I'm a little concerned because my 1 year old son's bowel movements are consistently yellow for the past month. Is this normal? They used to be brown, but now they are (to be descriptive) a dijon yellow and sometimes tan color. They range in their consistency. My son seems fine otherwise - no fever, he's eating well, no problems. The only thing I can think of that has changed in his diet is that we switched him from formula to whole milk a month ago. Everyone I have talked to has said that babies have all different colors of bowel movements all the time, but I'm concerned because they are only yellow now. Should I be concerned or am I just a first time mom who worries too much? I'm trying to decide if I should make an appointment with the pediatrician. Any advice would be great! Thanks!
Thanks to all the Moms who responded. I ended up taking my son to the pediatrician and she was able to examine a stool sample. She said it was perfectly normal and not to worry. She told me that green, brown, yellow, and even orange are all normal colors for a toddler's bowel movements, and the only time for concern would be if they lacked color or were cream-colored. Of course, the very next day he had his first brown bowel movement in a month, and now that's all he's having. I really appreciate everyone's advice. I guess it's always better to just go to the doctor and be sure. Thanks again!
The only time my daughter bowel movements were yellow, was when I breast fed her. After introducing her to other foods it change to brown. Hope everything is alright with him.
hey M. dont worry, as a mother of 6 all pretty much grown all is well. sometimes when we change from formula to milk it can change our bowels. as long as baby connor is not constipated, diarea or in pain fever etc, i donot think you need to worry. ur reaction is perfectly normal. keep up with us good luck
I know this is late, but I had the same concern a few months ago. I was all kinds of worried that my daughter had some serious liver problem, because her poop was cream colored. She had been on milk for a while, but I had increased it a lot. She was so skinny and I was trying to fatten her up, so I even added heavy whipping cream. Anyhow, I totally took her off milk, and the color returned to normal. After a month or two, I slowly reintroduced milk, and she is fine with it now.
Hi,
Any problem with baby, please don't suffer, go to pediatrics.com and click on questions for Pediatrician.
Your welcome,
D. P.
Hi M.,
My guess is that his stool discoloration is due to the whole milk and probably fairly normal. If your gut says something different, PLEASE call your pediatrician! Do you mind if I ask why you switched to whole milk so soon? If you are not breast feeding there are still lots of nutrients that baby needs that he can't get from just whole milk. I have a 17 month old that still gets formula twice a day - and I am getting ready to supplement with a Pediasmart smoothie so that I know that he's getting everything that he needs (as he's been a bit picky with his eating). Also consider using organic. There are so many growth hormones, etc. found in conventional milk and the cows can be on antibiotics, etc, which can pass through to the milk as well. Organic can be a bit more expensive, but Publix has a great Greenwise brand that is fairly comparable. Best wishes!
Put your mind at ease and call the MD's office. Ask to speak with the nurse and she can help you determine if you need an appointment. Remember, pediatricians deal with first time moms all day long. If they do not welcome your calls, look for another doctor! Good luck! My son is 6, an only child and every day is an adventure.
Hi M.,
No it is not normal. All of us occasionally have a yellow movement but it is not good. The primary reason someone has a yellow movement is there is not enough bile in the stomach to digest the food. This can be a developed problem from the chemicals in the formula or an antacid like Prevacid or Mylanta. Antacids do longterm damage as you need the acid to break down the food.
The other reason is more serious and that is there are liver problems. This can also result from the above but can be reversed if the digestive system gets to working right.
Let me know if you want to talk. Now is the time to fix this, not later when more serious things develop. Doctors will not even discuss this until more serious things occur.
Hope I can help!
M.
Hi M.!
I would day the change in his diet (adding the fat and dairy) has just changed his BM color. That said, if you're concerned, which you obviously are, put your mind at ease and call anyway.
I would say that a call in to the doctor's office would not hurt. Talk to the nurse and she should be able to answer your questions. She would know if a trip in is advisable. I know I would have never made it through the first year with out the great nurses at my pediatrician'f office.
It's normal, don't worry. :) If they are dark green or black and tarry, then you may have a concern, otherwise in the absence of any other symptoms it's normal.
It couldn't hurt to have the doctor see him....there might be something worth looking into. There are metabolic diseases that present with light colored stools. It could also be related to diet....but I'd take him to the pediatrician just to be sure.
K. G.
