How often should a breastfed newborn poop? How to count dirty diapers

The NHS Best Start in Life page on constipation in breastfed babies says that breastmilk is a natural laxative, and that a baby aged between 4 days and 6 weeks who is feeding well should pass at least 2 yellow poos a day. It adds that from about 6 weeks, breastfed babies may poo less often.

The same page says that if your baby has not pooed for 24 to 48 hours, you should speak to your midwife or health visitor, because it can mean the baby is not getting enough milk. Check the page itself for the current wording, and use any numbers your own midwife or health visitor gave you.

Formula-fed babies usually poo differently, and other public sources give different figures. This is why the useful habit is to record what happens and ask your care team what to expect at your baby's age.

The NHS says breastfed babies may poo less often from around 6 weeks. Some parents see a baby go from several dirty diapers a day to one every few days. Public sources describe this as common when the poo is still soft and the baby is feeding and growing well, but only someone who knows your baby can tell you whether it is normal for yours.

What matters more than the count is the texture, how your baby seems, and any change. Hard, small or painful poos, a swollen tummy or a baby who feeds poorly are reasons to call, not to wait.

One line per dirty diaper is enough:

• The time.
• Dirty, or both wet and dirty.
• The texture in plain words: soft, seedy, runny, firm, small and hard.
• The colour in plain words if anything looks different. Our guide on newborn poo colour explains what to note and which colours to report the same day.

At a fixed time each day, count the dirty diapers in the past 24 hours and write the number next to your baby's age in days or weeks. A gap that would be easy to miss across three tired days becomes visible on one page.

Tap Diaper on the Today screen, then wet, dirty or both. A long press opens the full sheet, where you can add a colour or change the time. The medium Home Screen widget has a diaper button, so you can log without opening the app.

In Charts, the daily total shows wet and dirty counts separately, with the week as bars. The 7-day charts are free and the 30- and 90-day views are in Baton Plus. A diaper logged as both counts once as wet and once as dirty. History lists every diaper with its time and who logged it, and both parents see the same log through their own iCloud. CSV export is free.

Baton counts what you enter. It does not tell you how often your baby should poo, and it does not say whether a count is too low or too high.

Speak to your midwife, health visitor or pediatrician if a young baby has not pooed for 24 to 48 hours, if the poos are hard, small or seem painful, if you see pale, white, red or black stools, if your baby is feeding poorly, is unusually sleepy or has fewer wet diapers than expected, or if you are worried. Bring your log. In an emergency, call your local emergency number. Our guide on how many wet diapers a newborn should have explains what to count on the wet side.