Newborn Poop Color Chart (2026) — A Pediatrician’s Visual Guide

Newborn poop changes dramatically in the first few weeks. Black, tarry meconium in the first 24–48 hours, then transitional greenish-brown, then yellow-seedy for breastfed babies or tan-paste for formula-fed. Green, brown, tan, yellow, and mustard are all normal. White, red, or black stool after day 5 is not — call your pediatrician the same day.

Quick answer (the 5-second version)

• Normal colors: yellow, mustard, brown, tan, and any shade of green.
• Watch colors: dark green or bright orange in a bottle-fed baby — usually fine, mention at next visit.
• Call your pediatrician the same day: white/clay, black (after day 5), red streaks, or currant-jelly appearance.
• Frequency: at least 3–4 stools per day in the first month for breastfed babies; less frequent stools are common for formula-fed.
• Consistency: soft, seedy, or pasty — never hard, dry, or pellet-like in a newborn.

Table of contents

• The newborn poop color chart
• Week-by-week: what to expect
• Yellow poop — the classic breastfed color
• Green poop — usually normal, sometimes not
• Brown and tan poop
• Black poop — meconium vs blood
• Red poop and blood in stool
• White, gray, or clay-colored poop — always a red flag
• Orange and other unusual colors
• Texture guide
• Frequency guide
• How feeding affects poop
• Red flags — when to call your pediatrician
• Frequently asked questions
• About the author

The newborn poop color chart

Week-by-week: what to expect

Days 1–2 (meconium). Sticky, black or dark green, tar-like. This is the amniotic material and cells the baby swallowed in utero. Should pass within the first 24 hours; delayed passage beyond 48 hours warrants pediatric evaluation.

Days 2–5 (transitional). Greenish-brown, looser, less sticky. Marks the changeover from meconium to milk-based stool.

Days 5–14 (established breastmilk stool). Bright yellow, mustard, or golden. Watery to seedy. Sweet, non-offensive smell. Typically 3–5 stools per day, often with every feed.

Days 5–14 (established formula stool). Tan to brown. Pasty to soft. Slightly stronger smell than breastmilk stool. Typically 1–3 stools per day.

Weeks 2–6. Frequency may drop, particularly in exclusively breastfed babies. Some breastfed infants stool only every 3–7 days by 4–6 weeks — this is normal if the stool remains soft when it does come.

6+ months (solids). Color and texture become more variable. Brown, orange, green all normal. New colors after new foods (beets, spinach, blueberries) are expected.

Yellow poop — the classic breastfed color

Yellow, mustard, or golden stool is the hallmark of exclusive breastfeeding. It is caused by bile pigments processed with fresh milk. Seedy texture is undigested milk fat globules — completely normal and often mistaken for a problem.

Yellow stool means:

• Feeding is going well
• Digestion is working
• The baby is likely getting enough milk (combined with 6+ wet diapers per day)

Slight color variation from day to day — pale yellow one day, mustard the next — is normal and reflects small feeding variations.

Green poop — usually normal, sometimes not

Green stool has many benign causes:

• Foremilk-hindmilk imbalance. Baby is nursing quickly across many short feeds and getting more sugary foremilk than fatty hindmilk. Encourage longer feeds on one side.
• Iron in formula. Iron-fortified formula routinely produces green stool. Not a problem — do not switch formulas for this reason alone.
• Iron drops. Same mechanism.
• Fast intestinal transit. Any stomach virus or minor gut irritation moves stool faster than bile can be reabsorbed, leaving it green.
• Introduction of green foods. Peas, spinach, kale — expected color change once solids start.

When green stool matters: if it is frequent, foul-smelling, and accompanied by fussing, blood, or slow weight gain, get an evaluation for possible cow’s-milk protein intolerance or a feeding issue.

Brown and tan poop

Tan, pale brown, and mid-brown stool is the norm for formula-fed babies. Consistency is typically pasty and slightly firmer than breastmilk stool. Smell is stronger — reflects the different protein profile of formula.

For older babies eating solids, all shades of brown are expected.

Concerning brown patterns:

• Very pale, chalky, or clay-colored — see white poop section below.
• Hard, pellet-like — constipation. In newborns and infants, this is unusual and warrants pediatric input.

Black poop — meconium vs blood

Black stool in the first 24–48 hours is meconium and is normal — even expected. Delayed meconium passage beyond 48 hours may signal a bowel obstruction and requires evaluation before discharge.

Black stool after day 5 is not meconium and is not normal. Possible causes:

• Swallowed blood from a cracked nipple (breastfeeding parent) — usually harmless but should be confirmed
• Iron supplement in a formula-fed baby (common, benign)
• Upper GI bleeding — rare but serious

Iron-related black stool has a normal shape; bleeding-related black stool is often tarry and foul-smelling (“melena”). When in doubt, call the same day.

Red poop and blood in stool

Any visible blood in a newborn stool warrants same-day pediatric evaluation. Common causes:

• Anal fissure. Small tears from hard stool. Streaks of bright red blood on the outside of the poop.
• Cow’s-milk protein intolerance. Streaks of blood mixed with mucus in a breastfed or formula-fed baby, often with fussiness. Elimination diet or formula switch resolves it.
• Swallowed maternal blood from cracked nipples in a breastfed baby.
• Infection. Bacterial gastroenteritis can cause bloody diarrhea.
• Intussusception. “Currant jelly” stool (dark red, jelly-like), sudden severe intermittent crying, vomiting, or a palpable abdominal mass. This is a surgical emergency — go to the ER immediately.

White, gray, or clay-colored poop — always a red flag

Pale, chalky, gray, or clay-colored stool is never normal in a newborn. It suggests bile is not reaching the intestine, which points to a blockage of the bile ducts.

The most serious cause is biliary atresia — a congenital condition where the bile ducts fail to form correctly. Early surgical intervention within the first 30–45 days of life dramatically improves outcomes. The AAP recommends parents check every newborn stool against a bile-atresia color chart in the first month.

If your baby ever passes a pale, white, or gray stool, take a photo and call your pediatrician the same day.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, Biliary Atresia Stool Color Card.

Orange and other unusual colors

• Orange: common with certain formulas and after eating carrots or sweet potatoes. Normal.
• Bright green: iron, spinach, food dyes — normal.
• Blue or purple: blueberries or food coloring — normal.
• Red without blood: beets, tomato, red gelatin — normal but worth confirming it is not blood by rubbing a bit on a white napkin.

Texture guide

Frequency guide

First 6 weeks (breastfed): 3–5 stools per day is typical. Some babies stool with every feed.

First 6 weeks (formula-fed): 1–3 stools per day.

6 weeks – 4 months (breastfed): stools can space out to every 3–7 days. Normal as long as stool remains soft when it comes and the baby is comfortable and gaining weight.

Any age: stool once every 24 hours or less frequent, if consistently hard, warrants evaluation for constipation.

How feeding affects poop

• Exclusively breastfed: yellow, seedy, sweet-smelling, frequent.
• Exclusively formula-fed: tan, pasty, stronger smell, less frequent.
• Mixed feeding: anywhere between the two profiles.
• After starting solids (6 months): darker, more formed, more variable colors.
• Antibiotics: can cause diarrhea or green stool for 1–2 weeks.
• Iron drops: darken stool, sometimes to nearly black.

Red flags — when to call your pediatrician

Call the same day for:

• White, gray, or clay-colored stool at any age
• Black stool after day 5
• Any visible blood, streaks or clots
• More than 6 watery stools per day, especially with fever
• Fewer than 3 stools per week in a breastfed baby under 6 weeks combined with hard stool or slow weight gain
• No stool for 48 hours in a newborn under 4 weeks
• Currant-jelly stool + fussy episodes + vomiting → ER immediately (possible intussusception)
• Delayed first meconium passage beyond 48 hours after birth
• Persistent mucous, foul-smelling, or greasy floating stools

Seek emergency care for:

• Currant-jelly stool
• Vomiting bile (green) or blood
• Sudden pallor, lethargy, or an inconsolable episode with blood in stool

Source: Cleveland Clinic — Baby Poop Guide.

Frequently asked questions

What color should newborn poop be?
Days 1–2: black-tarry meconium. Days 2–5: greenish-brown transitional. From day 5: yellow-seedy (breastfed) or tan-pasty (formula). Green, brown, tan, and mustard are all normal.

Is green poop normal in newborns?
Usually yes. Common causes: iron in formula, foremilk-hindmilk imbalance, or fast intestinal transit. Frequent green stool with fussing, blood, or slow weight gain deserves evaluation.

What does mustard-yellow poop mean?
It is the classic color of a breastfed baby’s stool once meconium and transitional phases finish — typically from day 5 onward.

When is baby poop a medical emergency?
White or clay-colored stool, currant-jelly stool, black tarry stool after day 5, or visible blood. All warrant same-day pediatric contact; currant-jelly stool with pain requires the ER.

How often should a newborn poop?
3–5 stools per day in the first 6 weeks for breastfed babies, 1–3 for formula-fed. After 6 weeks, breastfed babies may go 3–7 days between soft stools — still normal.

Why is my baby’s poop black?
In the first 48 hours, it is meconium and normal. After day 5, black stool can be from iron supplements (benign) or upper GI bleeding (serious). Call your pediatrician.

What does red or bloody poop mean?
Possible anal fissure, cow’s-milk protein intolerance, swallowed maternal blood, or infection. Currant-jelly appearance can indicate intussusception — an ER emergency.

Is white or pale poop dangerous?
Yes. Pale, chalky, or clay-colored stool suggests the bile ducts may be blocked (biliary atresia). Call your pediatrician the same day.

About the author

Dr. Zeeshan Salam, MD is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist. Learn more on the About page.

Medically reviewed: July 18, 2026
Last updated: July 18, 2026

Sources and further reading

• AAP HealthyChildren.org — Biliary Atresia
• Cleveland Clinic — What Baby Poop Can Tell You
• NIH — Intussusception in Children

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