Constipation in Formula-Fed Babies: A Parent's Guide to Relief

A hard, dry diaper, or a day without one, is enough to worry any parent. This guide to constipation in formula-fed babies follows AAP (the American Academy of Pediatrics), the NHS (the UK's National Health Service) and CDC. It covers what is normal, what to check first, the home steps they describe and when to call.

Quick answer: Judge constipation in formula-fed babies by the stool: AAP says a formula-fed baby usually poops at least once most days and may go 1 to 2 days between stools. Hard, dry or pellet-like stools, pain, or straining over 10 minutes without success suggest constipation. Check that every bottle is mixed exactly as the label says, and ask your pediatrician before switching; this guide does not recommend a formula for constipation. Call promptly for a baby under 2 months, blood, vomiting, a swollen belly, fever or a baby who seems ill.

If your pediatrician suggests a different formula, our comfort, HA and specialty formula collection lists the options Formuland carries. Formuland sells the formulas named in this guide. This guide does not rank them and presents none of them as a treatment.

Understanding the Causes of Infant Constipation

AAP describes constipation as stools that are hard, dry and difficult or painful to pass, and sometimes infrequent. The NHS says it is often caused by diet. It can start when a baby begins formula or solid foods, while the body learns to handle new foods.

The NHS names three common causes of constipation in formula-fed babies. They are formula made up with too much powder, too little fluid (from teething, a cold or an ear infection, for example) and, in older babies, too little fiber. AAP also answers a worry some parents have: the iron in infant formula does not cause constipation.

Signs of Constipation in Formula-Fed Babies

Look at the stool and your baby's comfort together. AAP says a formula-fed baby's stools are usually tan or yellow and no firmer than soft clay. Grunting, a red face and drawn-up legs while pushing are normal in young babies.

AAP's checklist adds a few questions. Is your baby unusually fussy, or spitting up more than usual? Is your baby having many more or fewer bowel movements than before? Any of these can suggest real constipation. A new weak suck or weak muscles in a baby under 12 months needs a call to your pediatrician right away. A baby who is hard to wake or too weak to suck needs the ER now, and a baby who cannot be woken needs 911.

Constipation by Age: What's Normal and What's Not

What you can try for constipation in formula-fed babies changes with age, because the drinks and foods a baby can have change. Your pediatrician's advice for your own baby comes first.

Newborns (Under 2 Months)

Call early. AAP's constipation guide says to contact the doctor within 24 hours for a baby under 2 months with constipation, apart from normal straining and grunting. The NHS says the same for babies under 8 weeks who have not pooped for 2 or 3 days. A fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher at 3 months or younger means calling your pediatrician immediately, per AAP.

NHS England's constipation pathway for children lists two newborn red flags for prompt specialist review: constipation that starts from birth or in the first few weeks, and a term baby who took more than 48 hours to pass the first stool (meconium). Contact your pediatrician immediately if either applies.

Watch the color too. AAP says white or very pale poop is rare but needs a doctor as soon as possible, because it can point to a liver problem. Red or black stool after the first meconium days means contacting your pediatrician promptly.

2 to 6 Months

Formula is the only drink. AAP says babies in the first 6 months do not need water or juice in addition to formula unless a pediatrician advises it. It adds that extra water can upset a baby's mineral balance. For constipation in formula-fed babies, AAP allows one exception from 1 month of age: a little pasteurized 100% apple or pear juice, after you ask your pediatrician. Do not start solid foods early because of constipation; CDC says solids start at about 6 months, and not before 4 months.

6 to 12 Months

Solids change the picture. AAP suggests high-fiber baby foods twice a day, and AAP says a baby can start having a little water, about 4 to 8 ounces a day, around 6 months. Large amounts of cereal, underripe bananas and cow's milk (not recommended before 12 months) can make stools harder.

Juice amounts come from AAP's infant constipation advice and its constipation symptom guide; your pediatrician sets the amount and how long to give it. Outside constipation, AAP recommends no fruit juice for babies under 12 months, and juice should never replace formula. AAP's juice guidance also says to give only pasteurized 100% fruit juice.

Common Causes of a Formula-Fed Baby Not Pooping

Most causes of constipation in formula-fed babies can be checked at home before anything changes. Start with the bottle itself.

Improper Formula Preparation

Too much powder is a known cause of constipation in formula-fed babies. The NHS says adding too much formula can make a baby constipated and cause dehydration. CDC warns that too little water can make a baby's kidneys and digestive system work too hard. For firm, dry stools, AAP's first step is checking that you mix the formula exactly as the instructions say.

• Measure the water first, then add the powder, in the exact amounts on your container (CDC).
• Use only the scoop from that container, level and not packed down; scoop sizes differ between brands.
• Never add an extra scoop and never add extra water. AAP warns that formula made with too much water can cause serious health problems.
• Ready-to-feed formula gets no water at all.
• For a baby under 2 months, born early or with a weakened immune system, CDC suggests boiling the water, letting it cool for about 5 minutes, mixing, then cooling the bottle. Ask your pediatrician where this differs from your label.
• Use a bottle within 2 hours of making it and within 1 hour once feeding starts, whichever comes first, and throw away leftovers (CDC).

Our guide to preparing and storing baby formula covers scoops per bottle size, safe water and storage times.

Dehydration and Environmental Factors

Less fluid means harder stools. The NHS lists teething, illness such as a cold or an ear infection, and in older babies too little to drink with food. AAP asks parents to call the pediatrician immediately for signs of dehydration:

• Fewer than six wet diapers a day.
• A dry mouth and fewer tears when crying.
• A sunken soft spot on the head.
• Signs of severe dehydration: very fussy or excessively sleepy, sunken eyes, cool and discolored hands and feet, wrinkled skin, or urinating only 1 or 2 times a day.

Sensitivity to Cow's Milk Proteins

Iron is not the culprit. AAP says the iron in infant formula does not contribute to constipation or upset stomach, and that low-iron formulas should not be used. If your pediatrician suspects a cow's milk protein allergy, the diagnosis and the formula choice are theirs.

The NHS says babies diagnosed with cows' milk allergy are prescribed a formula with fully hydrolysed (broken-down) proteins. Partially hydrolysed comfort formula is not suitable for them. Our guide to HA, hydrolyzed and amino acid formulas explains the label terms.

A Recent Formula Change

A new formula can change the stool for a while: AAP says occasional changes in stool color and consistency are normal. AAP's bottle-feeding guidance adds that switching from one milk-based formula to another is not helpful for any symptom. Do not switch without talking with your child's doctor.

If a switch is planned, our tips for switching formula brands walk through it. Go bottle by bottle, and never put two formulas in one bottle.

Solid Foods and Activity

Once solids start, AAP lists large amounts of cereal, underripe bananas and cow's milk before 12 months as foods that can harden stools. A low-fiber diet causes small, hard stools. Lack of exercise is not a cause in children unless they are confined to bed, according to AAP's constipation guide.

How to Help a Constipated Formula-Fed Baby Naturally

These are the home steps the NHS and AAP describe for constipation in formula-fed babies. They are for an otherwise well baby without any of the warning signs in the next section. Speak to your pediatrician if things do not improve; the NHS says it may take a few days to get things moving.

Bicycle Leg Exercise

Lay your baby on their back and move their legs slowly in a cycling motion, as the NHS describes. Stop if your baby is upset.

Abdominal Massage

If your baby is happy lying down, the NHS suggests a light tummy massage. The NHS also says to avoid lotions and oils until a baby is at least 1 month old.

Knees to Chest

AAP suggests holding your baby's knees against the chest, like a squat, and pressing lightly on the lower belly with your fingers. If no stool comes within a few minutes, stop.

Warm Bath

AAP says warmth helps many children relax and pass a stool. It suggests warm water when a child strains too long. The NHS bathing guide says to check the water with your elbow first, support your baby's head and shoulders, use plain water in the first month and never leave your baby alone in the bath.

What Not to Do Without Your Pediatrician

• No laxatives, stool softeners, suppositories or enemas. AAP asks parents to discuss any constipation treatment with the doctor first. Its symptom guide limits stool softeners to children over 1 year.
• No water or juice for a baby under 6 months unless your pediatrician says so.
• No changes to the water in a bottle, and no formula switches on your own.
• No reliance on prebiotics or probiotics. AAP says there is not enough research to support their use in children with constipation.
• No honey before 12 months, not even in water or formula. CDC says it can cause botulism, a severe food poisoning.

When to Call Your Pediatrician About Baby Constipation

Most constipation in formula-fed babies settles with the steps above, but some signs need a doctor quickly. The table follows AAP's constipation symptom guide unless another source is named.

If the home steps are not helping with constipation in formula-fed babies, call; do not wait out a time limit for a young baby or a baby with any warning sign. For older, otherwise well babies, AAP's guide says to call if constipation lasts more than 1 week after diet changes, and NIDDK (the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) says to talk with your child's doctor if it lasts more than 2 weeks. If something feels wrong, call; you know your baby.

Best Formula for Constipation? What AAP and the NHS Say

There is no single best formula for constipation in formula-fed babies, and this guide does not recommend one. The guidance we checked points elsewhere first:

• Comfort formula is made with partly broken-down (partially hydrolysed) cows' milk protein. The NHS says there is no evidence for the colic or constipation benefits claimed for it.
• The iron in formula does not cause constipation, and low-iron formula should not be used (AAP).
• There is not enough research to support prebiotics or probiotics in children with constipation (AAP).
• Switching from one milk-based formula to another is not helpful for any symptom (AAP).

So the first steps are the mixing check, the home steps and your pediatrician. If your pediatrician suggests a different formula, browse the full comfort and specialty formula collection.

Comfort, HA and Standard Formulas: What the Labels Say

This section gives label facts for the formulas this page has always listed. It is not a recommendation for constipation in formula-fed babies. Kendamil and HiPP UK label their comfort formulas as a food for special medical purposes (FSMP), a category the labels say is for use under medical supervision. HiPP Germany says its comfort special formula is for use only after talking with your pediatrician.

Kendamil Comfort From Birth

Kendamil Comfort is a UK-labeled formula that Kendamil calls a food for special medical purposes, for use under medical supervision. Its page says to use it after a standard formula has been tried. Label facts:

• Partially hydrolysed whey protein and reduced lactose.
• Soluble dextrin is listed first in its ingredients.
• Cream, whole milk powder and vegetable oils; no palm oil or fish oil.
• From birth (800 g can).

HiPP Comfort Formula UK

HiPP UK Comfort is labeled by HiPP UK as a food for special medical purposes. HiPP says it should only be used on the advice of a healthcare professional. Label facts:

• Hydrolysed whey protein from cows' milk and reduced lactose.
• Contains starch and GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides, a fiber made from lactose).
• Vegetable oils, including palm oil.
• From birth (800 g can).

Holle A2 Stage 1

Holle A2 Stage 1 is a standard first infant formula, not a comfort or specialty formula. A2 (a type of beta-casein, a milk protein) names the milk it uses: Holle explains that regular cow's milk contains both A1 and A2 beta-casein. This formula uses milk from cows that give the A2 type. Label facts:

• Organic skimmed milk (A2) and organic whey powder.
• Lactose is the only carbohydrate.
• Vegetable oils: palm, sunflower and rapeseed.
• From birth (400 g box).

HiPP Dutch HA 1

HiPP Dutch HA 1 is a complete cow's milk-based infant formula from birth, per HiPP Netherlands. HiPP describes its HA Combiotik range as made with split (hydrolysed) milk proteins and lactic acid cultures. The HiPP Netherlands pages we checked do not give a complete ingredient label, so confirm the current can. HA or hydrolysed on a label does not by itself mean a formula suits a baby diagnosed with cows' milk allergy; your pediatrician chooses that formula. HA formula is not a constipation formula.

HiPP Comfort Formula Milk (German)

HiPP German Comfort is a German-labeled special formula (Spezialnahrung). HiPP Germany says to use it only after talking with your pediatrician. Label facts: hydrolysed (split) milk protein and a reduced lactose content, in a 600 g box.

Prices are one-time prices for a single can or box on formuland.com, checked on November 8, 2026. Multi-packs and Subscribe & Save cost less per unit. All five were in stock on that date.

These formulas carry UK, German or Dutch labels made under EU or UK rules. That is a different rulebook from U.S. requirements, so ask your pediatrician which formula fits your baby.

Goat Milk Formula and Constipation

Goat milk formula is not a remedy for constipation in formula-fed babies. AAP says it is not certain that goat's milk formula is better tolerated than formula made from cow's milk or soy. Infants allergic to cow's milk should not use goat's milk products, because the proteins cross-react.

In the UK, the NHS adds that goats' milk formula is made to the same nutritional standards as cows' milk formula. Plain goats' milk is only a drink from age 1. If you and your pediatrician choose goat milk formula, see our goat milk formula collection.

Baby Care Essentials From Formuland

Constipation in formula-fed babies is usually handled with the basics: a bottle mixed to the label, the home steps above and a pediatrician who knows your baby. Formuland ships European baby formula and UK formula with duties included, free U.S. shipping on orders of $100 or more, and Subscribe & Save at 7% off eligible items.

• Comfort, HA and specialty formulas, to choose with your pediatrician.
• Stage 1 formulas from birth, and goat milk formulas.
• Baby skin care and baby bath products.
• Baby diapers for the changes in between.

For gas rather than hard stools, read when to switch formula because of gas. For the move onto formula itself, see our step-by-step guide to switching to formula.

Disclosure: Formuland sells the formulas and baby care products named in this guide. This guide does not rank them and does not present any formula as a treatment for constipation. It summarizes public guidance from AAP, the NHS, CDC and NIDDK for general information and is not medical advice. Your pediatrician and your formula's label come first.

Frequently Asked Questions About Constipation in Formula-Fed Babies