Question
My baby hasn’t had a bowel movement in four days. What should I do if my baby doesn’t have a bowel movement?
Answer
Baby constipation is usually caused by improper diet. When a baby experiences constipation, mothers should not worry too much and can try adjusting the baby’s dietary habits and other methods to treat constipation. Some babies are accustomed to having bowel movements every 2-3 days, as long as the stool is not hard and there are no discomforts, it is not considered constipation and no treatment is needed. For newborns and young infants who are mainly fed with milk, water, diluted salt water, or light vegetable juice should be given between feedings. The amount is about 20-30 milliliters each time to change the intestinal permeability and promote defecation.