8 Ways to relieve your baby’s constipation

If your baby seems to be straining, or if her nappy is filled with hard pellets, that’s a sure sign things aren’t moving as they should be.

If she has chronic constipation, or if you ever find blood in your baby’s stool, contact a doctor straight away, as these can be signs of a serious condition.

But if the symptoms are lesser, there are a few things you can do to get your baby’s bowels running smoothly again…

Increase Water Intake

Whether your baby is breast or bottle fed, it’s easy to assume she’s getting enough water as she has a largely liquid diet. But if she’s showing signs of constipation, try giving her an extra half cup of water after every feeding. It’ll help to flush her bowels properly.

Offer Fruit Juice

Prune juice is a natural laxative, but pear or apple juices also work well to beat minor constipation. Most babies love juice because it’s so sweet, so only offer full strength juices when your little one is backed up. It can cause gassiness though, so start slowly with less than two ounces of juice after meals.

Switch formulas

Every baby reacts differently to the ingredients in each type of baby formula, so it’s a good idea to let her try various types. That way you’ll learn which ones suit her best.

Feed her Fibre

Just like us, babies need plenty of fibre in their diet in order to keep things moving down below. Try adding fibre-rich foods to her diet. Kid-friendly fruity options include apricots, pears, prunes, peaches and plums. Pureed vegetables are great too.

Get her moving

Exercise is always helpful when it comes to constipation, and that’s no different for babies. But since your little one can’t run around the back garden just yet, you’ll need to help her out. Lie her on her back and life her legs up, then move them around and around in a circular motion as if she’s riding a bike. She might even find it fun!

Massage her Tummy

With your baby on her back, place your hand on her belly button. Using clockwork motion, massage your baby’s tummy in big circles. If you’re unsure how much pressure to use, just follow your baby’s cues. If she cries or wriggles, then you’re pressing too hard.

Bathe her

A warm bath will soothe almost anyone, especially little ones!

Medicate

It’s a last resort but sometimes medication is what’s needed. If the techniques above don’t work, it might be worth a trip to the pharmacy. Unfortunately, many types of laxatives that are available over the counter aren’t suitable for babies and small children, so you’ll need to visit the doctor first.