What Does Baby Poop Look Like After Starting Solids

Bet yous never thought y'all'd become someone that's obsessed with poop, did ya?? Well, as a parent, this is just 1 of those things that we worry about and pay A LOT of attention to!

"Why's my infant's poop this colour?"

"My baby hasn't pooped in days, is that normal?"

"My baby's poop is actually runny, is that diarrhea? How do I tell – it's always liquid-like?"

These are just some of the questions I know swirl effectually in your caput when you lot're doing yet another diaper alter. I know because I've been there!

And, while it may non be the nearly fun topic out there, it'due south certainly an important one – so let'southward go over everything you demand to know about your babe's poop!

What does your baby's poop tell us about their health?

Since babies aren't however able to tell us how they're feeling, we have to utilise certain indicators to collect information almost their health and wellness – one of these is poop. We can use things such as the colour of your infant'due south poop, the frequency, and the texture, to decide many unlike things. Including…

Illness – sometimes your baby'southward poop tin can exist the offset, or only, indicator of an affliction, such as a gastrointestinal issues.
Nutrition – certain colours can indicate issues with nutrient absorption, plus nosotros tin use the colours to tell usa whether they're taking in breastmilk/formula, and after on, if solids are being swallowed.
Hydration – sometimes constipation can be a sign that more fluids are needed.
Allergies/intolerances – there are sure signs to wait out for that could indicate that your baby has an allergy or an intolerance to something they ate, and some of those signs show upwardly in their diaper!

Knowing what is considered normal for your baby, based on what they're consuming, is of import and then that you tin can determine when their poop is out of the ordinary, and so decide whether that change is to exist expected, or warrants a call to their pediatrician.

What affects the type of poop my baby has?

There are a lot of different factors that could affect your baby's poop, namely age, diet, and illness. So it's normal to expect that your baby's poop is going to continue to change as they abound. A newborn's poop is going to look drastically dissimilar from a 6 month onetime infant's poop, which will wait unlike from your baby's poop at 1 twelvemonth old, in large because as their diet changes, their poop changes. And nutrition typically changes with age. Let'southward review some major changes that happen:

Newborn:

Newborns have blackness, sticky, tar similar poops that happen in the kickoff 24 hours following birth. These poops are called meconium, and are basically a build upwardly of ingested fungus, amniotic fluid, and other cloth from the womb. Withal, if they last longer than a few days, or go away and come up back, you need to have your infant to their pediatrician ASAP. Black poops are non considered normal afterwards the initial days following nascency.

1-5 days afterwards birth:

Typically, you'll find the meconium will modify into what is referred to as "transitional poops". These are a mixture of meconium and breastfed/formula fed poops that are expected in one case your infant begins to assimilate their milk feeds. These will continue to decrease in meconium, and change to what nosotros look breastfed/formula fed poops to look like, after a few days. Nosotros would await babies to have 2 poops on day 2, and iii poops on days 3-5. The color will change from black, to green, to brown, and after a few more than days, will modify to adjust to whatever poops are characteristic of their main nutrition.

Breastfed baby's poop:

If your baby is being exclusively breastfed, after those first meconium poops, they'll have poops that are conspicuously identifiable as breastfed baby poop.

Colour: Yellowish – often brilliant or pale mustard coloured. Sometimes it can be bright green and frothy if babies are nursing for but short periods of fourth dimension on each breast, and getting more foremilk than hindmilk.
Texture – Loose. They'll be on the runnier side, but not like what would be considered diarrhea either. May contain seed-similar or lumpy pieces – you'll most likely detect tiny white spots or clumps within the yellow poop. This is normal.
Frequency: Babies that are exclusively breastfed can become days without pooping, or they could poop with every single nursing session – both are considered normal.

Formula-fed baby's poop:

If you're feeding your baby formula, their poops are going to look different than that of a breastfed baby. This is because formula is digested differently than breastmilk is, and information technology has different properties. So, if you're exclusively formula feeding, your baby'southward poops will take on the following characteristics listed beneath. It's important to note that it may take 1-2 weeks after introducing formula exclusively for your babe'south diapers to change.

Colour: Yellow-brown, greenish-tan, or brown. With formula in that location's a chip more than of a range as far as the colour of poops, but any of these colours are considered normal.
Texture: Thick and house – typically it has a consistency similar to toothpaste, which is thicker than the poop of a breastfed baby.
Frequency: Formula-fed babies don't typically poop afterwards each feed (equally is common for some breastfed babies) because formula takes longer to procedure through the digestive tract. Yet, they should exist going at to the lowest degree once per mean solar day, perhaps even every other day. Annihilation less than that could be a sign of constipation. I'll explain more than most the other signs in a niggling scrap, but this would warrant a call to their pediatrician.

Combination-fed babe'southward poop:

Some babies are given both breastmilk and formula throughout the twenty-four hours, which is referred to as combination feeding. In these cases, your baby'due south poop could vary and be seen every bit annihilation between the ii types described above.

After starting solids:

Once you begin feeding your baby solids, typically around the six calendar month mark and in one case they've shown all the signs of readiness, your baby's poop will alter due to their new diet. Subsequently all, what goes in, must come out! Even so, I want to note that this doesn't hateful that your baby's poop will begin to look like adult poop – their poop volition continue to accept certain characteristics that make it very conspicuously baby poop. Here are the main things to expect for in normal poop.

Texture: If your baby was exclusively breastfed, you're probably familiar with the more than loose stools they were used to having (annotation: not diarrhea, but loose for sure). Once your baby starts solid foods, y'all'll see a pretty pregnant change in stool texture – namely, they'll go way firmer. This might not be as obvious if your infant was exclusively formula fed before, but more often than not, nosotros want the texture of their poop to be like the texture of a cooked sweet potato – sort of pasty.

Yous might also notice bits of undigested food in your baby's diaper. Is this a concern? No, it's really completely normal! See, your baby'due south digestive tract is much shorter than an adult's, and therefore in that location isn't always enough time for their torso to break down all of the food that they're eating. This is especially true for foods higher in fibre, such as corn, carrots, blueberries, etc. Information technology too tin happen if your baby isn't chewing their food a lot before swallowing, which is to be expected when they're showtime starting out with solids. But hey, it'due south a great indicator that they've actually ingested some nutrient!

Smell: Solid food produces smellier poop. Babies on a milk only diet usually take milder smelling poop, specially when it'southward breastmilk only.
Color: Before starting solids, your baby'due south poop colour was likely fairly consistent. A mustard color if they were exclusively breastfed, a brownish color if they were formula fed, and somewhere in betwixt if they were…well…somewhere in between those ii. Once your baby starts solids, y'all'll run across that it'south likely your baby'south poop will take on a broader variation in colour, and may even take on the color of the latest coloured nutrient they ate!Here are some examples of normal colour changes you might discover:

Brown – this is kind of the standard colour, and happens naturally when they brainstorm eating solids.

Night green – common when starting solids that are green in colour, like spinach or peas. This can as well happen if your baby is taking iron supplements, or eating a lot of iron rich foods (equally is recommended for babies).

Blue – this sounds concerning merely is a issue of eating foods of this colour. One main culprit for producing this colour of poop is blueberries!

Orangish – once again, this could be from eating foods of this colour. Recollect that babe's digestive tracts are shorter, with less time to assimilate the food in its entirety, then it is easier to tell what they ate by looking at their poops. In babies that haven't started solids, this can also happen considering the poop absorbs pigments from the digestive tract, which is besides considered normal.

Red – y'all may notice a deep red colour if they ate something of that colour recently, for example beets (I will say, from feel, it can look similar a deep red, almost maroon colour!)

Frequency: Once you go from an all liquid nutrition to introducing solids, y'all're usually going to see the frequency of bowel movements go downward. This is because solids bulk the stool up, there is commonly less fluid being taken in, and sometimes it tin can have a while for a baby'south digestive organisation to adjust.

What type of poop do we non want to see?

Diarrhea

Diarrhea can happen when your babe is sick with a virus, leaner, or perhaps taking antibiotics.

The key modify in stools yous'll see is in the consistency – watery, loose and peradventure mucousy – and the frequency – three or more of these watery, loose stools in a row.

I know your baby's poop is naturally liquidy if they're exclusively breastfed, and then it may seem difficult to distinguish diarrhea from their normal. Only that's why we need to observe their normal, because I'm telling you, you'll know diarrhea! I've inverse a diaper that was best described as coloured h2o, it pooled in their diaper and the diaper couldn't even soak all of it upward fast enough, so when I opened information technology, there was a literal puddle (non a pleasant image I know!). It may not exist that drastic, merely a watery poop explosion up your baby's back, is another good sign. Basically, my bespeak is, that you'll know, you'll open the diaper and say: "Uh-oh, that's not normal!", and if you notice yourself doing this, don't second guess, your instinct is probably right!

If your baby is experiencing diarrhea, it's non necessarily an emergency, but your main goal is going to be to continue them hydrated! You need to ensure that they're drinking enough formula/breastmilk. If they're older and eating solids, endeavour to serve foods with a loftier water content, such equally watermelon, or cucumbers, along with encouraging them to drink water from an open cup with meals.

If your baby is also experiencing fever, irritability, or appears to be in hurting, seek medical attention right away. Babies can dehydrate much faster than adults practise, and it's best to get them seen at the onset of these symptoms.

Besides watch for other signs of dehydration, particularly if the diarrhea is ongoing and lasts for several days. The other signs you lot demand to look for are:

Decreased tears or crying without tears
Lack of saliva
Sunken eyes
Sunken fontanel (soft spot on your baby's head)
Excessive fatigue
Less playful than usual

Finally, if diarrhea is recurring, information technology can besides exist a sign of a nutrient allergy (most probable moo-cow'due south milk allergy or lactose intolerance), so be sure to speak with your doctor if you doubtable that.

Constipation

Constipation is non only a reduction in the corporeality of dingy diapers. The more than of import factors to look at to meet if your infant is constipated is if they have…

Extremely hard and difficult to laissez passer poop
Poop that appears pebble-like and is in small pellets or marbles
Poop that is a thicker consistency than toothpaste (specifically for younger infants)
Hurting when pooping

Note: a red face up while pooping is not a sign of constipation in young infants. They simply haven't learned how to activate the correct muscles to push their poop out, and as they get closer to 1 year former, you lot'll notice this won't happen every bit frequently, if at all.

Constipation tin can happen when your baby is dehydrated and isn't taking in enough fluids, or isn't getting in plenty of the right types of cobweb, or has an imbalance in gut leaner. You lot can learn more about my strategies for managing constipation here. And if you're unsure well-nigh what types of nutrient to serve your babe, and how to safely introduce solids and finger foods – my Baby Led Feeding course is for you!

When to seek help

Hither'due south the thing, poop is going to vary with each infant, and you are going to discover changes in consistency, frequency, and color fairly often, especially as their diet changes with introducing solids. The key to call up is that their poop should be soft, your baby should be gaining weight and eating well, just frequency will vary with each child.

All the same, at that place are sure times when I want you to seek help from your pediatrician right away. If you notice…

Ruby/Blackness poop

Generally, nosotros don't want to come across red in your baby's diaper every bit this indicates bleeding of some sort, somewhere along the digestive tract. Bright red claret in the diaper typically indicates some bleeding somewhere closer to the stop of the tract. Information technology could be an infection, an anal scissure from excessive pushing due to constipation, a milk allergy, or sometimes flecks of cherry announced in a breastfed infant's diaper if their mom has cracked, bleeding nipples. And once a baby begins solids, it may happen from ingesting certain red-coloured foods. However, we really want to err on the side of caution with red poop. So if y'all cannot say with 100% certainty that your infant'southward poop has a crimson tinge due to eating a lot of beets, it'southward best to phone call their medico and discuss it. They may have you expect to see if the adjacent poop is the same color, or they may want to check information technology out right abroad. Dark red and black poops betoken a very serious problem – specifically internal haemorrhage, as this is digested blood. So, if the poop is at all borderline, as in yous're having a difficult fourth dimension deciding if information technology'due south the colour of beets or a dark red/black colour, it'southward absolutely best to get your babe checked out, just in example.

White or gray poop

These colours tin happen, and they may have a chalky texture every bit well. White indicates that there is an issue with your infant'southward liver, and basically in that location isn't plenty bile being produced to properly digest food. Information technology needs to exist addressed immediately. Gray could too indicate an issue with the liver in that nutrient isn't beingness digested properly, or it could also hateful that your baby's trunk isn't absorbing the nutrients in their food. Again, it needs to be addressed right away.

Mucus

Although some mucus can be normal, consistently having mucusy poop can also be a sign of an allergy or an infection, then again, if you lot're unsure of the cause, it's best to speak with your babe's doctor.

Dramatic changes later on introducing solids

If you notice any drastic changes after introducing solids to your baby, either with regards to consistency, frequency, pain, etc. speak with your baby's pediatrician. This can indicate a possible food allergy and should be addressed earlier offering that nutrient once more.

Runny/liquid poops at ane year one-time

If your baby's poops keep to be runny and liquid-like leading up to their offset birthday (not diarrhea), exist sure to discuss this with your infant'south pediatrician. By this age, their nutrition should consist of mainly solid foods, and therefore, their poops will reflect that and should take a thicker consistency than when they were on a liquid diet of breastmilk or formula.

I know that was a lot of info about poop, so I hope you were able to stick with me, considering this is really an of import topic. Taking notice of your babe's normal, when information technology comes to and so many things, is crucial in being able to recognize and react when something happens that's exterior of their normal. Poop is no exception.

If you're feeling stressed about all the information you need to process and retain regarding starting solids with your baby, I have a solution! My Babe Led Feeding form is the most comprehensive online grade on feeding out at that place, and provides you with step-by-step guidance into this new globe of serving solids and finger foods to your infant. Plus, you have access to information technology for a lifetime! Check back in whenever you need a question answered or a refresher on a specific topic, and never experience like you need to search the depths of the net to find a trusted answer. Enroll today!

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Source: https://mylittleeater.com/babypoop101/