A few months after our baby was born, he was constantly having problems with constipation.  It was scary at first as the little guy would cry/scream whenever he had to poop.  After a little research, we found this is fairly normal and baby constipation can be remedied with some simple changes to their diet.

The first thing you will want to do though is make an appointment with your doctor or pediatrician just to make sure there isn’t and underlying issue such as Hirschsprung’s disease.  Don’t try to skip this step to save money.  Take your baby to the doctor if your little one seems to have constipation on a regular basis.

In the meantime, here are some things you can do in no particular order:

1 – Try adding a small amount of prune juice to your baby formula.  If you make a 5 ounce bottle of formula, try 4 ounces of water, 1 ounce of prune juice.  I also dilute the formula a bit.  We use Similac which calls for 1 scoop for every 2 ounces of water.  So, for 5 ounces I might just do 2 scoops instead of 2 1/2 scoops.

2 – Try switching formulas.  Iron can cause constipation, so you might want to try a sensitive formula or maybe even the soy formula.

3 – Breast feeding is very beneficial not only for your baby, but also for preventing constipation, as breast milk is easy to digest.

4 – Try giving your baby a small amount of apple juice mixed with water once or twice a day.  Don’t give your baby too much water/apple juice though.  When I say small amount I would suggest 2-3 ounces per bottle.  Perhaps once in the morning and another in late afternoon or early evening.  Consult your doctor about this for more details.

5 – Use Fleet glycerine suppositories.  If you buy the adult kind you will need to cut them up a bit as they are too large the way they come in the package.  I usually cut them in half length-wise, then trim the half piece down to a “comfortable” size.  If this sounds too complicated, they also make baby suppositories.  Check your local department or drug store.

6 – Get your baby moving.  Try gently massaging your baby’s stomach and giving him/her “bicycle leg” exercises.  You can also try standing your baby up, then let your baby sit down and perhaps return back to tummy massage and bicycle leg exercises.  If your baby is crawling, this should help get the poop moving around.

Here’s a video on infant/baby constipation for even more tips!  Good luck!