Bright feces in children: the causes of the appearance

Light feces in children indicate some problems in the body. Disorders of the activity of organs can be immediately noticed by the color of the excreta and their consistency. But do not panic at once. Sometimes the light color of feces is a consequence of the foods eaten.

Feces of a newborn child

It is necessary to begin with the fact that in children the shade of feces can be different depending on the age. When a child is just born, his feces are called meconium. It is almost black in color, and viscous in consistency. This situation persists for four days. Then, instead of meconium, light feces appear. In children who have just been born, bowel movements can have white or yellow impregnations and a small amount of mucus. This is the norm.

Feces of babies up to three months

Why can there be a light feces in a child, Komarovsky EO, a practicing pediatrician, tells in great detail. 7 days after birth, the feces color of the baby becomes light brown or yellow. The consistency of the stool becomes liquid. If the baby is healthy, then the feces will be uniform, with the smell of sour-milk products. Such feces persist up to three months of age. At the same time, mucous or green inclusions appear in the stool. For babies this is the norm.

What determines the color of feces?

The color of the stool primarily depends on the amount of bilirubin contained in the feces. This substance produces the liver. Bilirubin comes out of the body along with feces or urine. A feces of light color in a child may indicate an incorrect production of a substance. In this case, urine analysis should be done. And if it has a dark color, the pediatrician will need help.

Also, the color of the stool depends on the products that were used. Babies who have not yet turned a year, are fed breast milk. Therefore, their bowel movements are light and liquid. The more dairy - the whiter. Over time, the baby's diet begins to change, so the stool will gradually harden and darken.

It is also necessary to know that the feces of a baby whose diet is based on mixtures will be denser than normal. And the color can vary from yellow to gray. The same thing happens when introducing new products into the diet. When a child turns a year old, he can already eat small beets. In this case, the stools will immediately take a darker shade.

White feces

Why is the child feces light, almost white? This can affect the eaten food. Especially if they contained a lot of calcium. For example, a young mother, worried about the strength of the bones of a child, starts in his diet to include a lot of milk, cottage cheese, etc. As a result of the use of white products, the color of the feces, respectively, changes.

Light, almost white feces are often caused by products containing many carbohydrates. And also, he can change color when the child's teeth are chopped. At this time, stools become not only lighter, but also liquid. White feces are the result of hepatitis. But to determine this precisely the doctor can only, since the symptomatology of the disease is manifested not only by the color of the feces.

What should I look for when changing the color of the stool?

Most often, light feces in children are a consequence of malnutrition. Especially if the baby is overfed with fat cottage cheese, milk and sour cream. But nevertheless, when the color of the feces changes in a child, one must carefully consider the factors that accompany it. Analyze nutrition, see if the teeth are chopped, and assess the overall condition of the baby.

Be sure to check if there is temperature or vomiting. It is important to know if the child has lost his appetite and whether sleep has been disturbed. If there are any deviations from the norms, the luminous feces can be an indication of the disease that has arisen. Therefore, in this case, the baby should be examined by a pediatrician.

Causes of light feces

Why there was a light feces in the child? The reasons for this may be different:

1. Flu. In this case, the stool will not only be light, but additionally will acquire a gray shade. Changes in stool color occur on the 3rd or 4th day after the onset of the disease. In some cases the feces lighten even after full recovery. This is the reaction of the body trying to remove the remnants of drugs.
2. Rotavirus infection. The child has a fever. Then begins diarrhea and vomiting. The feces are first colored yellow, and the next day it looks like clay.
3. Stagnation of bile. Because of its presence in the excrements, they acquire a dark color. Therefore, when the shade becomes more luminous, the cause of this can be bile stasis. This should take into account the anatomical features of the body. Sometimes the bile ducts can be twisted or bent.
4. Inflammation of the pancreas. Most often this disease affects adults. But the pancreas is not immune from inflammation of the pancreas, and the child, 3 years old, was fulfilled. Although mainly the disease affects children from 4 years. When inflammation is not only lighten the excrement, but there are additional symptoms.
5. Whipple's disease. This ailment is little known, because it is very rare. But the main symptom of the disease is frequent bowel movements. They can be ten or more times a day. And the color of the feces is light gray. And the consistency of the stool is pasty or frothy.
6. Reaction to drugs. Children are very susceptible to medication. Therefore, the color of the stool can change due to the child taking antibacterial, antipyretic or anti-inflammatory drugs.

Yellow feces

Light yellow feces in a child is considered the norm, if the baby is breastfed. As it grows, the bowel movements change color, becoming darker. Basically, the color of the stool depends on the foods that are included in the diet. If the baby feed a pumpkin or carrots in large quantities, the chair will be yellow-orange. A saturated color may indicate a disease of the pancreas, kidney or liver. If they interfere with the release of bile from the body, the feces become yellow.

In some cases, it becomes so because of the new brand of the mixture, which is given to the child instead of the usual one. Cal is accompanied by an unpleasant odor. If after a few days the color of the feces did not change from yellow to normal, then the child should be immediately shown to the pediatrician. Especially if at the same time there was vomiting, nausea, darkening of urine, etc.

Dysbacteriosis

Light feces in children can occur against a background of some diseases. One of them is dysbiosis. It can appear even in the smallest children. Dysbacteriosis is a violation of balance in the intestine. Causes can be the diseases that the mother of the baby suffered during pregnancy, or taken antibacterial drugs, antibiotics. An important role is played by the nutrition of the mother and the baby. For dysbacteriosis is characterized by a very light stool, which has an unpleasant sour smell.

Hepatitis

Bright feces can appear due to hepatitis. But this disease is accompanied by other factors. The child has lethargy, loss of appetite and nausea starts. But the first symptom is the darkening of the urine. Then the feces begin to lighten. First, the chair will be light yellow, and then completely colored in white. In this case, it will also acquire a grayish shade.

In children before the year, hepatitis B occasionally begins. Especially if the baby has become a carrier of a viral infection. This type of hepatitis has a latent period. The disease can develop slowly, up to six months. At first, the child gets dark with urine and the chair brightens. Further, the appetite disappears and sleep is disturbed. Then vomiting occurs and the temperature rises.

Light feces in a child (2 years) may be a sign of hepatitis A. At the same time, the baby's skin does not immediately turn yellow. First the urine darkens, then the feces turn white. All other signs of the disease are the same as in viral hepatitis B.

Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is an inflammatory process in the pancreas. This disease can occur in children even at an early age. The causes are poor nutrition and not having formed the digestive system. With pancreatitis, the feces become light, pains appear in the abdomen, and bloating is noted. The child suffers from nausea and vomiting. The baby's fever rises and thirst begins. In children who have left infants, the cause of pancreatitis is most often the excessive use of sweets and confectionery.

What should I do if my baby becomes light?

Light feces in a child (2 years) can become so because of nutrition. At the age of two, babies are already given a variety of food. The body can react differently to a change in diet. And as a result, the feces sometimes becomes light color. If the child does not have fever, vomiting, or other symptoms of the disease, then you need to watch him for a few days. At this time, the pigmented products are excluded from the diet. If the changes did not occur and the color of the stool remains light, the child should be shown to the pediatrician. When the excrements turn white, and the urine becomes dark, it is an alarm. And if there are no more symptoms of illness (nausea, temperature, vomiting, etc.), the baby should still be examined by a doctor.

Even a child, 3 years old who has turned, can get hepatitis or a dysbiosis. The baby may have problems with the gallbladder. But to determine the cause of light feces the doctor will be able to determine exactly. When treating a baby, though sparing, but still medicinal preparations are prescribed. They can also cause light feces. In this case, you need to analyze when the feces began to change color. If, in addition, no additional symptoms are observed, then just wait a couple of days, when the chair again will go back to normal. But if this does not happen, it is better to see a doctor right away.