Prune juice for constipation in infants

It is a pretty much common thing for most new parents to be worried about constipation in their babies. In order to prevent and treat such medical conditions, the parents need to be well informed concerning the condition all the different types of remedies which are at hand. The first bowel movement of babies is characterized by tarry, sticky and dark stools which are medically referred to as meconium.

Over the course of a few days, the stool gets characterized by lighter stool colors, which may vary according to the why the baby is fed. The stools are commonly runny, seedy and pretty much soft. The bowel movement frequency in toddles is relatively high, because they tend to pass stools after each and every feeding. Once the baby reaches her or his first month of age the frequency of bowel movements gets reduced gradually. It is also a common fact that formula fed babies tend to pass less stools than the babies which are breast fed. Sometimes the baby may not pass any stools for several days but that only happens on rare occasions and it usually occurs in babies which are formula fed. If an infant does not pass any stools for a couple of days, it should not cause any worries, but if it is accompanied by constant crying, vomiting and irritability, the parents need to take their baby to a pediatrician as soon as possible.

What is Infant Constipation?

There is a common misconception, that babies which do not pass any stools over the course of two or three days actually suffer from constipation. As long as the infant passes stools which are watery and soft, no matter the interval, it cannot be said that he or she suffers from constipation. If a baby passes hard stools which cause a lot of straining, then it can be suspected that the child actually does suffer from constipation. Infant constipation may often be accompanied by a loss of appetite or abdominal bloating. Some cases of infant constipation may also be accompanied by anal fissures and blood streaks in the stools. Infant constipation is commonly treated by various dietary changes, massages and exercises, but there also certain types of home remedies which can be considered as well.

Prune Juice for Constipation in Infants

Prune juice is a certain type of beverage obtained from the puree of steamed prunes. Prunes are nothing more than dried plums. It is very rich in fiber and a very potent laxative. It can be used in babies who suffer from infant constipation if they are over six months old.