The texture, consistency, and smell of your baby’s poops are great indications of how good their digestions are. Most parents often take keener observations when it comes to their babies poop. However, a surprising thing many new moms encounter when they have the first whiff of their breastfed baby’s poop is how mildly it smells.

True enough, an additional wonder to breastfeeding is how better breast milk poops smell in comparison to those that are formula fed. Find out why breastfed babies have better poop smells!

In A Nutshell…

Breastfed babies pass stools that have little or sweet-smelling like odor. On the other hand, formula fed babies have smelly poops!
The difference lies in the ingredients and nutrient composition of breastmilk vs formula milk. Breast milk is easier to digest than formula milk because it’s all natural and the nutrients are easier to break down.
Babies may differ in their bowel movements in terms of frequency, color, and consistency. As long as they’re passing soft and painless stools that are yellow-greenish in color, they should be fine.
If you notice something unusual with the frequency, color, or consistency of the baby’s poop, it’s best to consult your doctor right away.

Basics of Baby Poop: What to Expect

Your baby’s poop can go through different stages as they grow. They transition in appearance, color, texture, and smell as you introduce different types of milk and foods to your baby. Here’s what you should expect:

First Poop: Meconium

During their infancy, the first poop, also known as meconium, can look greenish black in color. The meconium is a sticky, tar-like substance consisting of a mix of mucus and amniotic fluid that has filled your baby’s intestines during the time they were in your womb. It might look a little disgusting, but rest assured that this is totally normal. Actually, having the first signs of meconium is a good way to tell that their digestive health is in good shape!

Transitional Stools

A full day after passing the meconium, you can expect the poops to turn into a dark greenish or yellowish color. These are the transitional stools. It can come loose and even seedy in textures, particularly for breastfed infants. This type of poop will continue for about 3 to 4 days.

After that, expect that the poops will now depend on what you start feeding your baby. You will notice a difference in the consistency, texture, color, and smell of the poop. Sometimes, it even changes from day to day depending on the baby’s bowel movement.

What’s A Normal Baby Poop?

Breastfeeding babies have normal digestions when they poop a mustard yellow, green, or brown colored stools. As mentioned, it can be seedy or pasty in texture. In other times, they can also be runny.

On the other hand, formula fed babies have stools that are typically in the shade of yellow or brown. The consistency can also be pasty, but resembling more of peanut butter.

Why breast milk poop doesn’t smell

One of the main reasons why breast milk poop doesn’t smell is because it’s a lot easier for babies to digest this compared to formula milk. Breast milk is all natural and has the ideal nutrients that make it less strenuous for your baby to digest.

In the first few days, expect that your breast milk fed baby’s meconium has very little odor. Over time, gut bacteria will start to colonize in their small intestine which makes their poop smell a bit. Still, the odor is not unpleasant in any way. In fact, it may even have a slightly sweet or popcorn-like smell!

What’s in formula milk why does the poop smell?

Formula milk, or infant/baby formula, are often made out of an animal or plant-based milk which has been altered in composition so that it is more suitable for babies. In the market, there is a wide selection of formula milk. They can vary in form (either powdered or ready-to-feed) and composition.

Infant formulas are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in terms of the nutrient specifications. It must include the minimum required amount of 29 nutrients and the maximum limit for 9 other nutrients that babies would need.

Types of Formula Milk

The most common types of formula milk are the following:

Cow milk protein-based. A wide range of infant formulas is made out of cow’s milk. The composition of the cow’s milk has been modified to closely resemble breast milk so that it’s also easily digestible. Although most cow-based infant formulas work well on most babies, a few become allergic to the proteins found in the milk.
Soy-based infant formulas. Soy is a plant-based type of protein which serves as a substitute to the animal proteins like those found in cows. This is a better option for babies who have grown a lactose intolerance or have allergic reactions to cow’s milk. Close observation should be done in terms of how the baby reacts to the soy-based formula milk as some who are allergic to cow’s may also be allergic to this plant-based option.
Protein hydrolysate formulas. For extremely sensitive babies who are allergic to both plant and protein-based formulas, these types of hydrolyzed protein formulas may be the most suitable. The protein part of the infant formula is broken down partially or extensively into smaller and more digestible particles.

How Does Breast Milk Differ From Formula Milk In Terms of Digestion and Bowel Movements?

breast milk poops smell better than formula milk poops

Breast milk is called the “perfect food” for babies for a reason. It’s because the nutrient components such as lactose, protein, and fats are easily digestible, especially for newborn babies. So in turn, you can expect this from their normal bowel movements:

Frequency: The first few days, anticipate frequent pooping of around 8-10 bowel movements a day. However, after breastfeeding for about three to six weeks, expect less frequent bowel movements. This shouldn’t be alarming as long as your child is passing soft and painless stools.
Color: A healthy breast milk poop color would be yellowish or slightly greenish, almost like dijon mustard!
Consistency: Normally, they are creamy or mushy. Sometimes they may have a seedy appearance as well. It can also be a little runny, which may be mistaken for diarrhea. Fret not! It’s just a healthy breast milk poop!
Smell: Little odor or a little sweet smelling!

Formula milk stools are noticeably different than breast milk poops. Although the nutrient composition is almost similar in breast milk, since the ingredients are processed and manmade, your baby will digest this differently. Anticipate these kinds of poops for formula fed babies:

Frequency: This is almost the same with breast milk fed babies wherein their poops can vary. Usually, in the first weeks, the poops are frequent. After a month or two, they start pooping less frequently.
Color: It can look yellowish brown or pale yellow.
Consistency: The difference in breast milk vs formula milk poops lies in the consistency. Formula fed babies have a pastier like poop, almost similar to that of peanut butter. They have bulkier and less runny stools because they formula milk takes much more time to digest than that of breast milk.
Smell: Formula fed babies have smelly poops! It can be the same as the smell of an adult’s poop.

Why Does Formula Poop Smell

The most common cause for smelly poops in formula-fed babies is due to the nutrient composition and ingredients found in infant formulas. As mentioned, they are processed and manufactured ingredients. Although they try to resemble breast milk as closely as possible, they aren’t as easily digestible as mother’s milk.

6 Signs for Poop Problems

When it comes your baby’s digestion problems, the first thing you should be looking at is their poop. Babies generally have different bowel movements than adults. Although a runny and weirdly colored poop might sound alarming, most of the time these are just normal. However, if you spot these 5 signs, your baby might be having a digestion problem. It’s best to bring them to their pediatrician as soon as possible.

Look out for these signs:

If you see white streaks in your baby’s poop. The chalky white substance in your baby’s poop might be a warning sign that your baby has digestion problems, particularly that they may lack bile in their liver.
If your baby’s poops are dark and black. This may be a sign that your baby is ingesting blood from the stomach or small intestine.
If find red streaks in your baby’s diaper. This might be a sign that your baby is bleeding from the colon or rectum. It could also be a sign of protein allergy or diarrhea due to bacterial infection.
If you see mucus in your baby’s poop. The slimy and green-colored streaks in your child’s stools might be an indication of infection or intolerance.
If your baby’s poop is extremely runny. Baby’s poops can be a little bit runny. But if it continues to be watery and runny in consistency, this might be a sign of diarrhea. If left untreated, it might even lead to dehydration.
If your baby is having a hard time passing stools. Your baby is likely to be constipated. Look out for hard and pebble-like stools as another sign. Constipation may happen especially if you’re transitioning to solid foods or due to lactose intolerance.

To Conclude…

Paying close attention to your baby’s digestion is extremely important, and this can be best observed through their poops. Infants usually pass a first poop called meconium that can appear greenish black in color. This is due to the leftover amniotic fluid and mucus which they accumulated while in the mother’s womb. After a few days, the stools will become yellowish or greenish in color, with a soft or pasty like consistency, and may transition from being frequent to less frequent after a few months.

The type of milk consumed has a great effect on the consistency, color, and smell of the poop! Surprisingly, breast milk fed babies have poops with less odor as compared to those that are formula fed, which can have smellier poops. The reason this happens is because of the nutrient composition of breast milk vs formula milk. The mother’s milk is easily digestible and all natural, while formula milk has processed and altered ingredients that may take time to digest.

Babies have different digestion patterns compared to adults, so what might appear to be abnormal may totally be an acceptable bowel movement for a baby. It’s best to always check the color and consistency to make sure they’re not running into digestion problems. However, if you spot signs of poop problems, it’s advisable to take your baby to a doctor as soon as possible.