Constipation and Your Baby

Constipation and Your Baby

By Margaret Gaia

Constipation is a tough issue with your baby as when it comes to bowel movements there is not a schedule that babies keep.  They might pass a stool after every meal, once in the morning, or even wait a day before their body reacts to specific foods.  Once you are able to learn about your baby’s conditions and their behavior in terms of bowel movements you will be able to predict or keep a close watch on potential constipation issues.  Odds are their attitude for the day will be a bit out of character and provide you with some indication that they are not responding normally to everyday normal bowel movements. 

Look for two or three days of no bowel movement.  Be aware of this and make sure to watch them when they do finally have a movement.  If it appears to be uncomfortable during the movement and once completed, if it is hard and solid, you will know that your baby is constipated and might need some attention to this issue.   If by chance that the stool comes out liquid it is not evidence that the constipation is not the issue, but exactly the opposite.  It might be evidence that the body was constipated and that the reaction was to break it down into a liquid form. 

Some common causes of constipation in babies are the immediate introduction to solid foods from breastfeeding or bottles, low fiber diets, dairy products, or even specific foods like applesauce, bananas, breads and/or pasta.  Sometimes simple remedies works such as increasing physical activity or simply changing the diet while other times things like a hot bath or working the legs of the baby in a circular motion may increase bowel movements.  Fruit juices are also a great remedy for constipation in your baby, especially babies younger than four months old.  They can’t eat a regular diet, so liquid such as juices will help.   For babies older than four months, try feeding the baby a diet which contains peas, fruits, plums and/or apricots. 

Though uncommon, a medical condition can sometimes be the cause of constipation in your baby such as food allergies or metabolic disorders.  In this case, and after three days or so, it might also be a good idea to seek medical attention.  It is always a good idea to talk with your baby’s doctor in any case, both for comfort for the parent, and out of the best interest for the baby.  Always talk to your baby’s doctor before attempting to solve the issue with over-the-counter medical treatments.