What Does It Mean?

Meconium is the first stool your baby will have after birth, and it's perfectly normal. It appears greenish-black because it contains bilirubin, a yellowish-green breakdown of red blood cells. The colostrum in your breast milk acts as a laxative and helps your baby pass the meconium in about three days.

What Should I Do?

Don't worry. It's normal, healthy, and temporary. (If it lasts more than three days, check with your doctor. He may want to check to make sure your baby is receiving the feedings she needs to move this through her system.)

What Does It Mean?

Isn't baby poop shocking? First it's black as tar, and now it's bright yellow; but this stool is totally normal. Breast-fed babies' poop has a mild smell, and might come with loud, even explosive, sound effects. Your baby might be able to trash several cute outfits in a single day.

What Should I Do?

Be proud. Your baby's poop is the gold standard. Breast milk has the ideal nutrients to help your baby stay healthy and grow strong.

What Does It Mean?

Your baby's stools are normal. The only time you should be concerned is if your baby's poop becomes harder than a Tootsie Roll® candy or is watery.

What Should I Do?

Don't worry. It's normal and healthy.

What Does It Mean?

While it's typical to see greenish-brown poop when your baby starts eating solids, you might see this color in your baby's diaper before then. The color of this baby stool is usually normal, but if your baby has other symptoms that concern you, contact your health care professional.

What Should I Do?

Don't worry. It's normal and healthy.

What Does It Mean?

The occasional loose baby stool isn't cause for alarm. But if it occurs regularly for two days or more, it could be diarrhea. Diarrhea can cause dehydration, and also might be a sign of infection. Usually these infections aren't dangerous, but the dehydration that can result from losing too much fluid in these stools is a concern.

What Should I Do?

Give your baby plenty of fluids — formula and water, or by breastfeeding often. Call your health care provider if the problem persists for more than two days. The younger the baby, the more frequent the diarrhea, the greater the concern for dehydration. Do not give your baby antidiarrhea medication unless advised by your health care professional. Your health care provider may advise giving your baby an oral electrolyte solution, such as Pedialyte®, for rehydration.

Contact your health care professional right away if you see:

• Blood or mucus in stools
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Refusal to eat
• Decreased or dark-colored urine
• Decreased activity

What Does It Mean?

Occasional constipation is normal, especially with formula-fed babies, and when your baby transitions to solid foods. It could be a sign that your baby isn't getting enough fluid or that he's losing too much fluid from the heat, illness, or a fever. Occasional blood streaking on the surface of the stool can result when hard stools make tiny tears in the soft tissues around the anus.

What Should I Do?

In a very young baby, consult your health care professional, who might recommend giving your baby small amounts of extra water. Give older babies lots to drink. Consider adding 1 to 2 ounces of prune or pear juice to your baby's diet. If your baby is eating solids, offer foods that are higher in fiber, such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, and add puréed prunes to your baby's cereal.

Contact your health care professional right away if you see:

• Blood or mucus in stools
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Refusal to eat
• Decreased or dark-colored urine
• Decreased activity

What Does It Mean?

Once your baby has started on solids, you'll see bowel movements that can vary in color and texture after every meal. In addition to foods, some medications can also turn a baby's stool unusual colors.

What Should I Do?

Watch what your baby eats to ensure there is a link between the color of the stool and what she is eating. Other foods known for turning baby poop shocking colors are carrots (orange) and spinach (green). If your baby's stool is red for no apparent reason (no cherry Popsicle®, no Froot Loops® cereal or red gelatin), call your health care provider.

Contact your health care professional right away if you see:

• Blood or mucus in stools
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Refusal to eat
• Decreased or dark-colored urine
• Decreased activity

What Does It Mean?

In some babies, the bacteria in the intestines react to the iron sulfate in a supplement or iron-fortified formula. The reaction turns the baby poop dark green, or sometimes even greenish-black. The poop will remain this color as long as your baby is on the formula. There is no need to be concerned with the color change, as it has no significance to your baby's digestive system.

What Should I Do?

Nothing, it's normal. Studies show that iron supplementation doesn't cause digestive problems or discomfort.

Contact your health care professional right away if you see:

• Blood or mucus in stools
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Refusal to eat
• Decreased or dark-colored urine
• Decreased activity

What Does It Mean?

When your breast-fed baby nurses for short periods of time on each breast, he might get more foremilk, which is sweeter and thinner, and less hindmilk, which is richer and fattier. Your baby might need to nurse longer on each side in order to ensure enough hind-milk is consumed during each feeding. Sometimes a virus will turn your baby's stools bright green. If your baby is fussy and seems uncomfortable, contact your health care provider.

What Should I Do?

Try not to switch your baby to your other breast until you've nursed at least 20 minutes on one side.

Contact your health care professional right away if you see:

• Blood or mucus in stools
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Refusal to eat
• Decreased or dark-colored urine
• Decreased activity

What Does It Mean?

Often the stools of constipated babies are streaked with red from rectal fissures, small cracks in the anus caused by pushing. You might also see streaks of mucus on the baby poop.

What Should I Do?

Occasional bleeding isn't cause for concern. Usually, once the constipation has resolved, so too will the bleeding. If there is a large amount of blood (more than a few drops) or if the bleeding doesn't resolve with the softening of the stools, check with your doctor.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, call your health care professional right away:

• Blood or mucus in stools
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Refusal to eat
• Decreased or dark-colored urine
• Decreased activity

What Does It Mean?

A black baby stool might contain blood that entered the intestines in the upper portion of the digestive system.

What Should I Do?

If your baby has black poop that is not meconium (which passes during the first few days of life), call your health care professional immediately.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, call your health care professional right away:

• Blood or mucus in stools
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Refusal to eat
• Decreased or dark-colored urine
• Decreased activity

What Does It Mean?

A white stool might be a sign of a liver or gallbladder problem. Bile is a digestive fluid made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Your baby's stool gets its normal color from the bile as it is excreted during digestion. If your baby's liver doesn't produce bile, or if the bile is obstructed, his stool will be white.

What Should I Do?

A white stool is very rare, but if your baby's poop is white, call your health care professional right away.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, call your health care professional right away:

• Blood or mucus in stools
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Irritability
• Refusal to eat
• Decreased or dark-colored urine
• Decreased activity