What Parents Can Do to Treat Their Constipated Infant

When an infant is constipated, it can be very painful, which can understandably cause irritability. The best thing to do for the baby is to act right away, but what if you don't know what to do? Here are some things parents can do to treat their constipated infant. As a mother of multiple children, I've unfortunately dealt with this before.

The first thing I recommend for parents to do to treat their constipated infant is actually to calm themselves down. Why? When the parents are calm and relaxed, this can help calm the baby. The same goes in reverse. If the parents are stressed, the baby will sense that and get stressed out. Since the baby is likely already not too happy, complicating things further is not a good idea.

If the baby is under 2 months of age, I have found that one of the best things parents can do to treat their constipated infant is to first soothe him or her. The pediatrician will of course need to be contacted right away for an infant this young. However, soothing techniques can be applied until baby is seen by the doctor.

Since constipation may involve abdominal pains, first try a very light massage of the abdominal area. Hold baby in your lap on his or her back, with the head supported and elevated. Very gently massage the abdominal area. If that does not work, try the same method in reverse - massage the baby's lower back instead.

The above methods can be tested on infants of all ages with constipation. Another thing parents can do to treat their constipated infant is to feed him or her baby fruits twice per day in between bottle feeding. This should only be done in constipated infants who are at least 4 months of age and have eaten solids before.

For babies over 2 months, try one or two ounces of water, prune juice, or pear juice in between feedings. Do not replace a feeding with juice or water. For more elaboration on these natural constipation relief methods in infants, click here.

There are laxative products on the market for infants. However, not all doctors agree on the use of these products to treat infants. Most infant constipation clears up on its own or with the use of natural methods like those above. However, it's always best to contact the pediatrician when a baby is constipated. They will always have the most informed advice on what parents can do treat their constipated infant.

Some symptoms along with infant constipation that should warrant a call to the pediatrician include vomiting, unusual crankiness, and no bowel movement within a day or so. For even more information on constipation, including more natural relief techniques and ways to soothe crankiness click here.

-- Note that the author is not a licensed medical professional. The above is provided for informational purposes. Always consult a licensed medical professional for any advice pertaining to health matters.

Sources:

Personal Experience

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/344176/help_a_baby_with_constipation_soothe.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1933890/all_natural_ways_to_relieve_infant.html