Help for Constipated Babies

I am a mother of two young children. I would like to share my experience of keeping my children regular in the hope of helping others. I am still amazed at how quickly a conversation can shift to poop. You know it is official, you are a parent when you so easily become obsessed with other's poop. It starts with your first child in the hospital with nurses, pamphlets, and meconium. Egad! Did you ingest tar to grow that baby? This obsession is perpetuated everyday, many times over. Did they go? Is it enough? Is it too much? Is it the correct color? What is that color? Texture? You want me to check the texture? And on it goes. But few things are as difficult as watching your child suffer. This is my offering to parents and their constipated babies.

Is your child constipated now? Remember up to three days is considered normal. But no one knows your child as you do, trust yourself. If you are observing your child struggling with no relief, it may be time for your help. Start slowly and cautiously. Try full strength apple juice, not pediatric juice. The sugar in the juice helps pull water into the bowels. Small amounts for tiny ones, adjust according to weight. I suggest offering one to two ounces if child is under twenty pounds. They may not drink it all. This method may take some time, a few hours to a day. Apple juice has worked fine for us with no real side effects. You can try prunes, but our experience with prunes makes me shy away from this method. Prunes created a tummy ache which eventually ended in a malodorous mess. Parent and child found relief, but there had to be a more pleasant way for both of us.

Out of desperation, I researched ways to help my child immediately. Doctors, pharmacists, experienced parents were all interviewed. Some suggestions were a bit intimidating to myself as a first time parent. If your child needs help immediately this is the method I was most comfortable trying and have used on both children with success. This is a manual method which should be successful within few hours or a couple of treatments. You will need Q-tips and Vaseline. Because my children were young I chose to use the safety Q-tips for children. Use a generous amount of Vaseline on Q-tip, insert partially into babies anus, gently swirl Q-tip between your fingers. This works in two ways; Vaseline helps lubricate and the swirling stimulates release. When inserting and swirling be careful and gentle. There is no need to go very far, nor is there a need to linger. One or two twirls should be sufficient. Re-diaper and wait. If this does not take effect in three hours, repeat.

Most pleasant for all involved though, is prevention. Diet and exercise is important for all of us to stay healthy and regular. Children are no exception. Stimulate your baby by rubbing and playing, rolling and giggling. If your child is struggling, try lifting their legs onto their tummy. This will help force the issue and is also helpful for moving gas. Most children are active enough if their diets are well balanced. This is not to say enough fiber and water will keep your children from having a problem from time to time. All sorts of things can throw them off schedule. Traveling is a big issue for us, so I plan accordingly. I do my best to have lots of fruit and water on trips. I will bring other fiber sources, but fruit tends to be the easiest.

If your child has just started baby food and you need a more daily way to supply fiber try flaxseed meal. My youngest has been irregular from the beginning. We have both cried through bowel movements. Sounds dramatic I know, but it was traumatic for us both. I have implemented a heaping baby spoon of flaxseed meal in baby cereal everyday without fail. At first I used apple juice and water to mix the dry cereal and flaxseed meal. After just a couple of months I hardly add water anymore. It is not a lot of juice and I offer water in a sippy cup all day. Most grocery stores that carry bulk items will have the flaxseed meal. If you feel more comfortable with organic, most health food places carry it as well. The brand I use is Bob's Red Mill Organic Golden flaxseed Meal. Flaxseed is also a good source of omega-3.

Other sources in their diet will be much easier once they are eating solids. My oldest and I often eat oatmeal and yogurt. Both are healthy foods which can be made in a variety of ways. Oatmeal is not always a favorite. My family and I prefer the taste and texture of steel cut oats. Steel cut is said to save more nutrients from the oat because of lower processing temperature. Flaxseed meal is easily added to oatmeal.

Yogurt is the most fun to play around with recipes. I buy a natural plain yogurt so I can do more variety of flavors. I also feel it is a healthier version than flavored varieties with less additives. Then I add my own goodies. Fruit bought locally or grown yourself is great. You can not beat the fresh flavor and you have more control over what you are eating. Honey can be used as natural sweetener, if needed. Do not forget honey is not safe for babies until they are one year of age, neither are egg whites. Otherwise just mix and match your favorite fruits. I most often mix yogurt into a smoothie. My basic smoothie starts with yogurt, milk, frozen fresh fruit, and a banana for thickness. I freeze local produce to ensure we have plenty and this doubles as "ice" for the smoothie. A couple of great combinations are peaches and blueberries or strawberry and banana. Don't forget the flaxseed meal.

Taking control of your families diet is your best defense. Since starting a daily flaxseed diet we have not had one incident. I know this is not fool proof, but it is a great way to start. I am thankful for the manual method I have learned, but am happiest when I don't have to force the issue at all. Here's hoping it all comes out in the end.