What are normal stools for a baby?
Stools are a barometer of how your baby is tolerating his feedings and absorbing nutrients. Breast-fed babies usually have more stool daily than formula fed babies, and may have three or four small stools/day, especially in the first weeks. They are tolerating breast milk normally when stools are soft or more wet, and gold to brown. Formula-fed babies who are tolerating their feedings normally will move their bowels once or twice daily and will have a soft formed brown stool. It is not normal for babies to have prolonged periods of stools that are mucousy, explosive, runny, foul, burning, hard, pebbly, or difficult to pass. It is also not normal for babies to only move their bowels once every few days. If your baby has these signs, consult Nutrition Care For Children to review other feeding options that may work better.
