Conference moira::parenting

    Joyce,
    
    Does she seem to be having difficulty; i.e., are the stools hard and
    painful?  If its just the pattern that's changed, and not the
    consistency, I would agree with your pediatrician that its probably
    normal.  Babies, just like adults, have different patterns.  
    
    Although exclusively breastfed babies usually don't have true constipation
    (ie hard and painful stools), I do know of one baby who was an
    exception to this.  So, if your daughter is in pain, I'd pursue it
    further with the doctor.
    
    Susan

    Susan,
    
    Her stools are not hard but the consistency has changed.  She also
    grunts, gets red in the face and pulls back from nursing like she is
    in pain.  In order to make her bowel movements more frequent, we
    tried karo syrup and apple juice.  The apple juice just made her gassy.
    The karo syrup did not work at all.  I tried using a little soap and
    water and that did stimulate her but she cried for about 10 minutes
    afterwards.  I would like for her to go on her own without using these
    techniques.  I never thought I would have this problem.  
    
    
    
    
           forward
    
    

    This happend similarly to me.  Kayla hadn't had a bowel movement in
    aobut four or five days and she WAS being cranky.  I was told by my
    pediatrician that this is common during a growth spurt.  To get her
    going I gave her prune juice and water.  Did the trick.  With in two
    days she had five bowel movements and was much happier.  She evened
    out finally until I ceased to nurse and found out she had a lactose
    allergy.  As anyone in the conference can attest to, that put me
    through hell for weeks.
    
    Try the prune juice.  Its natural and has iron.
    
    Katrina

    
    I agree with Karina (last reply), try the prune juice. Its about the
    only thing that worked for me, along with feeding straight fruits.
    My doctor said to try the "P" fruits, like Pears, Peaches, Prunes etc.
    
    But the prune juice is the easiest.  Also, be sure to buy regular 
    strained prune juice, not one with pulp. I went out of my mind trying
    to figure out why the nipple kept getting blocked up (because when you
    tip the bottle back upright, the pulp wet back into the juice). So I
    couldn't figure out what the problem was. The pulp will clog the
    nipple.
    
    Good Luck
    Chris
    

    Our daughter did this same thing when she turned about 3 months old!
    Fussed during nursing, pulled away... and went 14 days between BM's!
    We were naturally a bit, shall we say, panicky, since she'd gone every
    other day before that. She did not appear to be in discomfort, and
    though the stools were more solid when she only wen tonce every two
    weeks, they were by no means hard. She continued this for 3 months. She
    only had a BM once every two weeks... you could just about set your
    watch to it! She stopped fussing at the nursing after about 2 - 3
    weeks... never did figure out what that was and if it was or wasn't
    related to the other! The pedi told us that some breastfed babies so
    efficiently and entirely use up what is in breastmilk, that there is
    *very* little left as waste. When she began on cereals and fruits at
    about 6 months, she went back to every 1 - 2 days, but it was gradual,
    not sudden (over a period of about 2 weeks).
    
    If she is not uncomfortable, I would not worry either. If she *is*
    uncomfortable, make this very clear to your doctor, and try the prune
    juice. I have also heard (though we've not tried this) that taking
    their temperture rectally with a thermometer generously slathered with
    vaseline can often produce the desired results.
    
    --dave--

    
    
    I have a kid who is 2 1/2 and has developed a real fear of having a bm.
    Thanks to a pedi (whom I really liked but he messed up big with this 
    problem) who said not to worry too much he'll be fine.  My son was
    on iron suppliments which will sometimes give kids constipation.  
    Well we waited now he's afraid to go.  Real pain since potty training
    is coming up.  Do whatever it takes to make having a bm not be painful
    for your child.  Although Andrew has soft ones, he's still got the 
    memory (psychological) of the painful ones from when he was on iron.
    This is a real problem.  He will sometimes cry and pitch a fit when he
    knows it's coming.  
    
    Prune juice in a bottle, or prune baby fruit mixed in
    their food helps.  Also a teaspoon or so of mineral oil which we hide
    in his pudding or iceccream helps tremendously too (this was recommended
    by a gastro??? specialist at UMass).  He said MO will not harm the
    child and makes bm's "expression" easier.  It's works most of the time
    with Andrew but we still have a little way to go to overcome this
    problem.
    
    It's good that you're taking this seriously, unfortunately, we listened
    and waited too long.
    

    I recall in Dr. Spock's baby book he says that breastfed babies vary in
    terms of bowel movements from once every feeding to once every 2 weeks. 
    If there is no discomfort or hard stool, it may just as .4
    describes....
    
    best of luck,
    

    
    Mineral oil is a very effective solution to bowel problems, but when my
    daughter needed it, the pediatrician asked me to give her vitamin
    supplements as well (I think it's because the mineral oil causes
    vitamins to be absorbed by the body too quickly or before they can be
    fully effective, so the child needs the extra vitamins to compensate
    for the lost vitamins and ensure that he/she is getting the right amount
    of vitamins).
    
    Nancy-

    I am not sure how old a child has to be so you may want to check the
    label but "Smooth move tea" does the trick for constipation. You can
    get it in health food stores. Chamomile tea can be gicen to very small
    babies and also seems to help. For older children (and adults :)
    wheat bran added to their foods does wonders (but make sure that they
    drink a lot too). Ground apple + sugar or honey is another old remedy.
    I actually gave the ground apple + honey + bran + baby prune food to
    my daughter almost every morning when she was about 2.5 and we were
    toilet training. She did not want to do bms but the longest she ever
    went in between was 5 or 6 days. She is almost 3 now and a lot more
    regular but sometimes I have to "talk her into" doing a bm. No metter
    what the doctors say, I do not think that it is healthy for anyone to
    go 2 weeks without a bm.
    
    Ania

	I found that if my son's diapers were either too
soft or too hard that giving vitamins cleared up the problem
in a day or two.  For infants from around 2 months to 2 years,
the liquid vitamins are best.  After that, chewables seem to
be more popular.

	I nursed one son 15 months and the other 6 months 
and nearly all irregularities were due to my forgetting vitamins.
If you don't like the idea of giving multivitamins to babies
(I liked the Maxi-Care brand and so did the kids), then you 
should try taking extra vitamin E capsules and/or a B-complex 
while you are nursing.  The vitamin E supplement is advised 
especially if the baby is getting iron in any form.  It is one 
(of several) vitamins lost if using mineral oil or mineral talc.  
In fact, Vitamin E oil can be used topically (applied to the skin) 
instead of mineral oil, and works much better.

    Thanks for making me somewhat relieved!  It is now day 3 and no signs
    of a BM so I think it may be a week or two before she has one.  We
    tried the thermometer when she had not gone in 8 days but nothing
    happened.  I will try prune juice if she has not had one in the next 5
    days.  Will feeding the baby cereal make her bowels more consistent? 
    We have been trying to give the baby cereal (rice) for the past 2 days
    but she really is not taking enough to make a difference.  That's
    another topic in itself.  How do you get a baby to learn how to eat
    cereal and to like it?  

    The rice cereal will only make the constipation worse.  I would
    avoid it.  Same as banana, toast, and apple sauce.  All these 
    will firm up BMs.
    
    Wendy

    I would also avoid giving a child vitamin E supplements without a
    doctor's direction as this is one of those vitamins that you CAN
    overdose on.
    
    katrina

    
    Re: Cereal
    
    	My doctor advised feeding Michael "Barley" cereal from the very
    start due to his constipation problem at the time. It breaks down 
    better I think. Try it. It may take a couple of days to kick in, but
    just changing that may not do the trick completely. (now barely is the
    only kind he will eat!)  
    
    	(I think this is in another note but...) try mixing her cereal
    (barley) with apple juice...(or even prune juice!)... Might make it
    taste better.  As far as getting her to eat more of it, it may just
    take some time. Just try small mouthfuls, and maybe a side of fruit
    (prunes!) may tempt her palet more. I wouldn't go with applesauce
    though, it can be gassy.   My doctor also recommended alot of fluids, 
    juice and water. 
    
    	There is a long set of replies to a Note of this nature in the last
    version (I probably wrote 1/2 of them when I was going through this
    with Michael :-)  )
    
    	Youre lucky in one respect, that it doesn't seem to be bothering
    her too much.  When it hit at about 3-4 weeks with Michael, until we
    figured out the problem, I thought I had a colicky baby on my hands,
    the way he would SCREAM for hours. It was awful. For a long time the
    only thing that was the quickest relief was the thermometer method
    (which I HATED doing).  (If you try that again, take your time, and 
    move the thermometer "around" a bit - not "in" deep, just wiggle it,
    just gently. It shows them "where" to push, because with infants
    pushing is usually a natural thing, brought on with feeding, and they
    don't know enough to "push" to releive themselves.)
    
    Good Luck
    Chris (who is SO happy we haven't had this problem since January! :-))
    
    

    
    My baby was mostly breast fed and now is 1/2 form & 1/2 breast.
    
    He is 3 1/2 months and has his 'more frequent' weeks and his
    'less frequent' weeks.  He is not crying when he passes and
    though he pushes, it does not seem to be overly dry.
    
    I am concerned that you may be trying to treat a condition
    that *does not* exist.  If your pedi isn't worried, why are
    you?  Trying to make him have BM's more than is normal is
    only going to upset his system.  You may be making things
    worse for him later on....meaning he will have problems
    going on his own because you have 'forced' them  for so long.
    
    Constipation is not *frequency* but rather *consistency*.
    
    If anything, offer him plenty of *plain* water and try to
    stop worrying....if he's happy don't worry!
                                 
    Kristen

    
    I certainly don't believe in acting like an alarmist, but this might
    be worth looking into if the mother really feels strongly that 
    there's a little something that's not right about this situation.
    It may rectify itself shortly, I hope so.
    
    Well, my pedi tried to make us think my son's constipation was a non-
    problem!  My son developed fissures (sp?) because of constipation and hard
    poops.  Extremely painful!  I wish I had listened to my own instincts!
    
    Re: losing or not absorbing vitamins due to mineral oil.  We spoke with a
    Gastroenterologist (sp?) at UMass.  That's his specialty.  I voiced the
    same concerns regarding the possible lack of vitamin absorption 
    (vitamin B, etc). He said there is not much in the way of proof that 
    the necessary amounts of vitamins a human needs ceases to be absorbed or 
    are lost due to the intake of mineral oil.  He dismissed that
    explaining that very negligible amounts if any would be lost. He said to 
    keep giving him the usual daily vitamins and no more.  
                                      

RE: .9 - it is not adviseable to give babies (< 1 year old) honey due to
possible allergic reactions.

My son (now 9 mos) had bm problems when we started solids.  To this day we
cannot give any yellow veggies without problems.  Because he has had some
fissures (little rectal tears- little bits of blood on stools) I give him a
suppository (glycerine, infant size, avail at CVS) if he's having problems.
They work quite well, and help to soften things up.  I certainly don't
advocate using them often as they can become habit forming, but when you
baby's in pain just trying to move his bowels, a little relief goes a long
way.

Prunes, pears, pear juice, water, all good looseners.  Stay away from
yellow veggies, bananas, rice, apple products, toast (Zweiback too!).

My grandmother's 80-year-old husband suggests spinach (works like a charm
says he!).  Haven't tried it yet, but it's on the list!


~Caryn

    I was under the impression that the reason NOT to give babies under 1
    year of age honey was due to the fact that they could get botulism. I
    forgot the reason, but knowing what honey is made from, it doesn't
    surprise me.
    
    Julie

    Yes, the reason you should NEVER give honey to infants is that it
    *typically* has minute amounts of botulism (similar to almost all
    chicken having small amounts of Salmonella). Adults can handle this
    small amount without getting sick, however for infants, it *can* be
    overwhelming and in some cases has actually caused deaths.

    	I read a report *years* ago that actually linked the ingestion of
    honey with some cases of SID (sudden infant death). Better to be safe
    than sorry, avoid honey unless it is heat treated (essentially cooked)
    in other food products.

    				Wendy

    It's been some time since your note, but I'd like to let you know that
    my daughter had similar strangeness in her bowel movement patterns. 
    She was breast fed up till 5 1/2 months, and in that time would
    sometimes have several bowel movements per day, and then very suddenly
    switch to having an average of 10 days between bowel movements.  Then
    it would suddenly go back to a more frequent schedule.  This happened
    at least twice.  She seemed to be fine, so we didn't worry about it a
    lot.
    
    At about 5 weeks she even had a hemorrhoid, which our doctor said
    wasn't that uncommon.  He said that even though the stools are fairly
    liquid for breastfed babies, the children seem to have to push fairly
    hard to get them out sometimes.  We tried the thermometer in the bottom
    to stimulate a bowel movement also, but it didn't make a difference for
    us.  He didn't recommend supplementing her diet with anything else.
    
    Now she is almost two, and that time seems so long ago.  She is pretty
    regular in having a bowel movement each morning.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Beryl

     My daughters suffer from constipation and we tryed a little sugar in
    water this helped a little.Would it be ok to give her prune juice to
    2 month old babies??
    
    SCott

    Scott,
    
    We continue to fight the  constipation battle with Shannon.  We have
    tried *everything* (with dr. ok)!  She took prune juice as an infant,
    when that didn't work we tried molasses in formula, then powdered fiber
    stuff (yuck, she wouldn't touch it), the Maltsupex (very expensive)
    etc. etc.  Ask your doctor for guidance, little people need VERY close
    monitoring!
    
    -b

    My son had constipation at about 6 wks.  My doctor suggested giving
    watered down prune juice 3parts water to 1 part juice.  If that didn't
    work (it did), he said to go to the drug store and get infant 
    suppositories, and use sparingly.  Check with your doc on this.
    
    Angie

    
    Thank you all.
    
    
    SCott

    
    I had the same problem with my son starting when he was 3 weeks old.
    My doctor suggested water first, then if that didn't work, a little 
    DARK karo syrup in the bottle (1 tbs per 6 oz), then when that didn't
    work he put him on fruits that begin with "P" at just 1.5 mos old.
    Yep, straight from the spoon. Said to start with Pears, then move to 
    Prunes if that didn't work. Said giving him diluted prune juice was
    fine too.  
    
    I found the prune juice to be the most effective. Just about an ounce
    to a 4 ounce bottle should do the trick.
    
    Good Luck! 
    Chris
    

    Charlotte did not have any BM after she came out of the hospital
    (had one or two with myconium while there). After a few days we
    called the hospital and they suggested brown sugar in water. Well
    that did not work. Called the doctor after 5 days and she said
    try half of a juvenile suppository. That did the trick, but we were
    in the same predicament 5 days later. Suffice to say, that the 
    sucrose in water (OR the fennel tea my mom administered) did not do
    anything. At three weeks she'd gone three times, only with the help
    of the glycerine. We went to a Pedi (recommended by our regular doctor
    mainly because of Charlotte's weight loss). And the pedi said that some
    babies go several times a day, and some as little as ONCE IN 15 DAYS!
    He was not concerned, said that she'd go on her own (and she did), and 
    not to use the sups any more.
    My doc did not recommend the prune juice, said she was too young. She
    did okay the fennel tea my mom suggested to reduce gas however - even
    though she'd not heard of that remedy. Mom'd been using it on us and 
    had several other testimonials on it's effectiveness for regularity and
    gas reduction.
    The other day I checked the ingredients in Gripe Water when I saw
    it at the drug store. Sure enough, 1st ingredient is Fennel!
    
    If breast feeding, doc said for mom to get plenty of fiber. Possibly 
    supplimenting baby with water (lots).
    
    Aside from that, can't think of anything else they suggested right
    now...
    
    Monica

    Well the poop patrol is doing the rounds and they have some routine
    questions.
    
    Chelsea has been on Similac Low-Iron Formula since 3 months of age.
    At her 18 week appointment the pedi recommended that I start weaning
    her over to Similac Iron.  She suggested a slow transfer to let her
    system get use to the higher Iron intake.  So over the last three
    weeks we have been halving the formula.  Bowels have gotten thicker
    and pastier, nothing that caused me any alarm.  
    
    Well I put her on full strength this weekend and she has some pretty
    formed solid movements.  I called the pedi and she said to give her
    some diluted apple juice and let her know how she was doing.  She
    asked if her bottom looked okay and if there were any streaks of
    blood...all looks fine.
    
    Until I became a mother, I never knew I could analyze the color,
    shape, consistency and smell of ones bowels...but I do!!
    
    Constipation seems to be defined by change in the bowel movement vs.
    consistancy...
    
    I'm just wondering what others have gone thru when they have either
    switched to Iron formula or just noticed a hardening of their childs
    movements.
    
    Such a lovely topic....I know somebody out there will comfort my
    uneasiness!
    
    ....Lori (new-mom-with-never-ending-questions!)
    

Jessica was always on a formula with iron as well as an iron supplement once
a day.  And she tends to be constipated anyhow, so we always had to watch her
for that.  We used to put Karo in the bottle to help loosen her up. That worked
well.  And once she started on solids, giving her lots of fruit also helped.
Now that she's 18 months old, constipation is still a problem, so I make sure
we give her grapes and raisins and peaches etc. to keep her loose.

Brad was on the same formula, but has never had a problem with constipation.
In fact, he's just the opposite.

I did notice that over time, they both sort of found a natural rhythm with
Jessica messing her diaper once every 2-3 days when she was a baby to about
once a day now, and Brad going several times a day (he's like clockwork and 
even goes at the same time every day).

I think once Chelsea gets used to the new formula, her body will settle into
its own pattern, though you may find the fruit and juice supplements to be
helpful.

Cathy

    When we switch to Similac with Iron, Kevin had the same problem. He
    was so constipated, that it would hurt him to try and go. He would
    try and push and then would scream out in pain. The nurse told
    us to give him prune juice or apple juice, diluted of course. That
    did the trick. We would send a bottle of 1 oz prune juice, and 3 ozs
    of water to daycare along with his formula and that started to loosen
    him up completely.
    
    Make sure you dilute it. My sister-in-law was babysitting Kevin, and
    I had told her husband the dilution. Well, he never told her and she
    gave him full strength prune juice. Talk about explosions. He was
    probably all set for the next year. And she wondered why he exploded
    on her!!! 
    
    -Sheila
    

    
    We had a long constipation problem with Michael, but one thing that 
    helped for awhile when he wasn't TOTALLY constipated, but the
    consistancy was hard enough to make me cautious (NO not another night
    of screaming!!)...was to put and ounce or so of prune juice (strained)
    in his bottle every night.   It was just enough to loosen the
    consistancy up that I didn't feel I needed to worry.  Now at 1 yr old,
    he has no problems what-so-ever. very regular.
    
    Yes...It is sad to think of "detailing" bowel movements...but guess its
    part of "mothering"....   I recall times when I would laugh at myself
    later when we would be pretty much "rooting" my son on (5-9 wks) as
    we had to use the "thermometer method" to help him go. And sitting
    there watching the whole thing...AND BEING EXCITED!  Sounds kinda sick,
    but...after hours and hours of ear piercing screams, you change your
    priorities of sick/importance.
    
    Chris
    

    Neel was also on Similac (low iron) and I tried to change over to
    Similac (high iron) gradually but when we went 100% with the high iron
    Neel showed signs of constipation. He is 5.5 months old and does not
    like juice too much - maybe just a matter of getting used to. So until
    then I give him at least 1 or 2 feedings of the low iron formula in the
    day. The rest of the meals are high iron. So far he seems to handle
    that quite well.
    
    We have also started giving him veggies to help in the "poop
    regulation" :-).
    
    Shaila

Oh thank you for this string of notes.  I was so excited to see the base note
as my son suddenly had the same problem.  He is 16 weeks old and regularly had
1-3 bm's per day.  He is fed breast milk and formula.  Suddenly two
weeks ago he went 2 days and then 3 days between bm's and then he went SIX DAYS!
We were freaking out - the nurse and doctor were unconcerned tho day care thought
it was unusual, expecially for Alex.  Everyone was waiting for the big poop.  
We were massaging his stomach and excercising his little legs, anything we could
think of to get him going.  In the meantime I read this note and learned about
prune juice.  It wasn't until last Saturday that he seemed to become quite
uncomfortable so we gave him the diluted prune juice.  He loved it and it worked,
boy did it work.  Thank god we were both home for this bm cause this was a 2 
person job to clean up.  He got rid of his six day supply and was covered neck
to foot, and for that matter so was I after awhile.  He was just as happy 
as a pig in s*@t as we scraped it off him (this was not a hard constipated stool).

So, any of you who have not tried the prune juice remedy before - be prepared -
you might need to hose the baby down after the deed is done.

By the way he ended up being fussy the next day or so. I think his digestive
system was messed up.  It was the first time he had any juice so I'm not sure
if it was that or if his body reacted to losing that load.  He system now seems
to be going every 1-2 days.

Kathy
  

Well, if we're going to talk about poop extravaganzas -

While Sarah was being breast-fed, it was normal for
her to poop every 4-7 days.  Yes, once every 4-7 days.

If day 4 was a Friday, I would take such harassment
from the daycare women - like in yea, yea, you get the
next one.  If day 4 was Monday, I dished it out.

It was always a major event; my husband and I went to
amazing lengths to try and dump the poop-laden child 
on the other one.  This was when we evolved the
"dirty diapers belong to the person who was on watch
when they occurred, not when they were discovered"
rule.


And then there was the time my husband gave Elise an
entire jar of baby food prunes for dinner.  He said he
thought they had strained out the "active ingredient".
NOT!

Pat

    What are some of the foods that cause constipation?
    
    I mean, I know the BRAT diet (the A is for applesauce, right?  I
      see a lot of previous replies got results with apple juice).
    
    We stay away from the BRAT items, but this CONSTANT battle with
    constipation is wearing me down.  Angeline is on solid foods, so
    what are some of the common binders?   Like, is pasta bad?  My
    sitter thinks because it's starch it would be.
    
    She never gets toast, bananas, or anything rice (cereal, boiled,
    etc.. ).   She does have oatmeal 4 or 5 mornings, but I thought
    oatmeal and barley were ok.
    
    What about dairy products?  Like yogurt?  Is that binding?  She
    is on soy formula, so I doubt it's that.  Could different brands
    of formula bind her?
    
    She will be fine for a spell, but then for an even longer spell
    she's bound.  Like a week or two of hard, round, poops - if anything.
    She drinks plenty of juice, although not too much straight apple juice
    because that seems to upset her stomach.  She does love the Apple
    Quencer mixes though.  Like, apple/kiwi/peach especially.   We (her
    sitter and I) pump the water into her religiously.  
    
    Now the past few days, I've alternated giving her prune juice and
    karo in some water, and nothing is getting them looser.  A few days
    ago, she had some of, what we call, play-dough ones, but not loose
    by any means.  They are just less painful.
    
    I may be breaking down and getting out the old suppositories soon,
    but I'd like to be taking preventative measures.  I'm running out
    of ideas.  SHe has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, but I get a
    wider range of replies here.
    
    						cj *->

Ever since Lauren was little she was always
"prone" to constipation.  We have always watched
her fluids (mixing water in with the milk and
juices) and tried to balance whatever else
she eats.  It was easier with baby food then
now.

My neighbor told me she cut off the plastic foots
in her daughters pajamas and that seemed to help
constipation problems.  She thinks her daughter 
sweated too much at night.

Lauren also runs "warm", seems to sweat easily so I'm
not sure if that is a connection.

On the plus side, it makes potty training a little 
easier to clean up!

    
    I find that my Lauren regularly does hard, round poops.  Sometimes
    she is even in pain and she always has to work hard to go.  Part of
    her problem is that she drinks alot of milk.  That is definately
    binding.
    
    The best is to get a lot of fiber into her.  Fruits, veggies, and
    shredded wheat are good fiber sources.
    
    Karen
    

    FWIW, some years ago my mother suddenly started "reminding" me that 
    cheese is binding.  Funny, she had never in 30+ years informed me of 
    this, but suddenly it was supposed to be common knowledge, and she 
    was shocked to observe me eating cheese more than once in a 24-hour 
    period!  It never had any such effect on me (at least not to the degree
    where I'd notice), but YMMV.
    
    You talk about "Play-Doh" poops... um, Play-Doh seems pretty soft to
    me, unless you were thinking it had been left out of its can for a week
    or two!  It's not "loose", but do you *want* loose?  Are you hoping for 
    "product" softer than (fresh) Play-Doh?
    
    Just curious,
    Leslie
                            

    Yogurt seems to be rather binding for Aaron.  On a day that he has
    yogurt I usually add prunes to his morning cereal.  He stays pretty
    regular and comfortable this way.
    
    sandy

    Well, Leslie, we use Play-doh for lack of anything better.  
    Perhaps the "silly-putty" would be a better description, as
    it comes out in one piece and molds to her body.  She has
    to really push to move it out.  There is more of it than
    the hard round balls, but it still hurts her.  In fact, after
    a couple of days of prune juice and karo, we're only just seeing
    the putty now.  
    
    Perhaps this is more normal???    
    
    (Off the subject, kind of, remember the "silly putty"?  You
    could stick it to newspaper and the print would come up on the
    putty.  It used to have an awful smell, but we sure played with
    it a lot).
            						cj
    
    

    My pediatrician told me that yogurt, rice cereal, applesauce, bannanas,
    and soy formula. I find that Prune juice and water each day works
    wonders.
    

    try raisins. i know, she's young, but my daughter loves the Sunshine
    brand raisin cookie bars.  Or even the raisin square cereal,don't know
    who makes that.  neither kid will eat prunes, so raisins are the food
    of choice -- for all of us, as a matter of fact -- for constipation
    problems. 

    raisins aren't working
    
    she cleaned out quite a bit yesterday afternoon, but now I want to
    prevent the back-up again.  it takes a while, but we get her loose
    for maybe a day, sometimes two, then she binds back up again.
    
    I just wish I could figure out what was doing it!  Based on a couple
    of replies here, we're now knocking out yogurt too.   Poor kid...
    all the stuff she likes, she can't have.  I bet she's forgotten 
    entirely what a banana ANYTHING tastes like.
    
    							cj

    Try cutting out all the recommendations here, then once she seems
    to be regular for a couple of weeks, introduce one food at at time.
    If she gets constipated, cut it permanently from her diet.
    
    Wait until she's regular again, then introduce another food.  If she
    reacts, remove it, if she doesn't then keep it in her diet.
    
    My daughter, now 9, gets constipated at even the hint of yogurt.
    She's learned to live with it.  She can eat cottage cheese, which
    can be a good substitute for a snack with fruit, etc.
    
    Remember to introduce new things one at a time.
    
    good luck,
    Diana

    We have had a hard time w/Nicholas and Constipation...
    
    The "P's" are non binding... Prunes, peaches, plums, peaches
    
    I give Nicholas a bowl of fruit-cocktail every day, and it seems to
    keep him "normal". 
    another thing to try is the Nutri-Grain/Fruit bars. We used these on a
    daily basis a few months ago, but he got tired of them.
    
    Good luck, its a battel we fight daily.
    
    (FWIW, Whole apple seem to bind him immediately, but Apple juice was
    ok..)

One of the areas you need to be concerned about with constipation in young 
children is that the actual process may be part of the problem.  There is a 
vicious cycle which you need to prevent.

The longer it takes between bowel movements, the more stretched the muscles
in the bowel become.  The more stretched they become the harder it is for them 
to move the "poop" along.  We had a terrible problem with our son which 
culminated in a full year of treatment with strong laxatives which kept the
bowel clear and allowed the muscle to get back into shape.

Don't let the problem go too long assuming that it is diet alone which can 
solve it.  Make sure your pediatrician is involved and if you are un-
comfortable with the progress, get a referral to a specialist.

    Maxine,
    
    That is a good point.  I mean, we avoid just so many foods, only
    to find ourselves wondering what's doing it??  
    
    We have an appointment (regular check-up) on Tuesday.  I think I'm
    going to stress a little harder (please, pardon the pun ;-> ) with
    her pedi that I am getting just a bit concerned.  
    
    In the past, she has just said to give her prune juice every day and
    lots of water.  (The lots of water has been no problem)
    
    Well, ok if that's what it takes...but seems to me that isn't "normal".
    I want her to be able to go on her own.
    
    Well, for all interested parties :-), I'll let you know what she says
    when I come back on Wednesday.  
    
    						cj

    
    	FWIW, cj, bananas don't seem to bind my son a bit.  I'm
    	trying *to* give him foods that bind, and none of them seem
    	to work.  He had 2.5 bananas yesterday morning (he demanded them
    	;-) ) and still had a "blow-out" by lunchtime.  
    
    	Karen
    

    Well, thanks to Patty W, taking a can of soy formula and literally
    pointing out to me it DOES HAVE IRON.... I think I've found the 
    root of my problem.  Why I had the idea that the soy didn't, I don't
    know -  but I just thought it was what you used to avoid milk and
    iron.  (so insert a "duh" here for me).
    
    With that in mind, I figure I'll go with the prune juice until she
    goes off the formula.  I'm going to try giving it to her every other
    morning first to see if that can keep her regular enough.  If not,
    we'll go to daily. 
    
    Her pedi had wanted to wait until she was 18mths before going to milk
    because of her past problems, but I may suggest tomorrow that we try
    sooner.  See, we have to narrow down if the milk products aren't also
    an irritant for her eczema.  Might as well find out if I have to start
    getting her special (milk) products now.  
    
    Just pray for us that I don't.  I've just been marking the time until
    we had one less expense, the formula.  It'll be such a let down to find
    out I can't even give her regular milk and have to start spending on
    whatever it is you get instead.
                                                cj *->
    
     

Don't necessarily assume that going to milk will
solve the constipation problems.  Noelle was on
soy formula and didn't have any constipation problems.
Shortly after we switched to milk (~10 months), we
had occasional problems.

We had a lot of constipation problems with Kimberly from the day I stopped 
breastfeeding her (at 5 months) to the day she was off formula for good.  
We managed to keep it under control by putting a small amount of prune 
juice in all her bottles.  I really thought things would get worse when we 
switched to milk, but things improved dramatically!  We don't even need to
use the prune juice anymore.  So I have to assume it was the formula
causing the problems - and we had tried a few different ones (all
milk-based).  She eats lots of yogurt and bananas with no problems.  Her
pedi said that bananas are not binding for a lot of people.  I make sure
she gets some kind of fruit at every meal - if she doesn't we tend to have
problems. 

Good luck in figuring this out - I know how upsetting it can be!

Paula

    Well......
    
    This is an old woman's tale, but I do know that in the mid-seventies
    when I was first involved with raising kids, the ped's recommended
    putting a tablespoon of KARO syrup in formula for kids that had
    constipation problems.  It worked for my neighbors quite well.  I can't
    vouch for it as personal experience; Lolita never was on formula, and
    don't know how things have changed.
    
    meg

    yes, but ...
    
    these days we're not to give Karo syrup until after they are of an age
    to handle honey as well.
    
    the way the target keeps moving [i.e. what was suppose to fix problems
    just a few years ago is now a cause] I'm ever so glad I chose to be a
    nursing mother [the emergency back-up formula is still gathering dust
    in my pantry]
    
    it's sort of like the "eat low-fat grains"/"low-fat grains are how we
    fatten livestock. just think of how fat you'll get" situation
    
      Annie

    Having read a few of the recent notes I am reminded of the situation I
    was in with my infant daughter. I did the karo in the formula, the
    prune juice every morning, the whole grain bread and cereal, no cheese,
    etc. She always had a hard time and I got used to it. 
    
    Usually, she passed small amounts of stool and sometimes larger very
    round stools that caused pain. Eventually, it became obvious she was
    holding the stool. By 2 1/2 years old, we had a problelm. Suppositories
    didn't work and the pedi even called in the VNA to administer the enema
    as I couldn't get it into her.
    
    Finally, after Xrays and several enemas, we went to a gastrointestinal
    specialist. The perscription was a few tablespoons of mineral oil mixed
    with Ben and Jerry's ice cream every day...WORKED LIKE A CHARM. We
    later added Metamucil to the routine.
    
    At 4 1/2, she still gets 1 tablespoon of mineral oil twice a week..and
    daily metamucil.
    
    The point is that what we see as a tendency toward consitpation can
    have a physical cause. The specalist said soem of us have a curve in
    our colons that makes it harder to push it out. In very young kids, the
    muscle control isn't there. The colon will stretch and fill, causing
    ever larger, rounder, more painful stools.
    
    If it is more like a golf ball than a pebble, please try the mineral
    oil. Save yourself and your child a lot of trauma. (Dr. Winter is at
    MGH and is affiliated with HCHP.)                   
    

    
    My youngest daughter is just about 4 months and when she was about 2
    months, I at the time thought she was constipated cuz she had gone two
    days without a poop.  I called the dr. office (they have a nursing
    line) and told her that it has been 2 days w/o a poop.  The nurse asked
    if she was breast or bottled fed and I told her (breast).  She told me
    to put a couple tsp os prune juice in 4 ozs of water between feedings,
    also use a rectal therm to stimulate her bum.  I had been doing that
    althought using a q-tip with vaseline.  Anyways, less than 8 hours
    later, Koree exploded.  After that she went a few more days w/o a poop. 
    It so happened that her 2 month checkup came wtihin those days and I
    mentioned it to my dr's nurse that Koree is constipated.  To make a
    long story short, she said that breast milk is so nutrisious that there
    is hardly any waste and its not uncommon for a breast fed baby to go 5
    or so days.  I told her that I wish the other nurse told me this cuz
    I have been quite worried that Koree wasn't pooping.  She said all
    babies different.  My first daughter was never like that.  She said
    that when a baby is constipated, they will strain very hard and pull
    their legs way up and or the poops will come out rock hard.
    
    Anyways, I just thought I would mention this.
    

    My son is 5 weeks old.  He has been on formula since birth.  About 2
    weeks ago the problem began.  His BM's were firm.  I called the doctors
    office for guidance.  Diluted apple juice was suggested.  His next
    bowel movement after starting the apple juice was mushy.  Then he
    didn't have one for 2 days and was crying as he pushed.  I started with
    the prune juice - no results.  I called again and was told it was time
    for suppositories.  This works but isn't the method I would like to use
    to treat the problem.  I am now adding prune juice to the formula and
    have switched from Similiac with iron to Low iron.  He is getting
    crankier by the day.  He continues to push with no results and is very
    uncomfortable. His crying has increased.  I am now feeling that the
    firm bowel movements were the lesser of 2 evils and should have left
    things alone.
    
    I went to the doctor's the other day as my husband and I have had it. 
    We wanted to have conversation with someone in person instead of the
    phone calls.  I was made to feel by this on-call doctor that what was
    happening was normal - even the crying.  He was rude and made me feel
    that this was a first time mom thing. I am glad that he is not my
    child's regular doctor. His only suggestion was to
    feed my baby prunes instead of the juice.  I have not tried this yet as
    I wanted to see if the low iron would work.  Its been three days on the
    low iron.  I see no change except increased crying.  How long does it
    take to see a change?  
    
    I feel this all my be a formula issue.  Does anyone have any
    recommendations on formula's that may help?  I don't mind adding a food
    to my babies diet if that is the best solution.  But, I am worried that
    this will be a wasted effort as well. 
    
    I thought it was time to ask the Mom & Dad's out there.  I can't except
    that this is normal.  The pediatrician's can state that it is but, we
    have to live with this "condition" and my insticts tell me there is
    more to it.  I go back to work in 3 weeks.  I can't imagine that we all
    have to live like this.
    
    Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
    
    Thanks,
    Susan        

    Susan,
    
    I (and many others here) are with you on this one!  It is so upsetting.
    
    I tell you one thing I found, right off the bat.  The prunes were
    stimulating Angeline's bowels to push, but she had impactions.  It
    made things worse because she was trying to push against them.  You've
    got to get the bm's soft on a more then the prunes would keep them
    soft.
    
    It took months, but one of the best things I've found to soften and
    keep soft, for Angeline anyways, are the baby-food Apricots.  Apple
    products only work so-so and I think in some cases, add to the problem.
    
    I also found, and it took me a while to believe it, but she gets more
    constipated on Isomil than on Prosobee.  Now they're both soy formulas,
    and why a difference, I don't know.   But after many times of proof,
    I finally had to believe it.   She used to be on Similac, and her
    problems used to be bad back then, so take that for what it's worth.
    
    I say, do the suppositories one more time and get whatever is hard
    the heck out of there!  Then get all the water you can in the baby,
    and work on keeping them soft with some of the other foods suggested
    in here.   Again, the Apricots were and still are a wonderful solution
    for us.   Also, straight Pear juice really softens them up too.
    
    I know in my case, prunes and prune juice just added to her misery.
    
    							cj *->

    
    re .56
    
    I would definitely look into a different formula, try soy based,
    try no-iron. If iron is really the problem, you may want to 
    dilute the with-iron formula with some no-iron of the same brand,
    so that the baby is not getting too much iron, but is still getting
    some.
    
    
    Eva 

	When Kristen was about 3months she had the same problem, suppositories
	worked but, like you said you don't want to do that forever...
	She was on Similac WITH iron and the pedi had us switch to Similac
	with LOW iron and also add Karo syrup to all her bottles.  This got
	her going well and they were soft. We kept the Karo syrup (1tbsp) in
	8oz up for a few months and then gradually cut back to 1tbsp in ever
	other bottle.  The doctor never suggested juice or prunes, but she
	wasn't eating when the problem started.  I had nursed for the first
	2 months exclusively and weened during the 3rd month.  So at 3months
	old she was completely on formula and that is when we noticed the
	problem.

	Good luck, it's tough what you're going through, but it will get
	better!

	Karen T.

    My little guy got slightly constipated when I first switched to
    Nutramigen (for milk-sensitivity).  The stuff tastes like a charcoal
    briquet anyway, so I added about 3 tbsp. to a day's formula mixture. 
    It worked, both for taste and for keeping him mushy.  It's worth a try.
    
    M.
    

    
    My son had this same problem at about the same age, we finally found
    that Lactofree powder formula worked fairly well.  To KEEP him regular
    we gave him Malt supex (check with peditrician first) which is an all
    natural over the counter (but needs to be asked for) extremely
    expensive ($50/8 oz) laxitive.  This stuff worked like a charm, add it
    to one bottle or two a day and never had the problem again.  Eventually
    weaned him when food (mostly prunes) was introduced.
    
    Good luck 
    Michelle

    I have to say my Son's constipation problem is now a thing of the past. 
    Thanks to everyone for responding when I needed it.  A friend of mine
    experienced the same problem that I did.  She mentioned that she
    switched to Carnation Good start formula with great results.  I decided
    to try it and within 24 hours my son was a new baby.  Each day after
    got even better.  He has not had a problem since being on this formula.
    The can of formula indicates that stools would become softer like breast
    fed babies and they did.  He goes at least once a day as well.
    
    I have learned that this formula is made of Whey which is the same as
    breast milk.  Similic is made up of the harder to digest Casein.  So,
    even after switching to low-iron Similac, the constipation may still
    exist.  With the Carnation he is getting full iron and no constipation
    problems.  Comparing the labels shows similar nutritional value.  I
    have also learned that hospitals are under contract with
    certain brands of formula.  Thus doctors may be reluctant to tell you
    about other formulas or may not know about other formulas that may work
    better.
    
    My son has been on this new formula for 3 weeks and we are enjoying him
    so much more.  There are no more cries of pain.  I will be mentioning
    to his pedicatrician that I have made the change at his 2 month
    appointment this week.  
    
    With this ordeal, I have gained confidence in my own instincts.  I do
    know my baby better than anyone else.  I don't think a doctor will be
    treating me in the manner I was treated again.
    
    I hope this helps someone else.
    
    Susan
    
            

    Re .61 - Whey is not the same as breastmilk.  Whey and casein are the
    protein components of milk.  They are also the components that cause
    most of the sensitivities and allergies in infants and children.
    
    Nancy