It's 5 am, and your monitor lights up.
You see your baby wriggling in their bed, and you wonder if they've yet again pooped.
You go into their room, and sure enough, they've left you a doozie.
You change them and attempt to put them back to bed with little success.
I don't know about you, but I only like to start my day that early if I'm catching an early flight to some tropical destination, not because a poopy diaper was the alarm...
So today, let's talk about what can you do to help shift the time of day your baby poops!
1) Oatmeal!
The most common strategy that is talked about when it comes to this issue is feeding your baby oatmeal before bed.
There's still a debate on how much, and it ranges anywhere from 1 tbsp to a whole meal.
Oatmeal and other foods listed below are known to be 'binding' and are often recommended when someone is dealing with loose stools.
Consider incorporating some of these foods later in the day to help!
Oatmeal
Rice
Bananas
Hard cheeses
Whole-grain bread/toast
Applesauce (not apples but actual sauce)
The idea here is that it would take longer for your baby's bowels to be ready to have a movement, hopefully pushing it to later the next morning and not at 5 am.
2) Swapping meals!
This may sound crazy but feeding your baby dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner is a trick that has helped many babies!
There's something about the type of foods and how long they take to digest that can shift what time of the day your baby poops.
Meals with more fat and/or oils can help move the bowels along, and so eating those earlier in the day can help your baby's movement to be earlier as well.
3) Poop friendly foods!
If your baby isn't pooping earlier in the day, then let's encourage that to happen!
Here's a list of 'poop' friendly foods that can help your baby have a movement earlier in the day vs in the early morning:
Pears
Peaches
Plums
Prunes
Berries
Beans
Lentils
4) Consider a probiotic!
Good gut health is the foundation for good health. Adding a probiotic to your baby's daily routine may be helpful with having regular movements and, in combination with the above suggestions, may help you shift the time of day they poop!
Disclaimer
The suggestions in this post are not a substitute for medical advice. If your baby has a medical condition or has trouble having regular movements, consult your doctor.
Here's to no more early morning poops,
Melody Patton
Does your baby not sleep well regardless of the 5 am poop? I can help! I work 1:1 with tired parents to help solve their child's sleep issue. Let's chat! Click below to get in touch!