Why is my 10mo always constipated??

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I started weaning my DD at six months, and pretty much ever since then she's been constipated to some degree. She's now 10 months, and I'm a FTM who doesn't know any other mums with babies as during covid I've not been able to go to baby classes etc. So I would appreciate any help or advice I can get!!!

She's BF and still feeds first thing in the morning, before her morning and afternoon nap and before bed, and sometimes one at 3am. Never was constipated before weaning and would go several times a day! Now she goes every two or three days, and there's a lot of straining with very hard poo made of dry pellets, and they're very large and look like they cause her some pain.

She eats well and I think I offer her a good variety, and nearly everything she eats is homemade. She has water with every meal. So for example she has:

Breakfast: toast with peanut butter/dairylea/soft cheese/baked beans or porridge or weetabix or full fat Greek yogurt or homemade pancakes with fruit in them. She always then has fruit too - pear, strawberries, melon, blueberries, kiwi, mango etc.

Snack after AM nap: A baby biscuit, or a mini breadstick, melty stick type thing or a bit of whatever I'm having as I'm usually having breakfast then!

Lunch: leftovers from our dinner the night before (standard meals cottage pie/bolognese/curry etc all served with veg), or something made just for her - like green veg macaroni cheese, cheesy vegetable bake, chicken croquettes, rice balls, fish cakes, sweet potato wedges etc. She eats any kind of veg and is always given at least one kind with lunch. Is always offered fruit afterwards too.

After nap snack: Same as AM type ones.

Dinner: same type of thing as lunch.

I do give her the odd fruit purée pouch, especially if I'm out and about and I would say she has maybe 3 or 4 of these a week.

I've tried all the old wives tales I can about anything beginning with P like prunes, peas etc and not giving bananas or cutting down on bread - no change in frequency or texture of her poo bless her!!

My question isn't about how I relieve her constipation in the moment so to speak but more about how I get her going more regularly and with more comfort?

Thanks so much.

Does she have fluids between meals?

Yes more water

I've got the same with my baby, he's been on movicol paediatric since 6 months and it really helps him go. It's not a laxative as such but a stool softener and the change in him is amazing.

Apparently it's normal for babies to become constipated for no reason and one day they just grow out of it 🤷🏻‍♀️

No she only really has water at snack and meal times. I will try offering throughout the day... I feel an idiot now. Thanks for your help!

Following as my 11 month old DD is always constipated too. I’ve got movicol from the GP as PP said which helps but it’d be nice to find the cause!

Pears help my DD too though.

Water. Dehydration is the the first cause to rule out

I had a similar problem with one of mine and offered lots of dilute juice throughout the day to get him drinking. It solved the problem (and no all his teeth didn't rot and drop out) and he moved onto just water as he got bigger and more active.

Mine has been the same since she started on solids too

Still breastfeed often so she’s having plenty there

Now she’s nearly 1 it’s getting easier but we’ve had a few weeks where she’s needed prunes each day

My Dd is 2 now and has had problems with constipation since starting solids. She's on movicol and it does help her.

If the extra water doesn't help I'd definitely recommend going to the Drs and asking for movicol as I don't think I did it soon enough and she has a fear of doing a poo even now!

(I was given lactulose at first but that didn't work so wouldn't recommend that and it's not good for their teeth either)

I would ditch weetabix that stuff sets like concrete on table of dry so imagine it does similar inside

Maybe offer porridge for breakfast every day for a few weeks and see if that helps. I find it handy as it has a fair amount of milk in so they get a good amount of liquid at the same time. Can offer some fruit/ toast/ yogurt afterwards still.

Satsumas - cut segments in half, but have loads of liquid.

I know mine was really rubbish at drinking much as also breastfed and just spat out most water. But sometime between 10-11months he ha just learnt to actually gulp down water properly. So yours may be a bit young to be drinking much at each offering.

She needs more water. If my toddler gets like this I replace full meals with tinned peaches and pears and give prune pouches as snacks. She doesn’t drink anywhere near enough water.

If it’s being going on for 4 months then her bowel have become stretched meaning the poo stays in for longer. The longer the food is in there then the more liquid is removed by the body and it comes a vicious circle. I think it would be wise to visit the GP say this point.

And I agree with the previous point about not giving wheatabix.

We had a similar problem and still do occasionally at over 2 years. He always had/still has porridge for breakfast. If he's runny he gets banana if he's constipated he gets prunes. Sorts him out every time! He does drink lots of water though. He has one of those 360 cups now but when he was younger he had one with a straw. I'm not in the UK but it was an avent one so I'm sure you can get them there. He wouldn't drink water to start with so I just used to boil apples in lots of water (Maybe one or 2 in a couple of litres) and give him that diluted twice with plain water. Then gradually made it more dilute and now he drinks water fine.

My youngest is prone to being constipated since weaning and has had some really terrible times with it, she’s now 3. Raisins have been a life saver as she likes to eat them and they are very easy and portable snack. We also do apple, and diluted apple or orange juice too juice.