Funny poos - should I worry?

[florenceuk]

This morning DS (six mths) passed a small hard-ish poo, and then another larger one this PM. Usually his poos are very soft - like mashed potato. He is breastfed but I've just started him on his 3rd meal of the day - breakfast (banana and oatmeal) - up to now he's just had lunch and tea (mostly root veges with fruit puree). Should I worry? His nappy seemed heavy enough ie he was peeing. He did strain a bit - went red and tears appeared in his eyes - but he does this normally anyway. Other than this he seems OK - should I be worried as to this sudden onset of constipation?

I wouldn't be too worried, probably his digestive system getting used to solids, if it continues it may be worth trying to increase his water intake and maybe include a little bit of orange juice or prune juice in the water. I recall another thread on severe constipation so if it gets worse it may be worth looking on there.

I would say to its his body not used to the foods yet. I was told the poos could be different colors and textures off and on as i tried different foods. Everyone has constipation once in a while Im sure you ds is just fine

I was told banana can have either a laxative effect or make ypu slightly constipated.And certainly it's true of my dds, 1 gets constipated with too many bananas, the other it works the other way. It also takes a while for babies systems to get used to what's going on, I wouldn't worry.

Banana is quite constipating. I would lay off the banana for a few days, and if he is breastfed he shouldn't need any fruit juice or water, he should be fine. I think prune juice is quite a strong laxative and might be a bit much at this age (sorry to disagree with jaybee there!)

I gave my ds prune puree from a very early age (certainly before six months), and he loved it. In fact, a friend of mine was told to give her ds prunes because he had bad constipation. You could try a teaspoon or two of it every other day if the problem continues.

Having said that, I agree that it is probably his body sorting out the solids. I also agree that banana can cause constipation in babes. It's worrying when they get tears, but it must be really weird and horrible having harder poos after the ones they get when solely being breastfed!! Bit of a shock to the system!

Prunes also provide a good source of iron (along with dried fruit), which all babies need from 6 months. If you do buy any, try not to buy those treated with sulphur dioxide, as this can irritate babies already prone to allergies like eczema ans asthma. Sorry if you already knew all this - I'm a bit of a prune fan!

If this ever happened and it did when we tried new foods, then I always had prune puree to hand. Baby organix prune and apple was always in the back of the cupboard for those moments, and without too much information - really sorted things out!.

I agree with Batey, sounds like the banana to me. DS1 definitely ends up bunged up following a banana fest! I shouldn't worry. Your ds's digestive system is still v young and getting used to new foods. I expect there will be more alarming poos to come as you introduce more variety. Just do it slowly so that you can spot the culprits more easily.

Word of warning about the Weetabix - my daughter started waking up screaming at 4 every morning for about 4 nights (until I realised what it was!) after having Weetabix.

Thanks everyone - dropped the banana for breakfast and replaced it with apple, and DS's poos have returned to a normal consistency! Hooray!

PS Does anybody know if plums have the same effect as prunes?

My understanding was that prunes were dried plums, so you'd expect them to, also peaches etc are v tasty for babies and effective, fresh figs (bit expensive and seasonal) are also very good. I have a longstanding problem with constipation and anal fissures with DS, so my advice is to nip this in the bud and get him into a comfortable daily habit if you can. But don't worry, seems like a transient thing

It is advisable to keep Weetabix until at least 8 months old according to my H.V.