Constipation helpers

Peaches        Plums        Pears        Prunes        Apricots      Coconut Oil

Babies tend to get constipated when first introduced to solid foods.  You need to look at what you’re feeding them and rearrange a few things to get things moving again. Causes for constipation could be; rice cereal (grains), bananas, apples and dairy (yogurt, cheese, etc)

To prepare any of the fruits listed above, steam them for about 10-15 minutes.  Puree with the water you’ve steamed them in if it needs to be thinner.  Freeze in ice cube trays and add to other foods if you’d like.

Coconut oil can be added to any baby food.  Start out with 1/4 tsp and work up to 2 tsp per day to get benefits from the lauric acid found in coconut oil.

Prunes will be easier to stew than steam.  Pour hot water over prunes and let sit overnight or several hours.  Puree and strain if your baby is 8 months or younger.  If your baby is not eating solids yet, you can mix the juice from the stewed prunes with some breast milk or formula.  I like to add this to other types of food because prunes work very quickly!  The first time I gave my daughter stewed strained prunes, it cleaned her out within 30 minutes!  I think that was a little too much.  🙂

A few more tips:

With baby on their back and you at their legs, bicycle their legs around to help digestion.

Baby massage is wonderful to soothe baby and help digestion as well.  Massage the abdomen with olive oil clockwise to help move out any excess gas and help digestion as well.

For diarrhea in infants and children, try the BRAT diet:

Bananas

Rice (rice cereal over one year)

Apples (applesauce)

Toast (when they have enough teeth to chew it!)