Newborn Poop Color Guide

Where this information comes from

Every sentence the guide shows is quoted from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ parent website, HealthyChildren.org, from three pages: “The Many Colors of Baby Poop” (updated July 11, 2024), “Baby’s First Days: Bowel Movements & Urination” (updated November 14, 2024) and “How to Tell if Your Breastfed Baby is Getting Enough Milk” (updated January 13, 2025). We checked them on October 9, 2026. The guide does not add its own interpretation, and it never tells you that your baby’s diaper is normal or abnormal: only your pediatrician can judge that.

First days vs later

The AAP explains that a baby’s first bowel movements are meconium, “a thick black or dark green substance,” and that once it has passed, stools turn yellow-green. For breastfed newborns it describes blackish, tarry stools on days 1 and 2, greenish-to-yellow stools on days 3 and 4, and yellow, loose stools with small curds by days 5 to 7. That is why the guide asks for your baby’s age: black means something different on day 2 than on day 10, and the AAP says its black-color alert does not apply to the first few meconium stools.

The colors and what the AAP says about them

• Mustard yellow: the AAP calls it “the color of choice for most breastfed babies.”
• Tan or yellow-tan: described for formula-fed babies, “firmer than a breastfed baby’s, but should be no firmer than soft clay.”
• Green and brown: after meconium, the AAP says shades of yellow, brown and even green “are considered perfectly acceptable,” and that supplemental iron can turn stools dark brown.
• Red: “Seeing red can mean blood”; bring it to your pediatrician’s attention.
• Black after the first days: the AAP says it is worth paying attention to because blood can turn black in the intestines.
• White, pale or clay-colored: “quite rare but needs to be brought to the attention of a doctor as soon as possible,” because pale poop can be caused by a liver problem.

Signs to contact your pediatrician

The AAP names three colors that “always warrant discussion with your baby’s doctor”: black (after meconium), white and red. It also says to call your pediatrician immediately if there are large amounts of blood, mucus or water in the stool, and notes that hard or very dry stools may be a sign that a baby is not getting enough fluid or is losing fluid through illness, fever or heat. These lines are on screen before you choose anything and stay there after.

And the simplest rule: if you are worried about your baby for any reason, call. You do not need a color to justify it.