As a new mom or dad, everything about your baby will fascinate you, but you will probably have little or no idea that there are various baby poop colours. Oh yes, there are, each colour an indicator you should watch as they can give you hints on your baby’s health and well-being.
For this reason, we are sharing 10 kinds of baby poop colours and what they mean for your baby’s health. You can come back to this when you notice changes and proceed to speak with a doctor on Doctall for guidance.
| BABY POOP COLOURS | MEANING/INDICATION |
| Black baby poop | Normal for baby first poop but worrisome if it occurs again at a later stage of infancy. |
| Orange baby poop | Normal in formula-fed and breastfed babies |
| Bright yellow baby poop | Normal in breastfed babies and infant with diarrhoea |
| Mustard Yellow Baby Poop | Normal baby poop |
| Red baby poop | Undigested blood from a food allergy or introducing baby to red colour solid foods |
| White colour poop | Baby is not producing adequate bile to digest food or malabsorption of nutrients. Speak with a doctor immediately |
| Grey or Chalky Baby Poop | Baby has a digestion issue |
| Bright green baby poop | Not alarming but could mean that there is a rapid movement of food in your baby’s system |
| Dark green coloured poop | Baby is starting out with solid foods with green colour |
| Brown Baby Poop | Introducing a baby to solid food |
Black Baby Poop
Typically, the first poop of a newborn is black. It may also have a tar-like consistency with skin cells and mucus. However, this should be over after the first few days. Black baby poop can be worrisome when it occurs again at a later stage of infancy. This could be a sign of gastrointestinal bleeding. See a doctor or paediatrician on Doctall if you notice this.
Orange Baby Poop
Orange baby poop is pretty normal as it occurs in formula-fed and breastfed babies. Your baby’s poop may take the orange colour because of pigments picked up from his or her digestive tract. Orange baby poop does not call for alarm or urgent medical care.
Bright Yellow Baby Poop
If you are breastfeeding your baby, your infant’s poop would have a bright yellow colour. This is normal. However, be watchful if the poop is runny as it could mean that your baby is down with diarrhoea.
Mustard Yellow Baby Poop
Another normal baby poop colour is the mustard yellow one. It is common in breastfed babies. Most times, after a baby has had his or her first poop, which may be black, the next poop will probably take a mustard yellow colour.
Red Baby Poop
Red baby poop comes in specks along with other colors of baby poop. For instance, a yellow poop could have streaks of bright red color. This could be undigested blood from a food allergy. Red colour poop could also result from introducing your baby to red color solid foods. Speak with a doctor on Doctall to be certain of causes and management.
White Baby Poop
White colour poop should be taken as a serious red flag. It means your child is not producing adequate bile to digest food as they normally would. It could also indicate malabsorption of nutrients which could lead to a liver problem. Speak with a doctor immediately for an accurate diagnosis.
Grey or Chalky Baby Poop
Similar to white colour poop, grey poop means your baby has a digestion issue. Here, it is best to seek expert help from a doctor for treatment.
Bright Green Baby Poop
In most cases, bright green baby poop is not alarming. However, it could mean that there is a rapid movement of food in your baby’s system. It could also mean that your baby is guzzling a bottle or sucking from your breast. Once these are taken care of, the poop can return to normal.
Dark Green Baby Poop
Your baby might have dark green coloured poop when he or she is starting out with solid foods with green colour. Undigested vegetables can also lead to dark green poop. Introducing your baby’s system to iron supplements can also lead to dark green colored poop.
Brown Baby Poop
Introducing your baby to solid food can increase the number of healthy bacteria in the intestine. This leads to smellier and browner poop. This means that brown poop is normal and there is no cause for alarm.
Conclusively, baby poop colours are great indicators of your baby’s health. Remember to always monitor your infant’s poop colour and speak with a doctor on Doctall once you notice changes.
