What are the Causes of Green Poop in Kids?

Photo: VeryWell Health

What causes green poop in normal people?

What makes green poop? Green stool is usually the result of a high quantity of leafy, green vegetables in someone’s diet. Specifically, it is the chlorophyll in the plant that produces the green color. Alternatively, children might have green stool after attending a birthday party where they ate the artificially colored frosting.

Diet-based reasons for green poop are by far the most common, but there are others; people who do not eat a lot of greens or food coloring should be wary, as green poop can have a more serious cause.

Bile pigment – stool may be green due to bile pigment in the stool. If food moves too quickly through the intestine, bile pigment can’t break down sufficiently. One potential cause of this is diarrhea.

Antibiotics – a course of antibiotics changes the types of bacteria present in the gut. Because bacteria influence the normal color of poop, a change in bacteria may mean a change in stool color, often to green.

Certain medical procedures – for instance, if a bone marrow transplant is rejected, it can cause graft versus host disease. One of the consequences of this condition is diarrhea and green stool.

Parasites and bacteria – certain pathogens can cause poop to turn green, including the Salmonella bacterium, Giardia (a water-based parasite), and norovirus. These unwelcome guests can cause the guts to work faster than normal, impacting stool color.

People who think their green stool is not the result of a diet rich in vegetables or green food coloring should discuss it with their doctor, according to Medical News Today.

What Causes Green Poop In Babies?

Occasional green colored poop in babies generally is quite natural and is not a reason to worry. However, if the baby is consistently passing greenish stools, there's must be a reason for it-

Foremilk -hindmilk imbalance: Foremilk, the milk that first comes from the breast during every feeding is lower fat and higher in lactose. It is followed by hindmilk the ticker, creamier milk that carries fat and many other nutrients. However, if the mother has too fast a let-down, or oversupply of breast milk or even if the baby has a bad latch, the baby drinks watery foremilk than the rich creamy hindmilk. This often results in green poop. Also, when the baby feeds more on foremilk, she may not gain enough weight

Gulping plenty of milk at once: Due to an inappropriate feeding position, the baby may gulp more milk at once than normal. Breast milk hitting the tummy fast can trigger green poop in babies as their tummy is still sensitive as the digestive system is still on developing stage. To deal with this, try a breastfeeding position that is laid back, and never watch the clock while feeding – let the baby feed for how long she wants to

Tummy bug: When your baby is ill (gastrointestinal illness), this can cause a change in poop color that may keep going for quite a long time until the issue is solved. Diarrhea can be a major reason for green poop in infants

Sensitivity to a food or drug taken by the mother: Whatever the mother drinks or eat has an influence on the breast milk she produced. Therefore, the medicines such as antibiotics, vitamins and iron supplements that are taken by the mother can get into the breast milk and set off allergic reactions in the baby. Even some food you consume may trigger digestive issues in a breastfed baby. These all can result in green poop in babies, as cited by Parentune.

Why do babies have green poop?

A newborn’s first stool, called meconium, is very often dark green.

Green stools in formula-fed infants are often due to formulas containing high amounts of iron.

But even for breastfed infants it’s normal to have yellow-green or green poo.

In fact, it’s normal for babies’ poo to be many different colours. One study found pale stools were caused by partially digested milk fats, yellow stools were due to stercobilin (which is also involved in making poo brown) and other similar compounds, and dark stools due to bilirubin or the presence of meconium.

What is green poop disease in kids? Green poop in kids can be alarming but is usually not a cause for concern. Diet, such as eating leafy greens, often causes green poop. ...