Priya from Kenya wrote to us today, saying
My baby is 7 months old, his poo has been green in colour for more than 1 month. What is the reason and what can I do for it?
There can be a variety of reasons for green poo. Some are perfectly harmless – such as eating a food containing green dye, or eating a large amount of green, leafy vegetables. Certain infant formulas can even cause green poo in some babies.
However, green poo can also indicate a medical problem, like excess iron in the diet or an infection or other intestinal disorder.
Given that Priya’s baby is only 7 months old, it is unlikely that food dye is responsible. Taking into account the fact that this has been going on for a month, we recommended that she discuss this situation with her child’s doctor, so that he can rule out any underlying medical problem.
Source: Mayo Clinic
Have you experienced this problem with YOUR baby? Were you able to determine the cause – and how long did the problem last? Please share your experience by leaving a comment – or contact us here.
Zainab
Sunday 29th of March 2009
Hello to all the mothers reading this. I too have experienced my baby having green poo. But then it did depend on the kind of food I was feeding my 7 month old baby. Ms.Priya., just try changing the regular foods or formula that u r feeling him or try to breast feed your baby more. If still there is no change then it is better to consult your paediatrician. Take care!
Poonam
Wednesday 4th of March 2009
Yes, I too experienced the same problem with my baby when she was 6 or 7 months old (now she is 16 months old). I was worried not only because of the color of the poo but also the poo was watery and very frequent. This continued for 1 or 2 weeks then it got ok and then again after some interval it started again. My doc said it was OK and nothing to worry about, but I went for a second opinion and had a stool test. Let me tell you it is very difficult to collect a stool sample of a baby as you have to collect the stool only, not urine :-). But anyhow, I managed it and the test was normal. Nothing exceptional was diagnosed, and after some days she was again normal. I didn't changed her diet or mine. I guess this will help and if not then there is no harm in contacting your doctor because he can better help you than anyone else.