Pear juice can work as a home remedy to treat your baby’s constipation issue. It’s rich in fiber and can add bulk to bowel movements, making it easier to move out in less than an hour. But pear juice is advisable only for babies above six months. For infants below six months, it’s not advisable to give anything other than breast milk, so if your infant has this issue, refer to your pediatrician. Other remedies to help your baby include exercising, proper hydration, fiber-rich foods, or massaging. Constipation could occur due to various causes, and sometimes finding the cause can lead to a better solution to treat it.
Constipation is a normal occurrence in children, especially those on solid foods, as it rarely occurs in infants below 6 months.
Bowel movements may vary from baby to baby, depending on their diet and age.
But no parents can watch their child suffer in silence with constipation. So finding different ways to help your child find relief is the number one priority, and one common home remedy is pear juice to make bowel movements go smoothly.
But how fast does pear juice works for the baby? What quantity should you give and how frequently? Lastly, what are other ways to help your baby’s constipation?
Signs of constipation in babies
Infants below the age of 6 months dependent on breast milk don’t often face constipation.
Although their bowel movement may not occur daily, that’s a sign that their body is absorbing all the nutrients from the milk.
Babies who are fed formula might poop three to four times a day.
Bowel movements vary depending on the diet and age of the child. But there are signs to recognize your baby is struggling with constipation:
- Arching their back
- Tightening of buttocks
- Crying
- Hiding in a corner even though they need to go to the washroom because it might pain to poop
- Fussy and straining when trying to poop
- A firm belly with bloating and pressure build-up
- Refusing to eat anymore
- abdominal pain
Does pear juice work for constipation in babies?
Constipation isn’t usually an issue in infants as they are supported by breast milk which helps keep their bowel movements healthy.
But it can become an issue when they transition from breast milk to semi-solid food after turning six months old. It can also happen when they’re potty training or starting daycare.
Starting daycare can affect their bowel movement as it’s a new environment away from parents, so children might struggle in various ways during this new chapter of their life.
🍐 Pear is a high-fiber fruit similar to apricots, sweet potatoes, prunes, peaches, plums, beans, peas, broccoli, or spinach. It helps soften the bowel movement as it adds bulk to the stool and helps stimulate a motion.
Pear contains sorbitol which is prescribed as a way to treat constipation. It’s an osmotic laxative that helps with constipation by drawing water into the intestines. It turns the hard stool into soft, moving quickly through the intestines.
Treating it with pear juice is a home remedy that should work to smooth out a bowel movement.
You can give up to 6 ounces of pear juice to your baby, who’s 8 to 12 months old. It should work out in less than an hour to help clear things.
But don’t give it every day for more than a week or two as too much juice can also be unhealthy.
Can I give pear juice to my infant?
Breastfed infants don’t usually suffer problems with their bowel movements, as breast milk doesn’t cause issues. But if they do, you shouldn’t be giving pear juice to your infant or any other fruit juices.
If your infant baby is struggling with poop, you see a pediatrician and get treatment options from them.
Other ways to treat your baby’s constipation
While pear juice is one way to treat your baby’s constipation issue, it’s not the only way. Several other methods include:
1. Increasing their movement
One reason your baby is having this issue is that they’re not moving much.
When we tend to sit often and not do enough physical activities, our body is affected in many ways, and bowel movement is the first to see the change.
Helping your baby move around and play with them is the solution, so their body is encouraged to do physical exercise.
2. Proper hydration
Make sure your toddler baby is hydrated enough. Drinking enough liquids like water and milk is needed to keep bowel movements healthy.
Milk isn’t the only source of hydration for a baby over six months of age. They might need good water intake, and their diet should be semi-solid or puree, so they consume enough liquid.
3. Fiber food
Focus on fruits and vegetables with a high fiber content as it helps with a smooth bowel movement. If you’ve recently transitioned from breast milk to semi-solid food, constipation can happen quickly.
To remedy this issue, make sure their fiber intake is well enough. Also, ensure you’re feeding your baby in puree form first, as they’re more adjusted to liquid format.
Cooked grains such as barley, oats, or quinoa are also helpful. You can try including whole grain bread, crackers, and bran cereals as they add bulk to the stool.
4. Massaging
One symptom of constipation is a hard stomach. You can try massaging your baby’s lower abdomen and stomach to help with the movement inside.
You can massage at intervals throughout the day and couple it with a warm bath.
Causes of constipation in babies
- You are transitioning from breast milk to formula or solid food. Sometimes, a formula can be too strong for your baby, which can cause constipation.
- Change in formula brand.
- Not enough liquid in the diet
- Solids that are wrong for the current age
- Toilet training can seem too tricky for babies. Maybe they experienced difficulty one time and are scared to try again.
- Pooping in a new environment, such as daycare or a public bathroom, can be challenging, so they might try holding it in, causing constipation.
If you have any doubts about your baby’s constipation, don’t hesitate to call your pediatrician. They know why it could be happening and what you need to do to make the problem go away.
FAQs
Does gripe water help my baby poop?
Gripe water is a home remedy used by most parents to relieve their colicky babies.
But that’s not the only use as it also helps eliminate constipation. But it might also cause constipation and crying in some babies.
How long can a newborn go without pooping?
Newborns who are totally dependent on breastfed milk don’t have to worry too much about constipation.
Mother’s milk rarely causes constipation, and the body usually absorbs all the nutrients from the milk, so the frequency of pooping is lesser than formula-fed babies.
Formula-fed babies poop three to four times a day, depending on the baby to baby. As long as your baby isn’t in any discomfort and is passing soft stool, even if two days apart, you shouldn’t have any issue with constipation.
Why does my baby keep getting constipated?
Babies tend to get constipation when transferring from breast milk to a formula diet or a semi-solid food diet.
Ensure they get enough fluids in their diet, rich with fiber-rich foods.
Even if your baby has a healthy diet with plenty of liquids and fiber, some babies tend to have recurrent constipation, though not severely.
In cases of chronic constipation or recurring constipation, talking to your pediatrician is the best to come up with a better treatment.
Should I change the formula if my baby is constipated?
First, ensure you’re making the current formula correctly before changing anything.
Sometimes, using less water and more powder formula can cause constipation. Then see if there’s enough liquid in your baby’s diet.
If all the boxes are checked out, see if changing the brand is right. Changing formula brands can be difficult for the baby, as their body might not adapt well to the new one.
But if the current formula is causing them constipation, change to a new formula gradually over the next couple of weeks.
What are normal bowel movements in babies?
– Formula-fed babies poop more frequently than breastfed babies
– During the first week of their life, infants go about four times a day.
– Sometimes soy and cow milk can cause harder bowel movements.
– A child of 2 years has one or two bowel movements daily.
To summarise
Giving pear juice is one remedy to treat your baby’s constipation issue, but it might not work well.
You would need to couple it with other remedies, but identifying the problem causing constipation is more critical to come up with a better solution.
Regular bowel movement isn’t necessary for infants if they’re not in any discomfort and have a soft stool, as infant constipation isn’t common.
If nothing is working and your baby is still in significant discomfort, it’s better to seek help from your pediatrician. They could see other signs you aren’t able to and may even find the larger issue behind the constipation issue.
