Is there anything I can give my 6 week old baby for constipation other than an enema?

a little bit of karo syrup ... i had the some problem with my little girl.. this works like a charm... i did it in the mornings.. she was fine by the afternoon!

your baby is way too young for juice.

good luck

I used to give my daughter prune juice. I would suggest try 3 oz at a time first, then another 3 after 4 hours or so. I works great with my daughter.

An enema for a 6 week old? I think you can try other things first. Even a suppository is a better last resort thing to try. First of all, how do you know he's constipated? Is he passing hard stools when he does go? Breastfed babies don't get constipated as there's a natural laxative in the breastmilk (hence the loud explosive runny bowel movements!). What this could be a sign of, which is more of a concern, is that baby is not getting enough milk--his body isn't producing much waste because it's using up everything.

If he's bottle fed, then this page might have some good ideas for you, including putting him up to his belly in a warm bath (someone will have to hold him up, of course) and massaging his belly and bringing his knees up to his chest.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T081100.asp

When our breastfed baby wasn't pooping for a few days, I used a q-tip dipped in olive oil and very gently massaged his anus (sticking it in only a tiny tiny bit--like a millemetre) and massaged his belly, and soon it all came out! But he also had issues with not getting enough food at first (my milk took a few days to come in and I didn't have much colostrum).

Here's another example of what this could be:
http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,3wxq,00.html

Good luck!

My Dr. had me give my daughter baby prune juice at 2 weeks old ( not alot just a 1/2 ounce-1 ounce at first) She was badly impacted from the formula she had to be on.

Best Constipation Cures

I tried this when my little one was 3 weeks old.
Try eating dried prunes and raisins that could help the baby poop easier. Also what you could do is put some olive oil or petroleum jelly (olive oil works Better) on a q-tip and gently stick it into his anus when you expect that he is trying to go, you can do this up to 5 times a day but don’t over use it. You can also put a little boiled water in a syringe and once again gently push it into his anus, that will water down the poop and allow it to pass easier, but that can be done about 2 times a day. Good luck

Well, my son who is 10 weeks old right now, had the same problem. He went up to 9 days without a bowel movement. Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding? Well, anyways here is what his doctor told me to do. First try giving him one to two ounces of baby pear, or prune juice. If it is the adult kind then do a 50juice/50water mix. I tried this but it did nothing to my son, he was still constipated but I know of some babies on who this has worked. Next, and what did work for me was getting infant sized suppositories, I was really not sure if I wanted to take this route but when he didnt go, it was my only hope. So, ok you insert the suppository up to a half an inch, not the whole thing, and count to 20 then you remove it. According to my doctor, if you remove it instead of inserting it and leaving it, then the child will not become dependent on using an aid to have a bowel movement. Like I said I tried this and 15 minutes later, POOP. I used them every 4 to 5 days because I wanted his body to kind of get on a schedule and now at 10 weeks, he is going twice a week without help. I hope this helps. Just whatever you do dont give him any honey, I've heard people say that it helps but honey can have major problems on babies.

Hope this helps.

My pediatrician had me give my daughter 1 ounce prune juice mixed with 1 ounce water at 3 weeks. It worked some of the time, but when it didn't I would put vaseline on the tip of a rectal thermometer. You just insert the very tip (the silver part). A baby's natural instinct is to try to push it out, so she would go almost immediately. My only caution is to be prepared with wipes!!! Do not use Karo syrup! It can contain a bacteria that causes botulism. The risk is very small, but not worth it.

My daughter had the same problem. It got really bad because nothing worked. She still has problems and she is almost four. The different things that made it easier for her was Kayro (the dark kind) in her bottles, prune juice, and also her formula was changed to similac's isomil advance. The doctor even subscribed sapositories. We had to give them to her on serval occasions. The first time was at 1 1/2 weeks. It is real small and looks like a gel pill, and she went in 10 minutes.

Prune juice is fine!
Just remember to dilute it (at least the same amount of water as juice). Start with 1/2 ounce of juice (1 ounce of mixture). Wait awhile after giving the juice. If he doesn't go within a couple of hours, give him the same amount. Once he has gone, make sure he is getting plenty of liquids every day and nothing else.

Babies should not be given anything but breastmilk, formula, juice or water until they are 4 months old. Anything else can cause digestive problems.

You should also ask your baby's doctor about this and see if they have any other suggestions for you.

A little prune juice and water are both good. He should be having at least 1-2 oz. of water anyway because even with little babies water is necessary. Some doctors will say they don't need it unless it is hot out but I gave two of my babies water all the time and those are the two that were the healthiest, grew to have the healthy habits and did not crave sweets like the other three. My daughter is 9 now and still asks for water regularly. And the water never seemed to effect them negatively as baby's either.