https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 28 May 2026 01:31:47 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1618064 Wed, 07 May 2014 06:23:27 +0000 edelweiss 1618064@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i think pears helped LO a lot when we got to the solids stage. i roasted some to get them soft (or you could give purees), and he had them every day. so sorry your LO is uncomfortable! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1618048 Wed, 07 May 2014 05:33:56 +0000 Pumuckl 1618048@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yepp, happened to us too when he first got into solids.<br /> We'd give him loads of pear purées and really tried giving him water with every meal. I also did some tummy and foot massages that helped. Key was to not let him go not to long without pooping. Now things have regulated and he has soft mushy stools again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617904 Tue, 06 May 2014 22:33:10 +0000 QBbride 1617904@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This happened to my son and it was horrible :(</p> <p>I fed a lot of prunes.<br /> I offered a lot of water with every meal.<br /> I started him on probiotics daily (I think this really helped)</p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617889 Tue, 06 May 2014 22:09:50 +0000 blackbird 1617889@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yep we did prune purées a lot. My kid still has hard poop most of the time but it doesn't bother her anymore. So many of the things kids like-cheese, applesauce, banana pouches, rice, etc, just don't help! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617873 Tue, 06 May 2014 21:55:20 +0000 Purpledaisy 1617873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: we just put it in her regular straw sippy cup. We haven't given her plain water again since we started the apple juice so I don't know how she will react to it since she LOVES the apple juice. But honestly after 6+ months of almost constant constipation, I don't care if I have to put a splash of juice in her water everytime if it keeps helping her like it has. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617869 Tue, 06 May 2014 21:52:24 +0000 yoursilverlining 1617869@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ZombieBullfrogHoller: do not start the "terrible mother" talk!!! Constipation happens to lots of little ones!! The massage in a long, hot bath has worked really well for us, but not going to lie - I've also had to "help" LO poop on occasion; you do what you need to do. You are definitely not the only one who has had to deal with poop issues! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617863 Tue, 06 May 2014 21:42:55 +0000 Foodnerd81 1617863@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Purpledaisy: how do you give her the juice, in her regular sippy? I'm thinking a out having one cup that just for juice, while her straw cup is only water. Or maybe I'm overthinking it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617860 Tue, 06 May 2014 21:40:02 +0000 Purpledaisy 1617860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've had A LOT of constipation issues starting at around 7 months when she started eating some solids(she's 14 months now) prune puree pouches helped but she still cried every time she went. Recently we broke down and started giving her watered down apple juice(we didn't want to do juices) and it has helped SO much. She's went every day for like a week now and we don't even know she went until we smell it. Apple juices has been a miracle! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617769 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:48:16 +0000 ZombieBullfrogHoller 1617769@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: That's a good idea, to freeze some that way! And, yes, it's just the saddest! Oh man, as long as he's not still screaming like that in ten years, I guess is a good goal, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617759 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:43:58 +0000 Foodnerd81 1617759@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's so sad when they cry while they poop! We are still working on it, but she is past the screaming stage, she just grunts really hard and then usually has very firm poops. </p> <p>Things that have helped are extra water (we finally found a straw cup she likes), and prunes just about every day. I make the puree from dried prunes and freeze them in cubes that are about 2 prunes worth-- I think she needs 3-4 prunes daily, but like I said, still working on it. </p> <p>I called the ped and they suggested prunes, pears, apricots, plums, peaches, and peas to help. They also told me to give her a little juice-- prune or pear-- to help. I haven't gotten juice but I guess I will, I just don't want her to prefer juice to water. </p> <p>Oh and I never give her apples or bananas or rice now. She loves bananas, so it's sad but not as sad as scream poops. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617745 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:41:24 +0000 ZombieBullfrogHoller 1617745@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: Thank you! I'm glad to hear it's not just us. I've been sick this week and, after this, I've started the negative "terrible mother" self-talk. I need to cut that out as I'm sure this is just the first of many things :P </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617719 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:36:01 +0000 yoursilverlining 1617719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh yeah; the hard poops - we've been there. :bummed: </p> <p>Things that helped: liquids, hot baths with lower belly massage, and this prune concentrate I got at the grocery store. Belly massage, lower mostly, helped too. </p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617711 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:32:43 +0000 ZombieBullfrogHoller 1617711@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PermaStudent: That's exactly what we've been doing, comforting him in that deep seated position. I think that definitely helped - I had no idea what to do when he started screaming. Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617708 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:30:58 +0000 ZombieBullfrogHoller 1617708@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is where I got turned around:</p> <p>"Apple juice contains more sugars and liquids so it helps relieve constipation.</p> <p>Applesauce is the whole of the fruit. It may contain a higher level of pectin - which firms up stools and may thus lead to constipation. "</p> <p>Makes sense! </p> <p>@MamaMoose: We had been feeding him an Earth's Best oatmeal, though I can't remember if it was the prune, before he started having the hard stools - he loved it, I'll have to see what we have locally. Thanks! I'll have to see if I can get him to drink more water - he likes the sippy cup, but is still getting into the whole water thing. Would breastmilk have the same hydrating effect of water in the situation? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617706 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:30:10 +0000 Synchronicity 1617706@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had some major poop problems (the same thing - hard, in the shape of a ball) a few weeks ago with the LO I nanny. She would scream and cry and stiffen up her entire body while pooping; she'd usually go into a plank position if she was on the ground, or straighten her whole body up if we were holding her. It was so sad and a little scary, because even when we gave her foods to soften her stool, she continued with the crying and stiffening routine.</p> <p>What we eventually figured out was that when she was stiffening up, she was actually holding her poop in, because it had obviously hurt and scared her and she didn't want to do it anymore. We started picking her up and prying her legs apart (she really really resisted this) into a deep seated position, and comforted her like this until she went. Between this and the stool-softening foods, she was pretty much back to normal in a week, but it took another week or so for us to figure it out in the first place. It was definitely not fun at the time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617699 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:26:50 +0000 MamaMoose 1617699@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Water water water. And Earth's best makes a prune and oatmeal purée that always worked to clean our LO out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617697 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:25:47 +0000 ZombieBullfrogHoller 1617697@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh no - I thought I read that apples were good for constipation, purees and juices, etc. And I just fed him sweet potatoes today. Darn it. Looks like I need to head to the store tomorrow! Thanks :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617682 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:20:22 +0000 hilsy85 1617682@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went through some tough poops when he first started to get into solids, which for us was around 6 months. I would just push the water, it will help with the constipation! And apples are actually binding, as are sweet potatoes and banana. I would add in peaches, prunes, and plums. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hard-stools-and-a-screaming-baby#post-1617668 Tue, 06 May 2014 20:15:51 +0000 ZombieBullfrogHoller 1617668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is going to be 9m next week (holy cow, how did *that* happen??) and we started trying solids at 6m. He wasn't really feeling them until just a couple weeks ago. Now we've been feeding solids 2-3 times a day and he gobbles! His stools changed with the increase in solids but were just less runny and more mushy, not like solid log poops, but obviously not EBF baby poops anymore. </p> <p>Last night, though, he had a poop that was formed like a ball and pretty hard compared to any other poops he's ever had. He's never had formed poop and this verrrry obviously hurt him. It scared the beejesus out of me. He just started screaming like I've never heard him, got clamy and trembly and would not let me set him down until it was out. After he passed it he just clung to me and wouldn't let me put him down for awhile after :( </p> <p>This afternoon he did it again. We fed him some apples &amp; apricots and gave him a warm bath this evening and he passed a third one. Same song and dance. </p> <p>I'm not sure what's causing it. He's still nursing, we've started getting him a bit of water here and there in a sippy. He just started eating those puffs and crunchy Gerber snacks last week while we visited my parents. We skipped the rice and cereal initially, but he's been eating some Stage 3 baby food that I just noticed this evening contain rice flour and one had tofu powder.</p> <p>I feel so awful and like I have no idea what I'm doing. It breaks my heart to see him hurting. If he doesn't get back to regular tomorrow, I'm going to call our doctor and ask what we should do, but I was thinking some of you may have advice or been through something similar?</p> <p>What are his stools suppose to look like now that he's eating more solids? I'm still not even sure what's "normal," you know? :sad: </p>