How to Relieve Your Baby’s Constipation

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Constipation is very common in newborns and infants who are not breastfed. But constipation is also seen in breastfeeding babies. Constipation is not a cause of worry unless your baby does not poop for several days altogether.

There are a few remedies that can be performed at home to relieve a newborn baby from constipation.

Check your baby’s tummy by placing your hand on it. A hard tummy indicates constipation. In order to get the baby’s bowels moving help your baby perform a few leg movements. Bend and unbend the infant’s knees slowly and gently. Keep this up for a couple of minutes, stop and then start again. Normally this is enough to get your baby started.

Prune juice, apple juice and grape juices are excellent remedies for constipation. However, when giving them to infant (who may not have even started on semi-solid food yet) dilute the juices with water. One part juice with four parts water is the ideal remedy for constipation in infants.

Some babies might not ease up even after being given juices. In such cases parents can resort to use of Karo syrup to relieve the baby’s constipation. Karo syrup has been a favorite among parents for helping babies get rid of constipation. One teaspoon of light Karo syrup mixed in 4 ounces of water is the ideal concoction to treat newborn constipation.

You can also help your baby deal with constipation by purposely decreasing the amount of milk being fed and increasing the number of feeds. This lets the newborn digest milk easily. Babies who are formula fed should be given water additionally as this aid in easier movement and digestion of food in the intestines.

You can also try giving your baby a gentle tummy massage in warm water bath. This helps accelerate the absorption of food in the intestines making it easier for the baby to pass stools.

An infant suffering from constipation will often turn red when straining to relieve itself. If the baby has difficulty during bowel movements then gently bend the knees and push them to touch the tummy. This physical pressure on the tummy will assist in passing stool easily.

If nothing works then your pediatrician will prescribe glycerin suppositories or laxatives. But these are given only in cases where the baby frequently suffers from constipation.