What changes in nappies when weaning starts

Oct 12

3 min read

Smiling baby lying on a pink changing mat holding their feet

Nobody warns you about the first nappy after broccoli.

Once your baby starts solid foods, their nappies change, sometimes quite suddenly. The colour shifts, the texture changes, the smell definitely changes, and how often they go can move around too.

Most of it is completely expected. This post sets out what the NHS says, clearly marked as its guidance, and why having the week before and after written down makes it much easier to tell an ordinary change from one worth asking about.

What the NHS says

The NHS is reassuring on this. It says that when you start to wean your baby, their poo will change colour, and that this is normal.

The NHS guide to changing your baby's nappy also makes the wider point that poos vary from day to day and week to week.

What parents usually notice

The changes families tend to describe once solids begin:

Colour. Often follows what went in. Orange after carrot or sweet potato, green after broccoli or spinach, darker after some foods.
Texture. Usually firmer and more formed than milk-only poos, particularly for babies who were breastfed.
Smell. Stronger. Sometimes much stronger.
Bits of food. Pieces of vegetable or fruit skin passing through more or less unchanged is common, especially early on, while your baby is still learning to chew.
Frequency. It can go up or down for a while as their digestion adjusts.

None of those on their own are reasons to worry. Your baby is doing something new, and their gut is catching up.

What is worth a call

There are some changes the NHS says are worth asking about. Please speak to your health visitor or GP if:

Poo is very pale, white, chalky or creamy in colour. The NHS says pale or chalky poo can be a sign of jaundice or a liver problem, so ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 the same day.
There is blood in the poo.
Poos become very watery, very smelly or much harder, particularly alongside a baby who seems unwell.
Your baby seems to be in pain, is straining a lot without passing anything, or you think they may be constipated.
Wet nappies drop off noticeably. The NHS lists fewer wet nappies than usual as a possible sign of dehydration. The NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if your baby has not had a wee in the past 12 hours.

If you notice a rash, swelling or other reaction after introducing a food that commonly causes allergies, there is more on that in introducing allergens without the fear. For any severe reaction, call 999.

Why the week either side is useful

Nappy changes after weaning have a slightly annoying quality: they happen at exactly the time your baby's diet is changing fastest, so it is hard to tell what caused what.

A new food every few days. A different texture. A day out. Teeth. A cold going round nursery. Any of them can show up in a nappy.

If you have the week before starting solids written down, and the weeks after, you have a baseline. You can see whether a change lines up with a particular food, whether it settled after a couple of days, or whether it has been building for a week. That is exactly the kind of thing that makes a conversation with your health visitor more useful.

What to note in the week either side of starting solids: colour and texture, how often, and anything new you want to ask about. Unsure? Ring your health visitor or GP

What to write down

For each nappy:

Wet, dirty or both, and the time.
Anything unusual about it, such as colour or texture, if you want to remember it.

And for food:

What they had, particularly anything new.

In Littles, nappies are logged as wet, dirty or both in a couple of taps, and solids sit in the same day view, so a new food and the nappy the next morning are next to each other rather than in two different places.

Keeping it in perspective

Weaning nappies can be alarming the first few times, and they are also a big part of why most parents develop a very strong stomach very quickly.

Most changes are simply the result of a baby eating new things. If something worries you, trust that instinct and ring your health visitor. It is a very normal question, and they would rather you asked.

Littles is free to download, and logging feeds, sleep and nappies stays free for as long as you want it.

Your baby's own 24 hour sleep needs, and the rest of the analysis screens, are part of premium. Two weeks free to try, then £6.99 a month or £50 a year.

Sources: NHS guidance on changing your baby's nappy, baby poo after starting solids, jaundice in babies, dehydration, and when to get urgent medical help for babies and children under 5.