Treating Infant Constipation Gently and Safely

In this article we will look at infant constipation treatment and how best to deal with constipation when an infant is suffering from it.
The best way in which any parent could treat an infant who is suffering from constipation is by changing the child’s diet. The constipation will not improve without a change of diet and they will also probably be using stool softeners as well.
The goal of any infant constipation treatment is so that the child has 1 or 2 soft stools each day. So why not give them 2 to 4 ounces of water or diluted fruit juice once or twice a day. Or you may want to swap the formula they are drinking at the moment for a soy formula instead.
If however your infant is older than 4 months and suffering from constipation then you may want to try feeding them lots of fiber which are contained in cereals, strained prunes, apricots or spinach.
A great way of helping an infant suffering from constipation is by massaging their stomach. Begin at the belly button and then massage outwards in circles in a clockwise direction. Put some baby oil or cream on your fingers as this will help with the massage. However if your child becomes upset or uncomfortable with the massage then stop it.
Or you try moving your infant’s legs in a cycling motion whilst they are laid on their backs. Just hold their legs and then gently move them in a quick cycling motion. This will cause the stomach muscles to move and this in turn will put gentle pressure on the infant’s intestines and make them move.
Another great way of helping an infant suffering from constipation is to give them a warm bath which will help them to relax and thus their stools will be passed more easily. After the bath and when your infant is more relaxed you could try massaging their stomach again. Also after a bath apply some cream or Vaseline to the area around the infant’s anus. It is important that you do not put a thermometer or anything inside your infant’s anus to stimulate bowel movement as this will only cause damage to your child.
There are a number of different ways as shown above which can be used for infant constipation treatment and as long as you watch what they eat and ensure that they have plenty of fluids they should not suffer with this problem too much.
Lee Dobbins writes for Colon Articles where you can learn more about keeping your colon healthy and ways to deal with constipation.