When it comes to baby poop, most new parents don't know what to expect. You may have a lot of questions. How often should your baby poop, and what should it look like? Does breastfed baby poop smell? Is green baby poop normal? Baby poop has so many shades and consistencies that even experienced parents may not have seen them all.
This complete guide describes the various types of baby poop and explains what's normal and what's not. Also, you'll learn what to expect whether your newborn drinks breast milk or formula, and what changes you'll see when your baby eventually starts eating solids.
What does newborn poop look like?
Your baby will most likely produce their first poop within 24 hours after birth. For your baby's first few poops, expect to see a greenish-black, tarry, sticky substance (called meconium) that looks like very thick motor oil. Meconium is hard to clean off, so you may want to smear your baby's bottom with some petroleum jelly – which acts as a barrier – beforehand, if you can.
Meconium is made of amniotic fluid, mucus, and skin cells. What it doesn't contain is the bacteria that will colonize your baby's intestines – and give their poop an odor. (That bacterial colonization will start with your baby's first meal.)
When your baby is 2 to 4 days old, their poop will become lighter in color – transitioning from dark green to yellow/green to tan or mustardy yellow – and less sticky. This transitional stool is a sign that your baby has started digesting early breast milk or formula and that their intestinal tract is working as it should.
If your baby doesn't have a bowel movement in the first 24 hours, their doctor will make sure there's no problem, such as an intestinal blockage.
Yes, your baby's poop will look different depending on whether they're breastfed or formula-fed.
There are many shades of normal when it comes to breastfed poop, including mustard yellow, green, or brown. Breastfed baby poop has a mushy or creamy consistency – maybe runny enough to resemble mild diarrhea, but typically like Dijon mustard and cottage cheese mixed together. It may also be dotted with little seed-like flecks. Most parents find that it has a slightly sweet, not unpleasant odor.
Formula-fed babies have pasty, peanut butter-like poop on the brown color spectrum: yellow-brown, tan-brown, or green-brown. It smells a little more pungent than poop from breastfed babies and a little less pungent than poop from babies who are eating solid food. You'll definitely notice it and realize it's time for a diaper change.
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How often should my baby poop?
Normal pooping patterns vary widely among babies, from after every meal to only once or twice a week. Here's what's pretty typical:
- Younger babies tend to poop more than older ones. Newborns usually have one or more bowel movements daily, and some newborns produce five or more dirty diapers a day in their first few weeks of life.
- Newborns and young infants tend to have several small poops in a row (so give them time to finish before changing them!).
- Breastfed newborns often poop after every feeding (roughly six to 10 times a day), but after three to six weeks, they typically slow down and start having bowel movements less frequently. Some breastfed babies may have just one bowel movement a week. That's because breast milk passes through your baby's digestive system without leaving much solid waste.
- Once they're a month or two old, formula-fed babies can also range from several bowel movements a day to several days between bowel movements. Their stools are usually bigger – and smellier – than breastfed babies' stools.
The texture of your baby's poop is more important than frequency. There's no need to worry if your baby's pooping pattern stays fairly consistent, their stools are reasonably soft, and they're acting like their usual self.
Why is there mucus in baby poop?
You may notice mucus in your baby's poop that's stringy; slimy; and yellow, green, or brown in color. The intestines produce mucus during digestion – to help the stool move through the intestine. Some of this may show up in your baby's diaper, and this is perfectly normal, especially for breastfed babies.
There might also be an underlying cause for mucus in your baby's poop, such as:
- Teething. If your baby is teething, the mucus may be the result of swallowing a lot of saliva.
- Infection. If your baby has a viral or bacterial infection, inflammation in the intestines can cause mucus in their poop, which may also be green. They may also have some blood in their poop if they have a bacterial infection.
- Milk allergy. If your baby is allergic to something in their milk or formula, their intestines may become inflamed, leading to increased mucus production.
- Cystic fibrosis. Your baby's intestines and other organs will produce more mucus if they have cystic fibrosis. The mucus may look greasy and have a bad odor.
- Intussusception. This is a blockage of stool in the intestine that prevents anything other than mucus to pass beyond the blockage. Any stool that's passed may contain mucus. It may also contain blood. Your baby would have other symptoms, such as vomiting, lethargy, and abdominal pain. Intussusception is a medical emergency.
Mention mucus to your baby's healthcare provider right away if your baby has any other symptoms – such as tummy trouble, feeding difficulty, vomiting, bloody stool, or fever. If your baby is teething and seems otherwise fine, there's probably no need for concern.
If you notice that your breastfeeding baby's poop is frothy (it may also look green), it may mean that they're not getting enough full-fat breast milk. Because the fatty hindmilk is at the end of a feeding, this can happen if you switch breasts often, without having your baby empty one or both breasts. They may also be fussy and gassy. Try having them empty one breast before switching to the other.
Baby poop colors
Baby poop comes in a wide range of colors – and textures. While the variation is usually perfectly normal, it can sometimes mean that something's amiss. And occasionally it can signal a problem. Here are some common baby poop colors and what they might indicate.
Yellow baby poop
Transitional stool – as your baby goes from that first meconium poop to regular poop – is often brown/yellow/green as your baby's body starts digesting breast milk or formula. Breastfed babies typically continue to have yellowish poop that's mustardy or even bright yellow. Yellow poop is often loose and smells just fine.
Brown baby poop
Babies who drink formula will have poop with more brown in it than breastfed babies. It may be yellowish-tan/brown, or greenish-tan/brown, or even just brown. If your baby breastfeeds and formula feeds, their poop may be anywhere from dark yellow to brown.
When your baby starts eating solid foods, their poop will become firmer, browner, and smellier, thanks to the healthy bacteria breaking down the food in their intestines. Their poop may also contain colors (red, blue, orange, green, yellow) reflecting what they ate, as well as pieces of undigested food.
Black baby poop
Your baby's first poop will be black and tarry, and that's perfectly normal. But black poop after this initial cleaning out may signal a medical problem.
Because blood usually turns from red to black over time in the intestinal tract, black poop may indicate intestinal bleeding. If your baby's poop had transitioned to yellow/green/brown but then appears black, contact their doctor right away.
It doesn't usually happen, but iron supplements can turn your baby's poop very dark green, which may look black at first glance.
White or light gray baby poop
A baby rarely has white poop, and you'll want to contact your baby's healthcare provider right away if you see white or chalky gray poop (called acholic poop) in your baby's diaper. It may look similar to whitish modeling clay.
In some cases, white or light gray poop can be caused by medicines a breastfeeding mom takes, but it may also mean that your baby has an intestinal infection or serious liver or gallbladder problem, such as biliary atresia, a blockage in the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. (Bile is the green fluid stored in the gallbladder. It helps digest food and makes stool yellow-brown.)
Red baby poop
Once a baby is eating solids, the most common cause of red poop is something red colored that they ate or drank, such as tomatoes. Some medicines that contain red dye, like amoxicillin, can also turn stools red.
But occasionally red poop can mean that there's blood in your baby's stool. Blood might be from:
- Delivery. A newborn baby might have a little blood in their poop (or spit up) if they swallowed some blood during delivery.
- Cracked nipples. If your breastfeeding baby nurses while your nipple is bleeding, they may swallow some of that blood and pass it in their stool. It may appear as little flecks.
- A milk allergy. If your baby is allergic to cow's milk, their poop may be blood tinged from milk protein in breast milk (if you eat dairy) or formula. It may also contain mucus. Your baby may have other symptoms, too, such as abdominal cramps, constipation or diarrhea, and hives.
- An intestinal infection. The hue of the blood can give your baby's doctor a clue about what's going on. For example, bright red blood may mean that there's a problem near the end of the gastrointestinal tract, while black stools probably mean a problem earlier on. If your baby has red blood in their diarrhea, they may have a bacterial infection.
- Constipation. If your baby has anal fissures (little tears in the anus) from being constipated, it can cause little flecks of red in your baby's stool.
Orange baby poop
Orange poop is normal in babies. Orange foods – those with beta carotene, such as carrots, oranges, and sweet potatoes – can color baby poop.
Green baby poop
Green poops are usually normal in an otherwise healthy baby. In fact, greenish/tan poop is common for formula-fed babies. Sometimes, though, there's an underlying cause, such as:
- Medication. If you're breastfeeding and taking certain medications or iron supplements, or if your baby is on medication or taking iron supplements, it may turn their poop dark green.
- Illness. A stomach virus or cold can turn your baby's poop bright green.
- A milk allergy or intolerance. Your baby may have an allergy or intolerance to the milk proteins in their formula, for example, or to the dairy you're consuming if you're breastfeeding.
- Not enough full-fat breast milk when nursing. In this case, the poop may be bright green and frothy or foamy, similar to algae.
- Diarrhea. Because stool travels more quickly through your baby's intestines when they have diarrhea (and the bile hasn't had time to break it down), it may be green rather than brownish.
Check out our photo guide to baby poop to see pictures of some types of baby poop described above. (Yes, the photos are real!)
How does baby poop change once we start solids?
Once you start giving your baby solid foods at around 4 to 6 months, you'll almost instantly notice a change in their poop, especially if they were exclusively breastfed.
Poop from babies who eat solid food tends to be brown or dark brown and thicker than peanut butter, but still mushy. It's also smellier.
Occasionally your baby's poop may be tinged a surprising hue, like red, orange, or even dark blue if you give your baby blueberries. Red could be from eating beets, while orange may be the result of eating carrots.
Once your baby starts eating certain solids, you may even notice identifiable chunks of food in their poop. Not to worry! You're probably seeing this because certain foods are only partially digestible or travel so quickly through the intestines that they don't have time to completely break down. It also happens when your baby eats a lot of one type of food.
What changes in baby poop could signal a problem?
What you find in your baby's diaper can give you important clues about what's going on with their health. Some common changes to watch for:
Watery, runny poop may mean that your baby has diarrhea. Baby poop tends to be soft and even a little runny before a baby starts eating solids, so it can be hard to tell when a baby has mild diarrhea. Look for more frequent bowel movements and watery poop. The poop may be very runny and seep or "explode" out of the diaper. It may be yellow, green, or brown.
Your baby may have diarrhea due to an infection, a food intolerance or allergy, or a medication they're taking. Too much fruit juice can also cause diarrhea, but fruit juice isn't usually recommended for babies anyway.
Untreated diarrhea can lead to dehydration. And the frequent, runny pooping it causes can irritate your baby's tender skin and lead to diaper rash.
Hard, pebbly poop means your baby is probably constipated. The poop may be dark brown or even black. Your baby may be visibly uncomfortable when they're pooping, and the poop may be tinged with blood from irritating the anus on the way out.
Constipation often happens when babies are first starting solid foods, as your baby's system gets used to digesting solids. It can also be a sign of a food allergy or intolerance. Your doctor may recommend giving your baby water or fruit juice as well as extra fruits (especially stone fruits and fruits containing sorbitol) if they're eating solids, to help move things along. If constipation persists, they may recommend changing your baby's diet or switching formulas.
If your baby's constipation is severe and doesn't respond to changes in diet and medications, their doctor may look into serious but unusual causes, such as thyroid problems, metabolic disorders (such as cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, or hypercalcemia) or anatomical disorders (such as an imperforate anus or a displaced anus), and Hirschsprung's disease.
Very dry, hard stools may mean that your baby is dehydrated. Whether you breastfeed or use formula, dry, hard poop may be a sign that your baby isn't getting enough fluid or is losing too much fluid due to illness, fever, or heat.
You can correct a mild case of dehydration by making sure your baby gets enough fluids, but severe dehydration can be life threatening. If your baby shows signs of serious dehydration, such as sunken eyes, cold and splotchy hands and feet, excessive sleepiness or fussiness, sunken fontanels (soft spots on their head), wrinkled skin, or they have less than one or two wet diapers in a day, take them to the emergency room immediately. For milder dehydration, call your baby's doctor.
Mucusy, stringy poop. Poop streaked with shiny, glistening strings means there's mucus in it. Again, this sometimes happens when a baby is especially drooly, because mucus in saliva often goes undigested. But mucus in poop can also be a telltale sign of an infection, allergy, or another condition (see above).
Bloody poop. Blood in poop can be bright red to black, and it can show up for a number of reasons, from swallowing blood from delivery or your cracked and bleeding nipples to a milk allergy, constipation, or intestinal infection (see red poop and black poop, above).
When should I call the doctor about my baby's poop?
As a general rule, call the doctor any time your baby starts to poop more or less often than is typical for them, or whenever you see anything unusual in your baby's diaper. For example, call their doctor if:
- Your baby seems uncomfortable or unhappy when pooping.
- Your baby is 3 months old or younger and has more than two diarrhea-filled diapers, or continues having diarrhea for longer than a day or two.
- You see blood in your baby's diarrhea.
- You see mucus in your baby's diaper for longer than a day or so, or your baby has any other symptoms along with mucus in their poop.
- Your baby's poop looks blackish and they're not taking an iron supplement.
- You see flecks of digested blood that look like poppy or sesame seeds in your baby's poop, especially if you're having breastfeeding difficulties.
- Your baby has hard pebbly stools in their diaper three or more times.
- Your baby eats solids and consistently has undigested food in their poop. (Their doctor may want to check to make sure your baby's intestines are absorbing food and nutrients properly.)
Some rare types of baby poop could suggest a more serious problem. These happen infrequently, but get medical attention right away if your baby has:
- Thick black poop (made up mostly of digested blood) that's dark and tarry like meconium but a bit firmer and less sticky. This can be a sign of intestinal bleeding.
- Poop consisting almost entirely of red blood, known as "currant jelly" poop, which indicates a severe intestinal problem.
- White or pale, chalky, clay-colored poop, which may signal liver or gallbladder problems.
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