When your baby is constipated, he/she will ensure that the entire house knows about it. Constipation is one evil that must be immediately worked upon unless you want to forsake your peace and sleep altogether. However, you should not make frantic decisions; instead, take a look at what we have to tell you in this article.
Constipation can be quite effectively an
d easily treated when you follow any of the following mentioned remedies. These are 6 in number, and each of them is generally equally effective.
1. Water, water, water!
You can easily assume that your baby is not getting enough water whether she is bottle-fed or breastfed. His primarily liquid diet may cause him difficulty in clearing off his bowels, and this can be remedied with water. Try giving him 2-4 ounces of water after every feed so as to ease bowel movements.
2. High fibre food
We all know how good fibre is against constipation, and the same logic applies to babies. Get them carrots, cereal, bananas or cheese to ensure smooth and quick bowel movements. You should also go for foods such prunes, plums, pears, apricots, etc which are considered quite viable in the fight against constipation.
3. The “Bicycle legs”
This technique often helps in easing out bowel movements, and all you need to do is move a bit your baby’s legs. Put your baby on his back, lift up his legs, and motion them gently in a circular direction (just like pedalling a bicycle). The movement should enable release of abdominal pressure and let the bowel direction go the way it should.
4. Body’s temperature
Rectal stimulation is said to help a great deal in correcting your baby’s bowel movements. You may use Vaseline to cause the tip of the rectal thermometer lubricated and insert the same into the bottom of your baby. Now, wiggle the tip very gently a couple of time without removing it. Generally, the movement of the tip causes therelease of pressure and movement of bowels.
5. Massaging the tummy
Put your baby on his back and run your hand gently across his belly button. Taking the clockwise direction, massage the tummy in bigger circles. You would know how much pressure you need to apply by observing your baby’s cues. For example, if he cries or fidgets a lot, then it is a cue that you are putting on too much pressure.
6. What not to do!
We have saved the most important one for the last—what not to be done when your baby is constipated. Sometimes we engage in activities that aggravate constipation instead of remedying it. For starters, keep in mind that you must never use enemas, laxatives or mineral oil on your baby.
In case your baby is not responding to any of the remedies mentioned before, do not take it upon yourself to treat constipation without professional help. See a doctor, okay!
