A guide for classifying infant stool consistency. Use this to select the right type when logging a diaper.
🪨
Type 1
Hard, separate pellets
Dry, hard lumps that are difficult to pass. Indicates constipation — may be caused by dehydration or formula change.
⚠️ Mention at next visit
🥜
Type 2
Lumpy sausage shape
Lumpy and hard, passed with effort. Mild constipation — worth noting if persistent.
⚠️ Mention at next visit
🌭
Type 3
Cracked sausage
Sausage-shaped with surface cracks. Normal consistency — slightly on the firm side but no concern.
✅ Normal
🟤
Type 4
Smooth, soft sausage
Like a smooth sausage or snake. The ideal stool — easy to pass, well-formed.
✅ Ideal
🫐
Type 5
Soft blobs, clear edges
Soft blobs with defined edges. Very common in breastfed babies — completely normal for infants.
✅ Normal for breastfed
☁️
Type 6
Fluffy, mushy pieces
Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, mushy consistency. Mild diarrhea — monitor for dehydration if frequent.
⚠️ Mention at next visit
💧
Type 7
Watery, no solid pieces
Entirely liquid. Diarrhea — if frequent or accompanied by fever, contact your pediatrician. Watch for signs of dehydration.
🚨 Contact pediatrician if frequent
⬛
Meconium
Dark, tarry, sticky
Baby's first stools (days 1–3). Dark greenish-black and very sticky — completely normal immediately after birth.
✅ Normal — days 1–3
🟢
Transitional
Greenish-brown, looser
Transition from meconium to regular stools (days 3–4). Greenish-brown and less sticky — a good sign that feeding is established.
✅ Normal — days 3–4