5 week baby feeding amount
5-Week-Old Baby Milestones – Happiest Baby
By Dr. Harvey Karp, MD, FAAP
Pause for a moment and give yourself some credit. Five short weeks ago, you may have been mystified by the art of holding a baby, changing diapers, managing feedings, and more. Look at you now! Although the days (and nights) may still feel far from easy, there’s no doubt you’re hitting a bit of a groove.
It’s incredibly validating to interpret your baby’s cues and fine-tune their preferred blend of the 5 S’s. Also validating? Those heart-melting little grins. Your little one is becoming fascinated by your face—and is skilled at sensing your presence from across the room. In another month those baby smiles will start popping all day long, and the month after that, they will be embellished with little squeals, the very first sign of spoken language and conversation!
For some families, this is when babies meet other caregivers. There are the logistical details of daycare or a caregiving situation to work through, such as how to pack up for the morning or help your baby accept a bottle. It’s completely normal for this transition to also feel like an emotional roller coaster.
In many communities, there just aren’t enough childcare resources to go around. So, although it seems way too early, it’s smart to start researching what’s available in your neighborhood now. It’s absolutely the right time to ask friends, relatives, and even strangers you meet in the park for their recommendations.
Most babies don’t experience separation anxiety until four or five months—but you might! Take the time to get to know your new caregivers. Do a trial run of the morning routine and help your helpers with your advice and observations. These early conversations will reveal if the caregiver you are considering is a respectful good listener and who is asking thoughtful questions. And, all this can really help boost your confidence.
5-Week-Old Baby Feeding Schedule
How much breastmilk should a 5-week-old baby eat?
A breastfed 5-week-old baby eats about 2 to 3 ounces of milk about every 2 to 3 hours, and as they approach 2 months, they’ll begin eating closer to 4 to 5 ounces every 3 to 4 hours.
Monitor your baby’s cues to determine when they’re hungry.
How much should a formula-fed 5-week-old baby eat?
At 5 weeks, formula-fed babies eat about 4 ounces of formula every four hours, and you may find that your baby no longer needs a middle-of-the-night feeding. However, every baby is different. A good rule of thumb is that in a day, your baby should consume about 2.5 ounces of formula for each pound of their body weight.
Your 5-Week-Old Baby’s Development
Let’s talk baby talk
There may be a new voice in the house—but not your baby’s! Sure, you’re hearing some precious “coos” from your peanut, but the big surprise is that you have suddenly begun speaking a new language: “mother-ese!” The features of speaking (or singing) mother-ese are repeated short phrases delivered in a high-pitched, sing-songy style. And research shows that this sugary conversational style helps babies tune in and learn!
Okay, it’s not a full conversation, but it is a tiny, two-way “dialogue.
” You say a few phrases in sing-song mother-ese (“Hi BAY-by…Hi BAY-by, good MORN-ing, good-MORN-ing!”) then, wait. Give a few seconds to allow your baby to respond…somehow (watch you, blink, coo, smile, shriek, etc). Then you respond with a bit more mother-ese. At this age, these little chats usually only last two to three minutes.
This back-and-forth—known as “serve and return”—may seem like a silly little game…and it is. However, this back-and-forth is teaching your baby the most important social rule they will ever learn: The way we show our love and respect for someone we care about is to pay attention and to take turns.
Your 5-Week-Old Baby’s Health
5-week-old baby fussing and not sleeping? Could it be colic?
Research has shown that infants reach peak fussiness around 5 to 6 weeks. If that’s what you are going through, you’ve joined centuries of parents who’ve tried to figure out why their babies cry and how to help their babies overcome the tears.
We often hear about gas or reflux or being overtired or bored as being a cause of this irritability. Through the years, the word “colic” has been thrown around as the cause of this crying. Colic means crampy stomach pain. That can seem right, especially if your baby doubles-up, gets red-faced and passes gas. Typically, colicky babies are happy and alert many hours of the day…until things just fall apart at dusk…that early evening fussy period is called the “witching hour.”
How can you tell if your baby is crying from pain? Try a few good old calming tricks. Start with the 5 S’s. Most of the time, they help very quickly. If not, double check to make sure you’re doing them right. Still fussing? Continue the 5 S’s, but turn on a really strong white noise (like a hair drier or exhaust fan). If all else fails, some parents find success with a car ride. Of course, if nothing is calming your baby or if the fussing is mixed with being listless, lethargic, and not eating properly—or there is any fever—call your doctor to get medical advice.
Fortunately, most of the time the cause of witching hour fussing is much simpler. After 3 to 4 weeks of age, babies have increasingly opened up to the world. They spend more and more time awake and alert…and by the early evening, the full day of lights, sounds, colors, and smells just overwhelms them and triggers a melt-down, especially in babies with more sensitive and/or passionate temperaments (you know the babies who carefully watch your every move— or the ones who are big grinners but cry from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds when hungry.)
< Your 4-Week-Old Baby | Your 6-Week-Old Baby >
About Dr. Harvey Karp
Dr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatricians, is the founder of Happiest Baby and the inventor of the groundbreaking SNOO Smart Sleeper. After years of treating patients in Los Angeles, Dr. Karp vaulted to global prominence with the release of the bestselling Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block.
His celebrated books and videos have since become standard pediatric practice, translated into more than 20 languages and have helped millions of parents. Dr. Karp’s landmark methods, including the 5 S’s for soothing babies, guide parents to understand and nurture their children and relieve stressful issues, like new-parent exhaustion, infant crying, and toddler tantrums.
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Have questions about a Happiest Baby product? Our consultants would be happy to help! Connect with us at [email protected].
Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.
Five-Week-Old Baby Feeding Schedule & Amounts
By Motherly Updated April 5, 2022
By this point, your five-week-old baby’s feeding schedule should feel somewhat routine, which can actually be liberating! With some confidence around when your baby will be ready to eat, you can also plan for outings—both with and without your baby.
If going back to work is on the radar, now is a good time to start organizing the feeding essentials so you can make the transition as smooth as possible.
How much should a five-week-old baby eat?
The American Academy of Pediatrics and La Leche League recommend the following feeding schedules and amounts for 5-week-olds.
Breast milk: 2 to 3 ounces every 2 to 3 hours
Formula: 4 to 5 ounces every 4 hours
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also recommends that parents should follow the responsive feeding method, also known as feeding on demand, which looks to the infant’s hunger cues for when to feed. The schedules below are just examples—be sure to follow your baby’s hunger signals to know when your little one is ready for the next feeding. As babies get older, their hunger cues and feeding times start to become a little more predictable.
Related: 2-month-old milestones
How often should a five-week-old baby feed? A sample feeding schedule:
Remember, it’s more important that you follow your baby’s cues than adhere to a set schedule, so schedules outlined are general guides of how frequently you’ll feed your baby—not hard-and-fast rules.
These guidelines also apply primarily to infants born full-term and without any underlying medical conditions. For preterm infants, babies with certain medical conditions or for any specific questions pertaining to your child, be sure to consult your child’s pediatrician for a more customized feeding schedule.
When is breast milk supply regulated?
For breastfeeding mamas, milk supply during the early weeks can feel like a roller coaster. But, by 5 weeks of breastfeeding, your milk supply should begin to regulate more. First, the good news: That means you may not feel as much engorgement and will not experience as much leaking. However, it’s common for supply to dip, too. The best ways to keep your supply going strong is to continue to feed your baby when they are hungry, keep yourself hydrated and avoid diving right into strenuous exercise when cleared by your doctor.
Related: Baby Sleep Guides & Schedules
How to pump breast milk at work
If you are heading back into the office in a few weeks and plan to pump, the logistics may feel a bit overwhelming at this point.
First of all, it’s important to know you’ve got this! Many, many mamas have walked this road before you. They also led the way to creating legislation that protects your rights as a pumping mom. With that in mind, it can help to have a thorough discussion with management about where and when you’ll have the privacy to pump. Don’t leave this to the first day back on the job! Then pick up some more pumping-on-the-job tips from a lactation consultant.
Feeding your baby is a team sport—and you are the MVP, mama. Remember that the most valuable player needs to take care of themselves, too. If you’ve been holding down the nighttime feeding shifts for the past five weeks, consider asking your partner (if applicable) to take over a nighttime bottle-feeding shift so you can squeeze in a bit more shut-eye. Even one night of deeper sleep can make a world of difference.
Read more about wellness for mama and your 5-week-old:
- How much sleep does a 5-week-old need?
- Motherly’s Postpartum Wellness Class is here!
- Subscribe to the Becoming Mama podcast
- It’s not ‘spoiling’ to breastfeed your baby on demand
A version of this story was published October 17, 2021.
It has been updated.
Diet for a 4-6 month old baby
Your baby is already 4 months old. He has noticeably grown up, become more active, is interested in objects that fall into his field of vision, carefully examines and reaches for them. The emotional reactions of the child have become much richer: he joyfully smiles at all the people whom he often sees more and more often, makes various sounds.
You are still breastfeeding your baby or have had to switch to mixed or formula feeding. The child is actively growing, and only with breast milk or infant formula, he can no longer always get all the necessary nutrients. And that means it's time to think about complementary foods. nine0003
The optimal time to start its introduction is between 4 and 6 months, regardless of whether the baby is receiving breast milk or formula. This is the time when children respond best to new foods. Up to 4 months, the child is not yet ready to perceive and digest any other food.
And with the late introduction of complementary foods - after 6 months, children already have significant deficiencies of individual nutrients and, first of all, micronutrients (minerals, vitamins, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, etc.). In addition, toddlers at this age often refuse new foods, they have delayed development of chewing skills for thick foods, and inadequate eating habits are formed. It is important to know that, no matter how strange it may seem at first glance, with a delayed appointment of complementary foods, allergic reactions more often occur on them. nine0003
When is it advisable to introduce complementary foods as early as 4 months, and when can you wait until 5.5 or even 6 months? To resolve this issue, be sure to consult a pediatrician.
As a rule, at an earlier age (4 - 4.5 months), complementary foods are introduced to children at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia, as well as children with insufficient weight gain and with functional digestive disorders.
The optimal time to start complementary foods for a healthy baby is between 5 and 5.5 months of age. nine0003
The World Health Organization recommends that breastfed babies should be introduced to complementary foods from 6 months of age. From the point of view of domestic pediatricians, which is based on extensive practical experience and scientific research, this is possible only in cases where the child was born on time, without malnutrition (since in these cases the mineral reserves are very small), he is healthy, grows well and develops. In addition, the mother should also be healthy, eat well and use either specialized enriched foods for pregnant and lactating women, or vitamin and mineral complexes in courses. Such restrictions are associated with the depletion of iron stores even in a completely healthy child by 5-5.5 months of age and a significant increase in the risk of anemia in the absence of complementary foods rich or fortified with iron. There are other deficits as well.
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The first complementary food can be vegetable puree or porridge, fruit puree is better to give the baby later - after tasty sweet fruits, children usually eat vegetable puree and cereals worse, often refuse them altogether.
Where is the best place to start? In cases where the child has a tendency to constipation or he puts on weight too quickly, preference should be given to vegetables. With a high probability of developing anemia, unstable stools and small weight gains - from baby cereals enriched with micronutrients. And if you started introducing complementary foods with cereals, then the second product will be vegetables and vice versa. nine0003
If the first complementary food is introduced at 6 months, it must be baby porridge enriched with iron and other minerals and vitamins, the intake of which with breast milk is no longer enough.
Another important complementary food product is mashed meat. It contains iron, which is easily absorbed. And adding meat to vegetables improves the absorption of iron from them.
It is advisable to introduce meat puree to a child at the age of 6 months. Only the daily use of children's enriched porridge and meat puree can satisfy the needs of babies in iron, zinc and other micronutrients. nine0003
But it is better to introduce juices later, when the child already receives the main complementary foods - vegetables, cereals, meat and fruits. After all, complementary foods are needed so that the baby receives all the substances necessary for growth and development, and there are very few in their juices, including vitamins and minerals.
Juices should not be given between feedings, but after the child has eaten porridge or vegetables with meat puree, as well as for an afternoon snack. The habit of drinking juice between meals leads to frequent snacking in the future, a love of sweets is instilled, children have more tooth decay and an increased risk of obesity. nine0003
With the start of the introduction of complementary foods, the child is gradually transferred to a 5-time feeding regimen.
Rules for the introduction of complementary foods:
- preference should be given to baby products of industrial production, they are made from environmentally friendly raw materials, have a guaranteed composition and degree of grinding
- Complementary foods should be offered to the baby by spoon at the start of feeding, before breastfeeding (formula feeding)
- the volume of the product increases gradually, starting with ½ - 1 spoon, and in 7 - 10 days we bring it to the age norm, subsequent products within the same group (cereals from other cereals or new vegetables)
- can be entered faster, in 5 - 7 days
- start introduction with monocomponent products
- it is undesirable to give a new product in the afternoon, it is important to follow how the child reacts to it
- do not introduce new products in the event of acute illnesses, as well as before and immediately after prophylactic vaccination (should be abstained for several days)
When introducing a new type of complementary food, first try one product, gradually increasing its amount, and then gradually “dilute” this product with a new one.
For example, vegetable complementary foods can be started with a teaspoon of zucchini puree. During the week, give the baby only this product, gradually increasing its volume. After a week, add a teaspoon of mashed broccoli or cauliflower to the zucchini puree and continue to increase the total volume every day. Vegetable puree from three types of vegetables will be optimal. The portion should correspond to the age norm. Over time, you can replace the introduced vegetables with others faster. nine0003
After the introduction of one vegetable (bringing its volume to the required amount), you can proceed to the intake of porridge, and diversify the vegetable diet later.
If the child did not like the dish, for example, broccoli, do not give up and continue to offer this vegetable in a small amount - 1-2 spoons daily, you can not even once, but 2-3 times before meals, and after 7 - 10, and sometimes 15 days, the baby will get used to the new taste. This diversifies the diet, will help to form the right taste habits in the baby.
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Spoon-feeding should be done with patience and care. Forced feeding is unacceptable!
In the diet of healthy children, porridge is usually introduced after vegetables (with the exception of healthy breastfed children, when complementary foods are introduced from 6 months). It is better to start with dairy-free gluten-free cereals - buckwheat, corn, rice. At the same time, it is important to use porridge for baby food of industrial production, which contains a complex of vitamins and minerals. In addition, it is already ready for use, you just need to dilute it with breast milk or the mixture that the baby receives. nine0003
Children suffering from food allergies are introduced complementary foods at 5-5.5 months. The rules for the introduction of products are the same as for healthy children, in all cases it is introduced slowly and begins with hypoallergenic products. Be sure to take into account individual tolerance. The difference is only in the correction of the diet, taking into account the identified allergens.
From meat products, preference should first be given to mashed turkey and rabbit.
Diets for different age periods
Explain how you can make a diet, it is better to use a few examples that will help you navigate in compiling a menu specifically for your child.
From 5 months, the volume of one feeding is on average 200 ml.
Option 1.
If your baby started receiving complementary foods from 4-5 months, then at 6 months his diet should look like this:
| I feeding 6 hours | Breast milk or VHI* | 200 ml |
| II feeding 10 hours | Dairy-free porridge** Supplementation with breast milk or VHI* | 150 g 50 ml |
| III feeding 14 hours | Vegetable puree Meat puree Vegetable oil Supplemental breast milk or VHI* | 150 g 5 - 30 g 1 tsp 30 ml |
| IV feeding 18 hours | Fruit puree Breast milk or VHI* | 60 g 140 ml |
| V feeding 22 hours | Breast milk or VHI* | 200 ml |
* - infant formula
** - diluted with breast milk or VHI
Option 2.
* - infant formula Option 3. : ** - diluted with breast milk Up to 7 months, increase the volume of porridge and vegetable puree to 150 g and introduce fruit puree. The materials were prepared by the staff of the Healthy and Sick Child Nutrition Laboratory of the National Research Center for Children's Health of the Ministry of Health of Russia and are based on the recommendations given in the National Program for Optimizing the Feeding of Children in the First Year of Life in the Russian Federation, approved at the XV Congress of Pediatricians of Russia (02.2009d.) Regardless of whether your child is receiving breast milk or infant formula, at about six months of age, according to WHO* recommendations, the first complementary foods should be introduced. But where to start feeding? And how to do it right? Let's talk in order. It is at the age of 6 months that the baby's body responds best to new foods. The first complementary foods in combination with breast milk should provide the child with all the useful substances necessary for his growth and development. To know when it's time to consider introducing food other than milk or formula, watch for signs of complementary feeding. It's time to start complementary foods if: Consult your paediatrician before introducing complementary foods. And in order to introduce complementary foods correctly, read the complementary feeding scheme below. Complementary foods at this early age should be introduced if the child is not gaining weight well or is at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia. Which foods can start weaning: What foods should be in the baby's diet if you introduced complementary foods at 5 months: What new products are introduced into the diet: What new products are introduced into the diet: What foods should be in the baby's diet by the end of the 7th month: What new products are introduced into the diet: What new products are introduced into the diet: After 9-12 months volumes of previously introduced products will continue to increase, but remember that the older the child, the more pronounced the individual characteristics, therefore, the food needs of children at this age may differ. Focus on your baby's weight gain, appetite, and your own common sense. nine0003 If you think your child is malnourished or is not gaining weight, please consult a pediatrician. I feeding
6 hours Breast milk or VHI* 200 ml II feeding
10 hours Dairy-free porridge**
Fruit puree 150 g
20 g III feeding
14 hours Vegetable puree
Meat puree Vegetable oil
Fruit juice 150 g
5 - 30 g
1 tsp
60 ml IV feeding
18 hours Fruit puree
Breast milk or VHI* 40 g
140 ml V feeding
22 hours Breast milk or VHI* 200 ml
** - diluted with breast milk or VHI 
I feeding
6 hours Breast milk II feeding
10 hours Dairy-free porridge**
Breast milk supplement 100 g III feeding
14 hours Vegetable puree
Meat puree Vegetable oil
Breast milk supplement 100 g
5 - 30 g
1 tsp IV feeding
18 hours Breast milk V feeding nine0079 Breast milk
22 hours 
Complementary feeding scheme | Nutriclub
Also, the timely introduction of complementary foods contributes to the development of the chewing skills of the baby. Russian pediatric practice also allows for earlier introduction of complementary foods - from 4-5 months **. nine0003 How many months to introduce complementary foods?
Rules for the introduction of complementary foods
Complementary feeding scheme
Age Products and portion sizes 4-5 months 
Complementary foods are introduced to healthy children from 5 months. There are a number of contraindications for an early start of complementary foods, consult your pediatrician!
6 months
7 months What foods should be in the baby's diet by the end of the 7th month:
8 months
9-12 months What foods should be in the diet of a child at this age:
50g
