What to know about your baby’s poop

Babies poop.

It’s an unavoidable fact. But that poop is more than just a smelly nuisance. Baby poop can alert you if anything is going wrong inside your baby’s body.

The first few days

In the first 24 hours after birth, your baby’s body is clearing itself of the poop made while inside the womb. This poop is called meconium.

Meconium poop is usually thick, very dark green or black and tarry.

Sometimes, babies even have their first bowel movement during birth or delivery. Meconium may mix with amniotic fluid. This is not unusual and turns the amniotic fluid a shade of brown. Health care providers watch closely to make sure the baby isn’t showing any signs of distress or a problem with their heart rate if this happens.

“Newborns have meconium in their stool for the first three days, so you’ll see at least small amounts of dark black, greenish black sticky stuff in almost every diaper,” Dr. Alonso said. “And every time they eat, they usually poop.”

Healthy baby poop

As the meconium wears out, your newborn’s poop should turn brighter green, then greenish yellow before settling into a mustard yellow, grainy baby poop.

“It should look like it has little seedy things in it,” Dr. Alonso said.

Generally, babies on infant formula poop once or twice a day, and breastfed babies usually have a bowel movement every time they eat.

Children over 1 should poop once a day, and it should be soft. The frequency and consistency of their poop is usually reflective of their diet, though.

“If their diet is mostly fruits and veggies and water, they will poop more,” Dr. Alonso said. “If they have more carbs and dairy, they won’t poop as much.”

Whitish or very pale poop can be a sign of liver disease. If your baby’s poop is white or pale, contact their pediatrician.