What to know about your baby’s poop

Some babies still have black stool after the first few days of meconium poop. This may be related to breastfeeding. If your nipples are cracked and bleeding, your baby may end up with a little bit of blood in their poop. Because it’s been digested, it comes out black. This is nothing to be concerned about.

You may also notice your baby’s poop color change if you switch to an iron supplemented baby formula. Iron supplemented formula tends to turn your baby’s poop dark green or black. Again, it’s nothing to be concerned about.

Once your baby is on solid food (at about six months old), their poop will change again. Their poop color will sometimes be the same as the food they ate.

Baby poop consistency

No two babies are alike, which means there’s a wide range of things considered normal.

“As long as the stool is soft and mushy, and your baby’s not uncomfortable, we say that’s OK,” Dr. Alonso said. “We usually don’t intervene unless your baby is pooping hard pellets.”

Breastfed baby poop is watery while formula-fed baby poop tends to be firmer, like the consistency of peanut butter.

Hard pellet-type poop is a sign your baby is constipated, which can make your baby very fussy and uncomfortable.

Having diarrhea – or a blow out – is not unusual for babies. Sometimes your baby’s tummy just seems to explode in their diaper. If your baby is having frequent diarrhea, talk to their pediatrician. It may be a sign of an allergy.

Your baby’s poop changes consistency when they start eating solid food. It tends to become more colorful, firmer and lumpy. You’ll probably see chunks of whatever your baby ate.

How to help your baby poop

If your baby’s having pain when they poop, or they need a little help getting it out, Dr. Alonso suggests you try giving your baby an ounce of prune juice. This is safe as long as you don’t give your baby more than an ounce or two of liquids a day (that aren’t formula or breast milk).