Baby poop color chart
Tap the colour closest to what's in the diaper. Most colours are normal; only three are worth a call.
What colour is it?
Screen colours vary. Compare in daylight if you can, and bring a photo (or the diaper) to your pediatrician if unsure.
Baby poop colours at a glance
| Colour | Usually means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Black, sticky (first days) | Meconium: normal in the first 1–3 days of life. It should turn greenish then yellow by day 4–5. | Normal |
| Mustard yellow, seedy | Classic breastfed poop: loose, seedy or curdy. Completely normal. | Normal |
| Tan or yellow-brown, paste-like | Typical formula-fed poop: thicker, like peanut butter. Normal. | Normal |
| Green | Usually normal. Can come from iron-fortified formula, green foods, a stomach bug or poop moving through quickly. Frothy bright green in breastfed babies can mean lots of lower-fat foremilk; feeding longer on one side often helps. | Normal |
| Brown | Normal, especially once solids start. Colour and smell change with diet. | Normal |
| Orange | Usually from food pigments (carrots, sweet potato) or normal breastfed variation. Normal. | Normal |
| Black after the newborn days | Can come from iron supplements or blueberries. If not explained by those, black poop can mean bleeding higher in the gut: call your pediatrician today. | Call your pediatrician today |
| Red or red streaks | Red foods (beets, tomato) can do this. Streaks of blood are often from a small tear with hard poop, or a milk protein allergy. Call your pediatrician today; call now if there is a lot of blood or baby seems unwell. | Call your pediatrician today |
| White, pale grey or chalky | Pale or chalky poop can be a sign of a liver problem such as biliary atresia, where early treatment matters a lot. Call your pediatrician the same day, even if baby seems well. | Call your pediatrician today, same day |
When to call
- Lots of blood in poop, or black tarry poop with a pale, unwell baby
- Signs of dehydration: no wet diaper in 8 hours, dry mouth, no tears, sunken soft spot
- Green (bile-coloured) vomit
- White, grey or chalky poop (same day)
- Red streaks or black poop after day 5 not explained by iron or food
- Diarrhea for more than 24 hours in a baby under 6 months
- Hard, pebble-like poop in a baby under 4 months
- Yellow, green, tan, brown or orange poop in a baby who is feeding, peeing and growing well
- Straining and going red but poop comes out soft
General guidance based on AAP, NHS and CDC advice, not a diagnosis. If your gut says something is wrong, call your pediatrician or nurse line. You never need permission to seek care.
Texture matters too
Watery poop that soaks into the diaper, more often than usual, is diarrhea; watch closely for dehydration and keep feeding. Mucus can appear with teething drool or a cold, but lots of mucus with blood needs a call. Hard pellets mean constipation. Breastfed poop is naturally runny, so runny alone isn't diarrhea.
Introducing solids changes everything: expect thicker, browner, smellier poop and bits of undigested food. That's normal.