Is your baby sad and agitated? Have you noticed a difference in their bathroom schedule? Do you think that they are having trouble pooing?

Your baby cannot tell you what is wrong which makes it difficult to pinpoint a problem. So how do you know if your baby is constipated or if the problem stems from somewhere else? If your baby is passing infrequent, hard stools, this could be constipation. If the consistency of the stools is normal or running then there may be another reason for their unhappiness and you should contact your doctor to find out what it could be.

When you are changing your baby over from breast milk to formula, constipation becomes very common. When you are in the changing over stage, you can expect several days of firmer stools until your baby's gut has adjusted to the change in food.

When you see that your little one is having trouble, try these simple steps to move the process along.

• Gently massage their abdomen in a circular clockwise direction
• Give your baby a warm bath and massage their abdomen while they’re in the bath
• Hold your baby in an upright position or lay them flat and bring their knees up to their chest
• If you bottle feed your baby, you can give them an additional 50ml of warm boiled water once or twice a day on top of their usual feeds.

If the problem persists and you start to become worried, do not hesitate to contact your paediatrician or GP.