Newborn babies cry, sleep, look around, eat, pee, spit and poop. That's about it. Because of this, it is easy to see why brand new parents tend to concentrate on the bowel movements of their little one.
The problem with toddler poop would be its wide array of variation. Several infants poop after each feeding, while others don't poop until a week is over. There is also a wide array when it comes to stool thickness and there are different colors. So how do you know what is normal when it comes to toddler poop?
Infant stool frequency will depend on the amount of stool that your baby can generate and how fast his intestines can move it down. Since an infant's ability to absorb food tends to change as time goes by, the amount of left-over residue may also change. Usually, more residues exist in one's stool within the first several weeks of living. Then, the intestines mature and absorption gets better while residue decreases. Therefore, babies who once pooped several times in one day might slow down the stool production after some time.
Conversely, bacteria might have an opposite result. As babies mature, more bacteria gather in the gut, which are essential in the process of digestion and also happen to be a reason why toddler poop changes over several months of living. However, as the amounts increase, the body gets rid of more of them within the stool. The bulk of stool increases with the amount of bacteria and leads to bowel movements that are more frequent.
Stool consistency would be another essential thing to take into consideration. If toddler poop is constantly slimy, consult your doctor. The perfect consistency of toddler poop should be similar to mustard.
Also, pay close attention to its color. Bright red poop would mean that there is blood, so consult a doctor immediately, if this is the case. Possible causes might be milk allergies, anus skin cracks, or intestinal tract problems. Black poop similar to tar would be normal during the first several days of living. However, if it stays like this for a long time, consult your doctor since it could be a sign of gut bleeding. Other poop colors would depend on the baby's diet and intestinal bacteria make-up.
Overall, regular toddler poop needs to have a mustard consistency and might be yellow, tan, brown, or green. It might come several times in one day or just once every few days. The reasons you should consult your doctor for would include black poop similar to tar, blood presence, constant mucus, watery diarrhea, and formed or thick poop.
