What is the cause of milk curds in baby's stool?

For newborns, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating are all issues that we as parents need to pay attention to, because at this time their body functions are not yet fully developed, and many of them are still passively adapting to the external environment, including what they eat and what they poop. The condition of the baby's stool can also help us judge whether he is healthy or not, such as the presence of curds in the stool, which is discussed below.

Milk curds refer to white particles or curd-like substances in the baby's stool, which is caused by indigestion. The key is to pay attention to the baby's mental state and appetite. As long as the baby is in good spirits, eats well, sleeps well, and has ideal weight gain, there is no need to worry. However, the baby should be closely observed. Once abnormal stools occur, such as watery stools, egg-drop soup-like stools, bloody stools, tarry stools, etc., the baby may be sick and should be seen by a doctor in time.

The characteristics of normal stool are related to feeding methods. The stools of breastfed babies are golden yellow, occasionally slightly green and relatively thin; or they are ointment-like, uniform, sour and without foam. Normally, the neonatal period has more bowel movements, usually 25 times a day, but some babies may have 78 bowel movements a day. As the child grows older, the number of bowel movements will gradually decrease, and after 23 months the number of bowel movements will be reduced to 12 times a day.

In addition, if a breastfed baby has loose stools or has more frequent bowel movements, parents do not need to worry as long as the baby is in good spirits, eats well, and gains weight normally. If the baby is fed formula, the stool is usually light yellow or khaki, dry, rough, like a hard paste, and often has an unpleasant fecal odor. If there is more sugar in the milk, the stool may become soft and have a slightly rotten odor, and the amount of stool will be larger each time. Sometimes there is grayish white milk mixed in the stool.

Therefore, there is no need to be alarmed about the problem of curds in the baby's stool. It is just the result of indigestion, so you still need to pay attention to sleep and food, and eat small meals frequently. In addition, if the child's stool smells foul, it may be that he has eaten too much starchy food or too high sugar content, including foods with high fat content, so they should be avoided.