What is normal for a baby's stool?

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When transitioning from only breast milk or formula to eating more solid foods, what is normal for a baby's stools? How many times a day does the child go out? What is the consistency and color of the stool? These are issues of special concern to parents.

1. What is weaning?

Weaning is considered a big change for children, switching from a diet entirely with milk or formula to a diet with solid foods such as porridge, flour, etc. According to doctors, the time to eat solids is good. especially when the baby is 6 months old. This is the time when the baby's mouth, tongue, and digestive system can work properly to swallow and digest solid foods.

2. What is normal for the stool of a weaning child?

Many parents are quite concerned with the problem of the stool of 6-month-old babies having changed compared to the previous period. In fact, when starting to eat solid foods (other than milk), the baby's stool will have a change:
2.1. The number of bowel movements of the child The number of bowel movements of a baby with solid foods will change with each period of solids. Specifically, instead of going outside about 3-4 times a day like before, the baby can go about 1-2 times a day or there are days when he doesn't go at all.
In order for the baby's digestive system not to be under pressure at this time, parents should only add porridge and liquid powder to help the digestive system get used to foods other than breast milk.

2.2. The nature of baby's stools when weaning When starting to eat solid foods, the baby's digestive system still has to get used to the new method of weaning. Therefore, children often have live feces (ie, what they eat, they pass out). For example, if a child is given green vegetable porridge, the stool will be greasy with vegetables. If your child's food contains a lot of fiber, it is possible that part of the food is still intact in the stool. If the child eats carrots, the next day the stools may be loose carrots.
Solid or liquid, the color of the baby's stool when eating solids also depends on the food the day before. Therefore, parents should not be too worried if their children have green stools. In addition, the baby's stool is not as smooth as when the baby is exclusively breastfed.
Especially, if the baby is familiar with vegetables, meat and fish, his stool will be quite smelly compared to when he was exclusively breastfed. Your baby's poop is also thicker than when breastfed alone.
However, parents should call a doctor if their baby's stool has the following abnormal signs:
The baby has new symptoms such as vomiting, regurgitation; Fresh bloody or black stools (except meconium); Stools that are white or gray; Your baby's stools contain large amounts of mucus or water; The child has more bowel movements and stools than usual; The stools are hard or the child has to strain to have a bowel movement. With the above information, parents must have understood what is normal for a baby's stool. In general, your baby's stools during the weaning period will vary depending on the foods your baby eats. Parents should monitor the frequency of bowel movements, the color and consistency of the baby's stools to understand the health of the baby.
Besides, your baby can add necessary micronutrients: Zinc, selenium, chromium, Vitamins B1 and B6, Ginger, acerola fruit extract (vitamin C),... to improve taste, eat delicious, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard, have a good immune system, strengthen the resistance to get sick less often and have less digestive problems.
For more nutritional knowledge and child care for each age, parents should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, pediatric and nutrition experts of the National General Hospital. Vinmec when needing advice on children's health.