what foods help with constipation?

[catty]

Hi, my son seems to be getting harder poo and today (this is sick) but I watched him and it looked so hard and sore

A typical day-
Wheetabix with 3oz milk

afternoon- some sort of veg puree, has had pretty much anything pureed. Followed by half a banana or a small yoghurt

dinner - pureed veg again usually with a meat through it.
Maybe half a banana or pear after if he doesnt look full

he also has around 32oz of milk.

what can I give him on a daily basis to help with his bowels. I am getting conflicting info about the banana, some say it helps some say it doesnt, same with the cereal?

Thanks

 

[kirstybumx3]

Banana constipates more here. Rio is constipated quit badly at the moment due to not really taking enough water at all. My hv yesterday said alongside water pears, plums and prunes are good xx

 

[shterr612]

I mixed prune juice in with some of her purees, which seemed to help. Not sure if you've introduced yet, but dried prunes and dried cranberries, along with a lot of water really helped with my LO.

 

[Rachel_C]

Every person is different. My oldest can look at a banana and get constipated but her sister can eat 3 and be fine. Same with apple juice - if my youngest has a few mouthfuls she'll poo for England but it makes no difference to my oldest at all. You really just have to try different things and see what works.

In your case, I'd perhaps slow down with the solids a little if you can - weaning usually starts from 6 months but it's a process, not a sudden switch. Some kids are fine with 3 meals plus snacks and their usual milk from 6 months but others take a while to adjust.

I assume the milk is still formula? If not, go back to whatever formula LO was having before weaning started. Some of the milk cartons (instead of powder) apparently contain a preservative that acts as a mild laxative so that might be worth a go. If LO is having a lot of solid food, you could also introduce some water. It *shouldn't* be necessary but sometimes it is - as long as it doesn't reduce the milk feeds, it's okay. I'd just let LO get it himself though, no feeding it to him.

Other things to try include:
Increasing fibre
Reducing fibre (too much can be as bad as not enough - Weetabix can be quite binding)
Checking the balance of soluble and insoluble fibre in LO's diet
Reducing dairy
Including more fruits, dried like apricots and prunes are generally good
I'd avoid bananas
I'd also avoid anything to do with him 'looking full'. If he wants more, let him eat more himself but don't feed him as you risk over-feeding.

A nice doctor once said to me that a child can have the 'right' amount of water/fibre/whatever for their age but if they're still constipated, it's not the right amount for THEM. It's about trial and error.

 

[catty]

Thanks for the advice. We started weaning and 4.5 months and it has been a gradual increase to get to the amount hes eating now. He was having at one point 7-8 bottles of formula a day and the health visitor was a bit concerned by this, now he is having 4 bottles.
I give him water with meals byt he knly have a few little sips and spits most out, il try and reduce the bananas and try more things like prunes.
I agree its very trial and error as my friends son eats similar thing and has no issue with constipation

 

[Tami]

Hi, my son seems to be getting harder poo and today (this is sick) but I watched him and it looked so hard and sore

A typical day-
Wheetabix with 3oz milk

afternoon- some sort of veg puree, has had pretty much anything pureed. Followed by half a banana or a small yoghurt

dinner - pureed veg again usually with a meat through it.
Maybe half a banana or pear after if he doesnt look full

he also has around 32oz of milk.

what can I give him on a daily basis to help with his bowels. I am getting conflicting info about the banana, some say it helps some say it doesnt, same with the cereal?

Thanks

I have some prune and pear puree cubes in the freezer and when we need one I just pop one out and feed her it as is or mix a little with whatever else she might have.
If baby won't eat prune a pear puree might help move things along, and you could try offering water on a spoon or through a soft straw!

 

[sixzigma]

Prunes is a nice idea .Ragi is also good - it works great and scores really high in nutrition aswell.But the preparation can be a little hectic .

 

[fatandlumpy]

I must admit my little man is also 7 months and when he gets bunged up I just have a prune yogurt (he's still BF) and that sorts him out fairly rapidly. (Scary actually!).

Mind you - my wee one isn't eating half as much solids as yours. We're baby-lead and most of his food ends up on the floor.

 

[Noo]

Banana is constipating. I find pear ad puréed prunes helpful. Plus water.