Children · Free chart

Baby poo chart

What baby poo usually looks like, from the first sticky poo to breast and formula feeding, how often babies go, and the colours to get checked straight away.

What's usual

1. The first poo: meconium

   Sticky and greenish-black. Some babies do it during or after birth, or some time in the first 48 hours.¹

2. After a few days

   The poo changes to a yellow or mustard colour.¹

3. Breastfed

   Runny, and doesn't smell.¹

4. Formula-fed

   Firmer, darker brown and more smelly. Some formulas can make it dark green, and moving from breast to formula makes poo darker and more paste-like.¹

Poos vary from day to day and week to week.¹ The colours are a guide; nappies, light and screens all change how they look.

How often

• Babies do 2 or more poos a day in the first week, going down to an average of 2 a day by the time they're 1.¹
• Breastfed newborns may poo at each feed in the early weeks, then, after about 6 weeks, not poo for several days.¹
• Formula-fed babies may poo up to 5 times a day when newborn, going down to once a day after a few months.¹
• It's normal for babies to strain or even cry when doing a poo. Your baby isn't constipated as long as their poos are soft, even if they haven't done one for a few days.¹

Toddlers and older children

Once a child eats like the rest of the family, their poo is described with the Bristol types, like an adult's. Our poo chart for kids names the 7 types in words a child can use. A child may be constipated if they've done fewer than 3 poos in the last week, their poo is large and hard or looks like rabbit droppings, or they strain or are in pain when they go.³

Sources

1. NHS. How to change your baby's nappy: what baby poo looks like, 2024.
2. NHS. Jaundice in babies, 2026.
3. NHS. Constipation in children, 2023.

This chart is general information, not medical advice. Reviewed 2026-11-05.