Are you wondering how to know if your baby’s poop is normal? Is it normal for my baby to poop a lot or a little? These are common questions for many first-time parents since during the first 12 months of life babies experience, major changes in their diet make their stools look different.

In this article, we are going to show you the most common colors in a newborn’s stool, as well as those situations that are out of the norm and we advise you to inform your pediatrician. 

 

How often should my baby poop every day?

How often a baby should poop is very variable and difficult to quantify. Each child is a world with their own circumstances and their own bowel rhythm. 

Besides, their digestion is changing month by month, so what is usual in a newborn baby does not have to be in another baby of several months of life. 

 

What color is baby poop?

 

It may surprise you if you’re a new parent, but baby poop can come in many colors and shades. Here are some of them:

• Meconium is the baby’s first poo and is usually tarry black. It usually excretes within the first 48 hours of life and consists of traces of amniotic fluid and other substances ingested at birth.

 

• The next stools of babies are usually yellow-green for a short period. 

 

• Mustard yellow is the most common color as long as breastfeeding is the only support for the baby, although sometimes they can also be more brownish and/or greenish. Another characteristic is that they are usually explosive, that is, they are expelled suddenly and noisily. Concerning frequency, it is normal for your baby to poop frequently (even after each feeding), as their intestine has gone from being at rest to being born, and reacts to the food now, generating bowel movements that favor bowel movements.

 

• If your baby is formula-fed, their poo may become a more yellowish shade. Also, it is normal for the consistency to be slightly harder and the frequency of bowel movements to be somewhat less.

 

None of these shades should alarm you as they are within the usual range of baby’s development. 

 

The situations in which you should consult your pediatrician

As you have seen, your baby’s stools will change a lot in color and consistency during his first year of life. This is not something you should generally worry about. 

However, there are certain circumstances that you should bring to the attention of your pediatrician so that they can determine whether this is normal or whether the baby should receive any treatment. 

These are some of them: 

• If the stools are red. 
• If the stools are white. 
• If your bowel movements suddenly start to become less constant and more consistent 
• If your bowel movements start suddenly to become more constant and liquid or close to it. 

 

We hope that this article about baby poop has been useful and helps you to be more relaxed. We encourage you to keep checking the content of our Ciconea Family Club,  you will surely find more texts of your interest!