 minutes. If she is unsure about taste you can add a very small amount of sugar to sweeten. It helps my daughter tremendously. Aparrently it calms the tummy and helps constipation....I have heard peppermint tea does as well but i would ask a dr about that one. hope this helps

We had to switch to a soy based formula. (It stains so be careful to use a large bib.)

We also found that baby food carrots and the dark Karo syrup trick were sometimes helpful. As for prune juice, we didn't add it to formula, he drank it straight.

When my daughter was about that age we had the constipation problem, we used to put a little karo syrup in her bottles, that seemed to help her.

My now 6 month old also needed the AR formula and ended op constipated my Dr recommened Miralax. I use about 1/4 of the white part of the inside cap as a measuring cup and within 24 hours she is fine I have to do this about once every other week because I don't want to overdue and get her body used to not doing its own job. Miralax is non-cramping and tastless. I simply put it in a bottle I know she will finish. We also went to a Chiropractor to loosen her muscles she she could push easier. It is hard to tighen up muscles that are already tight.

My daughter turned red and strained even when she wasn't constipated, however, she would go for a long time without having a bowl movement. My mom is a nurse and told me that if I was concerned I could stimulate her bowls, however I would definitly talk to a doctor before doing this. My daughter is almost three and still turns red.

We had similar problems with our son and Miralax worked wonders for him and after a few months we were able to take him off of it and he was back to normal.

try Good Start infant formula, orange or green can. Pediatricians recommend it for constipation.

N.:
I know what you are going through. My daughter (now 16 months) was the same way when she was an infant -- acid reflux and constipation. As far as the constipation -- we mixed some pear juice (less gassy than prune juice) in with her formula...only 1 Tbl per day. We also gave her a little karo syrup, which helped a lot too. We also took either a q-tip or a rectal thermometer and manipulated her bottom to help her bowels move. With respect to the acid reflux -- your little girl should grow out of it soon -- but in the meantime, make sure you keep her upright for about 30 minutes after she eats, that will help. We gave our daughter Mylicon with every bottle, which seemed to help a lot as well.
Good luck!!!

I have 13 month old twin girls. One of my girls had acid reflux and one has an umbilical hernia. They were on soy formula and were constipated too. I gave them prunes (baby food) daily and that seemed to help with the constipation. They would normally eat 1/2 a container of the #1 baby food prunes each day (sometimes a whole container if it seemed they were having problems). You could try this to see if it helps. Good luck.

My daugher was also constipated and on AR meds. We gave her PRUNE JUICE - yuck. It was the only juice that worked! After a while that didn't help 'cause things got worse. Our doctor prescribed "glyco-lax" powdered stool softener for it. IT did the trick! Good luck.

I would call your doctor and ask if stool softners are an option. My son had BM problems when he was 3-4yrs and the stool softners really helped. Good Luck! L.

I had the same problem with my son when he was a baby. I don't know anything about the acid reflux, but for the constipation I had to switch him to Carnation Good Start formula. Maybe that brand also has a type of formula for babies with acid reflux. When we were still in the hospital, the hospital staff gave my son Similac. That brand caused him to throw up. Enfamil was a second choice, and caused the constipation. Carnation Good Start is what he had until he was on solid foods.

Have you tried Prune juice? We have used it with both kids while they were on formula - start with about a teaspoon in every bottle. (or use prune baby food.) Also, doctor recommended during diaper changes to "clean very thuroughly" as this can help stimulate them to go sooner - nothing perverted intended, but it's better than using the lubed rectal thermometer, which is another thing they recommend. If all that doesn't work, I've known people who've had to get suppositories from their doctor to give their kids.

Good Luck!

I would highly suggest Ultimate Aloe Juice. Our son likes the Strawberry/Kiwi flavor. Not only will it help with the constipation, it will also help with the acid reflux. The Aloe will help with her digestion all the way through her intestines. For more information, check out www.marketamerica.com/graichen. Type Ultimate Aloe Juice in the search field - you will get a lot of information.

Good luck!

Hi N.
We had the same problem with our son. What we did is used nestle good start formula because it had less iron in it. The iron is what constipates them. We also watered down his formula a little. We put 1 1/2 scoop to 4 OZ of water. It seemed to help a little. We also took him to the chiroprator and got him adjusted. Good luck!
N.

Hello N.. I brought my son to the chriopractor when he was about 4 months for constipation. In one visit it was all fixed.

Hi, I'm Pam. My daughter also was constipated with gas alot when she was an infant. She was on Enfimal. I think she couldnt tolerate milk. It was very hard for her, She would cry alot . I ended up mostly giving her juice and my neighbor was a Napropath. That is a person who works with the bodys muscles instead of bones. She would rub my daughters stomach until my daughter pooped. My daughter would then immediatley fall alsleep, she felt so much better. No Dr. really helped me, but that was 20 yrs ago. My daughter had this problem til after potty training, which was a bad time also because my daughter would '' tear'' down there from being constipated then having hard poop.After she started eating food, I could make sure she ate good food to help her go better.

Hi Nichole,
I had the same problem with my son from the time he was born until he was about 4yrs. I had to help him have a BM bye using vasoline and a q tip. I started using suppositories and that helped also. If you haven't already discussed this with your doctor i would do so. My son's Dr. perscribed something to put in his milk (sorry i don't remember the name) and that worked very very well. But i would try the suppository, it's safe and over the counter. Hope this helps.
P.S. My son also has a hernia in his scrotum.

Whenever my little one was constipated I gave her a teaspoon of karo syrup. It worked wonders. I heard the trick from a group of nurses. I couldn't beleive that such a thing would work but it did.

When my daughter got constipated we would give her prune juice. If she didn't like the taste we would mix it with a little apple juice to get it down. We had a similar experience where we could see the poop coming out, but just wouldn't. I called my pharmasist friend and he told me to give her an enema and it would take care of the problem. She ended up pooping before I got it and then from there on we were sure to make sure she was getting more fiber in her diet. The pediatritian said some children are just more prone to it.

Prune juice in my daughter's formula takes care of her constipation. Have you tried that?

Have you tried giving her a little bit of some prunes from a baby jar? My daughter had trouble when she was little and prunes either in food or juice form would help. If you try juice form don't dilute it--just give it to her straight. Hope this helps, it is hard when they are going through this.

Our daughter had the same problem. The nurse told us to use Karo Syrup. We added a tablespoon of it to every other bottle of formula, and that helped A LOT!