Sloppy, sticky, hard, pebbly… What's your baby’s poo telling you about their diet?
Did you ever think you’d be the kind of person discussing poop with your friends, and even googling poop (regularly). Yep, us neither. But being a new parent means you’re carefully analysing everything that goes in, and everything that comes out too.
If you’re not eating right now, come with us as we do some detective work into the state of their poop- and what it’s able to tell you.
If you’re in the middle of dinner.. Maybe come back to this email later!
💩 Type 1: Solid hard lumps, like nuts (hard to pass).
💩 Type 2: Sausage shaped, but lumpy.
Types 1 & 2 indicate constipation. Which might require more soluble fibre- which helps to soften the poop. Bub may benefit from oats, legumes, fruits and vegetables (with their skin intact).
💩Type 3: Like a sausage but with cracks on the surface.
Indicates a poop that is fairly close to a healthy one. With some indications of dehydration. As well as reviewing soluble fibre in their diet, your baby may be looking for more fluid from water, watery foods and/or formula/breast milk.
💩Type 4: Like a sausage or snake.
It's pooptastic! They shouldn’t have trouble passing this, and looks like they’re getting the perfect blend of fibres, fluids. Yay!
💩Type 5: Soft blobs with clear cut edges (passed easily)
💩 Type 6: Fluffy pieces with ragged edges (a mushy stool)
These types are like a runny poop which may indicate an imbalance of the types of fibre in their diet. Insoluble fibre might help- it absorbs fluid and adds bulk to the stool. If you can add in nuts, seeds, whole grains and bananas to their diet to balance it back out, this may help.
💩 Type 7: Watery with no solid pieces
Type 7 is completely liquid, with no bulk in the stool. This might be a case of a virus or bug running its course through bub’s body. Check in with your doctor if you’re worried about this type of poop (and make sure you wash hands with hot, soapy water!)
Remember- the most important thing with poop is the pattern. If one of the above is your baby’s normal poops, then no need to raise alarms when they continue. It’s when things change that you need to pay attention!
Here's a pic, borrowed from The University of Bristol for our visual learners 👀
