Parenting Guide on Baby's Bowel Movement

The stools of babies fed S-26 resemble those of breast fed infants in color (yellow to yellow green), consistency (soft, pasty) and frequency.

Some babies do not necessarily have to move their bowels every day; bowel movements vary in different babies. However, hard and formed stools are a sign of constipation. Loose bowel movement which are unusually frequent constitute diarrhea. Any sudden change in the usual consistency or frequency may indicate illness and you should notify your doctor immediately.

List of Natural Treatments for Constipation

1. Foods that promote bowel movements: figs, prunes, pears, papaya, bran, flax seed, barley malt extract, and oats.

2. Virgin coconut oil

3. Probiotics

4. Digestive enzymes made of papaya and pineapple (you may find these in health shops)

5. Water

6. Fruit juices high in sorbitol like prune juice, apple juice and peer juice.

7. Corn syrup

What Causes Constipation in Children

A CHANGE IN SCHEDULE

Something in the child's daily rhythm could have changed such as yaya leaving, moving house, traveling, or even a change in the usual schedule. It can happen if there is a change in the child's routine or availability of an acceptable bathroom like when they go to school. They withhold stool during the time they normally go and the stool stay longer in the gut or colon.

It is important for your child to move her bowels when she feels the urge. It is the job of the colon to absorb water, and if the stool that is meant to come out is retained for whatever reason, the colon absorbs more water from the stool, making it drier and harder than usual. This starts a vicious cycle with the child withholding defecation and causing further stool retention.

NOT ENOUGH WATER OR FIBER

We need water to dilute the concentrated food we eat. We also need fiber for bulk to push the stools forward. If your child has a viral illness that leads to fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, he will need more fluid than usual. Many parents of constipated children clearly recall a viral illness heralding their child's constipation problem. If your child doesn't drink enough water, his stool will become hard. So when your child is sick, you must hydrate him even more.

TOO MUCH MILK FORMULA

There only a certain volume of milk our gut can take. Going above that means not giving the digestive tract the chance to digest. Milk cannot replace food. Protein in milk is very different from food. It can settle, ferment, and bubble inside.

Types of Poop

Here are the list of what you need to know about infant poop.

MECONIUM: While he is still in your womb, your baby will swallow some amniotic fluid(the fluid resembling saltwater in which your baby floats) as part of normal fetal activities. After birth, he will shed the amniotic fluid during his first bowel movements. These first stool are called meconium.

BREAST FED POOP: If you are breast feeding, your baby's stools will eventually be mustard in color, seedy and runny. Some moms say that a breast fed baby poop doesn't stink or that it has a distinct smell that may be described as sweet, but still has an odor.

BOTTLE FED POOP: Formula fed babies will have soft, tan colored poop, quite firm but not firmer than the consistency of peanut butter. The odor is usually stronger than with breast fed babies, and varies with different types of formula.

SOLID FOOD POOP: As your baby grows older, he will have fewer bowel movements, and his stool become more formed and pasty. When he starts on solids, his poop will change dramatically. A lot of what he eats can be seen again in his diaper and his bowel movements can be highly irregular as his intestines learn to digest new foods. Be sure to give your little one lots of fluids.

Poop problem solve

Hi there have you ever experience your baby having trouble with her bowel movement? Mine was, my daughter has a regular bowel movement when she was about 2 month old, until such time when her bowel movement came every 4-5 days, then sometimes to a week. This really troubled me, then came when she did poop, and man :-( the poop was so hard she cried so much, and it really breaks my heart to see those sad eyes looking at you asking for help,, and i can't do anything to comfort her. I tried calling the hospital and they advice me to use suppository med like(DULCOLAX) to soften her poop,, well it did great,, but still i was not comfortable,, inserting that thing in my babies butt, so i tried asking some people and they advice me to use prune juice,,, so there i am, searching at the department store to find this prune juice,,,we tried it and walla ;-) it did great, sometime my baby poop everyday, sometime every 2 days, or 3 days, 4 the most, but its more comforting than having to insert a suppository :-)