Constipation consternation

We were just trying to fatten him up the right way.

For a few months now, Mum has been joyously loading Sonny up with ever-larger servings of nutritious foods as we've slowly expanded his diet, going beyond milk and entering the realm of chopped vegetables, minced meat and even cheese. After all, we figured, he's about to hit the Big Eleven (months) in a few days' time: It wouldn't do to have him still slurping just the white stuff.

It now appears, however, that we have been a little too adventurous in stuffing him with various solid foods. To be exact, they may have been rather too solid. Over the last few days, the little fella's daily 'clearance' has fallen dramatically. There was even a dramatic episode in which he strained viciously while perched on his little eviction-throne, tears streaming.

Shortly thereafter, our resident wise woman - well, the chief caregiver at Sonny's infant care centre - informed us that we had been feeding the little fella food in excessively-large chunks. Evidently, he had been having trouble digesting; possibly, too, he wasn't drinking enough water, despite our constant efforts to make him guzzle more of it.

Sonny's 'output' has since resumed: We've even cancelled emergency measures like dosing him with prune juice. Still, our plans to wean him completely will now have to be carefully calibrated to ensure that there is a more gradual transition away from purely liquid food. Hey, we've been ambushed once by the Big Bad Diet Monster: We don't want a repeat attack. And who knows what other innocuous changes in the little fella's routine or schedule could portend potential problems?

For instance, he's now sleeping less at night and more during the day: Could this alternation suddenly leap out to somehow bite us? We've noticed little red marks on his back and mouth: They look like a harmless rash, but perhaps danger lurks. Should even his increased tendency to drool (click here for our original lighthearted post) be a disturbing sign that's going uninterpreted? Perhaps it is dehydrating the little fella...

Sure, now we're paranoid. Blame the constipation, won't you?