General information from published guidance, not a diagnosis or medical advice for your baby. If you are worried, call your doctor, midwife or local health line, whatever this page says. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
What to expect today
Minimums for a baby who is feeding well. More is fine.
Choose by birthday
Wet diapers
1 or more
Dirty diapers
1 or more
Poop looks like
Black-green, thick and sticky (meconium)
Meconium is what was in the gut before birth. It is sticky: cotton wool and plain warm water help.234
Wet diapers
2 or more
Dirty diapers
1 or more
Poop looks like
Black-green, sticky
Orange or pink powdery marks in a wet diaper (urate crystals) are common in the first 2-3 days.34
Wet diapers
3 or more
Dirty diapers
2 or more
Poop looks like
Dark green-brown, looser
This in-between poop shows that milk is getting through.34
If poop is still black or dark green on day 5, call your doctor or midwife.134
Wet diapers
6 or more, heavy
Dirty diapers
2 or more (breastfed)
Poop looks like
Yellow and seedy, or tan and pasty with formula
Many breastfed babies poop after almost every feed at this age.1234
Wet diapers
6 or more, heavy
Dirty diapers
Varies a lot
Poop looks like
Yellow or tan, soft
A breastfed baby may go several days without pooping and still be fine, as long as poop is soft and the baby is feeding and wetting well.123
What color is the poop?
Common signs, and what the guidance says to do
Usually normal
Black, sticky poop in the first 2-3 days is meconium, which is normal. If it is still black on day 5, or black poop comes back later, call your doctor.23412
Usually normal
Dark green-brown 'transitional' poop is typical around days 3-4 and usually means milk is getting through.34
Usually normal
Mustard-yellow, seedy, runny poop is typical of breastfed babies. It is not diarrhea.23
Usually normal
Thicker, stronger-smelling poop like this is typical with formula.23
Usually normal
Usually normal. Some formulas can make poop dark green. Call if it is green and watery with fever, or your baby seems unwell.23
Watch and log it
Common in the first few days, a sign of concentrated urine. If they keep appearing after day 3-4, or come with few wet diapers, call your doctor or midwife: your baby may need more milk.3
Guidance: call your doctor today
Often a tiny tear in the skin around the bottom, but always check with your doctor the same day. Lots of blood, or a baby who seems unwell: get help now.2312
Guidance: call your doctor today
Pale poop can be a sign of a liver problem, such as biliary atresia, that needs treatment quickly. Call your doctor today and show them a photo of the diaper.56
Guidance: get medical advice now
Very watery poop, much more often than usual, can be diarrhea, and newborns lose fluid fast. Get medical advice now: call your doctor right away (in the UK, 111), especially with a fever, vomiting or fewer wet diapers.3913
Watch and log it
Hard pellets now and then can happen with formula: check you are mixing it exactly as the label says. Call your doctor if it keeps happening, your baby seems in pain or is feeding less, or there is blood.23
Count today's wet and dirty diapers in Ella, with one tap from the widget.Open Ella
Get medical help now if
no wet diaper for 8 hours or more, or a dry mouth or sunken soft spot101113
lots of blood in the poop, or black poop after the first days and your baby seems unwell312
green vomit, a swollen tummy, or your baby is floppy or very sleepy8910
If your baby stops breathing, turns blue or grey, is floppy or cannot be woken, call your local emergency number now.
The details
Why diapers are the best feeding check
You can't measure breast milk, but what goes in must come out. Steady wet and dirty diapers in the first weeks are one of the clearest signs that a baby is feeding well. Midwives and doctors ask about them for exactly that reason.
Modern diapers absorb so well that a wet one can feel almost dry. A heavy wet diaper holds about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of fluid. To learn the feel, pour 3 tablespoons of water into a clean, dry diaper and compare. Some diapers also have a line that changes color when wet.
Breastfed poop is usually yellow, runny and seedy, and has a mild smell. Formula poop is usually tan or brown, thicker, like peanut butter, and smells stronger. Both are normal. A sudden change in color with fewer wet diapers, fever or a baby who seems unwell is worth a call.
In the first 6 weeks, a breastfed baby should poop at least twice a day. Fewer can mean not enough milk, so call your doctor or midwife. After about 6 weeks, some breastfed babies go several days without a poop. If it is soft when it comes and your baby is feeding and wetting well, that is normal.
Change diapers often, clean with water or gentle unscented wipes, let the skin air-dry, then apply a thick barrier cream such as zinc oxide. Call your doctor if the rash has blisters or pus, spreads beyond the diaper, or does not improve after 2-3 days.
At least 1 on day 1, 2 on day 2 and 3 on day 3, then at least 6 heavy wet diapers every 24 hours from day 5-6 onward.14
How many poopy diapers should a newborn have?
At least 1 on days 1-2, then at least 2 a day from day 3. Many breastfed babies poop after almost every feed in the first weeks.1234
When should newborn poop turn yellow?
Usually by day 4-5, as the black meconium clears and milk comes through. If poop is still black or dark green on day 5, call your doctor or midwife.124
Is green poop normal in newborns?
Usually, yes. Some formulas can make poop dark green. Call your doctor if it is green and watery with fever or the baby seems unwell.23
Why is pale or white poop dangerous?
It can mean bile is not reaching the gut, as happens in biliary atresia, a rare liver condition that is much easier to treat when found early. Call your doctor the same day.56
Ella
Count diapers without counting
Tap Wet or Dirty on the Ella widget. Ella keeps today's count and the time of the last diaper, so anyone on the night shift can answer the midwife's questions.
Guidance can differ between countries. Where it does, we show both. Follow your own doctor or health service.
Checked against current guidance on October 8, 2026. General information, not medical advice. Written by the Ella team at Muchita AI from published guidance by the AAP, NHS, NICE, WHO and CDC, with AI-assisted drafting and translation checked against those sources by our team. These organisations have not reviewed or endorsed this page. General information, not a diagnosis or medical advice. If you are worried about your baby, trust your instinct and call a doctor.
