The contents of your baby’s nappy

One way of knowing that your baby is feeding well is by checking the contents of his/her nappy. Listed below are the common sights on a baby’s nappy during the first few weeks of his/her life.

• Greenish-black, sticky tar (first two or three days only): This is meconium, which fills the bowels before birth, and passes out in the first two or three days
• Greenish-brown or bright green semi-fluid stools, full of curds (first week only): “changing stools” show that your baby is adapting to feeding through his/her digestive system
• Orange-yellow, mustard-like stools, watery with bits of milk curd in them, often very copious: the settled stools of a breastfed baby
• Pale brown, solid, formed and smelly stools: the settled stools of a bottle-fed baby
• Green or green-streaked, stools: quite normal, but small green stools over several days may be a sign of under-feeding

Consult your doctor if:

• Your baby’s stools are very watery and smelly, and your baby is vomiting and off food: diarrhea is life-threatening in a young baby
• You see blood on the nappy
• Anything at all worries you