What Your Baby's Pooping Faces Can Tell You

One of the greatest truths of motherhood and parenthood, in general, is the realization that babies poop. Not only do they poop, but they also do it quite often and do “more” of it than an unsuspecting person would otherwise assume.

Being a parent is no easy task; helping your baby through his/her poop cycles through untimely diaper changes, sleepless nights/days, and the entire pile of inconveniences that comes with it is something that every parent has to go through!

The story doesn’t end here though, there is one aspect of your baby relieving himself/herself that can reveal quite a bit of detail about the state of their health, their temperament, and their feelings, and that is their “pooping face.”

In an interview with The Bump, Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley, Ms. Alison Gopnik has provided some insight into what meanings the various pooping faces of your baby might denote, which we’re going to use to understand this phenomenon a little better.

So, if you’re one of those parents who is trying to “crack the code” of your baby’s emotional poop-face cipher, look no further! Because we’re going to take you through it all today. Let’s begin!

In This Article

1. Nose Scrunching (With Accompanying Grunting)

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If your baby is scrunching his/her nose, then it’s just a regular old poop face with no specific meanings attached to it, according to Gopnik. However, if the baby is making a grunting sound along with the said scrunched-up nose, then there could be a cause for concern.

The grunting plus nose scrunching combination points towards there being a gas issue in your baby’s belly, which could be making him/her uncomfortable. See if you can get rid of the gas buildup by lightly rubbing the baby’s stomach, or by moving their legs/feet around a little, your baby will be feeling better in no time!

2. Pouty Lips Or Grumpy/Angry Eyebrows

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As per Gopnik, if your baby is making an expression that involves grumpy/angry eyebrows and pouty lips during/before pooping, it means that they’re having a tough time with their bowel movement. The baby, if he/she has this expression, is probably uncomfortable and would like to get out of their poopy predicament as soon as possible.

So before the baby goes into a meltdown, try and help. Move the baby’s feet in an elliptical, “cycling” motion, or you can have them walk around or do some other physical activity until their bowels are working properly again!

3. A Distant Gaze/Thousand Yard Stare

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Another look that I’m sure most of our mommy readers have witnessed on the faces of their babies on more than one occasion.

This expression can be best described as a stern, focused stare into the distance. It almost looks like the baby is racking his/her little brain for existential answers, or matters of a deep scientific nature. The suspense is usually broken by the well identifiable sound of poop in the diaper, and of course, the smell that follows.

Gopnik states that this pooping expression on the baby’s face indicates that the baby is actually trying to concentrate on something that they find intriguing. Babies are curious little beings and find the world around them incredibly fascinating! If they make this face while/before pooping, the poop might be “accidental,” a side effect of focusing too hard, perhaps!

4. Happy/Relieved Expressions

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Isn’t it such a welcome, happy sight to notice your baby gleefully smiling with their mouth wide open, all of a sudden? The priceless expression of a baby’s bliss – probably the most adorable thing in the world until the smell hits you!

This expression actually happens most frequently in the post-poop stage. Babies can feel uncomfortable if they haven’t relieved themselves for a while, and once they’ve finally “let it all out,” the gleeful expression on their faces just says it all!

So, those were some of the “poopy” expressions by babies and the reasons/interpretations of them! We hope that you’re able to understand a little bit more of your baby’s body language now and can help them accordingly when they need it. We wish you and your baby the best!

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