Wondering What to Do When Babies Get Constipated?

If your baby hasn’t done a poo in a while, or seems to be really struggling when they do, it’s completely normal to worry. Constipation is one of the most common things parents ask their GP, health visitor or paediatrician about in the first year. The good news is that most cases are mild, easy to sort out at home, and nothing to panic about. This guide walks you through how to spot it, what actually helps, and when it’s worth getting your baby checked over.

What Counts as Constipation in a Baby?

This trips a lot of parents up, because “normal” pooing habits vary hugely depending on how your baby is fed and how old they are. Frequency on its own doesn’t tell you much. What matters more is the consistency of the stool and whether your baby seems uncomfortable passing it.

Breastfed babies

Breastfed babies are rarely truly constipated, because breast milk is easy to digest and naturally has a mild laxative effect. It’s completely normal for a breastfed baby to go several days, sometimes even a week, between dirty nappies once they’re past the newborn stage, as long as the poo is soft when it does come and your baby seems otherwise happy and feeding well. This is often just a sign that their body is using more of the milk and producing less waste.

Formula-fed babies

Formula-fed babies tend to poo a bit less often than breastfed babies and their stools are usually slightly firmer, but they should still be soft and easy to pass. Real constipation in a formula-fed baby usually shows up as hard, dry, pellet-like stools rather than just less frequent ones.

Babies on solids

Once weaning starts, bowel habits change again. Some foods, particularly rice cereal, bananas and too much dairy, can bind babies up if they make up a big part of the diet. This is a really common cause of constipation in babies around 6 to 12 months, and it’s often the first thing worth looking at.

Signs Your Baby May Be Constipated

Rather than counting days, watch for how your baby actually looks and behaves. The signs worth paying attention to are:

• Hard, dry stools that look like small pellets or are cracked and difficult to pass, rather than soft and mustard-like or paste-like.
• Straining with real distress, going red in the face, crying, arching their back or pulling their legs up. A bit of grunting or straining is normal for young babies (their tummy muscles are weak), so it’s the distress alongside it that’s the clue.
• A firm, bloated tummy that seems tender when you press gently.
• Reduced appetite or general grumpiness that doesn’t have another obvious cause.
• Small streaks of blood on the outside of a hard stool, which usually points to a tiny tear (fissure) around the anus caused by straining.

Safe Home Remedies That Actually Help

These are worth trying for mild constipation. If your baby is under 6 months old or has any other health conditions, check with your health visitor, GP or paediatrician before changing feeds or introducing anything new.

Extra fluids

For babies under 6 months who aren’t yet on solids, extra breast milk or formula feeds (little and often) is usually the go-to, rather than water, unless your doctor has specifically told you otherwise. Once your baby is on solids and over 6 months, small amounts of water between feeds can help too.

Fruit purees with a natural laxative effect

Prunes, pears and plums contain sorbitol, a natural sugar that draws water into the gut and softens stool. For a baby already on solids, a spoonful or two of pureed prune or pear, or a small amount of well-diluted prune juice (roughly one part juice to one part water), once a day is a reasonable starting point. Introduce slowly, as too much can cause loose stools or wind.

Tummy massage

Lay your baby on their back and, with a bit of baby-safe oil or lotion if you like, massage their tummy in gentle clockwise circles, following the direction their bowel runs. Some parents find the “I LOVE U” stroke helpful: trace an “I” down the left side of their tummy, then an upside-down “L”, then an upside-down “U”, always finishing on the lower left where the bowel exits. A few minutes before a feed or bath can help.

Bicycle legs

With your baby on their back, gently cycle their legs towards their tummy and back, alternating sides. This helps move trapped gas and can encourage a bowel movement, particularly useful for younger babies who can’t yet move around much on their own.

Warm bath and a bit of extra tummy time

A warm bath can relax the muscles around the tummy and bottom enough to help things along. During the day, extra tummy time and general movement (kicking, being carried upright, a bit of supported sitting for older babies) all encourage the bowel to work.

Things to Avoid

A few well-meaning old wives’ remedies are best left alone. Don’t give honey or corn syrup to a baby under 12 months, as there’s a small risk of infant botulism. Avoid giving fruit juice to babies under 6 months. And don’t use suppositories, enemas or rectal thermometers “to get things moving” without your doctor’s specific guidance, as this can occasionally mask a more serious problem or cause irritation.

When to Get Medical Advice

Most constipation settles with simple changes at home within a few days. Get in touch with your GP, health visitor or paediatrician if:

• Your baby is under 6 weeks old and hasn’t had a bowel movement in a day or two, or a newborn hasn’t passed their first meconium poo within 48 hours of birth.
• Constipation has lasted more than a week, or keeps coming back despite home remedies.
• There’s more than a streak of blood in the stool, or you notice blood mixed through it rather than just on the surface.
• Your baby has a swollen, hard, or very tender tummy, is vomiting, refusing feeds, or seems unusually sleepy or unwell.
• Your baby isn’t gaining weight as expected alongside the constipation.

In rare cases, ongoing severe constipation from very early infancy can be a sign of an underlying condition such as Hirschsprung’s disease or a food intolerance, which a doctor can check for. This is uncommon, but it’s exactly the kind of thing worth ruling out rather than guessing about.

Reducing the Chances of It Happening Again

Once your baby is over the current episode, a few habits can lower the odds of it recurring.

• Balance the binding foods. If you’re weaning, don’t let rice cereal, banana or heavy dairy dominate the diet. Rotate in pears, prunes, peas, and other fibre-containing purees as your baby’s diet expands.
• Keep fluids steady, especially in hot weather or if your baby has been unwell, as dehydration is a common trigger.
• Build in movement every day, whether that’s floor time, being worn or carried in different positions, or (for older babies) time to crawl and pull up on furniture.
• Watch for patterns around new foods or formula changes. If constipation seems to follow a specific food, mention it to your doctor as it may be worth investigating further.

Constipation in babies is common and usually short-lived. A few adjustments to feeding, some gentle massage and movement, and a bit of patience will usually sort it out within a few days. If something feels off, or things aren’t improving, trust that instinct and get your baby checked. That’s exactly what your GP and health visitor are there for.