Introducing Solids---causing Constipation?

Solids could certainly be causing some constipation. It did that with 2 of my boys. What I did was introduce Apple juice or prune juice diluted with water. We started with like 80/20 water to juice and then waited to see if it helped. If not we would go to 50/50 and so on. It seemed to work with both of them. They were really good eaters so didn't want the uncomfortable stomach to cause a problem. Good luck!

Solid food changes poopies. There is also a bit of a transition time. Let his body adjust. I wouldn't worry yet. I don't know about starting on carrot though. They are very hard to digest. Even my older boy would pass them through whole. Maybe try some banana or avacado or sweet potato. As soon as you know he does well with rice cereal, that should be done. Rice is binding. Switch to oatmeal.

The same thing happened with my son. I skipped the cereal when it had been a few days w/out poop and offered him some prune baby food. that helped. i think it just takes their bodies a while to get used to the food. I wouldn't do anything quite yet. At one point, my son went almost a week sans poopie and the doctor said it was ok. Continue with the fiber rich veggies but slow down on bananas and cereal and see if that helps.

Hi, J.!

I have three boys and each one has been different with foods. I have always been told to start out with rice cereal at about 4 months and they have always been very receptive. My youngest little guy is almost 8 months old and he has done very well with solids. However, I noticed that he was getting very constipated, even having some bleeding when he finally did go poop because it was so hard for him. I talked to my Ped. Her advice was to give him any fruits that start with a "p": peaches, pears, prunes, plums. These all help with constipation. I asked her about apple juice because I had always heard that was the best. She said they don't recommend that until they are a little older unless it is very serious. I did this with the fruits and it helped, but it just didn't seem to fix things totally. For some reason, I changed to oatmeal instead of rice cereal and it took me a little while to realize it, but since then he has not been constipated once. In fact now his diapers are totally opposite. His poop is very soft and he has no problems pooping now, sometimes many times a day. I heard from another mom at MOPS that her baby went through the same thing with the same results. I know every baby is different, but it's worth a try.

My doctor suggested I put a little clear (not the dark one) Karo syrup in with the food. My son was always constipated as a little baby, and he suggested mixing it in his bottle. I think I used about 2-3 tsp per bottle. You could always try adding a little at a time to his food to see if it helps. It really helped with my son!

Hi, J.. My doctor says it is impossible for nursed babies to get constipated. It's not uncommon for them to go up to 7 days without a poopie diaper. Even with introducing other foods it's still not uncommon to go a few days. Also, my dad is a pharmacist and says that you should absolutely not give babies so young suppositories. It usually causes more harm than good. The best advice is to massage his rectum, which is by no means fun, but a sacrifice you make for the comfort of your child. I did it once when my boy hadn't had a dirty diaper in 5 days. Give him a bottle of sugar water and that should do the trick. That's what I did after 5 days and he pooped just a few hours later!
B.

I went through the exact same thing with my daughter. The doctor told me to switch to oatmeal cereal and "p" fruits...prunes, peaches, pears etc.

Hi J., the doctors will tell you not to worry, he'll go when it is time. I am more like you, when their bowel movements are irregular I get concerned. I am a fan of natural remedies and I can tell you that if you give him 1/4 teaspoon of flax seed oil in his cereal, he will go within 24hrs or sooner. It is good for their brain development too, and neuro-muscular-skeletal. You can go to a health food store to buy some.
A little about me: I am the happy mother of two -- a 4 year boy and a 16 month girl, my husband and I swear by flax seed oil for our whole family. A.

I would wait for another day. Sometimes a baby even breast fed may not poop for a couple of days. If he doesn't poop by tomorrow I would call the doctor just to make sure everything is ok. My kids doctor told me to give them prune juice and oatmeal that has high fiber to help out. It did work because when they pooped oh boy watch out! Also, it is possible it could be from the carrots. His tummy may not be quite ready yet. All kids are different. I would suggest waiting one more day and see what happens. Good luck.
D.

I am a 31 yr. old married mom of 3 beautiful boys ages 10,7 and 4.

Breast milk is the only source of nutrition a baby this age needs. What has your pediatrician told you?

I had this same problem with my daughter! And I understand - when your baby doesn't poop it hurts both of you! The doc told me that it was less the actual food she was intaking but getting less and less breastmilk, too that was causing the constipation. Also, at the nurse's suggestion, we switched from rice cereal to oatmeal and that made a big difference for her. The other suggestion that did help regulate her BM's was to put an ounce of adult prune juice (only 100% juice) into the evening bottle. She normally took 6 ounces at night so one ounce of that would be juice. This really helped. I did this from about 4 months to 8 months. If he gets to 4 or 5 days without pooping, give him the glycerine.

hi there!
great job on the breastfeeding. keep in mind that there is no rush to start solids...i didn't start them until my girls were about 7 months (they were breastfed exclusively too)...anyway, starting solids at a young age is just really for "practice"...they still get basically ALL of their nutrition from the breast milk...both carrots and rice are constipating actually...the green veggies are less constipating and oatmeal is better than rice cereal for constipation...my 2nd daughter had the exact same problem...i would wait several weeks to let his digestive tract continue to mature and then re introduce the solids...if constipation is still an issue, MIRALAX (now over the counter) works wonders...just a little bit a day in his cereal ...i would talk to your pediatrician about the amount IF it ends up being needed
best of luck

It's not unusual for a baby who is starting solids to go a few days without pooping. Let it run its course if it hasn't been more than a day or two. If it's longer call your doctor first. If you increase his liquids it will also help him get the poop out. I've noticed my baby has a harder time (no pun intended) when he eats thicker cereal. Also try oatmeal, it's not as binding as rice. I mix the two together also.

I can feel for you. I have a 4-1/2 month old breast fed baby girl who went through the exact same thing, and two older boys ages 9 and 11. Avoid the suppository as much as you can. It can cause some serious cramps. I mix the rice cereal with formula and jarred fruit (prunes with apples). I also follow the cereal with some diluted white grape juice. She gets the prunes in her rice cereal and a little bit of juice every day, and now she's back on track. Rice cereal, bananas and applesauce (not apple juice) are constipating. The carrots aren't the trouble, it's the rice. Continue cereal twice a day, but use oatmeal for one of the feedings instead. After I changed to that routine, she's was just fine. You can also lay him on his back and move his legs like he's running to get his bowels in motion too. Good luck!

Hi J..
Sorry my response is a little delayed. I wanted to reply sooner, but I have a 2 mo. old & he keeps me busy...
Anyway, my guess is that your boy is not constipated, just because of what our pediatrition told me; that it is not uncommon for baby's to go several days without pooping as they get older. But to be sure, I would ask your doctor about it before you give him anything or get too worried.
Hopefully you already got some good advice from other Moms & things are going well by now.

The change in the baby's diet is causing the change in bowel movements. Some children can go a week w/o a BM.
If the stool is hard or the child strains himself to have a movement, then he is constipated.
If that's the case, just lay off some of the solids.
More liquids can help a constipated child, also. Dark Karo syrup added to formula/breastmilk will help the child's constipation.

Breastmilk has good laxative properties, so keep him nursing as much as possible. The American Academy of Pediactrics and the World Health Organization both recommend no solids till 6 mo because their digestive systems just aren't ready for it. Plus, you are taking the healthiest food (breastmilk--yeah to you for nursing!!) and replacing it with a less healthy food, which matters for a baby with a tiny tummy who doesn't eat much anyway, so every bite has to count. So yes, with his immature digestive system, he could very well be getting constipated from the carrots. Or myabe the combination of that and the rice cereal. I would keep him nursing and cut the other stuff out or cut out the carrot and cut back on the rice cereal, at least until you get him back on track! (All babies do have their own pooping schedule and some babies do only go once a week, but I would be more concerned because his schedule has changed so much recently.)

Rice cereal is very constipating per my pediatrician's office. Call them before accepting anyone's advice. As for our situation - my son is 7 months old and we did not start solids until he was 6 months. We are introducing foods in to his diet one at a time for the 4 day rule. He is breastfed and I make homemade baby food. Again - I urge you to contact your pediatricians office before you use a suppository or take any advice from the internet. We were advised to stop the rice cereal and introduce oatmeal. We were advised that pears are gently stimulating as well as apricots and peaches. Also with the addition of solids we were encouraged to offer about 2 ozs of water per day from a sippy cup. It was also surprising to me to find out that applesauce is constipating to babies. The other suggestion was to give baby a bath in hot, soapy water and let him soak for 10-15 minutes. Of course, hot water is less than 100 degrees. This relaxes the sphincter muscle. After that we did abdominal massage - counterclockwise. We had 2 BM's later that day. One more thing. If the stool is still soft when it finally arrives, the baby is not considered to be constipated.

Here's hoping things get moving soon. :)

Introducing solids typically occur at a later age. However, regardless of when it happens, it typically does cause constipation or a change in "movements." That being said, wait about three days before calling the pediatrician. I would not worry overmuch. My daughters were the same way. ANything new to such a young system will upset it. His body will have to get used to the changes. Also, if you feel he does need help due to a stomachache, try Baby's Bliss Gripe Water. It is incredible. It is all natural. It will help with tummyaches, nausea, and colic.
Hope this helps you..E.

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This happened to me especially with my first daughter. I actually think it is the rice cereal. I know they say to start with that..but it did not agree with my daughter. I just skipped it. I ended up doing oatmeal. Then, with my second daughter, I think I completely skipped it (she is 18 mos)so, I stuck with that method and it seemed to help ALOT!I was one who always mixed a little veggies/fruit in with the ceareal. Good Luck!

Honestly, it's probably the rice cereal. My son only went once a week before cereal, so my pediatrician said to start him with oatmeal as it's less constipating. If his belly is hard when he's not crying, a suppository would probably be ok. Otherwise, unless it's been at least a week I wouldn't worry too much. One thing I did if my son reached 7 days and didn't go was to put about 1/2 oz of prune juice in a 4 oz bottle, and that worked within 24 hours. Good luck!

Wait it out a little longer. Breastfed babies can be very unpredicable poopers. I would try either castro oil in water or like 3ml of prune juice a feeding before a suppository. Both of which the doc. suggested to my sister when her baby was constipated recently.

I'd wait it out a little. . . my ped told me it might be 3-5 days once solids are introduced. It's more likely from the cereal than the carrots. If he hasn't gone in 3 days, I'd call the doc/nurse and ask their opinion. Usually the breast milk will keep them regular though. Congrats on a beautiful baby boy!

This is totally normal from my experience with both our 2yr old and 8 month old. The doctor told us not to worry until it goes almost a week or the child is miserable. We introduced prunes right away and that keeps both children pretty normal. With our daughter, we did eventually us a suppository...just get a big diaper ready!

I'm not sure about how the cereal and carrots would affect him; but I do know that breastfed babies can sometimes go a very long time between dirty diapers. My daughter would go several times a day and then slowed down. Once she went about a week between and I was very worried. The doctor said that it isn't uncommon for breastfed babies.

my mom (of seven!) said to put a little bit of prune juice in the carrots or whatever food if that happened, because their little systems just are not used to solid food yet, and it can stop them up at first. i did that with my first, when the same thing happened to her, and it worked great.

It's probably the rice cereal that's constipating him... The new guidelines are fruits and veggies first then cereal. They can't digest the cereal until at least one. Check out LaLecheLeague.org for more guidlines for first foods and breastfeeding! Good luck!

This happened with my son when I introduced rice cereal (he was also only breastfed). I was also used to one or two poops a day then it went to about five days. I started adding some apple juice to the cereal (in addition to the bm or formula) and the nurse recommended 1 tablespoon of DARK Karo syrup to 4 ozs of water (I use warm water). This helped! He's now in his 32nd week and I still use these options when needed. Good luck!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months before starting solids and it is for the very reason you describe. Solids are tough on their little systems and can definately cause constipation. Also, it can cause your supply of breastmilk to drop. Rice, in particular can cause constipation - that's why it's used for diarrhea. I'd go back to just breastfeeding and try solids again in 2 months.

I have a five month old, exclusively breastfed (no solids yet). Since he was three months old, he has BM's about once per week. My ped reassurred me that breastfed babies can go up to ten days in between movements. Constipation signs are hard pebbly stools, grunting or other unusual noises as they are trying to pass their stool. Does your little one seem uncomfortable or content? If you think it is constipation, you can always try a little prune juice (very watered down).

my son is 21 weeks as well and I used a 4oz bottle and put 2oz of apple juice and 2 oz of water and let him drink that and that unblocked him and he liked the juice. I used 100% juice no sugar added but I still mixed it with water. within an hour of him drinking that he was able to poop. I hope something works for you and him.

Hi J.,

I would wait it out. My baby was exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of his life. His poops were the typical breastfed baby yellow grainy poops, easy to pass and frequent. When he was introduced to solids at 6 months, he started pooping once a day or every other day and the poop became more like the consistency of play-doh. He seemed to be straining when pooping. I was worried, but I called my pediatrician who had some good advice. Of course, the solids are making his poop more solid and of course he may strain a little. This is new for his system, using muscles to push his bowel movement out. Breastfed bowel movements are super easy to pass. Now he had to learn to use new muscles, but he soon learned how. I did introduce pureed prunes with pear juice early to help his bowels stay regular. He liked the pureed prunes mixed with yogurt. Hope this helps.

D.

FYI, I also practiced Elimination Communication with my son. I started taking him to the potty when I knew he was about to have a BM. All of his bowel movements since 8 months have been in a potty, not a diaper. No poopy diapers has been wonderful! I did find that if he woke up in the middle of the night, a lot of the time he needed to poop and wouldn't go in his diaper. If your interested here is a website with more info. http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/

I think you should reduce the amount of solids he is eating. Breastmilk is all he needs. A babies digestive system isn't ready to process so much solid food until 6 months.
My pediatrition said I could start solids at 4 months so I did with my first, and she was constipated until she turned 6 months old. My second baby started solids at 6 months and has never been constipated.
Like other said though, sometimes breastfed babies don't poop for several days, it's normal.

it might be a bit too early for solids. i would say stop the carrots and maybe only do one rice cereal - very runny. for the constipation, try some a bottle with water and a little brown sugar in it. at only 21 weeks, i doubt that his little belly can digest the rice and carrots. i never introduced solids until 4 1/2 to 5 months of age. until then, baby is better w/ breastmilk or formula only.

Try giving him stage 1 bananas or prunes; my pediatrician recommended it to us. It'll help move things along, if you know what I mean. My son is 7 mos now and I remember when we first started solids we had the same issue (like yours, mine is exclusively breastfed). If you feel like he needs it, give him the suppository. We've had to do that as well. Best of luck!

Hi J., the food is probably the reason. What I do is mix prunes in my daughters cereal. It does help. I keep jars of prunes in stock. Also mix about 2oz of prune juice with 2oz of water and give her a bottle of prune juice when you do not actually feed her the prunes.

My daughter who is now 13 months old got constipated from rice cereal. When I called the pediatrician's office, I was told that rice cereal could be constipating which I never knew before. They advised me to try pear juice or prunes. Also, I was told that a baby could go 3 days without a bowel movement. I hope that helps!

Yogurt or oatmeal might "unblock" him, if that's the problem.

I'd wait another couple of days. My daughter who's 8 mo. now was exclusively breastfed too until I started solids around 4 mo. It caused her to be irregular too, but not constipated (remember constipation when their poo is hard, not how frequently they go). She also seemed uncomfortable at night, so I started feeding her the veggies at breakfast or lunch, and then the fruit or cereal at night and that helped.

Rice, sweet potatoes, and bananas are constipating foods, so I try not to feed her more than one of those in a day.

Two things to be prepared for when he does poo: 1. It will be bright orange! 2. His face may turn beet red and there may be some serious grunting...breastfeeders are used to easy poos.

Does he drink juices?

I use to babysit a little one who had loads of allergies if she had one milk bottle too many or the wrong milk (she was only to have skim) too much milk fat would constipate her.

Too many juices would give her the runs. It was a fine line.

Sounds like you little one could use a bottle or two during the day of apple juice.

Cut out the carrots for a while and see what happens.

Just wait it out. When babies start solids, it's natural for them to poop less. Just like adults. His system has to get used to processing the solids. You can give him fruit to help move things along. Pears always seem to work for us. Kids can go as long as a week without a poo. Once his system gets used to the solids, he'll get on a regular schedule again. Also, don't be alarmed if his dirty diaper is orange in color. The carrots will do that. And it will most likely have a different consistency than what you're used to.

My now 24 year old son had problems with constipation when he was first born. I breastfed him and my other 4 children. I supplemented my son with a bottle of dark caro syrup and water. Take a 4oz bottle, fill with about 1 inch of the dark caro syrup and fill the rest with water. Heat up slightly so you can dissolve the syrup. It takes a good 12-24 hours to work, but it works wonders. I had great results with it and it also kept me from using any medication and I didn't have to worry about reactions.
Give it a try. Your son should be feeling better real soon.
PS-You also might try a combination of decaf peppermint tea and water to help with the stomach ache and/or gas. Used that on all my kids when they had colic.
Deb

Hi,
From my experience, boy's digestive take longer to mature...my pediatrician said 6 months for cereal, back in the day- he was an old guy with LOADS of experience, he said Mom's want to feed solids sooner than that- but it's not necessary....maybe back off the foods, breastmilk only for another month and try again.......cereal actually has few calories and little nutritional value, the more cereal the less mother's milks he is getting...

My son had colic..I couldn't feed him cereal till he was 6 mo old...

Best of luck- Parenthood does not come with a manual...lol

M.

My son is the constipation KING! He's five now, but has dealt with this since infancy. Definitely use the glycerin suppository...they work wonderful and pediatricians recommend them in this situation. Age is not an issue with the suppositories. I also suggest mixing the baby prune food into his other foods or even feeding them solo (if he likes the taste, which my son did). A small amount of prune juice mixed w/ water or in with his favorite juice (if he drinks juice) also works wonders. Now that my son is older, the pediatrician directed me to keep suppositores and enemas on hand and to give him the directed dose of BENEFIBER each day in his drink. This has alleviated the problem thus far, for 5 months now. Benefiber is tasteless even in water....I now take it also to make sure I get enough fiber. Call your pediatrician or nurse and see if Benefiber would be helpful at this age as a preventative, if not, this may be a great preventative down the road if he continues to suffer from constipation. Good luck, this is a difficult situation for a mommy to watch. :)

Hello,

Our pediatrician recommended a small amount of undiluted pear juice, and that worked wonders for our son at about 5-6 months. It seemed that even half an ounce or less was very effective. I hope it goes well for your little guy.

K.

My son did the same thing when I introduced solid foods. The doctor said it was normal for him to go a few days without a bowel movement, but she recommended giving him an ounce of prune juice diluted with some water. We did this every day for awhile, and it really seemed to help.

I totally understand what you are going through...I have a 8 1/2 month old little girl and we went through the same thing. I found out that the rice cereal is binding and can cause some constipation. Try cutting back on the rice cereal or maybe alternate it with oatmeal. I have her on the Similac Isomil due to her reflux and that also causes fewer BM'sand sometimes constipation. Our pediatrician said to add a teaspoon of the dark Karo syrup to one of her bottles per day and that seems to get things moving. When you start to add more veggies and fruit to his diet, you need to watch because certain ones are more binding than others. Bananas and apple sauce are binding. Prunes, pears, peaches are not. I'm not exactly sure which veggies are binding. I try to alternate which ones she's getting so that she does not become too constipated. Hope this helps :)

L. R

I had an old time Dr. tell me long ago to use dark Karo syrup mixed with water. It should be a very light brown in color and this should move the bowels if you think he is constipated.

C.

I went through this as well. From what I have seen the other moms wrote, I agree with them all. I gave my son Karo syrup mixed in his food. Don't worry about regularity. I took my son to the Dr. when he didn't poop for a week--which was recommended by the call-in nurse hotline. I did give gycerine tabs, but I hated inserting them because I didn't know if they were in far enough because I would find them in his diaper and gooey! Be paitent and "this too shall pass". :)

Rice cereal is a binding food. Switch him to the oatmeal cereal and you can also give 1 oz of apple juice mixed with 1 oz of water. Try this before you go to the suppositories.

The cereal is usually what causes the constipation. I would try giving him some prunes and or pears.

Carrots have been known to cause constipation in babies so maybe lay low on them for a while and substitute for something else - pumpkin, brocolli, or even some fruit like pears or apples (although beware as too much apple sauce can also cause constipation). Also maybe try mixing some prune juice in with what ever food you give him, even the cereal, as this can help move things along. I would try natural foods first before giving him the suppository as it may not even be food related. Once foods are introduced, BM's often change in consistency and frequency so even another week wouldn't be too much of a concern unless he is in constant pain. Good luck.