Baby stool: color (yellow, green, gray), pooping frequency and diarrhea. The frequency and color of the baby’s bowel movements is an indicator to assess the health of the baby’s digestive system. Some knowledge about a baby’s bowel movements is important to determine whether it is normal or a cause for concern. Learn about baby’s poop and bowel movements: the color of the stool and the frequency of his bowel movements.
- A baby’s first stool
- Meconium
- Congenital disorder
- Frequency of bowel movements in a baby
- How often should your baby poop?
- Absence of stool
- Not a poopy diaper every day
- Consistency and color of stool
- Can change regularly in a baby
- Undigested food remains
- Bowel movements of breastfed infants
- Poop during breastfeeding
- Green or orange poop
- Darker poop with solid food
- Bottle feeding stools
- Diarrhea or spray diapers
- Water-thin poop
- Spray diapers for breastfeeding
- Difficult or hard stools
- Constipation
- Tips
Meconium / Source: Jeremy Kemp, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
A baby’s first stool
Meconium
The first stool of a newborn is called meconium . Meconium is a greenish, black and sticky substance that collects in the baby’s intestines during pregnancy. Parents who are not aware of this may become concerned when they see the first filled diaper. But rest assured, the presence of meconium shows that the baby’s excretory system is functioning normally. In the first few days the meconium is passed out and the poop becomes lighter every day as the baby drinks more and more milk. Usually, by the fourth day, the poop looks like normal infant poop.
Congenital disorder
If no meconium is produced in the first 24 to 48 hours after birth, one should be aware of a congenital disorder such as:
- anal atresia (a condition in which the anus is missing or not formed properly); or
- a meconium ileus (that is the absence of peristaltic movements in the intestines).
If you do not have the first stool, contact your doctor immediately.
Frequency of bowel movements in a baby
How often should your baby poop?
The frequency of bowel movements can vary greatly from baby to baby. There is no hard and fast rule as to how often a baby should poop. One baby poops a lot and the other baby poops little. Some children produce a small amount of stool several times a day, and sometimes even after each feeding. On the other hand, there are other children who completely poop their diaper one or more times a day. After the first three to four weeks, the number of full diapers may decrease significantly, sometimes to just one per week. Be aware that especially in some breastfed babies, after three to four weeks of age, bowel habits may suddenly change from several times a day to once in three days or less. For some breastfed babies, the time between poopy diapers can even be ten days or longer. This is a normal phenomenon and does not mean that the baby is suffering from constipation.
Absence of stool
Absence of stool may indicate insufficient energy intake. Particularly in the first weeks after birth, one must be aware of this. A small number of dirty diapers should not be too easily dismissed as ‘normal for a breastfed baby’. Any baby between the ages of 5 and 21 who does not produce at least one large poopy diaper in 24 hours should be seen by a lactation consultant, preferably the same day. A lactation consultant is trained to assess breastfeeding situations and to provide advice to the maternity woman and, if necessary, maternity care.
Not a poopy diaper every day
Bottle-fed babies do not need to have a poopy diaper every day. It is important that the stool is smooth and does not bother the baby.
Consistency and color of stool
Can change regularly in a baby
A baby’s stool can frequently change in consistency and color, from soft and mustard-yellow to green-gray, and back again. The consistency of the stool is not a cause for concern unless it is accompanied by the following complaints in the baby:
- a poor appetite;
- vomit;
- weight loss or failure to gain weight; or
- blood in the stool.
Spinach / Source: Lecic/Shutterstock.com
In these cases, contact your GP.
Undigested food remains
Digestion in a baby is not yet optimal. As a result, many undigested nutrients are found in the feces. It is also very common for the stool to turn red after eating beets or green after eating spinach.
Bowel movements of breastfed infants
Poop during breastfeeding
When the baby is breastfed, the stool becomes foamy, soft, mushy or even watery. It is not uncommon for the stool to look as if it contains ‘seeds and kernels’ or small grainy pieces. The stool in breastfed babies is light brown to yellow-gold or mustard colored. It has a characteristic milky, sweet smell: this is also called ‘breastfeeding poop’.
Green or orange poop
But the poop of a breastfed baby can also deviate completely from this description. The poop can sometimes even be green or orange in color and, in addition to the lumps mentioned, it may also contain mucus, or it may resemble shaving foam in consistency and composition due to the presence of air bubbles. The variation in color and consistency in no way means that something is wrong. If a baby is exclusively breastfed and whose poop becomes lighter in color by the third day, there is nothing to worry about.
Darker poop with solid food
When the child starts eating solid food, the stool will become darker in color and have a harder consistency. The stool often also smells more unpleasant.
Bottle feeding stools
When bottle-feeding, the stool is firmer, more grainy in texture and light yellow in color. The odor will be quite sharp and malodorous. The smell of a bottle-fed baby’s feces is more like an adult’s feces.
Diarrhea or spray diapers
Water-thin poop
When a child produces loose to watery stools several times a day, it is called diarrhea. Diarrhea is common in babies. Contact your doctor immediately if you have diarrhea in babies up to 3 months old and if the child does not want to drink if you have watery diarrhea, especially in children under 2 years of age. There is a danger of dehydration. Also contact your doctor if the diarrhea in children lasts longer than 24 hours or if the diarrhea is accompanied by the following complaints:
- blood and mucus in the stool;
- fever;
- drowsiness;
- little urination (indicates dehydration);
- severe abdominal pain or cramps.
In diarrhea, the stool is watery, greenish, yellow or brown in color and can occur 10 to 15 times a day.
Spray diapers for breastfeeding
In breastfed babies, spray diapers are not a rare phenomenon. The thin and watery stool then ‘squirts’ out, as it were, and the baby often also suffers from colic. Spray diapers are a normal and common occurrence in young breastfed infants. As the baby gets older and starts eating more solid foods, the stools become firmer and firmer.
Difficult or hard stools
Constipation
When a baby has difficulty passing stools and produces small and hard stools, this is referred to as constipation. Such complaints rarely occur in breastfed children. Difficult or hard stools can have various causes, such as:
- a mild flu or cold;
- change in diet;
- bottle feeding that is too concentrated.
Tips
A number of tips to prevent difficult or hard stools:
- When bottle feeding, choose a product with prebiotic fibers, which play an important role in the development of the child’s immune system.
- Do not drastically change the baby’s diet. Make sure the child has time to get used to the new food.
- Avoid bottle feeding that is too concentrated. Therefore, check the number of scoops of powder you use.
- If stool remains a problem, pre-boiled water (boil for ten minutes, strain carefully) or low-sodium mineral water can be given without injection. This water contains less lime than normal tap water.
- Providing fruit snacks. Fruit snacks stimulate the intestines, which often softens the stool.
read more
- Bowel movement problems: black, red and green feces/poo
- Stool: causes blood and mucus in poop and color and odor
- Pain when defecating: stabbing or burning pain during bowel movements
- Promote bowel movements: improve bowel movements
- Constipation symptoms: constipation, abdominal pain, swollen abdomen
