This article details five factors that can lead to pellet-like stools and when it's time to see a doctor. But there may other reasons for this type of constipation, some of which may be more concerning than others. Most often, this is a sign that your diet is low in fiber. CouldnвЂ™t resist.If you have small, hard stools that are shaped like pebbles or pellets, you may wonder if this is normal or something you should worry about. Next time youвЂ™re wondering if your childвЂ™s poop is normal, I hope this takes a load off your mind. In fact, itвЂ™s one way to know how fast everything is passing through вЂ¦ Children who have diarrhea that lasts longer than a week or that has blood or mucous should be seen by a doctor as it could point towards a different kind of infection.ДЎ0.Snotty - Small amounts of stringy mucous in poop can be normal, especially for a very short period but if the child has blood or belly pain along with it, it could point toward an inflammatory bowel problem like CrohnвЂ™s or ulcerative colitis.ДЎ1.Nutty/Corny - Yep. It generally last a few days to a week and the child should not appear particularly sick. Usually these children have vomiting as well (but not always). Runny - The most common cause of diarrhea is a stomach bug. Think about places where your child might be ingesting some extra sugar (especially juice).Д©. Other possible causes include: ingesting blueberries, taking iron supplements or Pepto-Bismol (which we donвЂ™t recommend but can also cause dark green stool).ДЁ.Looseish - Not really diarrhea but not normal either. If the child has other symptoms, they should be seen fairly quickly. It can be an indication that thereвЂ™s bleeding somewhere higher in the stomach or intestines. Particularly if you parent the one child in the world who likes beets.Д§.Black - Dark, black stool are one of the most concerning stools but not always. Think about what the child has been eating. Just because itвЂ™s red, doesnвЂ™t mean itвЂ™s blood. If there is a lot of blood, or it doesnвЂ™t go away, the child may need to be checked for rectal polyps.Д¦.Red - The most common cause IвЂ™ve seen for this lately: Hot Cheetos.

This is really common in children who have constipation and can lead to very painful attempts to poop. If there are no other symptoms and they can go regularly without pain, itвЂ™s probably just fine.ДҐ.Bloody - Bright red blood, particularly if on the outside of the feces or that comes off on the toilet paper is likely the result of a small tear in the rectum (the area right before the poop comes up). Other common symptoms are vague belly pain but when you ask them вЂ¦ Guess what? The kid hasnвЂ™t pooped for days.Д¤.Large - Some kids just make humongous BMs. If a kid feels like they need to go but canвЂ™t, itвЂ™s probably constipation. This should be evaluated and the childвЂ™s bilirubin should be checked.ДЈ.Hard stools/stools that are hard to push out - This is how I define constipation in older kids. I like to say they are just learning which muscles to poop with вЂ¦Дў.White - White stools in babies mean that the gall bladder is not working the way it should and can point toward a serious liver condition. ItвЂ™s not about the frequency of poop or how hard a baby strains because all babies turn into purple Troll dolls when they are pooping. Hard balls - In babies, little hard boo-boos are how I define constipation. ItвЂ™s not the most common I see but it might be #number2.ДЄnd, no, IвЂ™m not advocating for an Instagram stream of abnormal poop pictures but, we should all know that all of our kids will have some kind of weird poop this year. ItвЂ™s one of the most common problems that no one talks about except with their pediatrician.

Tiny balls of poop