Strangely Colored Poops

Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Archived Q&A and Reviews

My 4 year olds poop was green

June 2006

My 4 year olds poop was green. Not even a brownish green, more like a sage green. It happened the day after he ate a green apple flavored ''Fun Dip'', that pixie stick type powdery candy, which was also green. (Not a staple of his diet, believe me). Has anyone else ever experienced this reaction to a ''Fun Dip'' or other candy? Or should I be concerned? His poops are normal colored now (just 2 days later).
mom of the alien pooper

Hi -- I laughed when I read your post because my 19-month old son had a bright green (kelly green) poop last week for the first time! I totally freaked out and called the daycare to find out what he'd eaten the day before. Apparently, one of the other kids had shown up with some ''fun'' blueberry yogurt that is actually dyed bright blue. Of course, my son had to have some, and it turned his poop bright green. The daycare provider told me that whenever the kids eat that particular kind of yogurt, they all have green poops the next day.
Lindsay
my son had this issue when he ate the yougart sticks or tubes with the green flavor and then his poops were green like totally green. so stay away from the green yougart sticks as well will make poops green.
crazy mom of green pooper too
It's the food coloring in the candy. Don't worry. When I was in college, my friends and I got in this habit for a while of making rice crispy marshmallow treats with different food coloring added. (We make them red and/or green for Christmas, pink, orange, purple, whatever.) Occasionally, when I ate A LOT of a colored batch, my poop would later be that color. Green food dye would especially color the poop. No big deal.
Anon
Happens when my kids overindulge on the broccoli too, so it's not all about the artificial dye. I wouldn't worry about it. You are what you eat!
We've noticed the same phenomenon after eating jello. It's just the coloring used. It's just the same as peeing/pooping red after eating beets (except the coloring is rarely natural).
another colored pooper
Ah, the wonders of green food dye. About 30 years ago I ate a piece of chocolate cake that had been dyed green. Tasted less chocolaty to me, but that was probably in my head. Anyway, I was surprised some 24 hours later to produce a very green turd. I talked to several other people who'd eaten the cake, and they had the same reaction. But no worry, once the dye had exited my body, no side effects, no problems. I've never eaten anything dyed blue; it would be interesting to see what that does.
anonymous

My one year old has white poop??

April 2006

All of a sudden, my one year old has white poop, I haven't given him any thing new lately, and it also smells very very bad, has any one had this happen and do you know why??? Heather

My baby did this too! I don't know if it was the adjustment from nursing to cows milk, or something else she ate, but it lasted off/on over a week or two and then no more. She seemed fine though it all. she's 15 months now. white poop mom

4-year-old poops in a variety of colors

June 2006

I don't recall ever seeing this question before: my four-year- old son does not eat a wide variety of foods, although it's improving slowly. He does, however, poop in a variety of colors, most notably green, light brown, and red. This has been true his whole life, and we joke a little about his ''playdough'' poop. I have correlated the red ones to watermelon ... but a lovely green poop last night didn't seem to match anything he'd eaten. When he was a baby the pediatrician said it wasn't anything to worry about ... in babies. But he's not a baby anymore. His main food is still milk, and he eats pasta, carrots, yogurt, broccoli, some cereals, peeled apples, french fries, pancakes, the occasional chicken nugget, and any candy he can get. Before I alert the doctor to what may not be a big deal, do any parents out there have any idea/experience with this? Thanks! - Perplexed

I wonder if your son is not digesting his food properly.... You said he didn't have a wide variety. If he seems happy and is pooping regularly it's probably nothing but an interesting digestive system. Do you see undigested food in his poop? If he's not digesting, you may want to try to change....cooked vegies? cooked fruit? more fiber? HOpe this is ''food'' for thought....just my 2 cents. anon

My 3 year old has lots of interesting colored poops, too. Somehow I'm always surprised by the black blueberry poops and the orange carrot ones. Seems normal to me. Good luck! anon