🍼 YummyYucky
💩 Baby Poop Colors (Starting Solids)
Solids turn diapers into a rainbow. Most of it is just food.
| Color | Name | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | Normal. The everyday color once solids get going. | |
| Yellow / tan | Normal, and common in breastfed and formula-fed babies. | |
| Green | Usually normal. Peas and other green veg can do it. | |
| Orange | Normal. Often carrots, sweet potato, or squash doing their thing. | |
| Red | Usually food (beets, tomato, red gelatin). But if it is NOT food-related, it can be blood. Call your doctor. | |
| Black | Meconium in the first days is normal, and iron can darken stool. But black or tarry can be digested blood, so call your doctor, even if baby takes iron. | |
| White / gray / pale | Call your doctor right away. White, gray, chalky, clay-colored, or washed-out pale yellow stool can signal a liver or bile problem. |
🌈 Starting solids changes the color, smell, and texture a lot, and undigested bits of food are completely normal. The three that are worth a call: white or pale, red that is not from food, and black or tarry. Trust your gut, and when unsure, call.
General information, not medical advice. If your baby seems unwell, has blood in the stool, or you are worried, contact your pediatrician. In an emergency, contact emergency services.
Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics (healthychildren.org): The Many Colors of Baby Poop, Red Stools in Children, Starting Solid Foods, Symptom Checker: Stools, Blood In; MedlinePlus (NIH) (medlineplus.gov): Stools, pale or clay-colored; NIDDK (NIH) (niddk.nih.gov): Symptoms and Causes of Biliary Atresia.