Babies Pooping: Helpful Information and Explained Colors

There’s no way around it: everybody poops. When talking about babies pooping, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you that they poop much more often than anybody else. When you are preparing for giving birth and making arrangements for the baby, you may forget about such little things as knowing about baby poop specifics.

My name is Kiara Harris, and I have been a kindergarten teacher for seven years already. I am raising my little daughter, and I want to say that a baby alive doll that poops did not prepare me at all for what was about to come. When I searched on the web, I could not find all of the needed information quickly. I did not know whether I should be worried when my baby hasn’t pooped in 2 days, or how to make a baby poop. For instance, I did not know that not pooping babies can be completely okay.

I did not like having a lack of knowledge and the situation I was in. That’s why I’m writing this helpful article for all new moms and dads with all of the baby poop help you may need.

In this article, we will talk about how many times babies should discharge, what the different discharge colors mean, is a baby poop explosion fine, and much more. Without any further ado, let’s jump right into this baby poop guide.

The Regularity of Babies Pooping

There is no definitive number or quantity of poop that a baby should discharge every day. Sadly, it is not that simple as cross-referencing the poops of your baby with some set standardized poop graph. This would make things almost too easy.

The poop situation is just as unique as every baby is. Some babies can achieve the record-stomping level of twelve discharges a day, and some don’t poop for a couple of days. Both variants are completely normal and widespread. So, your baby not pooping is not always a grave problem as it might seem at first. As long as the poop passes easily and without struggle, the frequency of discharge is rarely important. So, there’s no need to go googling “How to make baby poop instantly?”

Why Can Pooping Become Delayed?

The frequency of pooping significantly relies on the diet and the biology of the child. If you feed the baby only one type of food, a particular poop schedule will emerge, and it shouldn’t change. Obviously, if you change the diet, the frequency and quality of poops will alter.

Some foods that help baby poop. For example, breastfeeding has this effect. But sometimes, breastfed baby not pooping is fine, too. Because breastfeeding delivers only the needed elements to the baby, it can do the complete opposite and result in your baby not pooping for almost two weeks.

Additionally, when solid foods are given to the baby for the first time, there’s a big chance that this change will lead to constipation. The baby’s organs mature, and its organism can hold onto poop much longer, but during first solid food intakes, the process may be quite rocky.

There are also not such good causes for constipation, for example, some problems with a digestive system. If your baby is older than one month, not breastfed and has constipation, it may be the time to consider visiting a pediatrician.

The Poop Colors in Babies

Baby poop colors vary a lot, which is completely fine and not a problem most of the time. One babies poop color like red may throw you off and make you think that your baby is in danger. At the same time, you can neglect some other dangerous baby poop color like grey.

The poop colors baby situation is something that every good parent should know and always be mindful of. With the help of the list down below, you can create a baby poop chart of colors to help you whether you immediately seek advice or don’t have to worry at all. Let’s take a closer look at what baby poop colors mean.

Babies Black Poop

Black poop is completely normal for breastfed babies, but only in the first few days or half a week at a maximum. Luckily, the first poops of the baby almost do not smell at all. They are sticky, tarry, and almost oil-like black. After the first few days, the stool will become inevitably lighter and much smellier.

Later in the baby’s life, black poop can come from eating things like licorice and blueberries. If the baby’s ration does not include such products, then see a pediatrician immediately. One thing to note is that blood is black at times in poop because it has been digested.

Yellow Baby Poop

There are two main colors when it comes to yellow, namely bright-yellow and yellow-brown poops. The only difference lies in the food ingested. Breastfed baby poop is much brighter and may even resemble light-green colors. Formula fed baby poop has more of a peanut butter-like color quality. Both of these colors are not a thing to panic about, although they may resemble diarrhea or follow the black poop stage.

If the baby doesn’t have any symptoms, then forget the poop color and enjoy the time with your baby. However, if the baby continuously cries during and after the bowel movement, it means the baby has growing pains. In this case, a time-urgent trip to a pediatrician is a must.

Also, you can pretty often see mucus in a baby’s poop. Mucus poop in babies may be a serious concern as well as a simple spoof. The intestines can help the passing of the stool by secreting more mucus than usual. Breastfed babies are usually the ones who have mucus in their discharge.

However, some medical conditions can cause the stool to include mucus. This encompasses infection, food allergy, teething, cystic fibrosis, and intussusception. If your baby has mucus in their yellow poop and has one or more of the following symptoms, then call your pediatrician right away. The symptoms are:

• vomiting;
• fever;
• blood in the poop;
• mucus is very bad-smelling and greasy;
• intense sleepiness or drowsiness;
• inconsolable fussiness.

Reddish Baby Poop

Red poop doesn’t always mean that there is blood in baby poop. It can become red for several reasons. The harmless one involves the poop being simply colored by the food that the child has been eating.

Other, more serious and health-threatening reasons for reddish baby poop encompass the following:

• the blood was tinged with poop as a result of milk protein allergy;
• anus tearing and hemorrhoids could color poop red, especially after constipation;
• there is a bacterial infection that caused diarrhea and blood discharge.

Orange Baby Poop

Orange is another color that you may see after your baby poops. In most cases, the reason for the poop being orange is completely harmless. Just like with the red color, most likely, it was the food that colored the poop. It also may happen that the digestive tract itself colored the poop, so you don’t have to worry about it.

50 Shades of Green Poop

There are many possibilities with the green baby poop. Sometimes baby green poop signals about a disease, and other times it signifies an entirely healthy development of the child’s digestive system.

Baby poop green color is what can follow the first poops for breastfed children. So, I can say that breastfed baby green poop is a typical sight to see.

Green poop breastfed baby should have absolutely no symptoms. If some symptoms are present, the poop will probably have mucus as well, and thus, the baby needs medical attention. For example, if the green poop baby has a fever or vomits, call your doctor right away. Those reasons are pretty significant on their own to take your child to a hospital. If you want to be 100 percent sure, then there is a way to identify the green mucus.

Green mucousy poop in baby usually has shiny strings in it, so try to examine the poop closer. If you find any signs of shiny strings, then taking your green mucousy poop baby to a doctor is inevitable.

One thing to remember is that the dark green baby poop is another way that first poops can look. There should be no surprise to green hue in the poop of the baby.

White Baby Poop

White color means something is definitely wrong. Don’t be afraid to call your pediatrician any time of the day when the babies poop is white. The failing gallbladder makes the poop chalky and white. A lack of decisive actions may lead to somber results.

Grey Poop in Baby

This is another situation where there is no time to waste. Go to the hospital once your baby has grey poops. This color means that the digestive system is not working correctly.

Quick Answers to Some Popular Questions about Baby Poops

It seems like I always hear and get the same questions over and over again. Here are my answers to help you learn more about babies pooping.

How Long Can a Baby Go Without Pooping?

In the very early stages, really long, and in some cases, more than two weeks. Two whole weeks of not having to change diapers and deal with poop is definitely a great perspective, right? Bur after the baby grows up, it should poop at least every two days.

How Often Should a Baby Poop?

Again, at the early stages, some extremes like pooping after every food intake are possible. However, when the baby and its organs mature a bit, the poops should happen at least four times a week.

How Much Poop Should a Baby Discharge?

The amount of poop is not a set standard and is not a thing that pediatricians usually investigate. If your baby is pooping proportionally to the food it is eating, then there are no problems. But it won’t be superfluous to grab a few extra diapers in your diaper bag when you’re going somewhere 🙂

How to Get My Baby to Poop?

If you wonder how to help babies poop and if you feel that your baby is constipated continuously, here’s how to help baby poop. As I have mentioned earlier, certain foods that help baby poop. This includes all of the fiber-rich grains, encompassing barley, and high-fiber vegetables and fruits. Pureed prunes and peas are the food that helps baby poop.

Additionally, you can massage the baby’s tummy and push its legs back and forth. This way, the baby will metabolize a healthy dose of the critically important fiber.

Do Babies Poop in the Womb?

Very rarely. The mom’s digestive system takes care of breaking down nutrients and dealing with wastes. Pre-birth poo can happen when a baby poops in the womb. This phenomenon is completely real, but it happens rarely, and when it happens, it leads to medical complications. However, the babies do pee quite actively in utero.

One Baby Pooping Equals One Happy Parent

So, you have read this article and hopefully gained a better knowledge of baby poops and all of the intricacies of handling the amount, frequency, and color of the discharge. Now you know the poop differences between a breastfed child and a formula-fed one, and how to help babies poop. Together, we have gone through all of the significant points of concern when it comes to baby poop.

Although this is hard, quite unpleasant, and sometimes disgusting work to be a parent, we do it out of love for the little ones. No matter if the baby poops on dad or mom, the little moments that come up during the raising process are worth it.

Now that the article has ended, I would like to hear some thoughts from you on the matter. Do you have any questions left after reading the article? Do you have any questions about baby poops? Additionally, you can share your own experiences, for example, some funny baby poop stories or tips on how to help a baby poop. I will be happy to read them in the comment section.