Strange colored poop.
Depending on whether
your baby is breast-fed or formula-fed, the color of their poop
can range from green and yellow to brown. Breast-fed babies
will have more color variations since breastmilk is comprised
of mom’s diet.
“I get worried if the poop is a gray color or lacking in the
brown or green tones, or if there is ever blood or red in the dia-
per,” McBride says.
Difficulty pooping. Your baby may appear to
struggle when they go, but as long as their poop is soft and
doesn’t look like pellets or rocks (a sign of constipation), don’t
worry. Babies can have dirty diapers anywhere from once a day
to every few days.
“Formula-fed babies don’t necessarily poop every day and
sometimes that concerns parents, but the body doesn’t process
formula as fast as it does breastmilk,” McBride explains.
If your little one is passing watery diarrhea, contact your
doctor, as this can be a sign of an infection.
Jeepers, creepers... It may look weird, but babies
sometimes sleep with their eyes half open or appear as if their
eyes are rolling around in their head.
“I don’t know that anyone knows why eyes roll around the
head. It’s probably something to do with their sleep patterns. They
don’t have well-organized R.E.M. sleep at that age,” Mellick says.
Occasionally, it may appear that your baby’s eyes are cross-
ing, which is normal up to 18 months of age. If your baby’s eyes
seem persistently crossed or turned in or out, however, talk with
your physician.
More zzz’s...pretty please? Among the most
popular questions pediatricians field from tired parents has to
do with sleep and when everyone in the family can get more of
it. “Sleep is the Holy Grail of parenthood,” Mellick says.
Where Parents MEET
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Babies generally don’t sleep for long periods of time be-
cause they need to eat every few hours. Their tiny tummies can
only hold so much milk.
“As they get older, they still need to eat frequently because
they need a large volume to get the calories they need to grow,”
Mellick says.
By about six months, your baby should be sleeping for a
seven to eight hour stretch.
Wait, they changed. What is normal today proba-
bly won’t last since babies grow and change rapidly, but always
consult your family physician with any concerns.
“We’d rather you call with a question that isn’t really some-
thing to be alarmed about than miss something that is,” Mellick
says.
for families and their children, birth – age 5
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Freelance journalist Christa Melnyk Hines and her husband are
the parents of two adolescent sons, who still do strange things!
Christa is the author of “Happy, Healthy & Hyperconnected:
Raise a Thoughtful Communicator in a Digital World.”
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April 2019 WNY Family 13