Some babies poop several times a day, others four times a week. Regardless, there is no rule in the matter. On the other hand, depending on their diet, their stools have characteristics to know if we do not want to be unnecessarily alarmed. Or, conversely, miss a problem.

Young parents often have their noses in their child’s poop… and that’s a good thing! The frequency, consistency, color and smell of babies’ stools are indeed good indicators of their state of health.

Baby’s first stools are dark, greenish and very sticky because they contain meconium, a substance secreted by his digestive tract from the 4th month of pregnancy. It contains mucus, amniotic fluid and intestinal cells. Be careful, if this meconium has still not been expelled within 24 hours of birth, a pediatrician will have to examine the baby to make sure that his digestive system is working well.

Before diversification

Breastfed babies have very characteristic stools: “golden yellow”, liquid and lumpy, they have an acidic odor. They are relatively common, with breastfed babies usually doing so after each feeding.

Babies who are formula-fed have yellow-green stools that are stronger and less frequent than those who are breast-fed. They almost smell the same as adults.

After diversification

Between 4 and 6 months, with the introduction of the first vegetable purees and the first fruit compotes, the stools change color and consistency, becoming more and more similar to those of adults.

Baby is constipated

Constipation is generally defined as the emission of too few stools, that is, less than one bowel movement per day. But doctors also talk about transit problems when the stools are large, hard and difficult to pass despite a normal frequency.

Breastfed babies are rarely constipated. When they don’t have enough bowel movements, make sure they are eating enough.

In bottle-fed babies, constipation can be explained by poor reconstitution of the bottle: it is imperative to respect the dosage of one measure of powdered milk for 30 ml of water. Preparing the morning bottle with slightly laxative Hepar-type water can help facilitate transit. Gentle circular clockwise massages on the stomach are also often beneficial. Homeopathy can be helpful, although no studies have yet substantiated its impact on constipation.

If this is not enough, the doctor will suggest a change of milk or a mild laxative treatment to hydrate and soften the stool without irritating the intestinal wall. Be careful, never try to stimulate defecation with the end of a thermometer. The use of glycerin suppositories must remain very punctual.

He has diarrhea

If your baby has at least three watery stools in a few hours, whether or not associated with vomiting, you should consult. While waiting to see the doctor, make him drink water in which you will have poured oral rehydration solutions (1 sachet for 200 ml of water). These sweet and savory preparations sold in pharmacies prevent dehydration, the consequences of which can be dreadful in the youngest. You should always have some in advance in the medicine cabinet. They are covered by the Health Insurance when they are prescribed by a doctor.

If your child refuses to drink, sleeps a lot, is limp, cranky, has dark circles in the eyes, gray in complexion, is breathing fast, you should go to the nearest emergency department.

His stools are clear

Pale yellow, beige or mastic white stools require medical advice. This discoloration can indeed be a symptom of neonatal cholestasis, which affects approximately 1 in 10000 births and requires rapid treatment to limit the development of serious lesions in the liver.

There is blood in his stool

Small streaks of blood found episodically in the diaper are not worrying. They are explained by a small anal fissure caused by the emission of hard stools. Everything will be in order with the management of constipation and the application of a healing cream prescribed by the doctor.

Stools mixed with more abundant amounts of blood should, on the other hand, lead to a consultation because they can be a sign of infection, inflammation, intolerance to cow’s milk proteins, etc.

His stools are greasy

Because they can be a sign of food intolerance or poor absorption of fat, shiny and greasy stools absolutely require medical advice.