My 5 month old son is having a hard time pooping now that he is eating baby food, what should I do?

Kira - posted on 10/25/2012

My daughter haven't poop in 2 days. I'm worried like crazy ....please is enybody knows what to do?

Kathleen - posted on 05/20/2010

definately have him drink juice. i know my son HATED prune juice, so i would do a mix of water apple jjuice and prune juice. it made it a little more bearable. but just make sure you dont go anywhere til its done, cause you will have a big mess to clean up!

Molly - posted on 05/20/2010

works for me thanks

Tarryn - posted on 05/20/2010

i had the same problem for a short while with my first child. Pureed prunes did the trick, a couple tespoons and all sorted. she loved water too so that was a major help. try get him used to water, it's the one thing that help with constipation.

Melissa - posted on 05/19/2010

My daughter has the worst bowels. When we switched her off breast milk to formula she got constipated. When we switched her to homo milk she got constipated. She has the most incredibly horrible time trying to poop. I asked for advice everyday. Now Once a day I give her two servings of prunes, and one bottle of pear juice * not watered down. I make sure that she gets all of the vegetable, and fruit servings she needs. If I find she's starting to get blocked up at all I use prune/apple juice, or syrup in a bottle, or crushed up or baby prune food ( extra then I normally give her). Another things thats worked for people I know is gripe water in their bubba, corn food, giving them water ( a bottle or sippy cup) every day. I hope this helps I know how awful it is to see your little one suffering.

Lisa - posted on 05/19/2010

Good Luck, Ive Been Fighting this Since my Daughter was that age... Shes 6 Now and its not much Better. Doctor's Say she will grow Out Of It. We do Pear Juice every day and Sit in Warm Water every night at Bath time. I hope You get it Cleared Up and you dont fight this for Years to Come like i have. I wouldnt wish this on Anyone!
Good Luck

Itsa - posted on 05/19/2010

MY baby's doctor said he should be having a little bit of water with solid meals, in a sippy cup and milk only when he's about to go for naps (this was 5.5 months)

Juices other than prune are not recommended here in Scandinavia as all the nutrients are removed from the fruit and veg when made into juice. Try a SMALL amount of prune juice mixed with water.

Jane - posted on 05/19/2010

Try 50/50 mix of dark Karo corn syrup and water. No more than four ounces. You'll see it change in 3 days. :)

Molly - posted on 05/19/2010

Just give him a little warm apple juice you can add a little warm water to dilute it down some.

Anthea - posted on 05/19/2010

I give my 10 month old probiotics. He has been on them since he was 4 months old. He really battles with his tummy. I stopped for a week and he became so constipated and sore. Since I started again he is back to normal.

Melissa - posted on 05/19/2010

My daughter had this problem too. I tried a few things. I put some brown sugar in her water, just a little. I also tried prune juice and mix with water too since its so strong.

Danielle - posted on 05/17/2010

I do prune juice or prune baby food and it has worked wonders. Now I just give it to her a few times a week and she's a regular pooper!

Gena - posted on 05/17/2010

I agree that prunes are a great idea...but start with just a few spoonfuls until you know how his system will react!! For my son, I mixed a few spoonfuls into another fruit that he was having and that worked for him! Before I realized that I gave him an entire serving of prunes...and it was BAD:)

Carolyn - posted on 05/15/2010

I was told when my little ones was constipated to try P foods - peaches, plums, peas, prunes. My nurse did warn me though that straight prunes are really harsh on am immature digestive system and to cut them with peaches or applesauce even. And I was told to give straight infant juice (gerber or the like) and ounce for every month of age (5 mons = 5ounces). My son was in so much pain and I found the peas and peaches really did the trick. I started keeping a few jars of baby fruit and juice in the house for those days. Hope this helps.

Kelly - posted on 05/14/2010

I also agree that prunes work wonders, but don't over do it, it will cause diherea & will be very painful. But one serving of prunes did wonders for my lil man! =) hope everything works out well for you!

Len - posted on 05/14/2010

This is going to sound funny but when my oldest (now 7) had the same problem my Mom told me to get dark Karo syrup (has to be the dark) and put about a tablespoon (some times more or less depending on the kid) in his bottle. Works like magic, I have used the trick with all three kids now. I gave it to them in there night time bottle and they would go normal in the morning (no bunny poo :-). You can use it any time, there are NO side effects, and you can't over dose. Good luck, hope it helps.

Melizza - posted on 05/14/2010

Thanks everyone. The doctor actually told me to feed him baby food now that he is fine. But he did have the same problem when we switched formula. I just think that it can just be the change. What I've been trying to do is add water to the baby food. I actually did think about maybe giving him more fruits now just l ike suggested so I'll try that tomorrow. Thank you everyone.

April - posted on 05/14/2010

breastfeed or give formula instead of baby food...his body may be telling you he's not quite ready for baby food. i would try again in a few months . (it is recommended to wait until they are at least 6 months old)

Stefie - posted on 05/14/2010

I would check with your doctor first, but berries seem to be a good laxative. I think there are some commercial baby food out there that have berries, otherwise they are super yummy blended up with maybe some water and frozen into ice cubes that can be cut into small pieces for little fingers.

Meagan - posted on 05/14/2010

My daughter used to be constipated all the time, no matter what we gave her or didn't give her. As soon as she started walking, it got better. So maybe have him stand up for a few minutes (like on your lap) every hour or so...then gravity can help. If you can get him to kick his legs while he's upright that could help, too. Best wishes. M

Kristin - posted on 05/14/2010

Make his foods (cereals especially) more liquidy. Offer the breast or bottle for a bit before and then again after the meals. Prune puree really helps. Get anything that would bwe part of the BRAT diet out of circulation for awhile. These are Bananas, Rice (cereal or whatever, unless whole grain), Apples (sauce/purees/juices), and Toast (teething biscuits count too). These foods slow or halt diarrhea and that is most definitely NOT what your son's problem is. Basically, you want high fiber, more fluids, and movement. I would give my boys some oatmeal (like you or I would eat, just sugarless) mixed with prunes to get them through the tough bits.



Warm baths help to relax them. Super gentle massage in the direction of the bowel can help, get this info from the doctor or nurse. Bicycling his legs will help move things along too.



If after trying these things, and what the other mom's suggest, nothing is helping, contact his doctor. You should maybe do that anyway before trying much of what will be suggested, including this. Hope your boy feels better soon.

Kelley - posted on 05/14/2010

Too much iron can cause constipation. Check the content on the foods you're using--most cereals and formulas are 100%, which was too much for my daughter. She would cry/scream when she pooed. I switched to My Organic Baby cereal (only 60% iron content), and after a week on that, she started having regular, softer stools again. Oh, it also helps to feed your babe vitamin C rich foods (mangos) with iron rich (or fortified) foods because they help break down iron in the body. Good luck :)

Sandra - posted on 05/14/2010

The next thing that you try him on make it prunes or corn. Both make kids poop. The other thing that can cause this is fruit juice. So if you are giving him fruit juice stop for about a week and see if it gets better.