What Parents Can Do to Treat Their Constipated Infant

My daughter has a genetic disorder which lends her to be constipated most of the time. I know how helpless a parent can feel when they witness their baby struggling to have a bowel movement, sometimes with no success. Over the course of time, and from many trips to the pediatricians office, I learned some things that I could do to treat the constipation.

First, you can give your baby some water to drink. Some formula's can be binding. The water is perfectly safe for an infant to drink and will keep your baby's feces from becoming dry and hard. I would give my daughter 2-3 ounces of water each day in addition to all of her formula feedings. This really helps in the beginning.

Second, you can give your infant 2-3 ounces of prune juice if the water doesn't seem to be helping. Prunes are a wonderful fruit for helping you pass your bowels. They contain fiber which is really good for your digestive tract. The prune juice should begin to work in 24-48 hours. Your pediatrician may want you to water down the prune juice depending on your infant's age. You should check with them first.

Third, once your infant reaches the age of 4 months, you can feed them prune baby food. This is just prunes that were blended up with some water. This worked great for my daughter. I gave her a small jar each day with her rice cereal. It worked all the way until she turned one year old and began to eat regular foods.

Fourth, you may need to use a suppository if the stool becomes too hard to pass. They make infant suppositories that you just insert in to the rectum with a finger. It shouldn't take too long to work so make sure you get the diaper back on your baby pretty quick. You don't want to overuse these though because your infant can then become dependent upon them. Always check with your doctor first.

Finally, you can may need to use Miralax. This is a gentle laxative that my daughter has now used for 6 years. You use to need a prescription for it, but now it is sold over the counter. Still you will need to contact your pediatrician to find out the correct dose for your child. The Miralax is a powder that you mix with a liquid and then drink. You can place it in your infants bottle or juice cup. This method takes the longest to work. Don't expect immediate results. You should see an improvement in about 3-7 days.