Baby poop? Babies who are formula-fed have poop that’s browner and firmer than babies who are breastfed. Once they’re 1 month old, they may poop anywhere from several times a day to once every few days. Pooping habits are individual – so being in tune with what’s normal for your baby (as well as what’s common for most babies) can help you spot any poop problems.
What formula-fed baby poop is like
Whether they’re formula-fed or breastfed, your baby’s poop will start as a sticky mess. Within 24 hours of their birth, your baby should produce meconium, a greenish-black, tarry poop made up of amniotic fluid, mucus, and skin cells. (Tip: If you get a chance, coat your baby’s bottom with petroleum jelly before they pass this first bowel movement, and it’ll be easier to clean off.)
Once the meconium is passed, your baby’s poop will transition in color and texture. This transition, which will happen when your baby is 2 to 4 days old, means that your baby’s intestinal tract is at work digesting their formula.
Unlike breastfed baby poop – which ranges from yellow to green or brown– formula-fed baby poop is on the brown color spectrum. Yellow-brown, tan-brown, and green-brown are all normal poop colors for formula-fed babies.
As far as consistency, formula-fed baby poop is similar to peanut butter. It smells a bit more than breastfed baby poop (though not as much as the poop of babies who are eating solid foods).
Once your baby starts eating solids, their poop will be thicker and smellier. It may become darker or lighter, depending on what they’re eating. You may even spot bits of undigested food in their poop.
Note: While light-colored poop is normal, your baby’s poop shouldn’t be white or pale and chalky. If it is, contact their doctor right away, because this may mean that your baby has a liver or gallbladder problem.
How often do formula-fed babies poop?
Many parents wonder whether their baby is having the right number of bowel movements. But babies’ bowel movements are as individual as they are, and there’s no magic number. What’s important is that you get to know your baby’s routine so you’ll know if they’re having many more or less poops than usual.
Here’s what’s typical, though:
Newborns often have several little poops in a row, and they tend to poop more than older babies. They’ll likely poop at least once or twice a day in the first few days and may baby poop many more times a day by the end of the first week. Some newborns poop after each feeding during their first month. This may slow down by around 6 weeks.
Beginning at a month or two, your baby may have several bowel movements a day, or they may go several days between bowel movements. Most commonly, though, they’ll have at least one bowel movement each day (often two to three), with an occasional day or two between poops.
When your baby starts eating solids – at around 6 months old – you’ll notice a dramatic change in baby poop’s color and texture (it will probably be darker and thicker). Between 6 months and their first birthday, your baby may have two bowel movements daily.
What are signs my formula-fed baby is constipated?
If your baby hasn’t pooped in two days, you may wonder if they’re constipated. But unless this is very unusual for your baby, it could be just fine. Frequency isn’t always a telltale sign.
Look for these signs that your formula-fed baby may be constipated:
- The texture of their baby poop is hard. It may look pebbly, like little clay balls, or be large, firm, and formed. (It should be the consistency of peanut butter.)
- Your baby strains for more than 10 minutes without pooping. (Straining alone isn’t always a sign of constipation, though. Babies often strain with even the softest poops!)
- There may be a little blood in your baby’s poop, caused by straining and irritating the anus as it’s passed.
- Your baby is very fussy and seems very uncomfortable.
- Your baby is spitting up more than usual.
Timing can also be a clue. Babies often become constipated once they start eating solids, if they’re ill, or if they become dehydrated (from the heat or a fever or vomiting, for example).
Note that there are rare causes of newborn constipation that may be concerning. These include underlying conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Hirschsprung’s disease, and hypothyroidism.
Your baby’s healthcare provider will monitor your baby’s bowel movements after birth – to make sure their digestive system is working properly and they’ve passed the meconium. If your baby develops problems with constipation later, especially if they have other symptoms such as vomiting, talk with their doctor.
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