Natural food laxatives for babies
Are There Baby Foods that Help with Constipation?
While parenting brings many surprises, one of them is likely how much you’ll think about poop, or lack thereof, especially during that first year. But here you are worrying about your baby’s digestive tract and convinced that they’re constipated.
If you’ve recently introduced your baby to solid food, then your worries may be on target: solid foods can put a strain on your baby’s developing digestive tract and cause constipation. But there are things you can do to help!
Before you begin treating constipation you should determine if there is really an issue at all. So here’s the scoop on poop and how to tell if your worries are founded and your baby is constipated.
Breastfed babies
During the first few weeks, you’ll find yourself changing diapers with alarming regularity. Figure in every feed or so.
But don’t despair, because by the time your baby reaches 6 weeks old, they may have a bowel movement only once or twice a day. On the other hand, they may have one only every 7–10 days. (Yep, the frequency really can vary that much.)
The poop is yellow, soft, runny and sometimes lumpy and the smell isn’t unpleasant.
Formula-fed babies
A newborn, formula-fed baby typically poops up to five times a day. At about 6 to 8 weeks, this may decrease to around once a day.
Formula-fed babies have poop that is a camel to brown color with a thicker consistency, more like paste. Most likely, the less-than-aromatic smell means you’ll hermetically seal soiled diapers before you toss them into the garbage.
Signs that your baby is constipated
You’ve noticed that your baby’s tummy isn’t following the schedule that you got used to. Could it be constipation? Here are the signs that could confirm your suspicions:
- You notice that they cry or fuss while they’re trying to have a hard bowel movement.
- The poop, when it does come, is like hard pellets.
- You notice streaks of red blood in the hard poop.
While it’s not easy for a baby on a liquid diet to become constipated, trouble can start when you start introducing your baby to solid foods at around 6 months. Here’s why:
New food types
Think of it as a learning curve: Your baby’s body is learning how to cope with a new kind of food to digest as they move away from their full liquid diet and you need to soften the learning curve. (Pardon the irresistible pun.)
Changes to fluid intake
Decreased fluids will make your baby’s poop harder and more difficult to push out. If they’ve started solids, they may need to up their fluid intake to offset the solid food. And if your baby is teething or feeling unwell, it can also lead to them taking in less fluid than usual.
Lack of fiber
Even though they’re just starting out, babies’ tummies work like ours. While initially the move to solids that have fiber (from breast milk or formula, which don’t) can cause temporary constipation, their tummies will adjust.
Make sure to monitor your baby’s fiber intake and pair it with plenty of hydration for a smooth ride the same way that you monitor yours.
OK, so you’ve confirmed that your baby is constipated. The next step is helping to alleviate the strain on their developing digestive system.
Remember that you can keep offering these foods as your baby develops into a toddler and beyond. In fact, there is little research or evidence to support specific foods (including high fiber ones) in treating or preventing constipation in infants. Most of these recommendations are based on evidence for older adults and children.
Keep in mind that good practice when introducing solids is to introduce foods as single ingredients. That way, if your baby is allergic to certain foods, you’ll be able to more easily trace the source.
If your little one hasn’t tried these foods before, don’t rush the process. Test out one at a time and then introduce combinations once you’re confident they’re well tolerated.
- Back to basics. Give your baby’s digestive tract a break by feeding them mashed avocado or sweet potato purée. These are easy to digest and may give your baby the kick start they need.
- B vegetables. Think broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and beans. Purée these for a meal filled with fiber.
- P fruits. Your grandmother was right — bring on the prunes for quick work. A purée that includes a mix of prunes plus pears, plums, or peaches should work magic. Try subbing the prunes with dates for a change.
- Bring on the fiber. If your baby is over 8 months, you can offer them whole grains like oatmeal, fiber-rich cereals, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice.
- Water intake. Until 6 months an exclusively breastfed or formula-fed baby doesn’t need to drink water. Above this age, you can introduce small amounts of water.
Plums and pears with cinnamon
Cut 2 or 3 pears and plums into small pieces.
Place in a saucepan with a small amount of water and simmer until soft. Add in a sprinkle of cinnamon. Blend thoroughly.
Sweet potato with apple and peach
Cut half a sweet potato, one apple, and half a peach into small pieces. Place in steamer basket and cook until tender. Blend until smooth.
Spinach and apple purée
Chop two apples into small chunks and cook in saucepan with about 1/2 cup of water. When they’re tender, add about 1 cup of spinach and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Purée until smooth. Can be seasoned with cinnamon and ginger.
Some sources suggest prune, pear, and apple juices help to increase the water content in poop and can ease constipation.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends steering clear of fruit juice for children younger than 1 year old. You can stick with these fruits as purées for similar effects.
What is it about prune juice? The high levels of sorbitol and phenolic substances in prune juice and dried plums act as a laxative and diuretic properties.
So if your child is over 1 year old, you can use small amounts of prune juice to encourage their system to run.
Some studies show that constipation may affect as much as 30 percent of children. If your child is part of the unlucky statistic, here are some foods that you may want to give them smaller amounts of until it passes:
- bananas
- dairy products such as cheese and yogurt
- low fiber foods like white rice, white bread, and white pasta
If you’re like most parents, you’ll be up for whatever you can try to help your baby get comfortable fast. Here are a few tricks that you can use to ease your baby’s constipation:
- Warm baths. These can relax those abdominal muscles and get them working.
- Exercise. Lay your baby on their back and push their legs alternately as if they’re cycling a bike. Alternatively, hold their knees and feet together and push their feet towards their belly.
- Massage.
Use your fingertip to draw clockwise circles on your baby’s stomach.
If you see that despite your home remedies, your baby still is having hard stools or hasn’t pooped after 2 or 3 days from their last hard stool, then contact your pediatrician. Especially if you consistently notice blood in their poop or your baby is extremely irritable and appears to be in pain.
While dealing with your baby’s toilet issues may seem a tad unsavory, you’ll soon be so used to it, that you’ll find yourself sharing your insights over coffee with other parents. And don’t be shy about sharing the yummy food combinations you discover to keep things moving.
Are There Baby Foods that Help with Constipation?
While parenting brings many surprises, one of them is likely how much you’ll think about poop, or lack thereof, especially during that first year. But here you are worrying about your baby’s digestive tract and convinced that they’re constipated.
If you’ve recently introduced your baby to solid food, then your worries may be on target: solid foods can put a strain on your baby’s developing digestive tract and cause constipation.
But there are things you can do to help!
Before you begin treating constipation you should determine if there is really an issue at all. So here’s the scoop on poop and how to tell if your worries are founded and your baby is constipated.
Breastfed babies
During the first few weeks, you’ll find yourself changing diapers with alarming regularity. Figure in every feed or so.
But don’t despair, because by the time your baby reaches 6 weeks old, they may have a bowel movement only once or twice a day. On the other hand, they may have one only every 7–10 days. (Yep, the frequency really can vary that much.)
The poop is yellow, soft, runny and sometimes lumpy and the smell isn’t unpleasant.
Formula-fed babies
A newborn, formula-fed baby typically poops up to five times a day. At about 6 to 8 weeks, this may decrease to around once a day.
Formula-fed babies have poop that is a camel to brown color with a thicker consistency, more like paste.
Most likely, the less-than-aromatic smell means you’ll hermetically seal soiled diapers before you toss them into the garbage.
Signs that your baby is constipated
You’ve noticed that your baby’s tummy isn’t following the schedule that you got used to. Could it be constipation? Here are the signs that could confirm your suspicions:
- You notice that they cry or fuss while they’re trying to have a hard bowel movement.
- The poop, when it does come, is like hard pellets.
- You notice streaks of red blood in the hard poop.
While it’s not easy for a baby on a liquid diet to become constipated, trouble can start when you start introducing your baby to solid foods at around 6 months. Here’s why:
New food types
Think of it as a learning curve: Your baby’s body is learning how to cope with a new kind of food to digest as they move away from their full liquid diet and you need to soften the learning curve. (Pardon the irresistible pun.
)
Changes to fluid intake
Decreased fluids will make your baby’s poop harder and more difficult to push out. If they’ve started solids, they may need to up their fluid intake to offset the solid food. And if your baby is teething or feeling unwell, it can also lead to them taking in less fluid than usual.
Lack of fiber
Even though they’re just starting out, babies’ tummies work like ours. While initially the move to solids that have fiber (from breast milk or formula, which don’t) can cause temporary constipation, their tummies will adjust.
Make sure to monitor your baby’s fiber intake and pair it with plenty of hydration for a smooth ride the same way that you monitor yours.
OK, so you’ve confirmed that your baby is constipated. The next step is helping to alleviate the strain on their developing digestive system.
Remember that you can keep offering these foods as your baby develops into a toddler and beyond. In fact, there is little research or evidence to support specific foods (including high fiber ones) in treating or preventing constipation in infants.
Most of these recommendations are based on evidence for older adults and children.
Keep in mind that good practice when introducing solids is to introduce foods as single ingredients. That way, if your baby is allergic to certain foods, you’ll be able to more easily trace the source.
If your little one hasn’t tried these foods before, don’t rush the process. Test out one at a time and then introduce combinations once you’re confident they’re well tolerated.
- Back to basics. Give your baby’s digestive tract a break by feeding them mashed avocado or sweet potato purée. These are easy to digest and may give your baby the kick start they need.
- B vegetables. Think broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and beans. Purée these for a meal filled with fiber.
- P fruits. Your grandmother was right — bring on the prunes for quick work. A purée that includes a mix of prunes plus pears, plums, or peaches should work magic.
Try subbing the prunes with dates for a change. - Bring on the fiber. If your baby is over 8 months, you can offer them whole grains like oatmeal, fiber-rich cereals, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice.
- Water intake. Until 6 months an exclusively breastfed or formula-fed baby doesn’t need to drink water. Above this age, you can introduce small amounts of water.
Plums and pears with cinnamon
Cut 2 or 3 pears and plums into small pieces. Place in a saucepan with a small amount of water and simmer until soft. Add in a sprinkle of cinnamon. Blend thoroughly.
Sweet potato with apple and peach
Cut half a sweet potato, one apple, and half a peach into small pieces. Place in steamer basket and cook until tender. Blend until smooth.
Spinach and apple purée
Chop two apples into small chunks and cook in saucepan with about 1/2 cup of water. When they’re tender, add about 1 cup of spinach and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
Purée until smooth. Can be seasoned with cinnamon and ginger.
Some sources suggest prune, pear, and apple juices help to increase the water content in poop and can ease constipation.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends steering clear of fruit juice for children younger than 1 year old. You can stick with these fruits as purées for similar effects.
What is it about prune juice? The high levels of sorbitol and phenolic substances in prune juice and dried plums act as a laxative and diuretic properties. So if your child is over 1 year old, you can use small amounts of prune juice to encourage their system to run.
Some studies show that constipation may affect as much as 30 percent of children. If your child is part of the unlucky statistic, here are some foods that you may want to give them smaller amounts of until it passes:
- bananas
- dairy products such as cheese and yogurt
- low fiber foods like white rice, white bread, and white pasta
If you’re like most parents, you’ll be up for whatever you can try to help your baby get comfortable fast.
Here are a few tricks that you can use to ease your baby’s constipation:
- Warm baths. These can relax those abdominal muscles and get them working.
- Exercise. Lay your baby on their back and push their legs alternately as if they’re cycling a bike. Alternatively, hold their knees and feet together and push their feet towards their belly.
- Massage. Use your fingertip to draw clockwise circles on your baby’s stomach.
If you see that despite your home remedies, your baby still is having hard stools or hasn’t pooped after 2 or 3 days from their last hard stool, then contact your pediatrician. Especially if you consistently notice blood in their poop or your baby is extremely irritable and appears to be in pain.
While dealing with your baby’s toilet issues may seem a tad unsavory, you’ll soon be so used to it, that you’ll find yourself sharing your insights over coffee with other parents. And don’t be shy about sharing the yummy food combinations you discover to keep things moving.
Products that prevent constipation and improve digestion
In developed countries, up to 20% of the population suffers from constipation. In the last article on this topic, we talked about what constipation is and what are the most common causes of constipation. In this material, we understand why you should not immediately take constipation remedies, but it is better to first pay attention to your diet.
If you or someone you love has occasional or regular problems with bowel movements, read on. You will learn about healthy products that help you go to the toilet in a natural way.
If constipation lasts for weeks or is accompanied by pain, blood and mucus in the stool, and other unpleasant symptoms, see a doctor.
Contents
- 1. How different types of fiber affect bowel movement
- 2. Soups: more water and fiber
- 3. Fermented Foods - Gut Probiotics
- 4. Fruit with stones against constipation
- 5.
Whole grains and bran - 6. Legumes in the fight against constipation
- 7. Seeds for Better Digestion
- 8. How to eat fiber properly
- 9. Important note
How different types of fiber affect bowel movements
Photo by Ella Olsson / UnsplashFiber, or plant fiber, helps to make bowel movements regular and feeds good gut bacteria. It comes in soluble and insoluble forms, and both types are equally important for healthy digestion.
The human body is unable to digest fiber. The gut bacteria do it for us.
Soluble fiber absorbs liquid and forms a gel-like substance that facilitates the passage of feces through the digestive tract. It also creates a feeling of fullness.
The Atlas microbiota test helps you understand how bacteria do this. Based on the results of the test, every week you will receive a list of products to improve the functioning of your microbiota.
Soluble Fiber absorbs liquid and forms a gel-like substance that facilitates the passage of stool through the digestive tract. It also creates a feeling of fullness. Foods rich in fiber of this type include apples, oatmeal, citrus fruits.
Photo by Andre Taissin / UnsplashInsoluble fiber adds bulk to the stool and stimulates intestinal receptors to speed up stool elimination. Insoluble dietary fiber also retains water and prevents feces from turning into a dry, lumpy mass. This type of dietary fiber is found in plants of the legume family, nuts, and potatoes.
Photo by Maddi Bazzocco / UnsplashSoups: more water and fiber
The high fiber and liquid content of vegetable soups makes them an excellent and affordable tool for solving problems with the gastrointestinal tract. The main thing is not to digest vegetables so that the fiber does not lose its beneficial properties.
Photo by Gianluca Gerardi / Unsplash Milk and cream soups can cause bloating and make you feel bad.
For thicker, more textured soups, and to avoid GI side effects, opt for recipes with potatoes. The starch it contains will give the soup a creamy texture.
Fermented foods - probiotics for the intestines
Fermented foods such as kefir or sauerkraut, are rich in beneficial probiotics - lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. In the intestines, such bacteria resist dysbacteriosis and produce short-chain fatty acids that maintain mucosal health and normal peristalsis.
There is little or no lactose in fermented foods, so people with lactose intolerance don't have to worry about stomach discomfort. If a slight seething after their use nevertheless appeared, the reason is more likely in the probiotic effect than in intolerance. This means that the intestinal bacteria are working hard on the breakdown of fiber, while releasing gases.
Photo by little plant / Unsplash If the sour taste and smell of kefir repels you, try other fermented dairy products, such as Greek yogurt, fermented baked milk, acidophilus.
Available probiotics for vegans are kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables, miso paste, cashew or soy based yogurt.
With the Atlas Microbiota Test, you can check the bacterial composition of your gut and understand which prebiotics and probiotics are right for you.
Stone fruits for constipation
This juicy and fibrous fruit will quickly help you digest naturally. Some fruits with stones also contain sorbitol, which has a mild laxative effect.
Apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines are considered the most effective against constipation.Photo by Elena Mozhvilo / Unsplash
If the fresh fruit season is over, you can limit yourself to prunes and dried apricots. It is important to always drink dried fruits with water - if you eat them dry on the go, this will only worsen the condition.
Whole grains and bran
Unprocessed grain retains the outer shell, endosperm and germ. Such grains contain a maximum of nutrients and fiber, so for chronic constipation, whole grains and bran (separated grain shells) should be included in the diet.
Products include:
- whole grain toast for breakfast;
- bran porridge;
- whole grain crackers for snacking;
- brown rice for garnish.
If you don't like the taste of brown rice, you can buy a mixture of regular brown rice. As for flax crackers, such a snack is not suitable for everyone - dense raw grains may not be digested at all.
Legumes in the fight against constipation
Lentils, chickpeas and beans from the legume family contain a lot of fiber - this is what causes flatulence in many people. For this fiber to benefit, you need to add legumes to the diet in small portions and focus on your well-being. In any case, gas is rather a positive sign, which indicates that the intestinal bacteria have something to eat.
Before cooking, it is recommended to soak legumes in advance for several hours or even overnight in cold water. Canned chickpeas and beans are easier to digest because some of the "gas-forming" substances go into a liquid that can be drained.
Still available for purchase bean sprouts or get them yourself - they are also easier to digest. Spice asafoetida , according to some research, can reduce bloating after legumes.
Regular Digestion Seeds
Chia Seeds are a trending source of soluble fiber. They also need to be diluted with water or added to cereals, smoothies, yogurts. Chia pudding or chia yogurt is a light breakfast or dessert option that will help keep the moisture in your stool and add the viscosity you need.
Photo by Ash Edmonds / Unsplash Psyllium Husk is sold dry as a natural remedy for constipation. It has a neutral taste and smells almost nothing.
When diluted with water, the husk forms mucus, which is necessary for the formation of healthy stools.
More affordable soluble fiber - flax seeds . They are recommended for irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation and type 2 diabetes . Seeds need to be soaked in water overnight to get that gel-like texture. If you don’t want to wait, you can buy flaxseed porridge in the form of an instant mix.
How to eat fiber properly
Insoluble fiber must be chewed thoroughly and for a long time , otherwise coarse particles will irritate the esophagus and intestines. If it takes you longer to eat a salad than a main course, that's perfectly fine. The better you chew, the better this food will be absorbed and digested.
Photo by Yoav Aziz / UnsplashIt is important to drink plenty of fluids. If fiber has nowhere to absorb water, it won't work as a natural laxative.
If you have never eaten a lot of fruits and vegetables, start with small portions and give your microbiota time to get used to the new diet.
There are several signs that you may be eating too much fiber. These are:
- bloating of the lower abdomen, distension and flatulence;
- Loose, unformed stools with clearly visible undigested fibers.
Highlights
- A proper diet that includes soups, fermented and whole grains, and various types of fiber can help you improve your stool.
- It is important to remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Sugary drinks and coffee do not replace water.
- You can find out what nutrients and dietary fiber your bacteria are missing by taking the Atlas Microbiota Test. You will receive personalized and understandable recommendations that will help improve the functioning of the microbiota and improve digestion.
- National Health Service, Constipation, Causes of constipation
- National Health Service, Constipation, About constipation, 2020
- Min Chen et al.
, Modulatory Effects of Gut Microbiota on Constipation: The Commercial Beverage Yakult Shapes Stool Consistency, 2019 - Compound Interest, The Chemistry of Plums & Prunes: Constipation & Chewing Gum, 2015
- Harvard School of Public Health, Food features
- U.S. National Institute of Health, Graham DY et al, The effect of bran on bowel function in constipation, 1982
- Gastrojournal, R. S. Fisher, M.D., Bran as therapy in constipation, 1983
- International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
- R&D Centre, Aurea Biolabs Pvt Ltd, Kolenchery, Cochin, India, Augustine Amalraj and Sreeraj Gopi, Biological activities and medicinal properties of Asafoetida: A review, 2017
- Noureddin Soltanian and Mohsen Janghorbani, A randomized trial of the effects of flaxseed to manage constipation, weight, glycemia, and lipids in constipated patients with type 2 diabetes, 2018
Natural laxatives for constipation in children
El constipation in children is a fairly common problem .
Sometimes what is normal for one is not normal for another, maybe brothers on the same diet don't go to the toilet as often. Everyone has their own bowel habits. A good fiber-rich diet and a range of health recommendations, such as hydration or exercise, will help your kids get through the gut.
However, it may happen that children suffer from constipation, especially with large or infrequent meals, with a number of unpleasant sensations. To help you during these periods when children are constipated We will give you a series of recommendations and natural laxatives to promote evacuation.
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Index
- 1 Healthy habits to avoid constipation
- 2 Natural fruit-based laxatives
- 3 Other natural laxatives
Healthy habits to avoid constipation
increase bowel passage and are genuine natural laxatives, we remind you of 3 habits to make constipation episodes become commonplace.
- Fiber and hydration. Consumption of high-fiber foods and water, very important! They help the feces become softer, which makes it much easier to evacuate them. If your child is under three years old, you need to be careful with fiber because their intestines work more slowly than in older people and too much fiber can lead to too much stool mass.
- Physical activity. You must move and avoid a sedentary lifestyle. For babies, we can do leg exercises or tummy massages.
- Set the daily routine. Procedures are very important for children and going to the bathroom should be one of them. Teach him to sit on the potty or on the toilet a little every day. And teach him to listen to his needs if he feels like pooping that he can't hold back.
Fruit-based natural laxatives
Fruit juices are one of the best alternatives to natural laxatives. One recommendation is to include certain seeds, such as chia, hemp, or sesame.
And it also includes fruits with a peel, well washed, because there is most of the fiber and, therefore, the laxative effect is enhanced.
- Orange juice and kiwi fruit . This powerful juice is high in fiber, vitamin C and hydrating. Its preparation is very simple, you need more orange than kiwi. That is 4 oranges for 3 kiwis. Squeeze the pitted oranges, add the kiwi pieces and pass everything through a blender.
- The same smoothie can be made with kiwi and green apple. Do not add sugar as it is found in the fruit.
- El Plum Juice is another one of the classic and effective natural laxatives. This remedy is not immediate like the previous one. Prune juice begins to act after 4-5 hours. This remedy is recommended from 6 months.
Other natural laxatives
dates with honey are highly recommended as a remedy for constipation in children over 1 year old.
