Healthy bowel movements are very important for the well being of the baby, but more important than that is for parents to recognise the difference between healthy and unhealthy bowel movements, something where most parents falter.

There could be one baby passing stool once every day and another one who does so twice and yet another one, who passes stool every alternate day and they all could be equally healthy with normal bowel system as the others.

It is important for parents to understand that frequency of passing stool and the timings of doing so do not matter as much in deciding the health of the baby, as the consistency and the effort required to pass stool does.

Each baby has his or her own unique system and pattern of eating and excreting, which slowly develops with time, to follow the routine we adults call as ‘normal’. There is no reason why a baby who’s bowel movements happen every alternate day be called as an irregular baby, if the stool is soft and the baby neither is exerting extra effort to pass stool, nor is it too liquid in consistency.

Parents would therefore gain nothing by forcing a seemingly irregular baby to become regular, by trying to get a movement out of them, from time to time. It would only upset the baby every time, and make him/her emotionally disturbed in the long run.

Constipation in infants
You could say that a baby is suffering from constipation when he/ she is straining unsuccessfully to pass motion, which ideally should be soft, but appears hard when finally is excreted. There are various kinds of constipation seen in babies. Some of these are as mentioned below –

Constipation in bottle fed babies
Often babies fed on cow’s milk develop constipation. This might be very painful or uncomfortable for the baby and a doctor needs to be consulted. But incase it is not possible, changing the type of sugar used in the milk might help. It is always advisable to use a sugar which is more laxative in nature.
If using light corn syrup, change to dark.
If using white sugar change to brown.
If the baby is more than six months old, he/ she can be given prune juice or pureed prunes. Start by giving 2 spoonfuls initially and it can later be increased to 4 or more.

Temporary constipation
Often infants and toddlers develop constipation during illness, which is a temporary phase and goes away with the illness. Infants generally show this kind of bowel movements during fever and after. There is not much that can be done in this case and should not be done also. Once the body recovers the digestive system also gets back to normal.

Spastic Constipation
In this kind of constipation, often seen in babies fed on cow’s milk, formula or those who have started with semi solid foods, the movement comes out in the form of a collection of small hard balls. This happens when the intestine goes into spasms which cause it to hold back small parts of the excreta, until it dries to form little balls. The reasons for this kind of constipation could vary from nervous tension to consistency of the formula. Thus, changing that or adding laxative sugar or prune juice to the diet might help. However, consulting a doctor is a must.

Hirschsprung’s Disease
This is a rare form of constipation, but quite serious in nature. It is present by birth in babies in whom the nerves causing the intestinal muscles to contract are absent in a particular part of the large intestine. As a result, the abdomen is progressively distended. Thus, in such acute cases, in order to cause any movement, enemas have to be given. The cure for this ailment lies in intensive investigation and often surgery is the only answer.

Psychological constipation
Commonly seen in kids of one to two years of age, this problem is very tricky for parents to handle as the child begins to with hold movements for fear of pain and discomfort while doing so. Stemming from a previous painful experience, the problem grows worsens every time the child holds back. The problem can continue for weeks or even months together, unless through love and understanding and at times medication, the child is able to overcome the fear.

Some tips for parents to handle constipation in babies
• Increase the intake of fruits and vegetables in your baby’s diet once he/ she starts to eat.
• Fruit and vegetable juices also help a lot.
• Prunes should not be forgotten.
• Mineral oil is not safe for babies as it irritates the throat and might cause suffocation or choking.
• However, in toddlers it can be given to ease severe constipation.
• Preparations like – Neo-Cultol and Colace can be given incase of painful bowel movements.
• But, it is always better to consult a doctor and do so timely.