Baby Poop & Diarrhea

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Newborn Poop Stooling in Babies 2-3 Months Old Stooling in Babies 4-12 Months Old Breastfed vs. Formula-fed Baby Poop Diarrhea and Other Baby Poop Concerns When to See a Doctor

Article Summary:

Transitioning to breastmilk or formula can lead to changes in color, consistency, and frequency of bowel movements.
As babies age, stooling becomes less frequent and may change in consistency, particularly with the introduction of solid foods around 6 months.
Parents should monitor for signs of diarrhea, constipation, mucus in stool, or abnormal stool colors.

Newborn Poop

Get those diapers ready because your newborn is likely to need a lot of them! In the first days after being born, your newborn’s digestive system is working in new ways and experiencing breastmilk or formula for the first time.

Days 1-3: Meconium

Your newborn’s first bowel movements will consist of meconium, the waste that’s been collecting in their digestive system before they were born.^1,2,3 Meconium is a green or black, sticky or tar-like substance.^1,2,3 In these first few days, while your baby is clearing out meconium, they will have at least 1 or 2 poops per day.

Days 1-5: Transitional Poop

Once meconium has mostly passed, which should happen within 1-3 days, your little one’s poops will change in color, consistency and frequency.¹ As your baby starts to consume breastmilk and/or formula their stool will begin to change color and texture. During this time, poop may still be greenish from the presence of the final meconium as it transitions to a yellow or yellowish brown color and the consistency will become less sticky.² By the end of the first week, your baby may have as many as five to ten bowel movements each day!¹

By Week 2

After a full week, how many times should a newborn poop? The answer can vary, but the range is between three to twelve times a day.^1,2 They may have a bowel movement after each feeding.^1,2 Regular bowel movements free of meconium are a sign that your little one’s digestion is working well. It’s normal for these poops to be brightly coloured and quite wet.²

By Week 6

By the time your newborn is six weeks old, they may be having one or fewer poops a day, and you will likely be changing fewer diapers!¹

Stooling in Babies 2-3 Months Old

As your little one grows, their personality will start to become more apparent. Those first smiles feel like magic, and your family is settling into a routine of eating, playing, sleeping and changing diapers. Growth spurts typically happen when your baby is 2-3 weeks old, 6 weeks old, 3 months old, and 6 months old.⁴ This may cue a phenomenon called cluster feeding.⁴ During this time, your baby may seem completely insatiable, but they’re seeking the nutrients that facilitate their rapid growth.

Your baby may not poop as often as they did during those first few weeks. Their gastrointestinal system is maturing, and they may have a few bowel movements in a day, or as infrequently as a few times in a week.⁴ By now, parents may have a pretty good idea of what’s normal for their child. If you are notice your baby’s stools becoming hard, contain excess mucous or blood, please see your healthcare provider.⁴

Stooling in Babies 4- 12 Months Old

Your baby will still be getting the bulk of their calories from breast milk or formula, but solid foods may be introduced at 4-6 months of age.⁵ Once this begins, diaper changes become stinkier and potentially more colourful, depending on what your little one is eating.²

At this stage, solid food is giving your baby’s poop a thicker consistency; it may be thicker than peanut butter and will almost certainly have an unpleasant odour, especially when compared with breast-fed newborn poops.² You may even notice identifiable bits of undigested food when you’re changing a diaper. This is partly because some solid foods are only partially digestible or don’t have time to completely break down as they make their way through the intestines, and partly because babies are not great at chewing.²

BMs may vary from baby to baby. Keep an eye on how frequently you’re changing poopy diapers after starting solids, and get your child’s healthcare provider involved if you’re concerned.

Breastfed vs. Formula-fed Baby Poop

What goes in must come out. What your baby consumes has a direct effect on the contents of their diapers. Here are some of the key differences:

Breastfed

Colostrum, the first milk that’s expressed by breastfeeding mothers, contains a natural laxative that helps newborns pass meconium.² For this reason, breastfed newborns may move through the meconium stage more quickly than formula-fed newborns, but both should pass meconium within three days.² As they get older, breastfed babies may have fewer poops per day and in some cases even just one bowel movement a week.² As long as they’re eating well and not experiencing signs of constipation, this can be normal and healthy.² Breastmilk is more easily absorbed and digested than infant formula. On average exclusively breastfed babies produce more stools than exclusively formula fed babies during the first two months of life and their stools are often more liquid in texture. During the transitional poop period and just after, breastfed newborn’s poop is commonly yellow, lumpy, runny and/or may appear to include small seeds.^1,3

Formula-fed

In the first few weeks, formula-fed newborns may poop less frequently than breastfed newborns because formula is more difficult to digest.² After the transitional poop period, your formula-fed newborn’s stool may be slightly greenish or brown with a paste-like consistency.^1,3 There is more of an odor to formula-fed baby’s stool than breast fed baby stool.

Diarrhea and Other Baby Poop Concerns

Your newborn’s dirty diapers can provide clues to what’s going on with their overall health.¹ As you come to understand what’s normal for your baby, it might be easy to notice when something is different or if they’re having some kind of problem. Some of these instances might include:^1,2

Stool that is hard and dry (constipation)
Extremely watery stool
Poop with mucus
Abnormally-coloured stool

Constipation isn’t as common in breastfed babies as it is for babies who are formula-fed or starting solids, but it’s good to know the signs and how to help.² It’s also important to remember that your newborn may have an immature digestive tract and may be loudly working through the process of digestion in what’s known as infant dyschezia. Infant dyschezia is not the same as constipation. The straining and crying in infant dyschezia is likely caused by a lack of coordination of the different muscle groups and not enough abdominal muscle tone needed to have a bowel movement. Unlike constipation, the stool is soft in infant dyschezia.

Parents who are concerned about constipation in their formula fed baby may look into a partially hydrolyzed formula like Enfamil A+^® Serenity™, which is designed to promote softer stools.

Infants and Diarrhea

The first time your baby has explosive diarrhea, you may be taken a back. Visually, this may appear yellow, green or brown and is likely more liquid than solid.² It may stay confined to the diaper, but may also explode up the back or seep out between the legs.² Diarrhea may occur in infants of any age and may be a sign of an allergy or an infection.²

When babies have diarrhea, their stool changes from what’s normal for them: the bowel movements occur more often and are composed primarily of liquid. It’s important to remember that an infant with diarrhea may become dehydrated due to loss of fluids.² Talk to your child’s doctor about their symptoms; they may recommend a pediatric oral rehydration drink.² If your baby is formula-fed, don’t switch formulas unless advised by a healthcare provider while your child has diarrhea as it may worsen their symptoms.²

Constantly having wet poopy diapers and the frequent wiping that accompanies it may lead to diaper rash or skin irritation on your infant’s bottom.^2,7Make sure you’re changing diapers frequently and allowing their bottoms to air dry completely before putting a new diaper on.² Using a protective moisturising ointment like petroleum jelly or zinc oxide may help prevent and relieve some irritation they may feel.²

Don’t hesitate to call your baby’s doctor if:²

Your baby has a fever along with diarrhea
There is blood in the stool
There are signs of dehydration
Your baby is younger than 3 months old or has diarrhea that lasts more than a day or two

Infant Poop with Mucus

If your infant’s poopy diaper appears to be streaked with something shiny, that means there’s mucus in their poop.² Small amounts of mucus in stool are natural, common and not typically a cause for concern.^2,8 Mucus can appear in stool as a result of its role in lubricating the intestines or removing unwanted bacteria and viruses from the digestive system.⁸

Greater amounts of mucus or frequent mucus in the stool can be a sign of an issue, such as diarrhea, infection or allergy. If your baby consistently has mucus in their stool please see your healthcare provider.^2,8

Most of the reasons your baby may pass abnormal amounts of mucus in their stool are not cause for serious concern.² Here are some common reasons for excess mucus in your little one’s poop:²

While teething, your child may be producing more saliva
Food allergy
A virus that watery stools with mucous
For breastfeeding babies, an imbalance of foremilk vs. hindmilk

While it never hurts to check with your healthcare provider if you are concerned about your little one, we recommend giving your health care provider a call if you encounter any of these symptoms or signs:²

For babies one month old or younger, three or more bouts of diarrhea including mucus or unusually foul-smelling poop lasting more than two days
For babies older than one month old, if mucus continues for more than two days
Blood in stool
Bowel movements seem to cause pain or distress
Diarrhea accompanied by fever or vomiting
Your baby seems dehydrated (a sunken fontanel, few wet diapers, no tears when crying, lethargic)

Rest assured that if you encounter occasional and minimal mucus in your little one’s diaper, it’s most likely part of healthy digestion.

Green (or White or Red) Poop in Infants

Changing your baby’s diapers may feel like a full-time job, so when the contents abruptly change colour, it’s normal to be a little (or a lot) surprised and concerned. Thankfully, Enfamil A+ has created a Stool Colour Chart to help decode what your baby’s bowel movements mean.

Breastfed babies' stools tend to be more yellow in colour. Formula fed babies tend to have a light brown/greenish colour. Once your baby starts eating solids, the colour of their stools will change again!

Other colours, like red, white and black may be cause for concern or a visit to the doctor. Learn more about the different hues you may see with the Enfamil A+^® Stool Colour Chart.

Baby stool colour chart

Baby Stool Colour Chart

When to See a Doctor

If your baby appears to be in distress, don’t hesitate to call your doctor or nurse advice line. Seek immediate medical care if:^1,2

Your infant’s irregular stools are accompanied by new symptoms like fever or vomiting
Your baby seems distressed or dehydrated
Your baby’s stools are maroon or bloody, white, grey or black and your child has already passed meconium
Your newborn hasn’t passed any meconium or is still passing only meconium after 3 days
Your child is having a lot more stools than what is normal for them
The stool is extremely watery or has large amounts of mucus in it
Your baby appears to be struggling to have a bowel movement and is passing stool that is hard
Poor weight gain

In the first weeks and months with your newborn, expect to see changes to colour, consistency and frequency of bowel movements, all of which are a healthy part of their digestive development. Knowing how often a healthy newborn or infant should poop can help you notice if it’s time to give their healthcare provider a call or confirm that you can sit back and wait for the next diaper change.

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Everything You Need to Know about Baby Poop and Diarrhea