Constipation for more than two months in children

Patient's question:

The child has been crying when having bowel movements these past few days, with harder stools and less volume. How can we alleviate the child's pain? He is only two and a half months old. Last time I asked online, a doctor said it was okay to give him honey water, but the pediatrician here says children under three months are not allowed to eat it? Is that right?

Doctor's answer:

1. Drink more water
2. For breastfed babies, mothers should adjust their dietary structure, focus on light eating, and drink more water.
3. Perform clockwise abdominal massage for the baby twice a day, for 5–10 minutes each time.
4. If constipation persists for multiple days, use infant glycerin suppositories.
5. Feed more fruits and vegetable juices. The feeding speed should not be too fast or lead to overeating. The milk formula concentration should be slightly diluted.
6. Glycerin suppository method: Shave a soap bar into a pencil-thick, 3 cm-long piece, moisten it with water, and insert it into the infant’s rectum to stimulate the intestinal wall and induce defecation.
7. Salted radish stick method: Shave radish sticks into pencil-thick pieces, soak them in saltwater, and insert them into the rectum to promote bowel movement.
8. Glycerin suppositories: Inject glycerin suppositories into the infant’s rectum to stimulate the intestinal wall and induce defecation.