Q & A archive—Constipated Baby

Question: We have a grandbaby (11 months old) that is always constipated. They give her all the water she will take. They have stopped milk and cheese. They are giving her a stool softener, but she still cries when she has to go.

Answer: Continue to keep her off cow's milk even when her bowels start to move good. My suggestion would be to give the baby 2 ounces of unsweetened prune juice a day and if that doesn’t do the job after a couple days, add 100 to 200 mg. of magnesium. You can crush the tablets and mix it in her prune juice or some apple sauce or whatever. Just remember that if the baby gets too much magnesium she will have diarrhea. Adjust the dose of these things to correct the problem. Good luck.

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