The truth about baby pees and poops

Often times we can get to know a lot about our baby’s health just by looking out for signs in their urine and stool. Some quick things to check for when you change your baby can help diagnose issues faster:

Baby pee: 

• During summers babies perspire more and may produce a little dark urine. If the pee is very dark or pinkish there may be blood in the urine or some other issue. 
• A little smell of ammonia is common when you change a baby after long, especially in the morning. However if it’s very strong and persistent your baby might be suffering from UTI. 
• As babies grow older they don’t pee as frequently. Some babies stop peeing at night very early on. However if you baby is less than 6 months of age and hasn’t peed for more than 6 hours during the day, he might be dehydrated. 

Baby poo: 

• Slightly formed, yellow to brown to green stools are normal for breastfed and formula fed babies. However if they’re watery and much greener than usual, then it could be diarrhea. Black poop may be due to iron consumption. If the poop is like hard pellets and makes the baby cry out in pain, your baby may be constipated. 
• Baby poo colour, texture, smell and frequency change when a baby starts solids. It is common for high fibre foods to come out as is in the poop for a baby on solids. Generally mucous in the poop isn’t a cause for concern but sometimes it could signify some infection. Babies on solids have smellier and more solid poops. 
• As far as frequency is concerned, every baby has a different pattern. But generally breastfed babies poop more often than formula babies, with the latter sometimes going days without pooping. It doesn’t always mean they’re constipated. However you may consider giving prune juice or suppositories to babies who haven’t pooped in a long time, as recommended by the doctor. 

Keeping these pointers in mind whenever you change your baby’s diaper is helpful. But whenever in doubt, do not hesitate to call your doctor – better be safe than sorry.