New Foods Can Cause Constipation In Babies
Babies who are only breastfeeding often experience constipation for the first time when they start eating solid food. Their body takes longer to break-down the solid foods, and is not used to digesting solid foods.
In addition, babies who switch from breastmilk to formula become constipated with this switch. They are not used to the thickness of formula, breastmilk is the easiest thing for babies to digest.
What Is Baby Constipation
If your little one is pooing less than three times a week, and has poos that are either large, hard and difficult to push out, or small, hard and pellet-like, they may be constipated1. Around 15% of babies experience constipation by their first birthday2, although babies that are exclusively breast-fed are less likely to experience constipation.
Baby Constipation Home Remedies
For baby constipation relief, you can try giving infants under 6 months with hard bowel movements some waterabout one ounce. Heard of giving apple or prune juice for baby constipation? Babies 6 to 12 months can have two to four ounces of apple, pear or prune juice a day until their stools soften. The sugars in juice basically bring water into the bowel to help soften the bowel movement, Santo Domingo says.
You may have been told that using a rectal thermometer can help offer some infant constipation relief, but Santo Domingo doesnt recommend any kind of rectal stimulation as a remedy. You always run the risk of perforation, especially given that that area could be irritated, she says.
She also discourages giving baby mineral oil or Karo syrup for baby constipation. Weve found that it doesnt help. Karo syrup doesnt soften the stoolit just coats it to make it easier to pass, but youre still passing a large stool. And with mineral oil, there have been some reports of aspiration.
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Thrush Is A Yeast Infection That Develops On A Babys Tongue And Can Happen Because Of Sugar Water
Thrush can happen to babies at any age, but it happens especially when they breastfeed or drink milk. It happens from a yeast called Candida albicans. This yeast thrives on sugar to survive.
Sugar increases the chance of a baby developing thrush and it passes onto the mother during breastfeeding if sugar is introduced to the baby in the form of sugar-water.
Grabbing At Their Buttocks Or Clenching Their Cheeks Together
If you notice that your toddler is grabbing at their pants in the back and complaining this could be their way of telling you that they arent feeling well.
If your younger baby is clenching their buttock and whining or seeming to not feel well, this is a common thing that kids who are constipated tend to do.
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What Will Cause A Baby To Be Constipated
Not taking in enough fluids or staying hydrated throughout the day
A baby should always be drinking a sufficient amount of fluids, to fall behind on this is not uncommon though. When summer-time hits it is an especially known time amongst parents for their children to become dehydrated including small babies.
Sometimes during the summer, babies wont be as keen to drink their mothers milk or bottles from feeling hot and bothered. Look to see if your baby is producing enough wet diapers, which can be anything from six or more a day.
Breastfed Babies And Constipation
Breastfed babies rarely get constipated because breast milk contains a natural laxative. They tend to have yellow-coloured seedy poos that are often quite soft.
Newborn breastfed babies may poo after every feed. Older breastfed babies may go up to a week without pooing. This is not constipation if the poo is soft.
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Seattle Children’s Urgent Care Locations
If your childâs illness or injury is life-threatening, call 911.
How Can I Help My Constipated Baby
Thankfully, there are a number of things you can do to help relieve your babys constipation. Here are a few tips to help your little one feel better:
- Give your baby some cooled, previously boiled water. If your baby is formula-fed, do not add additional water to their formula instead, give them extra water in between feeds.
- Check the formula. If your baby is formula-fed, make sure you are using the right amount of powder when mixing their formula. Too much can cause your baby to become constipated.
- Talk to your doctor or local pharmacist. If your baby is constipated, it is worth asking them about specialist formulas that can help with this.
- Give your baby a little tummy rub. It may sound strange, but rubbing your babys stomach in a clockwise circular motion can really help their digestion.
- Do the baby bicycle. With your baby lying on their back, gently move their legs in a cycling motion. This can help relieve any trapped wind and kickstart their little digestive system. Many babies tend to find this very relaxing, too.
- Give them some fruit. At around six months, if you have already started weaning your baby, then try feeding them fruit. The natural fibre in fruit can help get things moving again.
- Give them a warm bath. This can help your baby relax and the warmth can soothe their aching tummy.
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Causes Of Infant Constipation
It is often frustrating for parents to try to understand the causes of their child’s constipation. Although some parents understand the role that too much cow’s milk, a diet low in fiber, and not drinking enough fluids have in contributing to constipation, they may have other children with the same diet who aren’t constipated.
In addition to your child’s eating habits, the other main factor that contributes to constipation is infrequent bowel movements. This can occur after a child has had a large, hard, and painful bowel movement. Because they may associate going to the bathroom with pain after this experience, they will try to hold their stools.
This creates a vicious cycle. Bowel movements are painful, so the child holds them in, causing stools to be even larger and harder, which causes more pain when they finally pass. Another common cause of constipation and infrequent stools is having a bad experience with potty training.
Although rare, there are some medical causes of constipation, such as Hirschsprung’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and hypothyroidism. Constipation is also often found in children with special needs, such as spina bifida, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy, and it can be a side effect of many medications.
Does Bottle Feeding Cause Baby Constipation
2AH4A92 Mother bottle-feeding baby boy on a park bench
All babies can get constipated, but exclusively breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from constipation. As a general rule breastfed babies do poos that are loose, squirty, and dont smell too unpleasant. One of the reasons for this is that when breastfeeding your milk contains a hormone called motilin which aids bowel movements.
Bottle-fed babies can be more likely to get constipated. Formula milk can be harder for babies to digest and their stools tend to be firmer, darker and smellier. Its easy to not add enough water to formula milk, which can subsequently lead to dehydration and constipation.
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Helping Your Newborn Get Through Painful Pooping
That constipated look your baby gives you when they cant poop can be entertaining to look at, but can be quite painful for your baby. Luckily, painful pooping, or infant dyschezia, is a very common, normal and curable problem. Dr. Cindy Gellner talks about what might cause dychezia and what safe methods you can use to help your baby.
Dyschezia. It sounds like a scary condition for a newborn to have, but it is a common and very normal problem for new babies. What is it and what can you do to help your baby?
How Can You Tell If Your Baby Is Constipated
If you suspect your baby may be constipated, ask yourself the following questions:
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Is she more fussy than usual?
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Is she spitting up more often?
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Is she having significantly fewer bowel movements than at other times?
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Are her stools harder than usual, and/or are they bloody?
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Does she strain for longer than 10 minutes when she needs to poop but still not pass anything?
If you answered âyesâ to any of these, your little one may be constipated.
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Baby Constipation Remedies And Relief:
- Change formula. Starting a new formula may resolve constipation. Some infants have softer stools when they drink formula from concentrate versus powder-based . Ask your babys doctor for guidance.
- Slightly dilute the mix. Your babys poops may improve when you add a tablespoon of organic adult prune juice or one ounce of water into the formula, once or twice a day .
- Give a bottle of water. If the weather is very hot and your baby is showing signs of dehydration, depending on your baby’s age, you can give a few extra ounces of waterjust be sure to check in with your doctor before offering water.
- Open the door. Babies trying to poop often have a hard time squeezing the stomach muscles and relaxing the rectumat the same time. They accidentally tighten the anuswhen they should be easing itand consequently, they strain to push the poop out the door! To relax your babys anus, bicycle her legs and gently press her knees down to her stomach, a few times. If this fails, you might insert a Vaseline-greased thermometer or cotton swabjust one-half to one inchinto the anus. Babies usually respond by bearing down to push the object outoften pushing the poop out at the same time.
- Change up solid foods. White foods bind a baby up. But, certain fruits and veggies like broccoli, plums, prunes, prune juice or fresh aloe juice can help get pooping back on a regular schedule.
Note: Never give honey or corn syrup as a laxative, before the first birthday.
How Long Can A 1 Week Old Go Without Pooping
Constipation. Your newborn should have a bowel movement at least once a day during the first month. If they dont, call your doctor, as the baby may not be eating enough. After that, a formula-fed infant should have one at least one a day, but breastfed infants can go several days or even a week without one.
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How Does A Constipated Baby Behave
Any issues with feeding can be troubling for parents as well as their babies, it can be a difficult thing to work through.
Some issues are minor in babies under one-year-old, but when the symptoms are repetitive, it can be unsettling to have a baby who behaves the way constipation makes little ones behave.
What If The Baby Is Passing Gas But Not Stool
You may notice that your baby is still passing gas but isnt pooping…this probably isnt cause for concern. Some babies just get gassy in between poops without being constipated. In most cases, a babys gas and constipation will resolve on their own. Remember, a babys digestive system is brand new…so its still getting the hang of how to function.
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Formula Type May Cause Or Worsen Constipation
The formula is one of the leading causes in infants, but pediatricians suggest that you rule out various other reasons for constipation before actually switching the kind your baby drinks.
Certain ingredients in the formula, like casien dominant types, can cause constipation in babies more often than other kinds. Other types of formula that will more likely cause constipation than others include
- Lactose-free blends
- AR or antiregurgitation formulas
- The switch from formula to cows milk
Different brands use different ingredients in their blends and some will be more constipating to certain babies than others, its important to listen to your babys needs.
If you switch your baby from formula or breastmilk to cows milk, the shift in their bowel movements should be temporary. Though, if it lasts longer than a week you might need to step in and help your baby become regular again.
Signs Of Constipation In Babies
It’s important to note that babies’ poop schedules can swing on both sides of the spectrum. Some exclusively breastfed babies poop after every meal others have been known to hold out for a week or longer, Dr. Shu says. Both situations can be normal, as long as their bowel movements look healthy.
“Consistency is key to defining constipation in breastfed babies. Rather than liquidy, seedy, pasty stools, the constipated baby’s stool will be more like little clay balls,” says Jane Morton, M.D., a clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, “though it is extremely rare for an exclusively breastfed baby to be constipated.”
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Formula-fed babies can be all over the map, too. And when solid foods enter the picture, parents should be prepared for the frequency, form, and color to change again. But as a frame of reference, babies 0 to 4 months of age poop on average three to four times a day, and after the introduction of solid foods, that reduces to approximately one bowel movement per day.
One obvious sign of constipation in babies is a prolonged absence of poop. If your little one isn’t having at least several bright, yellow poops on Day 5 of life, something could be wrong, regardless of whether they’re on breast milk or formula, Dr. Morton says. This usually has to do with the baby not getting enough to eat.
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