Diet for constipated babies

Entering this world brings a whole load of new experiences and a tiny little body is bombarded with challenges. Many newborns have numerous obstacles to pass as their bodies adjust to life outside the womb. A common challenge is constipation.

Constipation can be painful for an adult and for an infant it is no different.  Constipation can be caused by multiple factors but the result is the infrequent emptying of the bowels and the stools are often hard.

For a baby who is experiencing the many uncomfortable symptoms of constipation there are several aspects that need to be addressed to help put the infant back on the road to regular healthy bowel movements.

First, what is the baby eating? Hopefully, babies that have been introduced to solids are predominantly eating healthy fruits, vegetables and cereals such as rice and barely cereal. Now there are many great fruits and vegetable options but some are better at encouraging softer stools than others. Foods that contain some sort of fiber content such as cereals, apricots, prunes, peaches, pears, plums, beans, peas or spinach can have a positive effect on the bowel. Depending on the age of the baby will determine how these foods are consumed whether they are strained foods or mashed up or cut up into finger food sizes.

Add a food from the above list at least two times a day until there is notable improvement. For some children a diet that requires careful attention may be a necessity to always enjoy soft stools other children's digestive system will adapt and improve without the frequent attention to diet.

If the baby is still breastfeeding it would be important to take a look at what the mother is eating and see if there are any foods that might be correlating to the babies constipation episodes. The mother can also adapt her diet to have more foods that contain higher fiber content.

It is important to address any issues related to constipation as they can make a baby very unhappy and uncomfortable.