Baby Poo Colour Chart: What's Normal, What's Not

If you''ve ever opened a nappy and stared at it wondering "is that… normal?" , you''re in good company. Baby poo changes colour, texture, smell and frequency as your baby grows, switches between breast and formula, starts solids, and fights off the occasional bug. Most of what shows up in the nappy is completely normal — but there are three colours that always need a same-day GP review . This is the chart I share with parents in clinic as a Maternal Health Nurse. Print it, screenshot it, stick it in the nappy bag — and stop second-guessing every nappy change. The full baby poo colour chart Read from top to bottom roughly in the order you''ll encounter them. 🟢 Greenish-black, sticky and tar-like — meconium days 1–3 Your baby''s very first poos are made of everything they swallowed in utero. It''s sticky, almost odourless, and notoriously hard to wipe. Completely normal. Should transition to lighter colours by day 3–4. If meconium is still showing on day 5, mention it to your midwife. 🟡 Mustard yellow, seedy, runny — breastfed baby 3+ days old This is the textbook healthy breastfed baby poo : bright mustard yellow, soft, often with little curd-like seeds, mildly sweet-smelling. Frequency varies from after every feed to once every 7–10 days after about 6 weeks — both are normal as long as the poo, when it comes, is still soft. 🟫 Tan, pasty, stronger smell — formula-fed baby Formula poos are thicker peanut butter consistency , tan to light brown, and smell more like adult poo. Frequency is usually 1–4 times a day, sometimes daily, sometimes every second day. 🟢 Bright or dark green — usually normal, occasionally not Green poo gets parents worried, but it''s almost always harmless. Common causes: Fast transit through the gut often after a big feed or oversupply . An imbalance of foremilk and hindmilk — baby getting lots of watery foremilk if feeds are too short. Iron-fortified formula can naturally tint stool greenish. A mild tummy bug or a cold causing extra mucus. Maternal diet leafy greens, food colourings . When green matters: if it''s frothy, watery, smells foul, or comes with blood, fever, vomiting, or a baby who isn''t feeding well — see a GP. 🟤 Brown, formed — older baby on solids Once solids are well established usually 7–9 months , poo darkens to brown and starts to look and smell more grown-up. Texture firms up. Some chunks of food corn, blueberri…