Q&A: What should I do about my baby's constipation?

"Constipated" means different things to different people. In pediatrics, a constipated child passes hard, painful stools. Soft stools, even if infrequent, wouldn't be considered constipation.

Assuming that your daughter is having difficulty with hard stools, the problem shouldn't be your diet (as you've already found out by modifying it), but something within her system.

There are five ways to combat constipation:

1. Offer fewer constipating foods, as you have done.
2. Offer more foods that promote the passing of stool: uncooked fruits and vegetables and foods with a high fiber content. Prunes are among the best fruits for this purpose, but most other fruits--excluding apples and bananas--work. If prunes don't go over well, prune juice is worth a try. Bran muffins are another food worth trying.
3. Move around more. This is more relevant for older children and adults. Regular activity helps promote regular bowel activity.
4. Offer more fluids. Enough liquid to keep the urine a pale yellow color is usually adequate. Dehydration dries out stools as well as other parts of the body. The caveat here for toddlers is that excess whole milk consumption tends to cause constipation.
5. Medicate. There are multiple categories of agents, from stool softeners to gut stimulants to bulking agents to mineral oil. Among them, mineral oil and gentle stool softeners tend to be used first in children.