hard stools-6 month baby

hi ladies!am back again for more advise...after i started my baby on solids,his stool has become dark&hard....now i know this is normal...but its also dry......is it due to lack of water?i dont give him much water....i give him prune juce mixed with water once in a while....should i give him water everyday apart from breast milk?if so how much water can i give him in a day?

Dear Vidya,

Yes please, give him water after every solid feed. Atleast 1oz ( 2 ozs if possible) . That should do for now. Slowly you can increase. Give him the prune juice too every other day. Are you not including any fruits or veggies for him? If you do, you should not be having the hard stool problem. Even with the bottled baby food, it should not cause hard stools.

Increase the water intake please. Once they start on solids, you should give water with every meal.

Vandhana

hi vandhana,thanks for the prompt reply!ok i shall start giving water after every feed ...yes i give him fruit&veg too.....his usual feeding schedule is something like this.....morning after he wakes up,i give him steamed apple.......rice cereal for bkf.....some veg for lunch(i have introduced beans,sweet potato,carrot&peas)......evening i give him pureed banana...then again rice cereal for dinner.....is this ok?

dear vidhu,
even after giving fruits and all if u still have problem try giving baby enema, a small pump like stuff available, u need to insert with a little warm water then a little cold water and this way u r stimulating the bowel area and try to keep ur child in the cold water tub for atleast 20minutes this helps to cool of the lower area...we always leave the kids in the water for 20 minutes after bath...if the climate is too cold then a warm water other wise cool water to bring down the heat, this way u r cooling the inside and the outside, add lots of greens in his diet, it is a natural fibre that will help laxate his tools and loosen...hope been of help regards sunkan

Originally Posted by vidhukumar

hi ladies!am back again for more advise...after i started my baby on solids,his stool has become dark&hard....now i know this is normal...but its also dry......is it due to lack of water?i dont give him much water....i give him prune juce mixed with water once in a while....should i give him water everyday apart from breast milk?if so how much water can i give him in a day?

Hi VIdhu,
At night soak 15 to 20 kottai drakshai ( bigger than raisins) in half a cup of warm water. In the morning squeeze out drakshai from the water and give the water to the baby. It will help the child to have free motion.
Pushpavalli Srinivasan

hi vidya,
do try 2 give the baby luke warm water whn ever u feed .and also try 2 feed some water in the morning as soon as the baby is up n also bfore the baby goes to bed .this is a very effective method.
gd luck.
raji.

Hi,
This usually happens as the baby started taking solids sometimes milk creates constipation.Give her plenty of fluids, warm water. give her veg purees with plenty of water. Reduce the intake of milk for few days. thnks

Love, Priya