Baby poop after starting solids: what's normal

What changes, and why

Until now, your baby’s poop has been made from milk alone. Once solid food arrives, the AAP says to expect:

• Firmer poop. It becomes thicker and more solid than milk-only poop.
• A stronger smell. New sugars and fats make it smell much more than milk-only poop.
• New colors. Poop becomes more varied, and often takes on the color of what your baby ate.
• Bits of food. If meals aren’t puréed smooth, you may see pieces of food, especially the skins of peas, corn or tomatoes.

All of this is normal. The AAP explains that your baby’s digestive system is still immature and needs time to fully process new foods. Food also moves through a young child’s gut quickly, which is why it can come out looking much like it went in.

Colors that are normal

The AAP says normal poop can be any shade of brown, tan, yellow or green, such as mustard yellow or yellow-tan. Very pale yellow, white or chalky poop is not part of that normal range (see red flags below). Green is always normal, even dark green. It’s usually caused by bile, and green vegetables like peas and spinach can make it darker.

Foods can also cause colors that look alarming but are harmless (AAP):

• Red or reddish: beets, tomato skins, red peppers, cranberries, watermelon, and red food coloring
• Very dark or black: blueberries, spinach, dark juices, and iron medicines or supplements

If you think a food is the cause, stop it for a couple of days. The AAP says the color should go back to normal within about 48 hours. Taking a photo of an unusual diaper can help if you need to show your doctor later.

How often

Once children are on family foods, the AAP’s normal range is anything from 3 times a day to once every 2 days. The NHS says the average is about 2 a day by age 1, and that poop will vary from day to day and week to week.

What matters most is that poop is soft and easy to pass. Straining or going red in the face is normal for babies. Hard, dry, pellet-like poop that hurts is not: see foods that help with constipation.

Loose poop

Some babies get looser poop when new foods are added. The AAP says that if poop becomes extremely loose, watery or full of mucus, the gut may be irritated: cut back on solids and introduce them more slowly. If it stays loose, watery or mucusy, talk to your pediatrician.

In toddlers aged 1 to 5, frequent loose, smelly poop with visible bits of vegetables can be “toddler diarrhoea”. NHS dietitians at Cambridge University Hospitals say it isn’t serious if your child is well and growing, and that too much juice or drink between meals, very high-fiber foods, and a low-fat diet can make it worse. Ask your doctor before changing your child’s diet, and see them if your child isn’t growing well, is losing weight, or seems pale or tired.

Sudden watery diarrhea, often with vomiting or a fever, is usually a stomach bug. See feeding a sick baby for fluids and dehydration signs.

Red flags: when to call the doctor

Three colors always need a conversation with your baby’s doctor (AAP):

• Red: blood. Any amount of blood in the poop should be checked, even if your baby seems fine. Most red poop is caused by food, but blood can come from a small tear caused by hard poop, from diaper rash, from an infection, or from a food allergy such as cow’s milk allergy.
• Black, after the first few days of life. Black, tarry poop is normal for the first few days after birth (meconium). After that, black poop can mean blood from higher up in the gut. Dark green can look black in dim light: smear a little on a white paper towel and look under a bright light (AAP). If it’s really black and your baby hasn’t had iron or a dark food, call your doctor.
• White, pale gray, chalky or very pale yellow. This is rare but can be a sign of a liver problem, and the AAP says it should be checked as soon as possible: call your doctor the same day, especially if your baby’s skin or the whites of their eyes look yellow, or their pee is dark. The NHS says to ask for an urgent GP or midwife appointment, or call NHS 111, if a baby’s poo is a pale creamy colour, and to keep a sample to show them.Keep a sample or a photo to show your doctor.

Also talk to your doctor, GP or health visitor if (NHS, AAP):

• you notice a definite change, such as poop becoming very smelly, very watery or hard
• poop is watery and you’re worried about dehydration
• poop is green and watery and your baby is unsettled or off their feeds
• an unusual color without a food cause lasts more than 24 hours, or lasts more than 48 hours after stopping the suspected food
• there’s a lot of mucus that doesn’t settle after slowing down on new foods
• there’s red poop and a fever: the AAP says to see your doctor, or go to the emergency room if your child is acting sick or getting worse

Call 911 or go to the emergency room if your baby is floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, has pale, blue or blotchy skin, or vomits green fluid, blood, or something that looks like coffee grounds, whether or not there’s blood in the poop. Also go now if your baby has bouts of severe tummy pain that come and go (often crying hard with their knees pulled up), especially with blood and mucus in the poop: this can be a bowel blockage called intussusception, which needs emergency treatment.Call 999 or go to A&E if your baby is floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, has pale, blue, grey or blotchy skin, or vomits green fluid, blood, or something that looks like coffee grounds, whether or not there’s blood in the poo. Also go now if your baby has bouts of severe tummy pain that come and go (often crying hard with their knees pulled up), especially with blood and mucus in the poo: this can be a bowel blockage called intussusception, which needs emergency treatment.Call your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) or go to the emergency department if your baby is floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake, has pale, blue or blotchy skin, or vomits green fluid, blood, or something that looks like coffee grounds, whether or not there’s blood in the poop. Also go now if your baby has bouts of severe tummy pain that come and go (often crying hard with their knees pulled up), especially with blood and mucus in the poop: this can be a bowel blockage called intussusception, which needs emergency treatment.

A note on new foods

Poop changes are one reason to introduce new foods gradually. The AAP suggests offering single-ingredient new foods every 3 to 5 days and watching for reactions. Vomiting a few hours after a food can be FPIES, a delayed food reaction. If your baby vomits once or twice and is alert and like themselves, call your pediatrician or GP. Call 911 or go to the emergency room if your baby is vomiting again and again, or is pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake.Call 999 or go to A&E if your baby is vomiting again and again, or is pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake.Call your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) or go to the emergency department if your baby is vomiting again and again, or is pale, floppy, very sleepy or hard to wake. For hives, swelling or breathing trouble, see signs of anaphylaxis.

Where US and UK advice differs

US and UK advice agrees on the main points: brown, yellow and green are normal, and blood, black poop after the newborn days, and pale or white poop need a doctor. The difference is mostly who you call. In the US, call your pediatrician. In the UK, speak to your health visitor or GP, or call NHS 111 if you’re worried about a baby under 12 months, if there’s blood in the diarrhoea, or if you see signs of dehydration.