Baby Poop Color Chart - a Stool Type Guide by Similac® (2024)

If your baby seems fussy or sick, or if you simply aren’t sure if all is well, check her diaper for clues about what’s going on.

To begin, choose the stool below that looks most like your baby’s.

Greenish-black and sticky baby poop

AKA: Meconium

Looks like: Licorice or tar

A thick, dark substance that fills your infant’s intestines before birth and is eliminated as stool after birth.

What does it mean?

Meconium stools are the first stools your baby will have after birth, and it is perfectly normal. It appears greenish-black because it contains bilirubin, a yellowish-green breakdown of red blood cells. The colostrum in your breast milk acts as a laxative and helps your baby pass the meconium in about 3 days.

What should I do?

There is no need to worry. This stool is normal, healthy, and temporary. (If it lasts more than 3 days, check with your doctor. He might want to check to make sure your baby is getting the feedings she needs to move this through her system.)

The information in this section was derived from the following:
Abbott Nutrition. Parents Guide to Infant Stools. March 2009.
McGrail A, Metland D, Murray L, et al. The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Your Baby's First Year. July 2007.
Nathanson LW. The Portable Pediatrician. September 2002.

Yellow and seedy baby poop

AKA: Breastfed-baby poop

Looks like:Yellow, curdled milk

Your breastfed baby's stools will look like this until you supplement with formula or begin feeding your baby solids.

What does it mean?

This stool is normal. Breastfed babies' poop has a mild smell (and might come with loud sound effects).

What should I do?

Don’t worry. Your baby's poop is standard. Breast milk has the ideal nutrients to help your baby stay healthy and grow strong.

Tan and thick baby poop

AKA: Formula-fed-baby poop

Looks like:Hummus

This is the result of feeding your baby formula, either as her full diet or as a supplement to breast milk.

What does it mean?

Your baby's stools are normal. You should only be concerned if your baby's poop is watery or becomes hard (especially small hard balls of stool).

What should I do?

There is no need to worry. Your baby's stool is normal and healthy.

Greenish-brown baby poop

AKA: Introduction-to-solids baby poop

Looks like:Leftover guacamole

A mix of table foods, this poop is normal.

What does it mean?

Greenish-brown poop is typical and normal when your baby starts eating solids, but you might see this color in your baby's diaper before then. If your baby has other symptoms that concern you, contact your healthcare professional.

What should I do?

Do not worry. This stool is normal and healthy.

Frequent watery, brown, and loose baby poop that is not typical for your baby

AKA: Diarrhea

Looks like:Watery with chunks

Frequent, loud, and loose stools could be diarrhea.

What does it mean?

The occasional loose baby stool is no cause for alarm. But if it occurs regularly for 2 days or more, it could be diarrhea.Diarrhea in babies can cause dehydration,and also might be a sign of infection. Usually these infections are not dangerous, but the dehydration that can result is a concern.

What should I do?

Call your healthcare provider if the problem persists for more than 2 days. The younger the baby, and the more frequent the diarrhea, the greater the concern for dehydration.Do not give your baby anti-diarrhea medication unless advised by your healthcare professional.Your healthcare provider might advise giving your baby an oral electrolyte solution, such as Pedialyte^®, to help prevent dehydration.

Contact your healthcare professional right away if you see:

Blood or mucus in stools
Fever
Vomiting
Irritability
Refusal to eat
Decreased or dark-colored urine
Decreased activity

Dry, brown, and hard baby poop

AKA: Constipation

Looks like:Dirt, clay, or pebbles

Hard, pellet-like stools could mean your baby is constipated.

What does it mean?

Occasional constipation is normal, especially with formula-fed babies and when your baby transitions to solid foods. It could be a sign that your baby is not getting enough fluid or that he is losing too much fluid from the heat,an illness, or a fever. Occasional blood streaking on the surface of the stool can result when hard stools make tiny tears in the soft tissues around the anus.

What should I do?

In a very young baby, consult your healthcare professional, who might recommend giving your baby small amounts of extra water. Give older babies plenty of breast milk or formula to drink. If your baby is eating solids, offer foods that are higher in fiber, such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, and add puréed prunes to your baby's cereal. Check with your baby’s doctor about altering your baby's diet or using juices.

Contact your healthcare professional right away if you see:

Blood or mucus in stools
Fever
Vomiting
Refusal to eat
Decreased or dark-colored urine
Decreased activity

Pinkish-red baby poop

AKA: Artificially colored stools

Looks like:Partially digested food

What your baby eats comes out looking much the same as when it went in.

What does it mean?

Once your baby has started on solids, you will see bowel movements that can vary in color and texture after every meal. In addition to foods, some medications also can turn a baby’s poop unusual colors.

What should I do?

Watch what your baby eats to ensure there is a link between the color of the stool and what she is eating. Examples of foods known for turning baby poop shocking colors include carrots (orange) and spinach (green). If your baby’s stool is red for no apparent reason (no cherry Popsicle^®, Froot Loops^® cereal, or red gelatin), call your healthcare provider.

Contact your healthcare professional right away if you see:

Blood or mucus in stools
Fever
Vomiting
Irritability
Refusal to eat
Decreased or dark-colored urine
Decreased activity

Popsicle^® and Froot Loops^® are not registered trademarks of Abbott Laboratories.

Dark-green baby poop

AKA: Iron supplementation

Looks like:Thick, dark stool

If your baby's stool is dark green, it could be the product of iron supplementation in your baby's diet.

What does it mean?

In some babies, the iron sulfate in a supplement or iron-fortified baby formula can makedark-green stools, or sometimes even greenish-black. There is no need to be concerned with the color change, as it has no significance to your baby’s digestive system.

What should I do?

This stool is normal. Studies show that iron supplementation does not cause digestive problems or discomfort.

Contact your healthcare professional right away if you see:

Blood or mucus in stools
Fever
Vomiting
Irritability
Refusal to eat
Decreased or dark-colored urine
Decreased activity

Bright-green baby poop

AKA: Foremilk/hindmilk imbalance

Looks like:Green, frothy poop

Breastfedbabies who get more foremilk than hindmilk sometimes havebright-green baby poop.

What does it mean?

When your breastfed baby nurses for short periods of time on each breast, he might get more foremilk, which is sweeter and thinner, and less hindmilk, which is richer and fattier. Your baby might need to nurse longer on each side in order to ensure enough hindmilk is consumed during each feeding.
Sometimes a virus will turn your baby's stools bright green. If your baby is fussy and seems uncomfortable, contact your healthcare provider.

What should I do?

Try to let your baby empty the first breast before you switch to the other side.

Contact your healthcare professional right away if you see:

Blood or mucus in stools
Fever
Vomiting
Irritability
Refusal to eat
Decreased or dark-colored urine
Decreased activity

Red-streaked baby poop

AKA: Bloody stool

Looks like:A hard stool streaked with blood or mucus

Bright-redblood on a baby stool could indicate that your baby has small tears, or rectal fissures, around the anus.

What does it mean?

Often the stools of constipated babies are streaked with red from rectal fissures, small cracks in the anus caused by pushing. You also might see streaks of mucus on the baby poop.

What should I do?

If your baby’s doctor confirms the bleeding is from a fissure, there is little cause for concern. Usually, once the constipation has resolved, the bleeding stops. If there is a large amount of blood (more than a few drops) or if the bleeding does not resolve with the softening of the stools, check with your doctor.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, call your healthcare professional right away:

Blood or mucus in stools
Fever
Vomiting
Irritability
Refusal to eat
Decreased or dark-colored urine
Decreased activity

Black baby poop

AKA: Melena

Looks like:Black, thick, or tarry stool

Melena is a thick black stool that could contain blood that entered in the upper GI tract.

What does it mean?

A black baby stool might contain blood that entered the intestines in the upper portion of the digestive system.

What should I do?

If it’s not meconium (which passes during the first few days of life), call your healthcare professional immediately.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, call your healthcare professional right away:

Blood or mucus in stools
Fever
Vomiting
Irritability
Refusal to eat
Decreased or dark-colored urine
Decreased activity

Chalky and white baby poop

AKA: Abnormal Stool

Looks like:Pale, colorless, or white stool

A chalky white baby stool could be a sign of a lack of bile, which normally turns a stool brown.

What does it mean?

A white stool might be a sign of a liver or gallbladder problem. Bile is a digestive fluid made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Your baby's stool gets its normal color from the bile as it is excreted during digestion. If your baby's liver doesn't produce bile, or if the bile is obstructed, his stool will be white.

What should I do?

A white stool is very rare, but if your baby's poop is white, call your healthcare professional right away.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, call your healthcare professional right away:

Blood or mucus in stools
Fever
Vomiting
Irritability
Refusal to eat
Decreased or dark-colored urine
Decreased activity

FAQs

Baby Poop Color Chart - a Stool Type Guide by Similac®? ›

However, certain colors can be warning signs: red, black, white, or gray. In some cases, red-colored and very dark green almost black-colored poop could be from food sources. Mucus in baby poop is typically normal, but watch for other signs of illness.

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What does unhealthy baby poop look like? ›

Read On ›

What Colour should baby poop be guide? ›

Poop colors and causes

Black. In newborns younger than 1 week, black is a healthy color for stool. ...
Yellow. This is a normal color of poop from a baby who drinks breast milk. ...
Brown or orange. This is a normal color of poop from a formula-fed baby. ...
Green. Many babies occasionally have green poop. ...
Red. ...
White.

What is abnormal formula poop? ›

Green baby poop

With formula-fed infants, it's normal for baby poop to be a greenish-tan color. Sometimes the iron in baby formula can cause dark green baby poop and isn't a reason for concern. Green baby poop might also signal teething or that baby is getting over a stomach bug.

What does milk allergy poop look like? ›

Loose poop

Your baby may experience frequent watery, foul-smelling loose poops if they have a cow's milk protein allergy. You may also notice mucus in the stool, and your little one may be gassy and colicky. Babies with diarrhea may quickly become dehydrated, so calling your doctor is recommended.

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What color poop should I be concerned about my baby? ›

“If the stool is black, white, clay colored or you can see blood or mucus in the stools, you need to call your pediatrician and let them know.” In their first week of life, breastfed babies have three to four mustard-yellow, seedy, loose stools every 24 hours.

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What does baby poop look like with liver issues? ›

In liver disease, the stool may be especially pale, for example white, cream or a very pale yellow. This happens for 2 reasons. Firstly, there may be a blockage meaning that bile cannot get out of the liver and so the poo resembles just digested milk – a creamy colour.

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How do I know if my baby poop is bad? ›

This is very important if your baby's stool is:

Still black many days after birth.
Red or bloody.
White or whitish-grey.
Full of mucus.
Very watery and more frequent or a larger quantity than usual.
Passed less often than usual if your baby eats formula and strains while pooping.
Often hard, dry or difficult to pass.

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Does Similac cause green poop? ›

In some babies, the iron sulfate in a supplement or iron-fortified baby formula can make dark-green stools, or sometimes even greenish-black. There is no need to be concerned with the color change, as it has no significance to your baby's digestive system.

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What color is teething diarrhea? ›

Diarrhea. Hoffman says that sometimes “things are moving through the intestines faster than normal (like with diarrhea),” and that can result in a distinctly colored poop. Additionally, soft green poop could be the result of a virus or teething, so watch your little one for other symptoms.

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When should I be concerned about formula fed babies poop? ›

pooing fewer than 3 times in a week. finding it difficult to poo, and poos that are larger than usual. dry, hard, lumpy or pellet-like poos. unusually smelly wind and poo.

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What kind of poop should formula fed babies have? ›

Healthy formula fed baby poop is typically a shade of yellow or brown with a pasty consistency similar to peanut butter. Formula-fed babies also pass fewer, but bigger and smellier, stools than breastfed babies.

What is the change in formula baby poop? ›

The most common side effects of switching formula are fussiness after feedings and changing stool patterns, either looser or less frequent. It's not a sign of trouble if your baby's poop changes in frequency or color. Remember that formula makes up a big part, if not all, of your baby's diet when they're young.

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How to tell if baby is allergic to formula? ›

In children who show symptoms shortly after they have milk, an allergic reaction can cause:

wheezing.
trouble breathing.
coughing.
hoarseness.
throat tightness.
stomach upset.
vomiting.
diarrhea.

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What does milk allergy look like in babies? ›

Cow's milk allergy rash can look like tiny red bumps on your baby's face, scalp, hands, or feet. The bumps may itch, ooze, and crust over or feel like dry, scaly skin.

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What does food intolerance poop look like in babies? ›

And while a temporary change in color or texture usually isn't anything to worry about, irregular bowel movements can sometimes indicate a food intolerance, such as a cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA). This is especially true if your baby's stool is mucousy, blood-tinged, or looser than usual.

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What does dehydrated baby poop look like? ›

Also check what your baby's poop looks like. Very watery or explosive poops might mean your baby has diarrhea and is losing water. Dry, hard poops might mean your baby is a bit dehydrated. Both kinds of poops mean it's time to give your little one an extra feed or more.

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When should I worry about my baby pooping too much? ›

Breastfed babies often pass more than 6 stools per day. Until 2 months of age, they may pass a stool after each feeding. But, if stools suddenly increase in number and looseness, suspect diarrhea. If it lasts for 3 or more stools, the baby has diarrhea.

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How do I know if my baby is having trouble pooping? ›

Signs of constipation in infants and children may include: Being very fussy and spitting up more often (infants) Difficulty passing stools or seeming uncomfortable. Hard, dry stools.

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