Poop Scoop
Almost all new parents (especially first time parents) are very aware of their baby’s poop – the color, the smell, the texture. It’s so true that what goes in one end affects what comes out the other end… and monitoring your baby’s diapers is one of the best ways you have in the first few weeks to know they are well-nourished and well-hydrated. It can be unsettling when your baby’s poop is not what you expect or “off” their norm.
Here’s the scoop on baby poop:
What is typical? If your baby is exclusively breastfed, you may notice:
It’s watery, soft, and even runny.
It’s mustard yellow in color but can range from brown, to orange, or even green.
It smells sweet (maybe even like buttered popcorn or a vanilla milkshake!)
It contains little chunks or seedy bits (this is indigested milk—it’s there due to the natural immaturity of your baby’s digestive tract).
After about 1 month of age, your baby may poop less frequently.
After about 2 months of age, the chunks/seedy bits generally disappear.
Any amount of formula in a baby’s diet usually makes their poop darker and thicker (more like peanut butter consistency) and changes the smell as well.
Poop frequency: It takes 6-8 weeks for a baby to fully develop their gut microbiome and digestive enzymes. As their systems mature, around 3-4 weeks of age, most babies will suddenly poop less frequently. Some exclusively breastfed babies that have been pooping 5-8x/day (or more) go down to 1-2 poops per WEEK. This is normal…it means their digestive tracts are maturing, and you can just enjoy changing fewer poopy diapers. Don’t worry; the texture/color/frequency will change all over again when your baby starts eating solid foods – that’s extra fun!
Green poop: An occasional color change that goes back to normal is nothing to worry about. If your baby consistently has green poop (i.e. several days in a row, every diaper) when their poop usually has been yellow, AND they are gassy AND their poop is “frothy,” that can mean they are getting too much foremilk, which is higher in lactose. The bacteria in their gut that help digest lactose work overtime and produce more gas. To correct this, try to feed only on one side at a feed and ensure baby thoroughly drains one breast before switching to the other, so they get enough hindmilk.
If your baby is growing well and not excessively gassy, and things are ticking along just fine, green poop may just be their normal.
Other colors: The only colors of poop that are medically concerning are white/chalky (rare, means malabsorption), bright red (rare, means bleeding), or black (after they pass the normally black meconium in the first few days). If you see black flecks or completely black stools in an older baby, that means there is old blood in the stool, which could be from you if you have sore bleeding nipples or could be from higher up in baby’s digestive tract.
Poop smell and texture: If your baby’s poop smells quite foul, almost like bile or rotten fish, it could mean they are fighting a GI bug. GI viruses that cause diarrhea are normally self-limiting. Continue feeding as usual, and take your baby to the clinic if they are not back to normal in about a week. Mucous in the stool is common during times of excess drooling or teething, or it can indicate a food sensitivity (usually dairy).
Very hard stool (like rabbit pellets) could mean your baby is constipated; however, constipation is rare in exclusively breastfed babies. Constipation is sometimes associated with other medical conditions, not just diet, so we recommend if your baby is truly constipated that you see your doctor. Constipation is not defined by how often your baby poops – remember a breastfed baby commonly poops 1-2x/week after the first month of life, but their poop is soft, so they are not constipated. It is the texture of the poop (hard, pelleted) that defines constipation. Constipation in an older baby who has started solids is pretty common and usually self-resolves in a few days. It is OK to offer an older baby water or diluted fruit juice to help soften their stool if the hard stool is causing distress (rule of thumb = 1 oz per month of life).
Whole, recognizable pieces of food may also be seen in an older baby’s poop, this is also common/normal due to immature digestion. You can look forward to “diaper surprises” that might change daily once they start on solids! These changes smooth out as their systems become accustomed to a wide variety of foods.
Want more information? You can call or email us any time with questions.
DISCLAIMER: We know when you surf the web for information, you can get conflicting results, and it’s not easy to know whether you are finding evidence-based, high quality recommendations. That’s part of our job here at Kodiak KINDNESS; we are here to support your informed decisions about infant feeding through your baby’s first year. We’ve done some background work and have reviewed the hyperlinks in this post. To the best of our knowledge, the information listed herein reflects current best practices. However, the information contained in this post and any links contained herein is for your informational use only; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Furthermore, Kodiak KINDNESS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in this post or links contained herein; it is for you to review at your own risk and discuss, as needed, with your health care professional in order to make a plan that suits your individual circumstances.