BOWEL DEVELOPMENT

Depending on whether bottle or breast fed, the expected number of bowel movements per day can vary from three to five times per day at age one month for a bottle fed baby, to two to three times per week, for a breast fed baby.

 

• Most babies stop opening their bowels at night before they become one year old.
• Expected bowel movements in a child should range from no more than three times per day to no less than three times per week.
• Soiling at night above the age of one year may be an indication of constipation.