Normal Baby Poo: Colour, Texture & Frequency Guide | Parenting Hub
A plain-English guide to what baby poo should look like — from newborn mustard seedy to toddler formed — and which colours are red flags.
Baby poo changes a lot in the first year. Most colours and textures are normal — only three (white, red, and black after meconium) are real red flags.
Normal colours
- Mustard yellow, seedy — typical breastfed
- Tan or pale brown, pasty — typical formula-fed
- Green — common and usually normal (fast transit, iron in formula, lots of veg)
- Brown — once on solids
- Orange, red flecks (from beetroot/tomato), blue (blueberries) — diet-related, fine
Red-flag colours
- White, pale grey or chalky — see GP today (possible liver issue)
- Red blood mixed through or large amounts — GP today
- Black (after meconium has cleared) — GP today (possible upper-gut bleeding)
Texture by age
- Newborn breastfed: runny, seedy, almost yoghurt-like
- Newborn formula: thicker, peanut-butter consistency
- Solids started: thicker, browner, more smell
- Toddler: formed sausage shape
Frequency
Newborn breastfed: many a day in the first weeks, then can drop to once every 5–10 days after 6 weeks (still normal if soft). Formula-fed: usually at least once a day. Once on solids: most settle to 1–3 per day.
When to seek help
- White, chalky or pale poo at any age
- Red blood (not a streak from a tiny fissure) or black tarry poo
- Hard, painful pellets with crying
- No poo + vomiting + swollen tummy
Common questions
Should I worry about green poo?
Usually no — see our dedicated green poo article. It's almost always a normal variant.
How will I know my baby is constipated?
It's about consistency, not frequency — hard pellet-like poos and pain when passing them. See our constipation article.