Stooling Issues in Babies
Whether your baby’s poops are few, frequent, or an odd color, stooling issues are not uncommon. Let’s take a look at baby bowel movements and how to identify a potential health concern.
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What should typical baby stools look like? Does your baby have diarrhea? Could your baby be constipated? When should you call a doctor? What can you do at home to help your little one feel better? Get the scoop on all things baby poop and explore our stooling resources.
What are common stooling issues?
Babies may experience these common stool issues:
What causes stooling issues in babies?
Diet, medicines, illness, and underlying health conditions are a few reasons a baby may experience a bowel movement issue.
Constipation
Constipation usually occurs when the stool remains in the colon too long, causing the stool to become dry, hard, and difficult to pass. Constipation may be caused by the following:
- Switching from breastmilk to formula or cow's milk, changing formulas, or introducing solid foods
- Certain foods
- Changes to baby's routine
- Cow's milk protein allergy
- Dehydration
- Family history
- Medications
- Lack of fiber
- Medical conditions, such as colon disease or neurological issue, but these are rarer causes of baby constipation
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is when your baby's tummy contents move through their digestive system so fast that the intestines are unable to absorb all the fluids. Extra fluid in the digestive system can also produce loose stools. Diarrhea can happen due to:
- A virus
- Sensitivity to something in mom's diet
- Lactose intolerance
- Cow's milk protein allergy
- Antibiotic use by the baby or mom
- Infection or intestinal disease
How do I know if my baby has bowel problems?
Typical bowel movements vary from baby to baby depending on their age and whether they're breastfeeding, using formula, or eating solids. And what might signify a health concern in an adult, such as softer stools and straining, may be expected in a baby. How do you determine if your little one is experiencing a bowel issue? Keep an eye out for the following:
- Very watery stools multiple times a day
- Hard, small, pellet-like stool that is difficult to pass
- Crying or unusually difficult time when having bowel movements
- Significantly fewer bowel movements than before
- Swollen tummy and showing discomfort when it's touched
- A lot of mucus in stool
- White or red stools
- Frothy, green-colored stools
- Black or tar-like stools in infants past the meconium stage
- Straining for more than 10 minutes without success
- Excessive fussiness
Call the pediatrician if you notice any of the above, as they could be related to an illness, cow's milk protein allergy, or other medical conditions. It's also important to monitor your baby for dehydration, which can quickly happen if they have diarrhea.
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‡Studied before the addition on DHA, ARA or LGG