Pragya Chauhan

Ever since your baby was born, you must have seen a lot of changes in his/her stool. From the poop consistency to its color, it changes over time and as your baby grows. So, understanding different types of baby poop is very important.

Doctors say that the best way to see if a baby is healthy or not is via his or her diaper. The type of poop he does and the number of times he or she wets the diaper can say a lot about baby’s health. Coming to baby poop, it changes rather drastically when you make a switch from breast milk to formula. And then it changes again when your baby starts solids.

Another thing worth noting is that it is perfectly normal for a baby to not poop for up to 5 days. If your baby does not poop on the 6th day either, don’t forget to check with your doctor. But how do you make out whether your baby’s poop is normal or not? Read this and you’ll know –

Poop of a newly born

You must have seen the sticky dark-green-blackish poop in the initial days of your baby’s life. This is called meconium. All the amniotic fluid, secretions, fatty acids etc that your baby ingested while still inside, comes out in the form of black tarry poop.

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Green Poop

There are a few reasons why your baby has a green poop. First of all, if you are formula feeding your baby then there is a good chance green poop is because of the presence of iron in it. However, if you are not feeding formula to your baby, then it could also be a sign of foremilk and hindmilk imbalance.

Your baby has to get enough of both the creamy and watery milk. In order to do that make sure he or she empties your one breast before you switch him or her to the other.

Mustard Yellow Poop

This is the most normal kind of poop in a baby. If you are breastfeeding then there is a high chance your baby will start doing mustard yellow seedy poop. And the best part is it won’t smell at all. The reason for these seeds in the poop is only because your baby is not able to digest the milk fat. And this is very normal.

Bloody Poop

If your nipples are cracked and bleeding and you continue to breastfeed your baby, chances are he will ingest blood along with the milk. Although there is nothing to worry about but you may start to notice little amount of blood in your baby’s poop.

If, however, you see mucus in the poop along with blood, then it is a good idea to get it checked by your doctor. Mucus in stool happens for various reasons and your doctor will be quick to find out if there is a cause of concern.

Poop of a formula fed baby

As mentioned above, there is a high chance that if you are formula feeding your baby, he will have a greenish, sticky poop. This is very normal. Along with this, the poop of a formula fed baby is extremely odorous, has a very strong smell.

But if this odor bothers you a lot, please check with your doctor in case of any doubt you may have.

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Runny Poop

There are going to be times when your baby may have runny watery poop. Again, once in a while if it happens, it should not be worrisome. If, however, this happens regularly, get it checked by your doctor.

There are many reasons why runny poop happens. If your baby is too young and you just started formula feeding, it could be because it did not suit him. Another reason of a runny poop is when the baby is starting to teeth. It may look like he has diarrhea but it is common for a teething baby to have a runny poop.

In case of diarrhea, the poop color can be green, yellow or brown and suggests an infection or allergy. In this case, it is best to consult a doctor for the right treatment.

It is always a wise idea to keep checking the consistency, color and frequency of your baby’s poop. This way you will be sure that he does not have any infection or allergy of any sort.

In the matter of babies, it is always good to check with your pediatrician in case you feel something is odd about your baby’s poop.