Karo syrup for constipation

So in usual fashion I can't find exactly what I am looking for here in my lovely city Man shopping here you would think we are all hicks haha!!

Anyway I searched constipation here in the FY forum and came up with the Karo syrup remedy and was recommended by a few online friends. All I could get was gold crown corn syrup, which compares itself to karo as the canadian version. Anyone tried this??? And how much per bottle etc? (I bought the dark.) Any other suggestions? I also bought glycerin suppositories to maybe try....

TIA!!!

 

I think that brand of corn syrup will work just the same as Karo. Back when our boys had horrible constipation problems I tended to add approximately 1-1.5 teaspoons of corn syrup to their bottles. I didn't put that in every bottle but started out slow...which had no effect, lol. I then found this webpage while doing one of my many google searches so I then started adding some syrup to most (but not all bottles). I honestly didn't have a set amount of syrup or bottles. I just played things by ear based on their "movements", LOL. I remember how horrible it was when they were constipated though and listening to them cry as they strained...and when it got unbearable to listen to I would give them a suppository. Thank goodness their bad constipation days are behind them. And hopefully the same will be true for your kiddos soon!

 

:hug: I also just tinkered with the amts and how often. What I ended up doing with my oldest and the twins, is once I figured out roughly how much per day would keep them constipation free, I would mix that amt into their jug of formula, so they were getting a constant amt of karo all day long. It works fantastic.

You can start out with just a small amt in one or two bottles a day, but for instant relief, go ahead and use the supps. Did you find the liquid supps?? They are much easier and gentler to use than the hard ones, but I don't know if you can get them up there. Liquid Glycerin Suppositories this is what I use.

My ped said it was fine to use on babies, and that they won't become dependent on them, even if you have to use them once a day for a few days to get things under control. He also recommends the dark karo syrup as needed.

 

Try Gerber apple prune juice. It works WONDERS!

 

My pedi also recommended apple, pear or prune juice. I did a karo syrup solution when they were infants...I heated up 4 oz of water and added 2 tsp of karo syrup and let cool before I put it in the bottle. Using juice or karo syrup helped with the constipation. Good luck!

 

I didn't have any luck with the karo syrup. I replaced 1 ounce of the water in their bottles with pear juice, and that did the trick.

 

We too used pear juice. Ours were little when we needed to do it. So we did 1/2 ounce of water to 1/2 ounce of pear juice. Worked like a charm.

 

Wow, thank you for posting that interesting link. :good: It explains in a very specific manner what's going on physically as well as how ways to prevent/remedy baby's discomfort.

 

That really is an awesome article!! Thanks so much!

I'll definitely have to look at those liquid suppositories, we probably don't have them here but I'll look next time I'm at one of our bigger drug stores.

As for their stool, ugh sorry tmi, it isn't hard and pellet like in the traditional sense of constipation but more like very firm modeling clay (betcha you'll never play with that again without thinking of poo haha!) and was more than just the regula grunting and straining so I think I'd still call it constipation. I think I said my boy has finally passed his but his body took well to the prunes where as they made dd awful sick so we will be staying away from those. I did buy some pears to try and have heard rice cereal is hard on them constipation wise so I figure I will try some oatmeal instead too. Maybe I'll pick up some pear juice to have on hand too.

Thanks so much for all the great help everyone!!!

 

I mix their cereal with juice every night- and now that they're trying bananas (a constipating food) apple and pear together.

It works well enough that I save apple juice for those occasions.

 

My first son always had problems with constipation so I gave him pears every day and pear juice once a day and it worked like a charm. My friends twin has had a ton of trouble with constipation and her doctor told her to put one tsp of brown sugar in their bottles a few times a day. She said that worked too but I prefer the natural sugar from the fruits. Best of luck

 

Crown has a Lily White corn syrup, I am sure you must have it, I have been able to find it here.

 

It's be the baking things. Cake, icing, etc.

 

Thanks ladies, I just tried some in dd's bottle (the crown kind) so we shall see. I also tried a suppository and cut it in half lengthwise as the pharmacist recommended only to find it looking almost exactly the same laying there in her diaper about 45 minutes later :shrug: maybe I shouldn't have cut it lengthwise but widthwise so that it would stay in, ugh!

 

We had the same problem and I found the only sure-fire way to get them in and keep them in was to hold them in place for a minute or two...and lemme tell ya they are pretty fast acting, LOL. After that if they hadn't went yet I would close up their diaper and it would usually happen in a couple of minutes. GL!

 

My LOs are also having constipation problems (one has it so bad she cries when passing a bowel movement and today even bit her tongue despite having no teeth yet) and I bought some pear juice to put in their bottles. For those who used pear juice do you just put it in the bottles with premixed formula? I was thinking of trying one oz to start.

Also, as for corn syrup remedies, I came across a website that suggested that light corn syrup and even current types of dark corn syrup may not be effective:

* Dark corn syrup — Dark corn syrup has been a folk remedy for constipation for hundreds of years. Dark corn syrup contains complex sugar proteins that keep water in the bowel movement. However, current types of dark corn syrup may not contain these sugar proteins, so the syrup may not be helpful. Light corn syrup is not helpful."

 

I just got the new issue of Parents magazine- it has a good article on constipation & what to do for chronic constipation.

 

Our pedi recommended using the "light" karo and just use a teaspoon per bottle of formula once a day... but mine are just 2 mos old so it might make a big difference... it took a couple of days before it started working but I know it sure did help! Thank goodness I did not have to use suppositories...