8 month old Constipated, please help!

Ashley - posted on 03/30/2010

Have you tried paragart? It is great for colic! When my son was 4 months old, he started on solids and was teething. The combination made him very constipated. He is now 9 months and still has issues occasionally because of the teething. But, for the most part, I have him on a strict schedule...when he wakes, he drinks 8 oz of formula. 4 hours later he has solids and juice. He eats solids at 11, 3, and 7. Milk before or after. Juice with meals. He also likes to drink the juice after a nap. It seems to help keep his system cleaned out and makes for a very happy/healthy baby!

Jeni - posted on 03/30/2010

My son gets constipation too, not quite as intense as yours but there are heaps of things you can do.
1. the chemist/pharmacy has a softener for babies (not a laxative)
2. Boiled water/ Prune juice
3. Fruit gels. (these work a treat!)
4. NO CEREAL, i found that lambs fry also gave my boy bad constipation.

Amy - posted on 03/30/2010

I am having the same issues and the doctor told me do the juices with no water added, no cereal at all or rice. Just do straight fruits and vegetables and allow them to drink water too. I know it is awful but the suppositories really do help. They are basically made of soap and they seem to help. The doctor told me this is normal around this age to have constipation issues so hang in there!

NICOLE - posted on 03/29/2010

You also might want to try a little diluted pediasure nutripals. I give it to my 2 year old and he will poop within the hour. It is always soft to runny. I read my bottle and it doesn't have an age range on it. Not sure if it is ok for such a youngster but it my be with a try dilluted.

NICOLE - posted on 03/29/2010

Feed her pears, prunes(baby food), and more water. I puree fruit and freeze it in ice cube trays then defrost and put in my 8 month olds bottle. I think bananas are the only food that will stop them up. Put a little slit in the nipple. I also do this with veges. Look up the types of veges that will promote soft stools. This is how I kept stools soft in my 2 year old also. Making your own baby food doesn't take much time. I can make enough food for 2 weeks in about 2 hours. I buy either fresh or frozen fruits and veges. Veges I steam and puree in a food processor.... just puree the fruit. Then poor into ice cube trays. My 8 month old eats 3-4 cubes at a feeding. I also only give him formula 3 times a day. He gets juice in between meals. His poop stays in shape but not hard.

Megan - posted on 03/29/2010

My little girl is 8.5 months and has suffered with constipation pretty much from when she was about 1 month old. We switched from using Karicare formula to Nan formula and that made a big difference its alot thinner than the other formulas. I also put 10 or 20ml prune juice in her formula untill she used her bowls comfortably and then just put it in every second bottle. recently she chewed on a fresh apricot and it went straight through her. I havent tried this yet but someone told me you can add some fibre to there cereal the stuff you can buy which is like powder. I always added pureed pears or some sort of fruit to her cereal as well. hope that helps

Rebecca - posted on 03/29/2010

The same thing happened to my daughter. I was told that the only baby food fruit she could have was pure peaches, prunes, or apricots. Also, that I should alternate it with vegetables because of their high fiber content and to stop all types of cereal or other fruits. Apple juice was ok, but not apples in baby food and that pear juice was good, but not pear baby food. When I started following those rules and making sure she always had lots of water or watered down juice (apple, pear, or prune) with her food, she started having regular soft poop with a week and is still regular. Hope that helps!

Janice - posted on 03/29/2010

I had a similar problem with my little one when I started rice cereal. Poor little thing would grunt and strain for a long time, in the end to just get a tiny hard little marble of poop. I just give her about 1/4 jar of prunes with her breakfast every day, and I also give her different kinds of cereal (rice, wheat, oat, barley) in rotation so the rice does't bind her up so bad. Also I find that if I just use the plain cereals mixed with my own pureed fruit it's better. Any of the flavoured / yogurt cereals have a ton of chemicals and preservatives in them, and that can't be good for little ones' systems (also they are more expensive). The prunes really help, and now she has a good size soft poop everyday, with a minimum of effort. Hope you find something that works for you!!

Joanne - posted on 03/29/2010

Have you tried using bebegel? I tried it once with my 7 month old and it worked.

Lindsay - posted on 03/29/2010

I have not read any other responses, so this may be a repeat. I have two kids(both breast-fed) a toddler who was Horribly constipated since about 3 months - 9 months. And my baby has also always had hard stools but it became more of an issue when we started rice cereal at 6 mo. We took my oldest to multiple pediatricians all saying it was normal and no big deal ( what my baby will not poop, and we have stopped all food, he is hardly nursing and will not take a bottle.) Never understanding the significant of the problem, we finally got in with a gastrologist, she to could not explain what was going on ( through a lot of research I do know now). But she gave us a prescription for miralax (amazing!). He started pooping fine, and at this point I had to start giving him formula ( took that fine), and eating much better. It turns out that he was alays extremely constipated. Because he had hard stools and it was very uncomfortable for him to go, he was a master at holding it in. He was always squrming around, later I learned the was his potty dance, allowing him to keep it all in. He would not eat/nurse because he was terribly agitated. The miralax allowed him to slowly become un constipated, eat normally, sleep alot better, and finally start gaining weight ( he had not gained weight from 6-9 months). He was on miralax for 2 months allowing him time to poop easily and forget about holding it in. My baby now started having the same issues at 6 months, at 7 1/2 months we could see the exact same patter with her. we put her on miralax ourselves and she is no longer able to hold her poop, and is much more comfortable.
there is an article you should read- Parents magazine, April 2010. When Your Child Just Can't Go.

Robin - posted on 03/27/2010

Feed her prune baby food. My daughter is the same way my doctor tried all that stuff too. I talked to another mom who was having the same problem she stumbled upon stage one prune baby food by gerber and it works. It's great she cleeared up so quickly within in 3 hours it was like she was never even constupated.

Isabel - posted on 03/27/2010

I've never had problems with constipation with my 7 month old son. I give him baby's only dairy formula. I nursed him up to 7months and started solids at 6 1/2 months. I make him baked sweet potatoe, fresh organic blueberries, avocado, butternut squash, manilla mangos, boiled egg yolk and very ripe banana. I also add organic plain yogurt(full fat) or organic unrefined virgen coconut oil for flavor and healthy fat. I add spices to his meals like organic cinnamon, garlic powder, tumeric and a few grains of unrefined sea salt. I'll mix sweet potatoes with blueberries, cinnamon, coconut oil (1/2 tsp) and some yogurt. He loves this!! Mix a boiled egg yolk in with very runny pured baby food sweet or savory. My son loves avocados with fresh bluberries!! It's healthy full of nutrients and fiber!! Do not give rice cereals no nutrients and just bulks!! Give Them real food...food that will fill them and provide nutrition and encourage/develop healthy taste buds! Be sure the bananas, avocados and mangos are ripe not green( too much starch) babies can't digest starch very well (hence rice). If you must use premade food mix with a fresh veg or fruit. Mom/dad you can do it!!! Good luck!!!

Vickie - posted on 03/26/2010

i saw our pediatrician cuz my son was constipated, He told us to give him the Novalac IT constipation formula and feed him pears. We havent had a problem since.

Anna - posted on 03/26/2010

Great to hear! I agree - awesome place to find help :)

Nicole - posted on 03/26/2010

Wow!!! I love the ability to get help and suppport from so many moms!!! Thank you so much! Each of you have been tremodously helpfu! Londyn has had a bm everyday and no crying! I hope it stays that way. Trying some different ways of doing things really helped. Thanks again moms! Whoever created circle of moms is a genius!

Amy - posted on 03/26/2010

I've seen it suggested already, so I will echo the suggestion. Have you tried actual prunes not the juice? Whenever I notice my daughter getting constipated I pull out the prunes and they work like a charm. Best wishes!

Anna - posted on 03/26/2010

Sounds so familiar! Poor babies what they have to go through so early in life :( Her constipation started around the same time as introducing solids, and got really bad after I fed her banana for a couple of days (didn't know it could bind them up!). We try all the same things as you, including suppositories. We also used some lactulose (mild laxative) from the doctor which was good when she hadn't gone for a long time.. She is alot more regular now most of the time, but they are alot easier for her to pass now, since I introduced more greens into her diet. I started doing big boilups of lots of veges, including silverbeet and brocolli which seemed to make enough difference to make life easier for her. The silverbeet doesn't go through a mouli or masher, but i use a food processor to cut it up small enough for her. Hope that helps. (oh, and when she is trying to pass a hard pooh, sitting her in the toilet position in the air seemed to help abit) Good luck! Anna

Lori - posted on 03/26/2010

I would add back in solids....the more fiber the better.....do not do rice cereal, but instead just fruit and veggies.....my 8 month old son LOVES prunes but give him 4 oz of prunes and man he is a pooping machine....skip the juice, go for the real stuff...do not give her apple juice, bananas, rice (including rice cereal) those things are on the BRAT diet and are helpful in firming stools when a child has diahrea....giver her pears, squash, etc....I would start with prunes.....if none of this helps, I would see her pedi!

Good luck!!





ETA Maybe ask your pedi about giving her bentonite clay if foods do not work....that stuff is fabulous!!!

Wilma - posted on 03/26/2010

My baby boy since 2 month is sometimes constipated, but I change his formula and I do not give him rice cereal, I just give him oatmeal and I he drinks and eat his prune everyday. Beside Pears are the best for that, banana and apple they do not help to much. My boy it is much better he poops like 3 times now but everyday i give him his prune and his solid food is home made and I give him a lot of veggies and chicken not meat. I hope she get better too

Pip - posted on 03/26/2010

Hi Nicole
I am a mother of an 8 year old boy who has suffered severe constipation since he was 3 days old and it has taken years of trying this and that, but nothing has worked all the time. My advise to you os go and see your doctor and dont take no for an answer and ask to be refered to a specialist. It took 3 years for my doctor to say well maybe you are right and we should send you onto someone. My son had some scans that showed that all the constipation can build up and some comes out hard, some runny but slowly over time the bowel wall gets coated on old poo and can make your child very sick. If you leave getting this sorted out properly your babys bowel will stretch just before the opening so her stools will become bigger and harder to pass. This happened to my son and i used to cry with him as i saw the size these "things" came out. Please Please get your daughter to a specialist at the hospital so they can do tests and get her on the right medication as to get this under control, it may take a year or so of meds. The doctors can also check if it is food or something else causing this, my son it was the fact that the nerves that line the bowel were not working properly and so he needing a pill to stimulate the mucles along with a liquid to help the bowel absorb water from the body. Good luck and I feel for you and your wee Girl.

Valerie - posted on 03/25/2010

I give my daughter atleast 2 ounces of apple juice mixed with water every day. I always to 2 ounces of apple juice to 6 ounces of water. She eats sooo many solid foods, it really helps keep it consistent!

Dakota - posted on 03/25/2010

prune juice, definatly works or when my son was constipated we took a drop of castor oil and rubbed it around his belly button, it seeps in through their skin and it totally harmless and works in about 30 minutes

Laura - posted on 03/25/2010

When I started my son on Mixed Grain Cereal ....he had 5 bowel movements the next day! So, maybe that would do the trick?! He had it for 3 meals the first day it was introduced to him which I now know that was a bit much to start with so now I mix it with his rice cereal...so he isn't getting too much all at once. I am hoping to start Whole Grain cereal soon! Good Luck!

Monika - posted on 03/25/2010

Please bring her to your doctor and get her checked out, I would talk to her doctor and maybe give him a food journal of what she is eating to see if he/she can spot the problem.



All p's work in constipation prunes, peaches, plums, pears... I use an organic brown rice never had a problem. IF my daughter gets constipated I was told its important to make sure babies are hydrated, but it sounds like your daughter is getting lots of fluids.



If its been going on for two months I would bring her in just to be safe.



I saw the pears note, I make my own baby food and pears are a huge favourite of my daughter and I give her organic pear juice undiluted on and off because she loves it (so sue me... =P)

Perni - posted on 03/25/2010

go with whole pears (not pear juice) for breakfast. also, 24-30 oz of formula seems to be on the upper end. my girl drinks about 20-24 oz of milk and her bowel movements are very healthy.

Katie - posted on 03/25/2010

my baby girl had the same problem when we started giving her rice waffers they're a type of baby cookie. we stopped giving it to her and just to help with her very hard poop we used qtips to get some of her poop out while she was trying to go and then in the little space that was in there we used a soft tipped syringe to put some luke warm water inside her bum. it was still pretty hard but after a week she was better it was so hard and big that it was making the areas around her anus bulge out too. if what we did did'nt help then we were going to take her to the doctor. I would suggest taking rice completly out of her diet and switch to oat cereal instead

Michelle - posted on 03/25/2010

My daughter who is now 15yrs old was exactly the same to the point I was doing enemas at home.My doctor suggested a bit of pancake syrup in her bottle.We went through years of issues.....finally when she was 8yrs old I had her allergies tested extensively,turns out shes allergic to peanuts...since we stopped that shes been alot better....also puddings,bananas tend to consitpate as well.I realize you arent there yet obviously with her diet,I m just sharing what I ve learned so far.I had her at the emerg many times,doctors etc etc and we had a very hard time finding relief for her.We did change her formula,she was on soya based which helped,we pushed alot of fruit and never gave her plain cereal unless we mixed in a tablespoon or so of fruit as well.Good luck,things will get better,one thing I can say is trust your gut,no one else is with your baby like you are and keep track of what seems to ease her tummy.

Lisa - posted on 03/25/2010

What I did was continued the karo syrup 1 teaspoon per bottle and instead of rice cereal gave oatmeal then I started to give a jar of fruit every morning and 3-4 oz of juice diluted with water daily and now he has no problems with his bowels . I used to give the karo syrup with each bottle and rice cereal in the morning and night-then the dr told me to start giving fruit so i gave the fruit mixed with small amount rice cereal or oatmeal cereal to thicken it slightly so it was easier to feed in the morning and gave fruit juice 3-4 oz diluted with water during the day then cereal at bedtime to help him sleep. Now I no longer need to give the karo syrup but every now and again if he gets too much cereal he does have harder poop so I back off on the cereal a bit. He is 22 pounds at 8 months old and the dr is very happy-he is doing well. Whenever I see he starts to have thicker poops I just give more juice-less diluted and less cereal. It has worked for him-hope this helps. He eats like a champ-cereal in morning-jar of fruit in afternoon and jar of vegetable in evening. I still do thicken the babyfood with the cereal since it is easier to spoon feed but he been doing well. One time we went to the hospital and the nurse gave him 8oz of pure juice-he pooped for days-I usually dilute the juice with water half and half. I know how you feel-I tried everything but this worked best for us-good luck!

Jennifer - posted on 03/25/2010

We had the same problem we had to get polyethylene glycol (powder) non flavoured and or peglyte I believe it is called. It takes about 2 or 3 days to get started through there system. You can just go to a pharmacy and get it. It is not prescribed, over the counter. She is almost 4 now and still have to give her some once a week to keep the poop soft so she is not scared to poo anymore. It is around 20- 40 bucks depending on where you go. Good luck.

Jodi - posted on 03/25/2010

Unfortunately this happens to alot of infants and children. Prunes are ok, but make sure that they don't get dehydrated. Giving straight Pear or Apple Juice should help, especially if it is warmed up. At 8 months of age, she should be drinking 4 ounces of fruit juice daily out of a sippy cup, besides the fruit at her meals. It will also help if at each meal you feed her at least 1/2 jar or so of fruit. EVERY MEAL. At 8 months your little one should be eating at least 2 meals a day, besides her bottles. There is no need to continue to give her pablum (rice cereal) try her on multi grain, the fiber in it should help also. The cereal should be limited though. She is old enough to mainly have veggies, meats, and fruits now. I hope everything works out. It is ok that she has to have fruit or juice to be able to have a normal BM.

Rachel - posted on 03/25/2010

Don't give a baby honey! They can get botulism, it's very dangerous.

Rachel - posted on 03/25/2010

Poor baby girl! She (and you) must be miserable. Have you tried any type of pro-biotics? Our first daughter has some trouble with being constipated after we switched her to soy milk when she was about 13 months old. We put her on BioGaia (they are infant drops that you can get from the pharmacist, but you don't need a Rx), they are expensive, but they really helped her. After the third day of giving her the drops she started going and hasn't really had much trouble since. I hope this helps your little girl. Our second just had that problem last week, but after three days in row of prunes, she finally got back to normal.

Melinda - posted on 03/25/2010

Try gripe water..you can buy it at cvs...workd wonders.

Adele - posted on 03/24/2010

My baby started on rice cereal around 8 weeks old. She was also on anti regurgatary (can't spell) milk which made her more constipated. It somehow just fixed itself, but this is what I did to help her. Take the medicinal glycerine about 1ml in a small syringe. Just insert the tip up her rear and inject the glycerine inside. Put her nappy back on and within seconds she will start pushing. Maybe pull her legs down and push them up to her tummy again to help her along. Believe me it helps!

Shannon - posted on 03/24/2010

I would recommend talking to your doctor, but my daughter had the same problem. She cried so hard one time I didn't know what to do to help her. The doctor had me stop all cereal (we had tried oatmeal but she still had the same problem) and give her 10-12oz of prune juice a day (not watered down- Sunmaid makes a good one). My doctor said not to do the apple juice (not sure why). She also recommended I try to give her fruits that start with a "P." She is doing much better, but I give her 2 cubes (make it homemade) of prunes every night along with a peach, pear or plum. My little one is now happy and poops pretty much daily with no problems!! Hope she starts feeling better!

Carrol - posted on 03/24/2010

i never had this problem with my son but i do know alot of people when they start their baby on rice cereal they get constipated, oat cereal is good, as far as i know no one has had problems with that, and also i know babies arent suppose to have hunny, but try givng your baby some water with a couple drops of hunny, its suppose to make them poo, it helped my niece, and also talk to you ped.

Priscilla - posted on 03/24/2010

We had to take our little guy to the doctor to figure out what the constipation was coming from. We were told that the Rice Cereal we were feeding him is what was causing the majority of the constipation. We were told to avoid rice cereal, apples and bananas until he starts going more regularly. The doctor's advice to was stick with Pears, Prunes and Peaches and to work in some Barley Cereal or Oatmeal and some Prune Juice. This was just what our pedi told us to do, but hopefully it helps some. Good Luck!

Nicole - posted on 03/24/2010

Thank you all for your responses!!! We will keep trying until something works consistently.

Samantha - posted on 03/24/2010

My daughter got really constipated when we started giving her cereal. My advice is to mix applesauce with it or any other baby jar fruit. It helped her so it might help your baby. We also give her Enfamil Gentleease and that really helps her belly too. I hope this helps!

Kassy - posted on 03/24/2010

Apple juice and a warm bath always works for my son. He was constipated a lot too when i started him on the rice. Warm water sometimes works, and it helps him feel a little better when i rub his tummy. good luck!

Nikki - posted on 03/24/2010

Karo made my daughter to jittery, she was on sensitive formula so the combo was just too much. Sunsweet Prunes are 100% prune juice it worked wonders on my little girl, only about 2 ounces a day in a bottle don't mix it with anything and she's good to go. The jarred prunes are good too.

Jessi - posted on 03/24/2010

The soy formula atually makes the constipation worse! Try the Karo syrup!!

Michelle - posted on 03/24/2010

prunes???

Jacqueline - posted on 03/24/2010

my daughter is 8 months too and suffers terrible with constipation.she has been like on and off from few weeks old but has gotten worse since we put her solids. we also took her off baby rice and only use water to mix her oat porridge in the morning and also add some freshly squeezed orange to it.we were going to put her on soya formula instead but heard that research shows that there is no difference!!we have brought her to doctors and hospital and keep getting the same response.we were given this medicine called dulphalac with softens the stools.i didnt like the idea of her been relient on it but have given it to her when she is bad under doctors advice.i am currently looking to get her an appointment with a homeopathic doctor to see if there is anything she can do.we have tried all those remedies too,prune juice etc but dont always work.it is so hard watching them in such pain but u are trying everything u can. i hope i gave u some help and that your baby starts to feel better soon.

Agnes - posted on 03/24/2010

My son is almost 9 months and also had a problem with constipation at about 7 months. He ate healthy and the problem was the formula milk. The health visitor advised me to dilute it, because he already get the necessary vitamins in through his diet. I only reduce it by one spoon per feed. He does not eat any cereal, but rather have yoghurt and rusks for breaksfast. He loves fruit , but it was definately the formula milk that made the difference.

Jessi - posted on 03/24/2010

I'm so sorry to hear that your baby is constipated!! My daughter has been the same way, she is 8 months old too! The pear juice worked for my son (now 2), but not for her. We have done everything you said, prunes, pear juice, Karo syrup and suppositories! So I feel your pain! We did stop giving her cereal all together. My pedi told me she doesn't really need any as long as she is getting enough breastmilk/formula and solids.
She does still get constipated some, but we feed her prunes or prune & apple everyday. We also put Karo syrup in EVERY bottle of formula that we give her. I tried backing the Karo off a little and she just got backed up, so we went back to it. My pedi said it was fine to give her Karo in every bottle. I do 1 to 2 teaspoons in each bottle.
Hope this helps! I know it's horrible for you and her!!

Lydia - posted on 03/23/2010

My little one is also on solids and is now and then constipated, when this happens I put a couple of drops of cooking oil in his bottle - it helps or I put some brown sugar in organic rooibos and give that to him. Try not to use suppositories to often, they tend to make a child very lazy that leades to them not wanting to poo on their own. All the best.

Colleen - posted on 03/23/2010

Addy was getting constipated and I couldn't get any cures down her except pure' prunes. Half a jar and 12 hours later. . . vola. . She woud poop for three days straight. It also seemed to help when she was in her jumper toy. Lots of exercice helps.

Kristina - posted on 03/23/2010

My baby is 8.5 months and when she first started on solids she has some constipation. I made all of my own organic baby food and have it in the freezer in ice cubes. She hasn't had any problems since the first couple of weeks. A good friend of mine has started to make her own food b/c her daughter had bad constipation and that seems to have helped her. My daughter also doesn't like cereal so I only give her about 1 tbsp with yogurt in the morning. It may be worth a shot? It's really not as hard as it may seem! :) Good luck!

Suma - posted on 03/23/2010

hi... try giving her hot water.. as hot as she can drink... simple but effective it does work....