The Ultimate Baby Poop Guide

Hit me mustard, one more time...

I can still picture the scene. My husband, doting dad, in the middle of changing our newborn baby boy. My son, cooing, well-fed, comfortable, and seemingly (!) finished voiding his bowels. Suddenly, the baby farts, simultaneously shooting a liquid yellow $&*% rocket all the way across the changing table and onto the dresser. Like, he got air with that.

My husband threw up in his mouth a little and then looked at me with wide eyes, as if to plead, “Don’t you dare say this is normal.”

Spoiler alert… it was.

(Also, incidentally, wall-to-wall carpet is an unfortunate nursery design choice.)

Anyway! Baby poop is the wild west of BMs – its own unique thing, with a huge range that can still be considered ‘normal.’ This can make it hard for new parents to tell what’s ok and what isn’t. It also makes it hard for me to give overly generalized poop advice. But since newborn poop anxieties are some of the most common questions I field, I’m about to try!

How often should my baby poop?

The bottom line: (almost) anything goes. No pun intended.

Even the best attempts at defining typical newborn stool frequency produce really wide ranges of ‘normal’. (See here, here, or more recently, here).

What a baby eats – breastmilk, a mix of breastmilk and formula, or even the type of formula – can all affect poop frequency and appearance.

Plus, your baby’s poop frequency will change over time. For example, a breastfed 2-week-old’s stool pattern can evolve dramatically by the time that same baby is 2 months old. And of course, it’ll likely change once again once solids are introduced!

In breastfed babies, I often see newborns pooping a lot once mom’s milk comes in, with this pattern continuing through the first ~month or so of life. Like, you’re in the middle of changing a poop and they start pooping again. Every time they eat, they poop. Overnight – more poop. Some poops are big, and some are little squirts. Though not the case for every baby, a brand-new breastfed newborn can easily poop several times per day, sometimes more.

Frequent stools can be normal for some formula-fed babies too (especially those drinking hydrolyzed or hypoallergenic formulas). But overall, formula-fed babies do tend to poop less frequently and have slightly firmer stool than their exclusively breastfed buddies.

Of course, though, it can’t possibly be as simple as ‘breastmilk = more poop, formula = less poop’… because every baby is different! We also know that in some breastfed babies, poop frequency will slow dramatically by a couple months of age. Since breastmilk is so digestible, these former poop factories may suddenly start pooping just once every few days (and sometimes even less)! As long as they’re still feeding well, growing well, peeing normally, and their poop is soft, these babies are usually still perfectly healthy.

If your baby’s ‘normal’ suddenly changes, you’re not sure whether their stool frequency is ok, or you’re seeing changes in stool frequency along with other poop concerns - your pediatrician can help you sort it out. Don’t be afraid to keep a diary, bring a diaper, or send poop pics… I promise we’ve seen it all before!

And remember, your doctor will interpret your baby’s poop frequency in the context of other poop features, like texture and color… so be sure to read on for more!

TL; DR – If your baby is:

- acting well,

- growing well,

- feeding well,

- peeing normally,

- and their poop is soft …

=>It’s usually ok if they poop once every 6 days, or 6 times a day.  

There’s a wide range of ‘normal’ baby poop patterns, and they often change over time!

Is this poop color normal??

The bottom line: no Bulls-$%^#

Once your baby is a few days old and has pooped out their meconium (that slimy tar-black stuff), healthy newborn poop transitions to a range of yellows, browns and greens.

Before solid foods, exclusively breastfed babies tend to have golden, almost marigold-yellow poop that’s usually described as mustardy. There may also be brown or occasional green stool.

Babies who receive formula may have yellow, brown, and often green colored poop.

All of these colors can be healthy! A baby’s poop color can even shift slightly day to day, or even within the same diaper - think a multicolor soft-serve situation.

I used to live in Chicago, and when parents asked when to worry about poop color, I’d simplify by telling them, “No Bulls colors”.

In case I’m real old and/or the Air Jordan era was somehow not formative for you – this means that red, white, or black baby poop is not normal. If you see this, please take a photo or save the diaper (I know, gross) and call your doctor’s office. 

Why do we worry about certain baby poop colors?

Red or black stool could indicate blood. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but it’s always best to call your doctor for advice if you see these colors.

‘White’ stool is really more of a light cream-to-grayish color. Doctors call this ‘acholic’ stool, and we talk about it so much because it can be a sign of a rare but serious liver problem called biliary atresia.

Plenty of research has been done on identifying acholic stool. A 2018 BMJ study (that’s British Medical Journal, not… the other thing) has a helpful stool color card that shows normal vs. abnormal poop colors. Here’s another poop color card from a similar Taiwanese study.  If your baby’s poop is persistently whitish, gray, or one of the colors marked ‘abnormal’ here, take a pic, save a diaper, and give your pediatrician a call now.

Finally – if your baby’s poop isn’t black, white or red, but there IS a sudden and persistent color change (for example, it always used to be mustard yellow and now every diaper is lime green), feel free to reach out to your doc!

TL; DR – call your doc for red, black, or white poop.

… and feel free to reach out if any poop color change is persistent and bothersome.

My baby’s poop is liquidy – is it diarrhea?

The bottom line: soup to paste

Normal baby poop is much softer than healthy normal adult stools. It’ll usually range from soupy liquid, to mush, to soft paste.

Healthy breastfed baby poop is often described as having the color and consistency of mustard. And babies fed formula may have ‘pea soup’ poop. (Why’s it always gotta be a food metaphor??)

Babies do sometimes get diarrhea – which is abrupt onset of unusually frequent, extra watery poop for at least 3 stools in a row. You’ll need to call your doctor in this case - especially if your baby shows symptoms of a more serious diarrheal illness, such as fever, poor feeding, or dehydration (reduced wet diapers, sunken soft spot, or dry eyes).

But what about these weird seeds/curds/granules in my baby’s poo?

Sometimes you may see ‘seedy’ stool – this is when little cottage-cheesy or seed-like granules are present in the poop. The little solid bits are just pieces of undigested milkfat. These are not worrisome at all.

My baby strains a lot - is this constipation?

Probably not!

Healthy newborns may strain, turn red, or cry when trying to poop. It can take a few months for babies to learn the muscle coordination required to pass stool, and until then their straining and crying can actually help push poop out! As long as their stool is soft and non-bloody, this is most likely not constipation. It’ll go away as your baby gets older.

On the other hand, if your baby is straining to pass poop that is persistently quite firm or pellet-like, call your pediatrician for advice. Constipation in newborns is rare, but it does happen!

If your baby is distressed and feeding poorly, pooping very infrequently, having explosive stools after lots of straining, or needs you to help get their poop out (using fingers etc. - which I do not recommend), let your doctor know so they can check things out!

Will giving tea, juice, or water help my baby poop?

Do not do this without discussing first with your doctor!

We generally avoid giving any liquids other than breastmilk (or properly mixed formula) to babies under 6 months old. We limit these fluids until the first birthday.

During infancy, the kidneys are still immature, and giving water, juice or tea can shift a baby’s electrolytes enough to cause seizures. I’ve absolutely seen this happen to well-meaning parents, and it’s awful.

If your doc or nurse does recommend giving a little juice or water to your young infant for constipation, they’ll prescribe a small and precise amount for your baby’s safety. Don’t exceed it.

This is also why, when your baby has an acute illness and can’t accept their usual milk, doctors will sometimes recommend a short course of an electrolyte-containing product like Infalyte or Pedialyte rather than water, broth or juice.

TL; DR – baby poop ranges from soupy to pasty in consistency, and is sometimes ‘seedy’.

Call your doctor if your baby abruptly starts pooping many more watery stools than normal, or if your baby is consistently passing hard pellet stools.

… and don’t give plain water to babies younger than 6 mos!

Wanna read more?

Baby Poop Guide | Children's Hospital Colorado (childrenscolorado.org)

What to Know About Newborn Poop and Pee | Lurie Children's (luriechildrens.org)

Newborn Poop: What’s Normal (healthline.com)

Pooping By the Numbers - HealthyChildren.org

The Many Colors of Baby Poop - HealthyChildren.org and symptomviewer - HealthyChildren.org