What to do when prunes dont work?

My poor boy is so constipated all the time!  Dr. suggested pureed prunes, apples, prune/apple juice.  For 3-4 weeks I gave him prunes and apple purees, he hated the prune juice right of the bat (Dont blame him, that stuff is nasty)..but now he hates prunes too (which I also dont blame him because he has had it everyday for a month).  None of it really helped, he went more times a week, but it was still rock hard (TMI).  
Any other options for me?  Should I try changing to a formula that has less iron?  Right now he is just on the Enfamil Lipil.  Also, I only give cereal in the morning and it is just a little bit mixed with applesauce, should I stop that?

[margypops]

How old is he?I assume hes over 5months to be on solid food,sounds like it could be the Formula maybe want to change it,ask the Doctor he will know which one to try.Does he drink any boiled water aswell as the milk .Hope you get a good soft Poop soon!

[kjbutcher]

Prunes and apples didnt work for AJ either.  Usually babies have one or two things that will make them go that are specific to the baby.  AJ's cousin was a carrot pooper and AJ was a squash man.  The other thing that works wonders is if you take a real apple, cut it in half and rub the tip of a spoon down it.  you can make baby food basically with the real apple juice right on the spoon with the apple.  Apparently this is what the french do and when my french mother in law did it with my son he pooped perfectly!  I really wouldnt change the formula if you are starting food.  AJ was the same way. he would go about every 4 days and really have to work to get it out, sometimes with my assistance.  now that he is on food he is very regular.  Avacado can be done the same way as the apple and that will work also.  I just wouldnt give him too much avacado.  Maybe a quarter of it.  Keep working with different kinds of food and see what works for him.  Then try to give that to him every other day even if it is just a little bit of it with other food.  

[babyscience]

He is 7 months old now.  Haha...yes I have also assisted in the process of trying to get it out.  I have tried every food so far.  He doesnt drink water or juice, he only likes formula, which I guess is good for now since it should be his main source of nutrition.  He hates avacado...I think more so the texture of it, but I give it to him every time I make guacamole because I love to see his face scrunch up.  I have given him an apple in one of those food sacks and he loves to chew on those.  I guess he just has a solid digestive tract!

[kjbutcher]

WOW.  I would probably just keep trying the apple in the sack.  I was very much against giving AJ juice and the doc said that juice is really good for constipation because it doesnt have the binding fiber that the actual fruit has, just the fiber to make you go.  Maybe you could try mixing the formula with apple juice instead of water, or half water and half juice.  It sounds like you have a tough one.  I know by 8.5-9 months we were done with the constipation thing.  Just hang in there!  

[ma2isiah]

If you are giving him rice cereal then switch to oatmeal or just stop cereal for a while. Foods to encourage pooping are p foods pears, peaches, prunes. Avoid rice, apples and bananas as they can cause constipation. I would recommend mixing the prunes with pears. DD would eat that but not plain prunes when she was constipated. And mix oatmeal cereal with pears or peaches they are also high in vit C which aids in the iron absorption of the cereal.

[babyscience]

I switched to the oatmeal cereal about 1 1/2 months ago and only have been using that.  I suspected that the rice was causing it too.  I tried pears at first and still give him some but it didnt make a dent.
He will drink apple juice if it is mixed in with formula (usually 5 oz of formula with 1oz of apple juice).  I didnt know if I should try to do it with every bottle because I dont want him to hate his formula if he gets sick of the apple taste.  So I try to do it in only 2 bottle every other day.  
He is just like his dad with the getting sick of food thing!!  Ugh.  I can eat the same food everyday and not get sick of it.  Whereas my DH will get sick of his steak or veggies before he is even finished with it on his plate!

I guess I will describe a given day of meals

Morning......Apples or Peaches mostly or any other fruit....sometimes a apple/prune mix, with tablespoon of oatmeal cereal.
Lunch......Prunes or apple/prune mix....and now peas, because he hates prunes
Dinner.....Any veggie mix sometimes with a baby scoop of meat....because he was getting sick of veggies

[babyscience]

Oh I also just recently found out that I am not suppose to give meat until 9 months of age.  Yikes! But it is only a scoop for one meal and I just started that 2wks ago.  I have only given him chicken and turkey.  SHould I stop giving meats until 9 mo, or since I started just continue it.  He hasnt had any bad reactions...haha, and for sure no diarrhea!

[ma2isiah]

I would stop the meat and wait until 9 months.

[pertykitty]

babyscience when addison seemed to have a hard time pooping i backed off the food. i gave her more breastmilk and she pooped like a champ!   some veggies have more fiber in them than others.  jarred foods are so limited.  i have been steaming veggies and pureeing them for her.  she loves carrots mixed with broccoli and zucchini mixed with cauliflower.  my sis used suppositories, but i dont know a thing about that.  does he seem constipated? i mean in pain? wiggling around or crying? maybe he just doesnt need to poop as often now he is eating.  addison has far less poops now she eats food.

[mami1323]

Try the string beans...that makes Jayden go.  Pears definitely work as well, in case he's not into the veggies.  I would stop the cereal.  Have you tried giving him water?  I also know that Karo Syrup (dark) helps with constipation but you don't want to give that to him too much either.  I would try the string beans first or juice.

[rosie1600]

My daughter is only 2 weeks and constipated. My doctor called me today and told me to give my baby 1 teaspoon of brown sugar with 2 ounces of water. And give her 1 ounce twice a day until I see her do normal. I also switched formula from Enfamil Lipil to Nestle Good Start Supreme. I read any information and reviews and everyone says that it is good for babies with constipation problems. The can also reads "easy digestion". So far so good. You should try changing and maybe that might just fix the problem. Good Luck!

[pertykitty]

i did read that fresh raw carrot juice helps, but id ask your dr. do you have a juicer? i dont know how else you could get juice that didnt have other ingredients.

[pertykitty]

brown sugar at 2 weeks?? never heard of that, nor would i want to.  how do you all know its constipation?  some babies dont poop for several days and it can be normal.  seems like too much given too early around here.

[agomez333]

When my son was constipated or had rockhard poop, the dr said to give him light karo syrup in his bottles. I'm like Rachel Ray and don't measure anything really, but I would cover the bottom of the bottle about 1/4 of an in then shake the bottle up real good. It worked like a miracle. I guess the dr said it is like a natural stool softener. We did this for 2-3 bottles a day until he was 11 mths or so and it went away eventually...
The fruit never worked for him. Also dr said no more rice cereal but oatmeal cereal for the fiber content... Water is really good too and with the karo syrup my son loved his water...
Good luck...

[rosie1600]

It's constipation because she pushes and pushes and nothing comes out. She even starts to cry. And when I do help her by pushing her legs in to get more strenght, she ends up doing little balls. I was kind of scared to try all this different that people say to give especially since she is a newborn but I feel better knowing that her pediatrician is the one telling me.

[babyscience]

In his case it is constipation...he has always been one to have less frequent stools as an infant but now they are rock hard...and probably as big as a mans (LOL, way TMI)!  And he has had to be assisted on 3 occasions where it has come partially out, but to big to get out on his own.  His face will get bright red and he will grunt and grunt with nothing in his diaper.
If he was still getting breast milk, I would back off food, since breastmilk is easier to digest...but since it is formula I dont think that would work, plus I have skipped feeding him food and boy does he get cranky!  He loves his food...when he isnt sick of it! LOL
I gave one bottle with the Karo syrup, but it was really sweet, I tasted it...so I didnt know how often to give this.  But maybe I should try it in a couple bottles a day.  I thought it wasnt suppose to be used for a prolonged period of time though....I guess if he starts getting regulated I could try to back off a little bit.
My parents have a juicer, maybe I can try that.  I did get him some carrot/apple juice that gerber sells...I put just a tad in his bottle, didnt seem like he liked it too much, but he was fussy that day...so he didnt want to do anything, but for me to leave him alone so he could play!

[babyscience]

Off topic of p o o ps...do 7 month olds usually throw attitude?!?!  Maybe it is because he constipated.  But lately if he wants to play with something like a remote or computer and I say No and pick him up and place him by his toys he has a melt down.  He cries and grunts at me and trashes around!  Crazy!  I have been trying now to do everything with my really happy voice to make it seem like it is a good thing to play with his own toys and it is somewhat better, but I didnt know they can have so much attitude!

[mami1323]

Oh yes, my son has had tantrums since 3 months of age.  He throws himself back when I tell him no and throws a fit.  He's a stubborn boy.  I'm scared when he turns 2.  I'm going to have a lot more then the terrible two's to deal with.

[kjbutcher]

yes with the attitude!!  That was one of my biggest surprises.  i wasnt quite expecting it so early.

[Linzola1]

My doctor told me a little Kayro surup in the botttle will help wonders... I think it is a teaspoon per 2 oz.....

[girliegrl1723]

my son always had "going" issues and his case sounds a lot like your little one in that he does go, but its rock hard and there were a few times when it was stuck and we had to help him get it out - not fun! anyway, edward was always on enfamil lipil with iron also and i never did switch his formula. although, you may want to look into it - it may help. i also gave him baby food prunes and prunes with apples as he also hated the prune juice. i started giving him water around the same time he started solids and he loves water, still to this day, doesn't like juice. when he seemed a little backed up and it came out hard, i would just load him up full of water and fruits and even diluted his formula a little bit - as per doctor's suggestions. now - when we switched him to whole milk, he went opposite. diahrrea everywhere! we backed down to 2% and the hard poop came again. we tried benefiber in his milk and that helped a little, but it still got stuck one time, so i wasn't satified. the doctor's next suggestion was miralax and that has worked wonders. i know your little guy may be too young still, but if it is just the way his digestive system is, he may have this problem for a while. so miralax may be something to look forward to for the future. edward gets 1/4 - 1/2 a capful in his milk everyday as needed. i can totally tell by his poop when he doesn't need it for a day and when he needs a little bit more in a day. anyway - look into that or the benefiber (which is natural and may regulate him) or the miralax for when he's alittle older. until then, load him up on the fruits - NO banana - and dilute his formula if he won't drink water. good luck!

[babyscience]

Yeah I cant wait until he is 2!  It is also crazy because he can crawl now, so he thinks he is Mr. Independant, I dont need my mommy anymore!!!  I will call him and clap my hands and cheer for him to crawl back to me....he turns, looks at me, flashes a "I see you, but I got things to do" grin, then turns back and keeps crawling.  I just want to know when they understand "NO"...apparently he probably understands it now, but chooses not to listen.  Then when I take him away, all hell breaks loose!

[agomez333]

You think he is already getting independent now just wait! LOL... Its gets worse as they get older. You just have to be strong and consistant when he has a tantrum now so he will learn and it gets easier as he gets older. If you ignore it now it gets harder to deal with as they get older... Most important thing to remember is be consistant... If he does something today and yu tell him no, you have to tell him no everythime he does it. They learn best with consistancy!

[KellyTexas]

I was going to recommend pear juice - it works wonders on our twins when they get grumpy and constipated.  

[babyscience]

Okay so I do have to keep up with the "No".  It seems like when I do that he gets into a bigger tissy fit!  So I say No he starts crying, then I usually direct him to something else.  Oh Gosh...I am going to have the kicking a screaming kid in the store aisle...AHH!

UPDATE on CONSTIPATION:  So my mom gave him some apricots in a food sack today and it worked wonders.  She said he went within 30 mins of giving it to him.  Still hard as rocks, but he got it out.
Is raw fruit okay to give him in a food sack???  I thought it was suppose to be cooked, but my mom throws everything in that bag.  (She is our daycare while I work)

[mal27harris]

my son came out of the womb constipated! At 3 days old I was giving him 1 ounce of apple mixed with 2 ounces of water everyday. I t worked for a week! Then I did the same with Karo syrup. My last try was putting vasaline on a thermometer and sticking it in his rectol. that seemed to work.

[Hope2OneDay]

I used Karo syrup. It's the "old school" remedy, but I asked my pediatrician about it and he said it was fine to mix it with formula. Sometimes it worked wonders, other times, especially if he ate a lot of oatmeal or something, it didn't do much at all.
I also used apple juice or white grape juice mixed with water, which he loved. Again, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

I also used the baby suppositories a few times when he was terribly constipated for a few days in a row. Wal-Greens has their brand, so that'll save you some money. You can't use them all the time, but it helps for the occasional poop. Just use a little vaseline and then push it in a little ways without letting the whole thing go in. Hold it there for a minute or so, then pull it out. That's what worked for me, and he never even flinched.

I recently started giving him yogurt and I will tell you, THAT keeps him regular!! I can't give it to him every day or his little butt will actually get red and raw from pooping. Every other day, or every two days is sufficient. You can get the little "snack pack" sizes, which are perfect for babies.
It's the "blended" fruit yogurt, which luckily I can get in the snack pack size in the STORE brand.

Just a suggestion. You could always ask your doc before giving it to him, since he is only 7 months old. I don't see why it would matter though.

Anyway, that's all I've got for you...good luck!

[cantwait4baby]

when my dd has the rocks in her diaper I warm up apple juice.  Works every time.  I make it real warm and put it in a bottle not a sippy.

When she was under 6 months I would warm up formula - very warm - that worked too.

[babyscience]

Hmmm, I have never warmed up formula or apple juice...that may work.  He has been going more frequently for the past few days, but it is still the size of a man's....is that normal?!?  Or is it just the constipation?  When can you start dairy with the babies?  He is 7 months old.

[cantwait4baby]

he should stay on just formula for a year - you can introduce baby foods at 6 months.  one new food  week for allergies.  Just to be sure he does not have any.

No he poo should be mushy not solid.  Try warming up the formula for a few days and see if it helps.  If you are nursing try warming up juice.

[babyscience]

I thought my ped said you can start giving yogurt and cottage cheese before a year...but I cant remember what age it was at??  But milk not until 1 year.

[Lilya]

PLEASE try yogurt. My favourite cure for constipation is fresh fruit and yogurt. A raw orange first thing in the morning and yogurt - natural bio probiotic. Give it a few days and then you'll see. It's brilliant.

[babyscience]

Well I dont think babies can have oranges until a certain age.  No citrus until after a year I thought?