What conditions cause stool discoloration in children?

Question

Hello doctor,

My baby is five months old. And whenever I give him puree, he poops in dark colors. When I stop giving him puree and feed him milk, he poops normally. What could be the reason? Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

First of all, I appreciate the way you are taking care of your baby. A premature baby of seven months and ten days gestation is now having very good catch-up growth with a weight of 13.8 pounds. It is recommended that any weaning food or solid food be started by six months of age. It is more important if the baby is premature to give sufficient time to the system for proper maturity. Dark-colored stools may be due to the type of food or some other reason. As the information provided is limited, would you mind sharing some more details, like:

What kind of puree are you giving? Since when did you start it?
What dark color is it - black, brown, or green?
Once you feed puree, within how much time does he poop, and after how many times is it dark colored, and what is the consistency loose or normal?
Does he cry excessively after giving puree or while passing dark-colored stool?
Which milk is he on - breast milk or formula milk?
Could you share a colored picture of poop, if possible?
Get a stool test or routine analysis for occult blood.

Once I have this basic information, I will advise you on the next steps or any further tests that may be required.

I hope this helps.

Kindly revert back so I can assist you further.

Thank you, and take care.

Regards.