Baby Poop Colors Explained: What's Normal and When to Call Your Pediatrician

Few things surprise new parents quite like the rainbow of colors that can show up in a diaper. The good news is that most of what you see is completely normal.

Black (Meconium): The Very First Poops

Your newborn's first stools will be black, thick, and sticky, clearing within the first three to four days of life. Black stools after the first week are unusual and should be reported.

Yellow and Seedy: The Breastfed Baby Standard

If you are breastfeeding, expect mustard yellow, soft, and sometimes seedy stools — the classic healthy breastfed baby poop.

Tan, Light Brown, or Greenish: The Formula Fed Norm

Formula fed babies typically produce stools that are tan, light brown, or greenish with a slightly firmer consistency. By three months about half of formula fed babies have predominantly green stools, and this is entirely normal.

Green: Almost Always Normal

Nearly half of healthy infants had green stool as the dominant color for at least one week during the first four months. Green poop in a happy, feeding, growing baby is not a reason to worry.

Red Streaks: Worth a Look

A small amount of blood is reported in about 9% of healthy infants in the first four months, often from a small anal fissure. Significant or persistent blood should always be evaluated.

White, Pale, Gray, or Clay Colored: Call Your Pediatrician Right Away

This is the one color that should always prompt an urgent call — it can indicate biliary atresia, a serious liver condition. About 77% of infants with this condition have pale stools by 30 days of life.