Toddler Started Passing Dark Gray Runny Stool. Should I Be Concerned?

Posted on Wed, 17 Apr 2013

Question: my 8 month old daughter just had a dark gray runny stool. should i be concerened? she did have baby food bananas today

Answered by Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar (1 hour later)

Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.

Discolouration of stools or a change in consistency is pretty common in infants and can be due to ingested food material or an infection. Since your daughter has had only one episode of grayish loose stools, I would suggest that you wait and observe for some time.

Please ensure that she takes adequate fluids and remains well hydrated. You can give her oral rehydration solution (ORS) to keep the water and salt balance adequate.

You should watch for the following warning signs, and if present, should take her to a hospital urgently:
- Lethargy or drowsiness
- Poor feeding
- High grade fever
- Blood in stools
- Not passing urine properly

Wish you all the best.

Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar