7 Month Old With Frequent Bowel Mvt

My 7 month old son has had "normal" bowel mvt since birth and recently has stopped having loose bowel mvt. He strains to push out the poo, and has multiple poo's each day. The size ranges from walnut size up to a full diaper.

The poo is a little mushy, but not rock hard. Is this normal... or should I call my dr.? I was told that he should still have liquidy stool not mushy or hard. His mushy consistency is like playdoh...

Thanks!

Baby Help Line:

7 Month Baby With Mushy, Frequent Poop

Have you changed your son's diet lately? If he is eating any amounts of solid foods, the poop usually goes from liquid to mushy or harder than that.

The fact that he goes several times per day is completely normal and actually a sign of good health. But the frequency of bowel movements - unless a baby has severe diarrhea or very hard poop, varies from person to person and really is nothing to focus on.

Also straining and pushing is quite normal, especially if you have introduced solid foods lately.

Signs that your son is constipated would be that the poop is very hard and dry or pebble-like, if the stools have streaks of blood on the outside, and that the pooping is painful. (You can learn more about the signs of constipation here.)

So unless your son is showing clear signs of constipation as described above or other signs of illness, I don't think you have to worry much about his bowel movements.

Hope this helps,

Paula

Comments for
7 Month Old With Frequent Bowel Mvt

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Dec 21, 2010

Probably normal
by: Paula (Baby Help Line)

Hi,

Have you changed your son's diet lately? If he is eating any amounts of solid foods, the poop usually goes from liquid to mushy or harder than that. The fact that he goes several times per day is completely normal and actually a sign of good health. But the frequency of bowel movements - unless a baby has severe diarrhea or very hard poop, varies from person to person and really is nothing to focus on.

Also straining and pushing is quite normal, especially if you have introduced solid foods lately.

Signs that your son is constipated would be that the poop is very hard and dry or pebble-like, if the stools have streaks of blood on the outside, and that the pooping is painful.

So unless your son is showing clear signs of constipation as described above or other signs of illness, I don't think you have to worry much about his bowel movements.

Hope this helps,

Paula

May 22, 2011

9 month old-frequent bowel mvt
by: Jennifer

My son is 9 months and we have started to notice that he is pooping ALOT. I feel like I'm always changing his diaper. Worse, he has now developed a terrible diaper rash. I'm not sure if its because of teething or just the fact that he's constantly poopy.
The consistancy of the poop varies. Sometimes relatively hard, like a "normal" poop. Othertimes, it seems very soft and mushy, but not quite diaharrea.
I was thinking maybe it was because we were giving him too much cereal. Is there anything I should do? Should I be worred?
Thanks

Dec 02, 2011

Frequent Bowel Movement And Diet NEW
by: Paula (Easy Baby Life)

One of the most common reasons that a baby's bowel movements are changes is a change of diet. Introduction of formula or new solid foods may drastically change your baby's pooping habits over night.

Whether to worry?

The main reasons to worry are pain or constipation (hard stools). You can find symptoms of constipation here.

And for diet ideas related to bowel movement frequency, check out this thread.

Hope this helps,

Paula

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