To find their baby in constipation is painful for parents. Constipation generally happens to a child when the child gets dehydrated or when the baby switches from breast milk to solid diet or whole milk. To relieve your babies from this distressing situation, adopt these simple tips:
• Add a lot of fruits and vegetables in your baby’s diet along with breast feeding or bottle feeding.
• Give your baby plain water or diluted juice several times a day.
• Giving few ounce of prune juice every morning can soften baby’s stool. If your baby refuses to drink prune juice, try apple juice or apricot juice as substitute. But its effect may not be that convincing.
• Observe your babies new diet carefully. The food you are giving to him / her may be causing constipation. Foods like banana, rice, cereal can be the cause of constipation. Instead of them, offer other fruits and vegetables.
• Several types of stool softener and laxatives are available in the market. But consult your doctor before using them for your baby. Your physician can only guide you on how much to give to your child based on his / her weight.
• If your baby has not passed stool for more than 4-5 days, glycerin suppositories can be used which are easily available over the counter to bring immediate urge for bowl movement. But don’t apply this method without consulting your pediatrician.
• When your baby seems constipated, bicycle your baby’s legs and touch his legs to the chest. This can help to move the stool.
• Massage the stomach with mustard oil in circular motions with little pressure.
• Sometimes a warm bath also helps to relax the muscles and help to pass stool easily.
Though laxative is the easiest way to relieve the baby from constipation, but baby can become habitual or dependent on it for passing stool. So feeding the baby with a fiber rich diet and lots of fluids is a far better option to avoid constipation in babies.
If constipation has become regular feature in your baby’s routine, then you must consult your child’s physician. There may be some underlying reason or illness behind it.
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