My sister in laws baby is one week old, and is really constipated. Does anyone know what she could give him that would help with this? Some lady gave her some organic tea and told her to boil it on the stove and put just a little sugar in it and give it to him, but shes scared to because she has never heard of it before. Any suggestions? Thanks so much!

Try a little prune juice and water.

Oh o.k. Thanks, I will let her know that!

She was saying something about sugar water, will that help?

With the baby being only a week old, I would be leery of giving prune juice. I did a yahoo search and the following is what I found. Hope it helps.
----------------------
Newborn Constipation Symptoms

Newborn constipation will generally cause your baby to be in pain. Your baby’s stools may be hard and dry which makes them difficult to pass. A sign your baby may be having difficulty passing his or her stools will be that your baby draws his or her legs up while they strain with a red face in an attempt to pass the stool. Stools that are very dry and hard can cause your baby’s rectal wall to tear. If it does you may see blood.

Your newborn baby will pass stools that are black or dark green and tarry for the first few days of his life. Then you baby will start having regular bowel movements that are lighter in color. Regular bowel movements generally start on day three.

Your newborn infant’s bowel movements will be quite frequent, especially if the baby is breastfed. If your baby is still passing the dark stools and has not transitioned into having regular bowel movements by day four or five, your baby may have newborn constipation.

Newborn Constipation Causes

Your baby may get newborn constipation if he or she is not getting enough to eat. Your baby may also get constipated if there has been a switch in their formula. Doctor may recommend that your baby’s formula be switched if he or she is constipated. This is especially done when babies are on a formula that is high in iron.

Some doctors recommend that babies be given water to drink each day. This will help to hydrate the baby’s body and give him or her the hydration that is needed to promote normal regular stools. It is recommended that you change your baby’s feeding schedule. Spreading out feedings and giving your baby more to eat may help with constipation.

Newborn Constipation Treatment

If your baby is showing signs of newborn constipation, you should take him or her to the pediatrician. Doctor will want to know your baby’s feeding schedule, as well as the amount of wet diapers your baby has on a daily basis. Your baby’s weight will also help doctor treat your baby if he or has newborn constipation.

If your baby is extremely fussy with newborn constipation, you may want to bathe him or her in warm water. When your baby becomes relaxed by the heat you can massage his or her belly. Sometimes this will stimulate your baby to have a bowel movement.

Sometimes a baby with newborn constipation simply needs some extra help to pass his or her stools. Talk to your baby’s doctor to see if your baby could benefit from the use of a glycerin suppository. Be there to comfort and soothe your baby and work with your pediatrician to remedy the problem

Thank you so much! Thats very important information. She said when he was having regular bowel movements, his stool was green and tarry. But he is on formula with a lot of iron in it. She has been helping him try to go by putting a wet q tip in there and he pushes it on out, but I dont think its a good idea to do that.