Constipation and Diarrhea in Babies

Constipation and diarrhea in babies can cause a lot of fussiness and irritability and be a major distress for the parents.

Constipation:
It is more likely to occur in babies who have been introduced to solids, but at times affects the newborns as well. Tots who thrive on breast milk are less likely to get it, than those on formula as breast milk is much easier to digest because of its perfect balance of proteins and fats.

Major causes of constipation are:
Switch from breast milk to formula, traversing between different brands of formula, introduction to solids, lack of fiber or liquids in the toddler's diet or an indication of some other illness.

You can detect constipation, if your baby's bowel movements are hard and cause a lot of pain and discomfort, he might even groan when he's having them. Constipated stools are dry, hard and may have blood streaks.

Try and cure constipation by home remedies like massaging the baby's belly, increasing the liquid intake, moving his legs like he's riding a bicycle and switching the formula milk brand. However if constipation still persists see your doctor.

Diarrhea:
Your baby might be suffering from diarrhea if he passes unusually watery stools, at a higher frequency and volume. Diarrhea, especially if accompanied by vomiting and dehydration can be potentially very alarming. If he keeps passing these watery stools for more than 24 hours then he should be rushed to the hospital.

Diarrhea can be caused by pathogen infestation (i.e. bacteria, virus and parasites), poisoning, food allergy and intolerance or because of a course of antibiotics.

The first step that needs to be taken if your child is suffering from diarrhea is to keep dehydration from setting in. You can give him an electrolyte solution and feed him more frequently, for shorter intervals of time. Since diarrhea is most commonly due to an infection, it is important that he is treated with professional medical care at the earliest.