4 month old eating cereal and having different bowel movements

Question

My 4 month old has been on cereal for 4 days now and she always poops everyday just one time and its been softer but after I started her on the cereal i noticed the p**p becoming more firm.....sorry i know this is gross. but anyways for the first 3 day she did her once a day p**p but now today nothing. I gave her some mylicon a few hours before bed and still nothing.....is this normal and okay? what is the longest i should wait until contacting her doctor if she does not go tomorrow? any advice will help

Answer 1

My son did the same thing (he is 6 mo and just started rice cereal also).  He finally did have a bm today.  Though the bms were spaced out a little more, I was not concerned because I read in an article that all of the following symptoms must be present to consider a baby constipated:

1. Hard dry p**p

2. Infrequent poops

3. Baby strains when pooping

The main symptom is the hard dry poops.   If the p**p is still squishy, baby was not constipated.  However, you can always call your baby's doctor just to be sure.  The doctor knows your baby and will ba able to give you the best advise for your situation!

Good luck!

Answer 2

slow down on the cereal, thin in out more possibly,  and as a second food go with apples or prunes.  it will help moves things along.

Answer 3

Why are you giving her cereal??  And why so early??

Answer 4

If after 48 hrs and she has not p**p yet, go ahead & bring her to her Pedia.  I think your baby's going through that transition phase in her foods.  She's gonna be fine, don't worry.

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Answer 5

This is normal. Most cereal contain much more iron than they are used too...especially if your baby was breast fed. My son had the problem and even had some problems havinga bowel movement. We now have one bottle a day that has 1 ounce of pear juice. As long as he has that once once a pear juice a day he has regular bowel movements that are soft enough to pass without any difficulty! Hope that helps1

Answer 6

cereal will do that is there a reason for starting cereal at 4 months if so babies need more water when they start solids a couple things you can try before you start giving juice and all other types of medicines are

try to give water after you have breast fed/bottle fed and given cereal(bubs wont have much so don't force it down him)

if bottle fed put an extra 10-20ml water in every 2nd bottle for 24hrs

put 1tsp brown sugar into 20 ml warm water (to dissolve sugar) only as a last resort

if there is no reason for starting cereal then stop it and wait a couple months especially if bubs is content with just a bottle. If bubs hasn't had a poo in 2 days i would see doc

Answer 7

I started my son on cereal when he was 3 months... and his bowel movements werent regular as before.also a lot more firmer then usual.I called the newborn hot line, and they said a baby can go without making a p**p for a week!! as long as they are passing gas ( farting ) lol I would wait around a week.. If u see that your daughter is being really irritable and needs too have a bowel movement call your Dr and ask for some suggestions. U can always give her some prunes, or any fruit. Even some pear or apple juice and have it diluted with water.

Hope I helped

Answer 8

If it is rice cereal you are feeding her, it could cause constipation.  They say to start barley or oatmeal cereal at about 6 months.  Hope this helps, but I would get her into the doctor if it continues

Answer 9

It's probably just her body getting use to something new in her diet. Try giving her prune juice, apple juice, or white grape juice, diluted of course and see if that helps any. They also make baby suppositories.

Answer 10

Introducing solids can change the consistency of baby's p**p. If she seems like she feels okay, it is nothing to worry about.

She should not go 3 days without a p**p. If she hasn't had a p**p in three days, call your doctor.

It is totally normal for the p**p to change. If she doesn't seem uncomfortable, then don't worry. If she seems gassy Mylicon can help. If she strains when she poops and it is very small and hard then she is constipated and you should talk to your doctor.

When you introduce pureed foods you will probably notice it change again. It will become thicker and darker. It also smells much worse!

ETA: You should not give a 4-month old baby juice, IMO. If you  are going to give juice, wait until 6 months. Babies do not need juice though. It is empty calories. Once your baby is older, you can give pureed prunes to ease constipation. Be sure to wait until your baby tolerates cereal well before you start with foods.

Answer 11

Cereal can be very constipating for babies.  Did your doctor tell you to start the cereal?  The recommendation from AAP is to not start solids until 6 months.  Make sure she is getting enough liquids from breast milk or formula to help with the constipation and stop the cereal for now, maybe try in a few months or better yet offer a first food such as avocado.  Avocado is a great starter food, has a lot of healthy fat and is rarely allergenic.

Answer 12

my son has this every once in awhile. if he goes one day without pooping and goes the next day i dont worry too much but if it goes into the second day i give him some ovol drops before a bottle. this clears him out really fast!