Hygiene: Stooling patterns

Stooling patterns vary among infants of all ages.

Healthy infants may have from one to six stools per day at this age.
Breastfed infants may go for a week before having a normal stool.

Infrequent stools do not by themselves mean your baby is constipated. He or she is constipated if he has hard dry stools that are difficult for him to pass.

Additional water, pear nectar and prune juice may help relieve a baby's constipation. But at this age, contact your baby’s nurse practitioner or doctor to see what they recommend.

Abnormal stools

Your infant's stools should not...

contain blood, mucus or excessive water
have a tarry-black color

If your child has abnormal stools, contact his or her health care provider.

Baby powder

Babies do not need powder to maintain cleanliness. If you use powder, do not shake it out near the baby because it can be inhaled and irritate your baby's lungs.

Bathing

Babies at this age need a bath only two or three times per week. A quick sponge bath of her face, neck and bottom will suffice for the other days.

If your baby enjoys baths, more frequent bathing won't hurt, but may dry out his or her skin. Lotions or ointments usually relieve this dryness. Baby oil penetrates the skin less well and does not relieve dryness as well as lotions.