The presence of blood in the baby's diaper is always an alarm cause for the parents, but in most cases the presence of blood in the diaper is not a sign of serious health problems, and may only arise due to more common situations such as buttock, allergy to cow's milk or anal fissure, for example.
In addition, when the baby's urine is too concentrated, it may contain urate crystals that give a reddish or pinkish color to the urine, it looks like the baby has blood in the diaper.
To test if it is actually blood in the baby's diaper one can put some hydrogen peroxide on the stain. If there is foam production, it means that the blemish is actually blood and so it is important to consult your pediatrician to identify the cause and start the appropriate treatment.
Thus, the blood in the baby's diaper can have several causes like:
1. Reddish foods
Baby poop may turn red from eating red foods like beets, for example, and may give you the idea that your baby has blood in his or her diaper.
- What to do: avoid giving these foods to the baby and if the problem persists for more than 24 hours, you should consult your pediatrician to identify the problem and start treatment.
2. Rash
The rash is the presence of irritated red skin on the buttock that can bleed after cleansing the skin, causing the appearance of bright red blood in the diaper.
- What to do: if possible, leave the baby a few hours of the day without a diaper and apply an ointment to rash like Dermodex or Bepantol, for example, in each diaper change. See the care you need in: Taking care of baby's rash.
3. Allergy to cow's milk
The presence of blood in the baby's stool may also indicate that the baby is allergic to cow's milk protein, for example. Even babies who only breastfeed, cow's milk protein can be passed on to the baby through breast milk when the mother ingests cow's milk and its milk products.
- What to do: Remove baby's milk and its by-products or the mother's food from the baby's feed if the baby still mums. An alternative is to use goat's milk. Learn more at: Can I Give Goat's Milk to the Baby?
4. Anal fissure
The existence of blood in the diaper of a baby who often has constipation may be a sign of fissure in the anal region because the baby's stool can become very hard and, when they leave, cause a small cut in the anus.
- What to do: Give more water to the baby and make the potatoes with more water to be less consistent, making it easier to eliminate feces. See also: Home remedy for constipation in the baby.
5. Side effect of Rotavirus vaccine
One of the major side effects of the Rotavirus vaccine is the presence of blood in the baby's feces up to 40 days after taking the vaccine.
- What to do: If your baby is losing too much blood through the stool, it is advisable to go to the emergency room immediately.
6. Urine urate crystals
When the baby's urine becomes concentrated, the urate crystals are eliminated by the urine, giving it a reddish color that may look like blood.
- What to do: Increase the amount of water that is given to the baby to decrease urine concentration and urate crystals.
7. Intestinal infection
Severe intestinal infection can injure the intestine internally and cause bleeding that goes out in the stool, usually accompanied by abdominal pain and diarrhea, and also vomiting and fever.
- What to do: Take the baby immediately to the emergency room to identify the cause of the problem and initiate appropriate treatment.
When to go to the doctor
Although in most cases diaper blood is not an emergency, it is recommended to go to the emergency room when:
- The baby is bleeding too;
- Other symptoms appear like fever above 38 °, diarrhea or excessive desire to sleep;
In these cases the baby should be evaluated by a pediatrician to perform tests of urine, feces or blood and identify the cause, initiating appropriate treatment if necessary.
See also other changes that may arise in the baby's diaper:
- What can cause changes in baby's stool
- Because baby's stools can go dark
- What Can Be The Green Baby Poop
