My 4-month-old baby can't poop, what should I do?

It's very natural for you to worry if your baby hasn't pooped in a while. Let's look at this first: Is your baby's poop really hard, dry, ball-like? Or hasn't they pooped in a few days but it's soft? With breast-fed babies, sometimes 7–10 days without pooping is normal; this isn't constipation, just very good digestion of milk.

Real constipation signs are:

• Poop is hard, dry, like pebbles
• Baby is straining while pooping, crying, turning red
• Belly is swollen, hard, fussy

If these are present, things you can try:

• Bicycle leg movements (several times a day, 5–10 minutes)
• Gently pressing their knees toward their belly while lying on their back
• A warm bath can relax muscles
• If you haven't started solids at 4 months, don't give water or fruit juice — wait until 6 months

When to see a pediatrician:

• If pooping goes beyond 5–7 days and is hard
• If baby is vomiting, has fever, very swollen or hard belly
• If you see blood in the stool

As for your mother-in-law: generational information differences are very common. Understand her concerns with compassion, but trust pediatric recommendations. You could suggest asking the pediatrician together; this puts both minds at ease.