How To Treat Constipation In Babies

After the first few weeks of introducing solids, I felt that my baby was so safe with breast milk as her only food. Moms who are waiting to wean off their babies will understand this. It isn’t easy as constipation is one of the major issues. Below are the causes and remedies.

1. Too much food will cause constipation, few moms will go overboard and offer 3 meals at 6 months itself. Their digestive system is still developing and they need only 1 meal at 6 months, 2 meals or 1 meal and 1 snack at 7 months,, 2 meals 1 snack at 9 months, 3 meals 1 snack at 10 months and by the end of 12 months they should be on 3 meals and 2 snacks. So slowly and steadily increase the food. Always remember to offer breast milk 30 minutes before their meals, and if it’s formula, the duration should extend to 45 minutes Because till 1 year breastmilk or formula milk will be the main source of nutrition.

2. Not sure why we are obsessed over apples and bananas as both of them cause constipation. It’s better to start with vegetables first and then slowly introduce fruits. Papaya, pears, watermelon, and muskmelon relieve constipation.

3. Rice is one of the foods which constipates, so giving dal and rice every  day without any  vegetables isn’t a good idea. When you make dal khichdi, add vegetables like carrot, mattar, pumpkin, beans, and potatoes.

4. Biscuits – the biggest culprit. It’s not recommended for adults itself and it’s definitely a big NO for babies. It’s all made up of maida, sugar, and preservatives, so avoid it at all costs.

5. Cow milk – we think if a kid is having 2 glasses of milk then their daily nutrition is met with but that’s not true. All the dairy products should be limited to 200 ml per day. Cow milk protein is too much for the babies to digest so it will result in constipation.

Laxatives :

Breast milk, prunes, papaya, pears, oranges, sooji, oats, dried grapes. Increase your breastfeeding session if your baby is constipated. Prunes are nothing but dried plums, simply soak in hot water for 30 mins and offer. Same way dried grapes can also be soaked and offered. Sooji is not that good in nutrition wise however if the baby is constipated it can be offered in porridge or sheera form but keep it occasional.

It’s advised that water intake until one year should be less than 40 ml because if they consume too much water then they may skip bm/FM which is not good. But decide according to the weather and baby’s needs, go ahead and offer more water if the baby is constipated. Feel free to skip meals and offer only breast milk if the baby is highly constipated.

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