Baby Poop Colors

Let’s talk about baby poop colors. It is such a great clue to your baby’s health. I admit that I was kind of obsessed with my daughter’s baby poop colors and texture when I was trying to figure out what was going on with her health (before we had our official FPIES / MFPI diagnosis). Being a new parent was scary enough, having crazy looking baby poop thrown in the mix only made matters more confusing. So let’s break it down, starting with warning signs.

Abnormal Baby Poop Colors / Warning Signs

Bright “Avocado” Green Baby Poop

This color, not to be confused with the normal darker shades of green baby poop, is a very bright ripe-avocado-like green. The color is the result of food moving through the GI tract so quickly that the bile doesn’t have a chance to process the food and turn the poop the more normal brown, orange, or dark green colors that we’re used to seeing. This “toxic green” color is one of the hallmarks my daughter’s MFPI reactions and I’ve – unfortunately – gotten to know it pretty well. It comes in many textures, which has their own additional clues about what is going on with her health, but this color always tells me she is having a reaction that is causing havoc with her little tummy. Despite what I read on many blogs, it has NOTHING to do with breastfeeding, hindmilk, or foremilk. My daughter is now two years old and exclusively eating solids (no breastmilk) and her poop still turns this color with every reaction.

White / Chalky Grey / Pale Yellow Baby Poop

John Hopkins Hospital website says that, “these pale stools suggest that there may be a life-threatening blockage in the liver preventing bile, the green fluid stored in the gallbladder that gives stool the yellow/brown color, from getting out of the liver. If you suspect that your infant has white, chalky grey or pale yellow stools, you must contact your child’s pediatrician right away.” 

Red Baby Poop

Assuming your baby hasn’t been guzzling fruit punch, this may be an indicator of a health problem. Blood in the stool is a common sign of FPIES / MFPI / MSPI as well as some other food allergies. Red baby poop could also indicate a bacterial infection.  If you suspect that there is blood in your child’s stool it is best to call your pediatrician right away.

Black Baby Poop

The fist few times a baby poops, it will be black, sticky and thick.  This is called “meconium”.  Read more about meconium here (there’s even a good pic on that page). Other than the meconium, baby poop should not be black. Black baby poop can indicate bleeding which, obviously, is not good.  If there are black flecks in an otherwise normal looking stool, that may be the cause of the baby ingesting a small amount of blood externally.  For example, if the baby is breastfeeding and the mom has cracked nipples.

Helpful Tip 

If your baby has any of these warning signs in their poop, you should save the diaper in a plastic ziplock bag and put it in the fridge until you can get it to a doctor who will examine the diaper and help you determine what is going on.  If you feel unsure about what is normal, ALWAYS ask a health professional.

Normal Baby Poop Colors / Signs of Healthy Poop

Mustard Orange Baby Poop

It is crazy how much breasted baby poop resembles the color of Dijon mustard with little seeds in it, but there you have it. This is a totally normal color. As a breastfeeding bonus, it has almost no odor! Wild, right?

Dark Yellow or Brown or Orange

This is a normal range of color for both bottle fed babies and breastfed babies, especially once solids are introduced.  Solids will create a much wider variety of color and textures than a diet of breast milk or formula.

Spinach Green

Baby poop can take on a darker green hue due to iron supplements, either via a formula with iron supplements or drops (always ask a health professional if iron supplementation is right for your baby).

Helpful Tip

If you have any questions about your infant or toddler’s baby poop colors, ask your pediatrician or other health care professional. They are happy to answer your questions, so don’t be shy to give them a call!