Constipated baby won't drink water!

[annmarieandlily]

Have just started weaning my 20 week old dd and its going really well - apart from the fact that the poor wee thing is getting so constipated and I cannot get her to drink any water.

She won't drink it from a bottle (and believe me I have tried everything - even wrapping some kitchen paper around the bottle to disguise it as milk!) she just plays with the teat in her mouth as soon as she realises its water. She is bf but happily drinks ebm from a bottle without any problems at all.

Have also tried baby juice but she won't take that either!

I have been adding a splash of organic prune juice to most of her meals just to help her go, but really want her to learn to drink water regularly - any tips or advice please?!?

Hi twickersmum. Poor little mite! Sounds awful. Thankfully things are not quite that serious with my dd but I really find prune juice or pureed prunes make a big difference. Not sure if you have tried that already but it might be a thought if you wanted something more natural. I buy a big bottle of organic prune juice from Waitrose and then freeze in those ice cube bags - then sneak one into each meal so she hardly notices.

I have been able to keep her constipation under control doing this, but am just worried about her lack of water intake. Will she still be getting enough water from bfeeding to keep her healthy?

i like your idea about freezing prune juice into cubes and sneaking it in any meals. i do puree prunes and put them in her weetabix, but she does spit out more than she eats!

bfeeding is supposed to give them the water they need, but if you have started weaning then i would offer water too.
have you tried a doidy cup? mine drank better from that (lapped it - like a cat!) than a sippy cup at that age.

If I were you I'd simply stop giving solids and breastfeed. What signs were there that she was ready? Dont want to offend anyway but there are so many myths about the signs that a baby is ready for solids.

i agree, millie gets constipated,even at 6 months and i puree a couple of prunes with fresh orange juice, works like rocket fuel!

Hi Millie,

Do you just give pureed prunes and OJ 'neat' or mix with something else? How much?! I ask because my 6 month old is suffering and I'd like to give it a go! thanks