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baby poo a visual guide

what should baby poo look like most new

parents

find baby poo quite surprising

it has so many shades and consistencies

that even

experienced parents may not have seen

them all

this photo guide to baby poo will give

you a good idea of what's normal and

what's not as your newborn grows

drinks breast milk or formula and starts

eating solids

newborn poop meconium expect to find

greenish black tarry

sticky stools in your newborn's nappy

for the first few days

this is known as meconium mec for short

and is made of amniotic fluid mucus skin

cells and other substances your baby

swallowed in the womb

it doesn't really smell so you may not

realize straight away when it's time for

a nappy

change when your baby is two to four

days old

his stools will become less sticky and

lighter in color

sort of an army green this

transitional stool is a sign that he's

started digesting breast milk or formula

healthy breastfed poo if your baby is

exclusively breastfed his stools will

become

yellow or slightly green and have a

mushy or creamy consistency

breastfed poo can look like mustard

colored cottage cheese

and may be dotted with little seed like

flecks

it often smells surprisingly sweet

there are many shades of normal when it

comes to breastfed poo

your baby may occasionally do a poo that

seems a bit greener than usual

as long as he seems well in himself

there's no need to worry

healthy formula fed poo formula

fed babies have less runny stools that

are often a similar color and texture to

peanut butter

they can vary from tan brown or yellow

brown

to green brown formula

fed poo also smells a bit more like

adult poo than breastfed poo

does dark green or black poo

if you give your baby an iron supplement

his stools may turn dark green or almost

black this doesn't happen often but it's

a completely normal variation that would

make popeye proud

if your baby's more than a few days old

his poo looks blackish and he's not

taking an iron supplement

see your gp as soon as possible

in rare cases this can be a sign of

bleeding in your baby's digestive system

it's not likely to happen to your baby

but you should get him checked out

just in case if there are black specks

in your breast-fed babies poo

this could be a sign that he's

swallowing blood from cracked and

bleeding nipples

the blood turns black when your baby

digests it

it's always a good idea to get any blood

in your babies poo checked out by your

gp

but in most cases black specks are

unlikely to be anything to worry about

solid food poo once your baby's eating

solid foods you'll quickly notice a

change in his poos

especially if he's breastfed

solid food stools tend to be brown or

dark brown and thicker than peanut

butter but still

mushy they're also smellier

you may notice that your baby's poo

takes on the color of the food you give

him

for example if you feed him carrots his

next poo may be orange

and a beetroot poo can look quite

alarming

poo with partially digested food

occasionally your baby's poo will have

identifiable chunks of food in it

particularly if you're doing baby lead

weaning

not to worry your baby is still learning

to chew

and his digestive system is still

developing so it's normal for some food

to pass through his system without being

fully digested

if your baby's poo consistently has

undigested food in it it's worth talking

to your gp

she'll check to make sure your baby's

intestines are working properly

and he's getting all the nutrients he

needs

diarrhea it's not uncommon for healthy

babies to do

the occasional explosive or runny poo

but if your baby does several runny poos

with no lumps in him he could have

diarrhea

it can be yellow green or brown and may

seep or explode out of the nappy

diarrhea can be a sign of an infection

or allergy and if it lasts for a while

without being treated can lead to

dehydration

if your baby has watery stools for more

than a day or two

see your gp make an appointment sooner

if he's showing signs of dehydration

such as fewer wet nappies or a sunken

fontanelle or has any other symptoms

that concern you

constipation if your baby's stool is

hard and looks like little pebbles it's

likely that he's constipated

your baby may be visibly uncomfortable

when he's pulling and the poo

may even be tinged with blood from

irritating his bottom on the way out

constipation often happens in babies who

are being introduced to solid foods and

it's usually nothing to worry about

but in some cases constipation can be a

sign of dehydration a food

allergy or a medical condition

if you think your baby is constipated

it's worth having a chat with your

health visitor

just in case poo

with mucus does your baby nappy look

like it's been slimed

greenish cuz treat with shiny glistening

strings means there's mucus in it

this sometimes happens when a baby is

especially drooly

since mucus in saliva often remains

undigested

it can also happen when he has a cold as

he'll naturally produce

more mucus however

mucus in poo can also be a sign of an

infection or allergy

if it happens for several days or your

baby has any other symptoms

see your gp to rule out any problems

bloody poo bright red blood if you have

a baby

girl you may notice a few specks of

blood in her nappy a few days after the

birth

this is known as a false period

it happens because of the surge in

hormones your body experiences in

pregnancy

which in turn stimulate your baby's womb

to produce a period

it's perfectly normal and no cause for

concern

in boys and girls after the first few

days bright red blood can show up in

baby stools for a few different reasons

for example constipation or nappy rash

can irritate your baby's bottom and make

it bleed

or your baby may swallow a little blood

if you breastfeed him with cracked

nipples

although blood in your baby's nappy

doesn't necessarily mean he's ill

it's always best to get it checked out

just to be on the safe side

it can sometimes be a sign of infection

allergies

or a problem with your baby's digestive

system

so if you notice a bloody nappy make an

appointment with your gp

just in case