My breastfed infant’s poop used to be yellow but now it’s green. Why?
The stools of breastfed infants are generally yellow, thin, and seedy once breastfeeding is established. In general, stools will change from yellow to green to brown depending on how long it takes for the food to go from mouth to diaper.
Slower digestion means darker colors. Older infants often have stools that are green because they digest food a bit slower than they did when they were very young. Once a child begins eating solids, stools can be any number of colors, including green. Watch out for foods that can cause red stools, such as beets and artificial colors in fruit juice, to avoid unnecessary worry. Stool color is worrisome only if it’s white, gray, or black. In these cases, the color can indicate liver disease or bleeding and should be brought to your pediatrician’s attention.
Reviewed by Dr. Sara Connolly, August 2019
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