For babies under six months, small amounts of fruit juice are the safest and most effective remedy for constipation. For babies over six months who have started solids, high-fiber foods like pureed prunes, pears, and peas can get things moving. Physical techniques like gentle belly massage and leg movements also help at any age, and they’re a good first step before trying anything else.
Before you reach for a remedy, though, it helps to know whether your baby is actually constipated or just on a normal schedule.
How to Tell If Your Baby Is Actually Constipated
Bowel habits vary a lot depending on how your baby eats. Formula-fed babies typically have at least one bowel movement most days, though going one to two days between movements is normal. Breastfed babies have a much wider range. After the first month of life, a breastfed infant can go several days or even a full week without a bowel movement and be perfectly fine. Their bodies are simply using every drop of milk for growth, not waste.
What matters more than frequency is consistency and comfort. Constipation looks like hard, pellet-like stools, straining that produces crying or visible discomfort, or a firm, distended belly. A baby who goes five days without a bowel movement but then passes a soft stool without fuss is not constipated. A baby who goes daily but screams and passes hard balls probably is. During the first month, though, fewer than one stool per day may mean your newborn isn’t eating enough, so that’s worth a call to your pediatrician.
Gentle Belly Massage and Leg Exercises
These are worth trying first because they carry zero risk and often work surprisingly well. You can do them at any age.
Bicycle legs: Lay your baby on their back and gently push both knees toward their belly. Hold for three to five seconds, release, and repeat three to five times. You can also move their legs in a cycling motion, alternating one knee up while the other extends. This puts gentle pressure on the intestines and can help move gas and stool along.
Clockwise belly massage: Using gentle, flat-handed pressure, rub your baby’s belly in a clockwise circle (from your left to your right as you face them). This follows the natural path of the intestinal tract. You can also try a “paddling” motion, using the side of your hand to make downward strokes from the rib cage to the pelvis, one hand following the other like a water wheel. Some parents feel gas bubbles shifting under their fingertips when they use a gentle walking motion across the belly just above the navel.
A warm bath before the massage can help relax your baby’s abdominal muscles and make the whole process more effective.
Fruit Juice for Babies Over One Month
For babies older than one month who are still on breast milk or formula only, a small amount of 100% fruit juice can act as a natural stool softener. The sugars in certain juices pull water into the intestines, which softens things up.
The recommended amount is 1 ounce per month of age per day, up to a maximum of 4 ounces. So a two-month-old would get about 2 ounces, while a four-month-old could have up to 4 ounces. Pear and apple juice work well. After three months of age, prune juice is also an option and tends to be the most effective. Avoid citrus juices like orange juice, which don’t help with constipation.
Give the juice between regular feedings rather than as a replacement for breast milk or formula. If your baby has a bowel movement within 24 hours, you can stop the juice. This is a short-term fix, not a daily habit.
High-Fiber Foods for Babies on Solids
Once your baby is eating solid foods (typically around six months), diet becomes your best tool. Some starter foods like rice cereal and bananas can actually worsen constipation, so shifting toward higher-fiber options often solves the problem on its own.
The most effective foods for baby constipation are the “P fruits”: prunes, pears, peaches, and plums. Pureed prunes are especially reliable. Other good choices include pureed peas, broccoli, carrots, and oatmeal. As your baby moves to more textured foods, berries, apples with the skin on, lentils, and whole wheat pasta are all high in fiber.
Introduce fiber gradually. A sudden jump in fiber intake can cause gas and bloating, which makes an already uncomfortable baby more miserable. Adding one new high-fiber food at a time, over a few days, lets your baby’s digestive system adjust. Pair fiber-rich foods with small sips of water (appropriate for babies over six months) to help the fiber do its job.
Water: How Much Is Safe
Babies under six months should not be given water. Breast milk or formula provides all the hydration they need, and extra water at this age can dilute their blood sodium to dangerous levels.
For babies six to twelve months old, small amounts of water between meals can help soften stools. A few ounces throughout the day is plenty. Water works best alongside high-fiber foods, since fiber absorbs liquid and creates softer, bulkier stools that are easier to pass.
Glycerin Suppositories and Other Medications
Over-the-counter glycerin suppositories are sometimes used for infant constipation, but they require a pediatrician’s guidance for any child under two years old. For children ages two to five, the standard dose is one suppository once daily, and they shouldn’t be used for longer than one week without a doctor’s direction.
For babies under two, do not use any suppository, laxative, or stool softener without talking to your pediatrician first. This includes products marketed as “infant” formulations. Your doctor can recommend the right product and dose based on your baby’s age and weight, and can rule out underlying causes that would need different treatment.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most infant constipation resolves with the dietary and physical approaches above. But certain symptoms signal something more serious. Contact your pediatrician if constipation lasts longer than two weeks, or sooner if you notice any of the following: fever, blood in the stool, abdominal swelling, refusal to eat, weight loss, or pain during bowel movements that doesn’t improve. Rectal prolapse, where part of the intestinal lining pushes out through the anus, also requires immediate medical evaluation.
For newborns in the first few weeks of life, constipation that starts from birth (rather than developing later) can occasionally indicate an anatomical issue that your pediatrician will want to assess early.