Understanding Baby Pee: Wet Diapers, Urinary Frequency, Colour, and Smell

Chances are, you never gave much thought to baby pee until you had to handle diaper changes. But like many parents, you might find yourself wondering, "How often should my newborn pee? " and "What do different smells or colours mean? " This guide is here to clear up all those questions and more! By the end, you’ll know just what to expect with wet diapers, what’s normal, and when it’s time to reach out to your child’s healthcare provider.

How Many Wet Diapers "Should" a Newborn Have?

In the first 24 hours after birth, most newborns will pee once, so expect just one wet diaper. As your baby gets more milk in those first days, you’ll notice the number of wet diapers goes up. After about a week, most babies settle into a routine of about four to six wet diapers a day.

Keeping a daily count of wet diapers is a simple way to pick up on your baby’s natural bathroom habits—and a good indicator of how they’re doing. There’s a wide range of normal: some babies pee every hour or two, others four to six times daily. Generally, aim for at least four to six wet diapers a day for a healthy newborn.

What If Your Baby Is Peeing More Than Usual?

If it feels like you’re changing diaper after diaper, don’t worry! Lots of peeing usually means your baby is well-fed and hydrated. Especially in your baby’s first month, if you’re breastfeeding and your milk supply is good, seeing six or more wet diapers per day is a great sign they’re getting what they need.

But if your baby is peeing more than once every hour and you notice other changes, like discomfort, crying, or muscle tension, it could signal something like a urinary tract infection (UTI). Trust your instincts and check in with your child’s healthcare provider if you have concerns. To learn how to recognize and deal with a fever in newborns and babies, read our practical guide.

What If Your Newborn Is Peeing Less?

Notice that your baby is peeing fewer than four times a day? A dip in wet diapers can be linked to:

• illness

• fever

• hot weather or heat waves.

When your baby is under the weather or it’s very warm, their pee output can temporarily drop by half—that’s totally normal. Once your little one is feeling better (or the temperature cools off), things typically return to normal.

If your baby isn’t eating enough, though, that’s another reason for not peeing much. If you’re breastfeeding, it can be hard to measure intake, so watch for these signs:

If your newborn goes more than six to eight hours without peeing, especially after a fever or illness has passed or after feeding, call your healthcare provider right away.

Newborn Pee Colour

Healthy baby pee, like adult urine, ranges from light to dark yellow. The darker the yellow, the more concentrated it is—usually a sign that your baby could use a little more fluid. Most of the time, yellow pee is perfectly normal for babies.

From time to time, you might see other urine colours. Some variations are harmless, others warrant a closer look. Below you’ll find a handy baby pee colour chart, plus info about what different tints—like light yellow, dark yellow, pink, red, orange, or brown—could mean for your newborn.

Light to Dark Yellow Baby Pee

Light yellow pee is a good sign that your baby is peeing often and staying nourished. Dark yellow is generally still healthy, but means the urine is more concentrated. If you notice darker yellow pee, make sure your little one is staying hydrated.

Remember: babies under 6 months should only drink breast milk or formula. Once they hit 6 months, you can slowly start to introduce water.

Pink, Orange, Red, or Brown Baby Pee

Seeing pink, orange, red, or brown in your baby’s urine? Here’s what those colours might mean:

Pink

Pink in the diaper often looks alarming, but it's usually just concentrated pee. As long as your baby is peeing regularly, there’s usually no need to worry. If the pink tint sticks around, check with your healthcare provider.

For baby girls, a pinkish stain could mean blood in the urine—often caused by the birthing parent's hormones and is usually temporary. If your baby girl is still having pink spots after one week, talk to your provider.

Orange, Red, or Brown

Orange, red, or brown hues can sometimes indicate blood in your newborn’s urine—something to check with your doctor about, no matter your baby’s sex. The medical term for blood in urine is hematuria, which can result from a variety of causes, including:

• physical injury

• inflammation

• infection

• issues with clotting

• exposure to toxins

• kidney stones

• certain medications

• too many minerals in the urine

• hereditary illness

• immune system problems.

If you see a pink, orange, red or brownish hue, reach out to your healthcare provider right away. If hematuria is the cause, prompt care can make all the difference.

For older infants who’ve started solids, these colours might simply be the result of eating foods like beets or blackberries—but it’s always best to consult a healthcare provider, just to be sure.

Red or Brown and Cloudy Baby Pee

Cloudy pee with a red or brown tint may mean a urinary tract or kidney infection. Since kidney infections are a type of UTI, they’re often linked. If you spot cloudy, discoloured urine, especially with red or brown, get in touch with your healthcare provider right away.

“Brick Dust” Baby Pee

If you see a reddish-brown sediment in your baby’s diaper—often called “brick dust”—don’t panic. It’s usually not blood, but urate crystals, and often appears when babies aren’t getting quite enough fluids. It should clear up with more breast milk or formula.

Baby Urine Colour Chart

If you loved our poop colour chart, you’ll appreciate this guide to baby pee! Keep this handy for reference when you’re unsure about what you see in the diaper.

Shades of Baby Pee—A Rough Guide

Baby Pee Smells

Worried about how your baby’s pee smells? Sometimes, a strong or strange odour can go hand in hand with changes in pee colour. Here’s what to look out for.

Strong Smelling Urine in Babies

A strong, unpleasant smell, like ammonia, could signal a bacterial infection such as a UTI, which is especially serious for little ones. Alongside a strong smell, look for cloudy urine, blood in the pee, fever, more frequent urination, or signs of discomfort when your baby pees. If you spot these, call your healthcare provider promptly.

UTIs can happen in toddlers too, and may show up as pain when peeing, accidents after potty training, or needing to pee more frequently.

Not all smelly pee spells infection, though. If your baby is exclusively breastfed and their urine smells strong and appears dark yellow, they might just be a bit dehydrated. Just offer more breast milk or formula (before 6 months). Medications and certain foods may also affect the smell. If in doubt, talk to your provider.

Sweet-Smelling Pee

If your baby’s pee has a sweet, maple syrup-like scent, flag it for your healthcare provider right away. This could point to a rare but serious condition called Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD), which can show signs in the first days of birth or later on. Another possible, though rare, cause is diabetes. Either way, sweet-smelling urine is serious and needs urgent medical attention.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, baby pee is more than just about diaper changes! Every wet diaper offers a window into your baby’s health. So, keep an eye on how often your little one goes, the colour of their pee, and any changes in smell. Here’s the big picture:

• Urinary frequency. Aim for at least four to six wet diapers a day—could be as often as every hour or as little as every three hours.

• Pee colour. Healthy baby pee is yellow (from light to dark). Pink often means highly concentrated urine, while red, orange, or brown can mean blood and require medical attention.

• Pee smell. Most baby pee has little odour. Strong or foul smells—especially with fewer wet diapers or fever—could point to an infection.

With this guide, you’ll be ready for whatever those diapers bring your way—and know when to reach out to a healthcare pro if needed. In the meantime, download the Pampers Club App and reward yourself for all those diaper changes with Pampers Cash!

_{How We Wrote This Article The information in this article is based on expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment.}