Baby dream feed amount
What Is Dream Feeding? And How Do I Dream Feed? – Happiest Baby
By Dr. Harvey Karp, MD, FAAP
On This Page
- Dream Feeding: What It Is
- How to Dream Feed
- How to Get Your Baby Back to Sleep
- Dream Feeding Tips
- Dream Feeding Benefits
- Adding a Second Dream Feed
- When to Stop Dream Feeds
- Final Thoughts on Dream Feeds
Newborn babies eat a lot. Breastfed infants eat about every two to three hours and formula-fed babies hit the bottle every three to four hours…and that doesn’t stop when bedtime calls. In fact, bottle-fed babies often continue night feedings until they’re around 6 months old, whereas breastfed babies may continue up to a year. But that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing you can do to tame night-waking. If your little one wakes up hungry each night, it’s smart to increase daytime milk (research shows that infants who received more milk or solid feeds during the day are less likely to feed at night) and boost their evening calories by way of a dream feed. Think of a dream feed as topping off your car’s gas tank...so there's no need to refuel during the journey ahead. Offering your baby a dream feed will eliminate—or at least delay—one of the top reasons babies wake through the night: a rumbling tummy.
Dream feeding is when you rouse your baby—without fully waking them up—to feed them one more time before you turn in for the night.
Babies who go to sleep between 6pm and 8pm often wake out of hunger in the middle of the night. But research has shown that sneaking in an extra feed between 10pm and midnight can reduce night wakings, helping babies stay asleep until a more “reasonable” time of the morning. This can become part of your little one’s regular sleep schedule.
The goal of a dream feed is to offer your little one more meal before you hit the hay, so that you and your baby’s schedule sync better…and you both sleep better. Ready to try it? Follow these steps:
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Step 1: Gently take your baby out of the bassinet or crib between 10pm and 12am, or whenever when you go to bed. Keep the room dim and quiet, except for white noise. Doing this during Baby’s more active REM sleep is ideal. During REM sleep your baby may flutter their eyelids, make little squeaks and squawks, or move around more than usual.
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Step 2: Keep your baby swaddled. There’s no need to unswaddle—or change your baby’s diaper—if they’ll take the feed that way and their diaper isn’t soiled. (If your baby is super sleepy, you may need to rouse them a bit by gently tickling their toes.)
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Step 3: Touch Baby’s cheek with your breast or bottle. Placing your breast or bottle on your baby's cheek or lower lip will wake up their rooting reflex and get your baby to start eating.
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Step 4: Offer a brief feed. Encourage nursing for 5 to 10 minutes on each side. For bottle-fed babies, try for about 3 ounces.
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Step 5: Burp your baby. Many parents ask: Do you burp a baby after a dream feed? and the answer is always yes. You want to burp a baby after a dream feed—or any feed—before putting them back down on their back.
Oftentimes, a baby who has just enjoyed a dream feed can be returned to their bassinet with nary a wakeup.
But if your little one has woken up during or after a dream feed, you can get them back down with the help of the 5 S’s: Swaddling, Side/Stomach, Shushing, Swinging, Sucking.
First, if you haven’t already, swaddle your baby and put on some rumbly white noise. I recommend playing white noise all night, but you can turn up the volume as you’re putting your baby back down. The most effective white noise for sleep is continuous, monotonous, and at a low-pitch, like my SNOO sounds download or SNOObear, Happiest Baby’s white noise lovey.
At the same time, gentle rhythmic motion can help lull babies to sleep. In fact, a 2019 study in the journal PLOS ONE found that the magical mix of swaddling, white noise, and rocking “evokes an immediate calming response” when caregivers soothe their infants and when they use SNOO, my responsive bassinet. SNOO uses womb-like white noise and motion (and a built-in swaddle!) to quickly settle babies back to sleep after a feed…usually adding sleep for the whole family.
Other time-tested tricks to help a baby sleep after a dream feed include rocking in a rocking chair, walking with your baby in your arms, bouncing on an exercise ball, and offering a pacifier, which fulfills the Sucking portion of the 5 S’s. As an added bonus, research suggests a bedtime paci helps lower the risk of sudden infant sleep death, or SIDS.
As you put your little one back into their bassinet, do my quick wake-and-sleep trick, which teaches your baby to fall asleep on their own. Here’s the gist: Right after you put your baby down, gently rouse them with a gentle tickle on their feet until they barely open their eyes. After a few seconds, they’ll close their eyes again and slide back to sleep. If your little one fusses, pick them up for a feed or a cuddle, then repeat the gentle-tickle-to-wake routine.
Set your baby up for dream feed success:As I mentioned earlier, the one-two punch of adding daytime calories and dream feeds can really work wonders to help babies sleep longer.
Try offering cluster feeds from about 4pm till bedtime. Cluster feeds are a series of quick milky meals given to Baby every one to two hours. They’re meant to load your little one’s system with calories to keep them well stocked with nutrition through the night. At the same time, put your little one down for night-night safely swaddled with your trusted white noise on. Consider this another “dream team” to help Baby sleep better!
A wonderful thing about dream feeding is that doesn’t interfere with your little one’s need to feed at night. Instead, dream feeding simply shifts your baby’s feeding schedule just a bit so that it’s more conducive to your sleep schedule, too. Plus, dream feeding means that…
- Your baby will get the extra calories they need to sleep better.
- Your baby is eating a meal at a convenient time, so you can sleep longer, too.
- You’re not responding to your baby’s crying with food, which is important because reacting to cries with a feed can inadvertently encourage your baby to eat more at night.
- Your baby will eat less during the night and therefore be hungrier in the morning, which will boost daytime eating.
If your baby frequently wakes around 3:30am despite having an earlier dream feed and using strong, rumbly white noise, consider setting your alarm and giving one more dream feed at 3am. Again, it’s best to keep the lights dim and to not talk or cuddle too much at this hour. You want to be loving when you feed your baby, but you don’t want your little one to think that it’s time to play! The idea is to pick up and feed your little one before they wake you, so you’re giving your baby the nourishment they need, but not rewarding them for waking and crying.
If you must do this early-morning dream feed, every three days, reduce the 3am feed a bit more by giving a little less milk than usual. If you’re nursing, just feed on one side for the second dream feed. If you’re bottle-feeding, you can try doubling the amount of water the formula directions suggest—for just ONE feeding and ONLY for a couple days.
This is very important: It’s dangerous to dilute baby formula for meals. It can cause serious health problems. Diluting for this ONE wee-hour feed for a brief period of time is different. The purpose of the extra water is to fill your baby’s stomach with enough ounces, but fewer calories. This can help babies sleep through to morning…when they will be hungry and ready to eat their full bottle again. Again, this is a temporary fix only to be used for the 3am dream feed—and only for a couple of nights.
All babies are different, so there is no specific age recommendation for stopping a dream feed. My general rule is that you can bid adieu to the dream feed 2 to 4 weeks after your baby is sleeping well from the time of your dream feed on through to the morning. (Learn when your baby might start sleeping through the night.) Of course, if the dream feed isn’t working for you, there’s no need to continue!
Final Thoughts on the Dream Feed and Other Sleep TipsOffering a dream feed to your snoozing baby before you declare “lights out” may give you a chance to catch more precious ZZZs, which, of course, is fantastic! Giving a dream feed can also help train your sweet pea to stay asleep for longer stretches…and that skill can carry over to better night sleeps down the road, too.
Beyond dream feeding, if your newborn baby is having difficulty sleeping, you may need a little extra help lulling them to dreamland. This is where I hope SNOO can help exhausted families by automatically soothing fussing with gentle rocking and white noise. You can learn more about SNOO and find other great sleep resources below:
- SNOO Success Stories
- All About Your Baby’s Wake Windows
- What to Do When Your Baby Won't Sleep in a Bassinet
- How to Turn On Baby’s “On Switch” for Sleep
- Sleep Regression 101
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.
Dream feeding: How to dream feed your baby
Updated Oct 10, 2022
Maybe you have heard the term “dream feed” from a friend, in one of the many sleep training articles you have read, or in your favorite parenting group.
Wherever you were first introduced to the commonly used strategy to encourage fewer night wakings, we bet you still have some questions!
We’re glad you’re curious and are excited to help you better understand dream nursing or bottle feeding and how filling up your baby’s tummy just before their longest sleep can help everyone get a better night’s rest.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
What is a dream feed?
At what age can you dream feed?
Dream feed by age chart
When is the best time to stop the dream feed?
How do I dream feed?
Dream feed schedule (example)
Dream feed FAQs
What is a dream feed?
To put it simply, it’s a sleepy nursing or bottle feeding session given to your baby in the late evening (hours after they’ve already gone to sleep at bedtime), usually just before you go to sleep yourself.
This practice of waking your baby to eat can help parents sync the longest stretch of their baby’s night sleep with their own. The idea is to shift your baby’s normal feeding time a bit earlier, and it works best for babies who wake at night due to hunger.
Note that offering breast milk or formula at this time typically won’t help improve sleep if a child is waking due to a sleep onset association rather than hunger. For example, if an infant older than 4 months will only fall asleep while being fed at bedtime, they will more likely need to be fed back to sleep when waking in the night between sleep cycles, even if they aren’t hungry. Offering a twilight feed in a case like this is unlikely to improve your baby’s sleep.
At what age can you dream feed?
Great question! Parents around the world first introduce this twilight feed at various times. It is never too soon to introduce a sleep feeding into your baby’s schedule, although some prefer to wait until their baby graduates from the newborn phase.
Dream feeding is most used for babies between 6 weeks and 10 months old.
While many older breastfed babies (who are also consuming solids) are capable of going 10 - 12 hours overnight without a feeding, some simply are not. The age at which a baby can go all night without a feeding depends on several factors. While most 10 month olds are ready, or will be ready, to fully wean at night, some babies may continue to need at least 1 feeding overnight until closer to 12 months.
Let’s take a look at the optimal ages to dream nurse or bottle feed.
Dream feed by age chart
| Dream feed by Age | Why it is the optimal age |
|---|---|
| Dream feed at 6 weeks old | 6 weeks is a great time to add a sleepy feed to your baby’s feeding schedule. Around 6 weeks, many babies have just come out of their 4- to 6-week growth spurt and begin showing signs that they are ready to sleep for longer periods overnight. |
| Dream feed at 3 months old | 3 months is a very popular age to add a last feed before midnight. By 12 weeks, many babies can go one stretch of about 3 - 4 hours (or longer) without a feeding. Adding a dream nursing or bottle feeding a couple hours before midnight may help your baby sleep until 1 or 2 AM. |
| Dream feed at 4 months old | 4 months may be the most popular age to begin dream feeding. Between 4 and 6 months, babies will often experience another growth spurt and naturally show signs of needing an extra night feeding (even if they previously dropped an overnight feed). If this sounds like your baby, sleep feeding may be the answer! |
| Dream feed at 6 months old | 6 months is another ideal time to resume or begin. At around 6 months, babies’ bedtimes typically get earlier, leaving more time for nighttime sleep. Feeding your baby again a few hours after they have gone to sleep for the night can be the “magic trick” that gives you and your baby peaceful sleep until the early morning hours. |
| Dream feed at 10 months old | Some 10 month old babies, who are still waking to feed at night, can also benefit from a last feed around 9 or 10 PM. A well-timed dream feeding at this age helps some babies sleep until it is time to wake up for the day. However, do note that a dream feed can interrupt a baby’s natural sleep cycle, and they may continue to wake in the early morning hours. Older babies may sleep better with one feeding between 3:00 and 5:00 AM rather than a dream feed. |
When is the best time to stop the dream feed?
Babies will not need a dream feed forever.
The best time to stop or drop it depends on a few things. At Huckleberry, we take into consideration:
Your baby’s primary feeding method (i.e., breastfeeding, bottle feeding, combination feeding, and if solids have been introduced)
Calorie intake during the day
How ready you are to stop the feeding
Whether your baby is waking from true hunger or a sleep onset association
How helpful the feeding is to your baby’s sleep schedule and ability to sleep longer as a result of a late-night last feed
How do I dream feed?
Now that you know what this sleepy feed is, what age you can offer this feed, and the best time to stop, let’s help you learn how to dream feed your baby.
Step 1. Rouse the baby.
After your baby has been sleeping for 1 - 3 hours, you will want to gently wake up your baby. Many families ask us, “How awake should my baby be for the dream feeding?” Ideally, you want your baby to remain drowsy and awake just enough to take a full feeding.
Pro Tips:
Keep the lights off or very dim.
Be boring! Try not to talk, move around, or make a lot of noise.
Be mindful as you pick up your baby from the crib or bassinet. Slow and steady movements help keep you and your baby safe and reduce the chances of waking them fully.
Step 2. Get ready to feed.
How long or how much to feed your baby at this final feed of the night varies.
Breastfed babies may need to nurse for just a few minutes (e.g., 5 - 10 minutes) or half an hour. There is no magic twilight feed duration that applies to every breastfeeding mom and baby. Bottle-fed babies, like breastfed babies, will require differing amounts, depending on their age, size, and how recently they last ate.
Step 3. Put the baby back to sleep.
After the feed, your goal is to put your sweet one back in their sleep space without them waking up fully. This can be tricky, but with practice and patience, it can be done!
Use slow/steady movements to gently lay your baby back down to sleep. If your baby wakes fully, ideally, they will fall back to sleep in the same way that they fell asleep at the beginning of the night. Follow safer sleep guidelines by laying your baby down on their back.
Let’s not forget burping!
Not every baby is a “big burper” or needs to burp following every feed.
You know your baby best; if your baby tends to need a burp after finishing a feed, be sure to get one before laying your baby back in the crib or bassinet.
Bonus round! The double dream feed…
You read that right. Some parents double down on the dream nursing or bottle. The double feed is when you purposefully offer your baby two sleepy feedings in the evening, roughly 2 hours apart, with the final feed occurring close to midnight.
Dream feed weaning
Once a family is ready, they can stop waking their baby for the feedings and let them wake naturally when they need to eat. Another option is to offer a little less milk or formula each night. For example, parents can gradually lessen the time spent nursing by a few minutes or reduce the formula in the bottle by 1 - 2 ounces.
Dream feed schedule
Here is an example of a dream nursing or bottle schedule.
6:30 PM Bedtime feeding
7:30 PM Bedtime
9:30 PM Parent rouses baby for dream feeding
10:00 PM Baby is back to sleep
1:30 AM Baby wakes for night feeding
4:30 AM Baby wakes for night feeding
7:30 AM Wake up
Pros and cons of dream feeds
| Pros of dream feed | Cons of dream feed |
|---|---|
| Encourages longer stretch of sleep overnight | Family may prefer a more organic feeding schedule |
| Helps parents feel more rested | Baby may be difficult to wake for feed |
| Protective of milk supply | Baby may wake up fully and need help going back to sleep. Babies helped back to sleep may develop (or maintain) a helped-to-sleep association which can lead to increased night waking. |
| Helps baby receive adequate calories | Parents may prefer an earlier bedtime for themselves |
| Promotes a more predictable schedule | Requires planning and forethought |
Dream Feed FAQs
Q: Is a dream feed right for us?
A:
For babies 10 months or younger who are waking from hunger (which can also manifest as early risings), you might consider offering a dream feed to lengthen their stretches of nighttime sleep.
Q: Is a dream feed guaranteed to work?
A:
Dream feeds help some families get more sleep, while others don’t find them very useful. We find that dream feeds won’t help babies sleep better if they are waking for reasons unrelated to hunger, such as a sleep onset association or schedule issues. You can always give it a try for a few nights to see if it will work for your family.
Q: When is the ideal time to offer a dream feed?
A:
The ideal time to offer a dream feed is before the parent’s bedtime, typically between 10 PM and midnight.
Q: Will offering a dream feed lower my milk supply?
A:
Feeding your baby again in the late-night hours sends the signal to your body to produce more breast milk and can promote an increase in milk production.
Q: My baby has reflux, can I still dream feed?
A:
Babies with reflux may need to be held upright for 10 - 30 minutes after a feeding. If your baby requires upright time after feedings, be sure to factor in this extra time when planning your night feeding schedule with a dream feed.
Q: Can I dream feed with formula?
A:
A sleep feeding can be done with breast milk or formula.
Q: Should I wake my baby to feed at night?
A:
Waking a baby for a dream nursing or bottle feeding right before the parent’s bedtime can sometimes lengthen night sleep for the entire family.
This can be particularly helpful if a baby is waking at night from hunger. However, waking a baby to feed at night won’t typically help extend sleep if a child is waking for other reasons (such as a sleep onset association).
Q: Can dream feeding cause early waking?
A:
A feeding before the parent’s bedtime won’t typically be the cause of an early morning waking habit. However, some babies will continue to wake during the early morning hours to feed, even if they are offered a twilight feed.
Q: Can a dream feed reduce night wakings?
A:
Yes, in some cases, offering an additional night feeding before the parent’s bedtime can extend sleep. Offering breast milk or formula at this time tends to be most helpful if the child would otherwise wake from hunger in the middle of the night.
per month, recommended per hour
07/11/2019
59
The daily routine of the child per year basically remains the same as in the previous 2 months. At this age, the baby needs 13-14 hours a day to rest. Of these, 2-2.5 hours or a little more is enough for daytime sleep. The amount of night sleep will vary from 11 to 12 hours.
By the age of 1, babies are able to sleep through the night without waking up for feeds.
Usually a child's daily routine is based on hours with two naps: when getting up at 6-7 in the morning, it is optimal to start them around 9.30-10.00 and 14.00-14.30 hours. At the same time, early laying is preserved. At one year old, the baby will go into the night about 4.5 hours after the last daytime sleep. So much he is able to stay awake now without overwork.
Maintaining a stable daily routine will help you avoid bedtime protests and improve your baby's sleep. The child will know exactly when it is time to walk, feed, bathe / wash, sleep.
Approximate daily routine of a 12-month-old baby
Reasons why a child's sleep may get worse
Sleep disturbances at this age are often behavioral. Let's see what problems you may encounter.
1. Baby refuses one of his daytime naps.
Most 1-year-olds are not yet ready to transition to one nap because their sleep needs are still high.
Aim to stick to a two-sleep regimen until 15-18 months of age. By this age, the child's body will be physically ready for a longer wakefulness and a gradual transition to one dream.
If one of your dreams doesn't come true, go to bed earlier to prevent the accumulation of fatigue.
If the baby does not fall asleep during the second nap, limit the morning nap to an hour. Or, move the start of your lunchtime nap to a slightly later time. This dream does not need to be limited.
For more information about daytime sleep, see the free master class BABY DAY SLEEP: 3 STEPS TO PREDICTABILITY
2.
Baby learns new skills Baby learns to walk, understands that he can get up in the crib by himself, holding on to the side, or actively begins to speak .
Sometimes a new skill becomes so exciting for a baby that it causes problems with sleep and behaviour. For example, a child begins to experience separation anxiety, especially during bedtime. Or doing lifts in the crib instead of sleeping.
In this case, give the child the opportunity to practice the new skill while awake. After a week or two, he will get used to it and sleep will improve.
3. A one-year-old baby relies on outside help to fall asleep: bottle, pacifier, motion sickness, chest.
As a result, even many 12-month-olds often wake up at night, have short naps during the day, and fall asleep only when their mother is present.
Identify the negative association with sleep and teach your baby to relax and fall asleep on their own. If necessary, contact a child sleep consultant.
4. Child sleeps poorly due to unsuitable sleeping conditions
Too warm pajamas, high/low room temperature, insufficient darkness or humidity, uncomfortable mattress in crib, noise during sleep.
Review sleep conditions and change if necessary.
5. The baby reacts to changes in the family.
Any deviation from the usual routine can affect a child's sleep: the imminent arrival of a second baby, moving to a new house, the appearance of a nanny.
Prepare your child in advance for important changes in the family so that they do not upset the usual daily routine.
6. The child wakes up because of hunger.
This happens if the baby did not eat enough during the day or his diet is not balanced. At this age, babies are often distracted while feeding and may become malnourished. They are more interested in exploring and playing with toys than sitting in a highchair.
Let's see how to establish a suitable feeding schedule at 12 months.
Child's diet
At 1 year of age, complementary foods make up about half of the child's diet. It can be more or less - everything is individual.
The menu of complementary foods for a baby in the first year of life consists of 5 food groups: vegetables, fruits, meat, cereals and dairy products.
Feed your child one of the foods in each group every day for variety.
If he refuses one of the foods, do not force him to eat.
You will notice that by the age of one your child wants to eat from the common table. Children of this age already prefer to eat in pieces rather than in the form of mashed potatoes, and begin to eat with a spoon, drink from a sippy bowl or a cup.
Cooking methods can be different: baking without oil, stewing, boiling, frying in a pan with a non-stick coating. It is worth remembering that many children now prefer simple monocomponent dishes.
How many times a day should I feed my baby? Excluding breast milk/formula, the baby will eat up to 5 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Include in the menu: cereals, soups, steam omelet, meatballs, fish dishes and vegetables. Offer water, juice or compote, preferably without sugar. For an afternoon snack, you can give cookies, fruits or kefir. You can include cow's milk in the menu.
Avoid the following:
- smoked products
- sweets
- fried food
- carbonated drinks
Child development per year
Every day of a one year old baby is full of new events and discoveries. He already understands how to behave in a family, is interested in other children, but does not yet know how to communicate with them. Reaches his hands to the toy he wants. The child knows how to get your attention.
A one-year-old baby knows the names of objects that he sees around him every day. Soon he will utter his first, understandable word.
Speak out the actions that he takes to replenish the vocabulary of the baby and build a word-action connection.
You can count the steps as you walk up the stairs, or name the colors of fruits and vegetables in the grocery store. It is also important to read picture books and ask the child to point and name familiar objects.
The child is already strong physically and can do a lot. He has already been sitting for a longer time and can turn in this position to reach for toys. Some babies learn to stand for a short time without support.
Babies are starting to walk. But don't worry if your child hasn't gone yet. Usually this skill is mastered by children in the period from 9 to 17 months.
What is your baby's daily routine by the age of one? Have sleep problems?
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How much a newborn should eat per feeding: table
Given the weight of the child and his exact age, you can determine how much a newborn should eat per feeding by referring to the tables below.
The data will be especially accurate for a newborn in the first 10 days of his life, since the volumes of the stomachs of babies in the first days are the same.
ContentsExpand
- Dosing table for milk and formula
- Formulas for calculating the required amount of food in the first 10 days after birth, depending on the body weight of the newborn
- How to determine the amount of breast milk eaten
- How to tell if a newborn is full
- Differences between breastfeeding and artificial feeding
- Feeding frequency table
- Breastfeeding
- Artificial feeding
However, it should be borne in mind that the metabolism of all children is different - with the same amount of milk consumption, one child will have enough until the next feeding, the other will be hungry after a shorter amount of time. And if you do not feed on demand, but leave the baby hungry following the regimen, this can lead to a shortage of his body weight.
Dosage table for milk and formula and mixtures consumed per day.
It is easier with the mixture, since all the norms are indicated on the manufacturer's packaging - the recommended amount of dry mixture per amount of water. However, you can refer to the table specifically for the volume of the finished mixture in one feeding, so as not to stretch the baby's intestines if the question arises of supplementing the child.
| Age of the child | Amount of breast milk or formula per feeding in ml | Amount of breast milk per day in ml0021 in ml | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 days | 20-60 | 200-300 | 1/5 body weight |
| 1 week | 50-80 | 400 | 1/5 body weight |
| 2 weeks | 60-90 | 20% of body weight | 1/5 of body weight |
| 1 month | 100-110 | 600 | 1/5 body weight |
| 2 months | 120-150 | 800 | 1/6 body weight |
| 3 months | 150-180 | 1/6 body weight | 1/6 body weight |
| 4 months | 180-210 | 1/6 body weight | 1/6 body weight |
| 5-6 months | 210-240 | 1/7 body weight (800-1000) | 1/7 body weight |
| 7-12 months | 210-240 | 1/8-1/9 body weight | 1/8-1/9 body weight |
Table of dosage of milk and formula in the first 10 days of a newborn's life consumed in one feeding
| Child's age | Amount of milk or ready-made formula in one feeding |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 10 ml |
| Day 2 | 20 ml |
| Day 3 | 30 ml |
| Day 4 | 40 ml |
| Day 5 | 50 ml |
| Day 6 | 60 ml |
| 7 day | 70 ml |
| Day 8 | 80 ml |
| Day 9 | 80-90 ml |
| 10 day | 80-90 ml |
The table shows a simple formula for calculating a single amount of milk for breastfeeding and formula for artificial feeding: the number of days of a baby's life is multiplied by 10.
For example, a child is 4 days old: 4 x 10 = 40 we get a one-time amount of milk and formula in milliliters.
On the first day, the child eats 7-10 ml of milk per feeding. Due to the fact that the volume of his stomach is equal to this value.
But gradually the stomach will increase, the dosage of milk consumed will increase accordingly. Keep in mind that colostrum is too fatty. A few drops are enough for a baby to saturate, having eaten, he himself will stop eating.
Formulas for calculating the required amount of food in the first 10 days after birth, depending on the body weight of the newborn
- Body weight less than 3200 grams: the number of days the child lives is multiplied by seventy.
For example, a baby is 6 days old and weighs 3 kilograms: 6 x 70 = 420
Next, we get the number of ml per feeding.
When breastfeeding, it is necessary to apply the baby 10-12 times per day: 420 ÷ 12 = 35 ml
When formula-feeding, a bottle is offered 8 times per day: 420 ÷ 8 = 52.
50 (can be rounded up to 53) - Body weight over 3200 grams: the number of days of life is multiplied by eighty.
For example, a baby is 5 days old and weighs 3600 grams: 5 x 80 = 400
Using the above formula, we calculate the amount of milk / formula for one feeding. With a chest, we divide by 10-12 times, with an artificial one by 8 times. - Formula to calculate the daily dose of milk/formula depending on the exact body weight: Divide the baby's weight in grams by the indicated value in the milk/formula dosage table.
For example, a baby is 3 months old and weighs 6000 grams: 6000 ÷ 6 = 1000
We divide by 6, because in the table of dosage of milk / mixture per day, the required amount of food is 1/6 of the baby's body weight.
As the table shows, already on the third day a newborn drinks about 30 grams of breast milk per feeding. And on the fourth day, it may well overpower 50 ml. In addition to the fact that the volume of the stomach increases, the newborn develops the skill of sucking.
This process takes a lot of energy and requires activity. And in the first days of life, the child only adapts to new living conditions. And gradually getting stronger, the baby is already in the first month able to master 110 ml of breast milk in one feeding. When the age exceeds the sixth month, he will drink 1000 ml per day. Do not offer more than 1200 ml of the mixture to avoid stretching the walls of the stomach.
The table shows us the approximate nutritional norms for a newborn. There may be some deviations, the needs of each newborn are individual.
And each child sets his own indicators of the required amount of food. Watch his behavior carefully. And then it will be clear whether the dosage is enough for him, or he does not have time to eat.
How to determine the amount of breast milk eaten
When formula-fed, you calculate the amount of formula and liquid yourself, but this is not possible with breast-feeding. Unless, of course, you are feeding your baby from a bottle with already expressed milk, which can also be in some cases.
You can use the scale to determine how much breast milk your baby eats per feeding.
Weigh without changing clothes before and after feeding. The difference in indicators will indicate the number of servings consumed. Reliable results will be during the control check within two to three days.
How to tell if a newborn has had enough
- Determined by how it sucks on the breast or formula bottle. If it greedily pounces, it means that the last time the portion was not enough. Or there has been too much time between feedings.
- The indicator is weight gain, in the first month approximately 800 grams. The child should gain 150-200 grams weekly.
- Diaper test. Use diapers instead of diapers for one day. At least 12 pieces in 24 hours indicates the norm. In case of deviation, it is necessary to revise the table, how much the newborn should eat, perhaps he does not have enough milk or formula.
- Wakes up frequently and behaves restlessly, especially in the first month of life.
Differences between breastfeeding and artificial feeding
As already mentioned, the difference between breastfeeding and artificial feeding differs only in the number of approaches. Since the volumes of milk and formula in one feeding are selected with the calculation of the volume of the baby's stomach, so that it does not stretch and at the same time the newborn is full. However, milk and formula take a different amount of time to digest due to the varying composition of the substances, despite the fact that formula manufacturers are trying to bring its composition closer to breast milk, this is still not possible.
Feeding frequency table
| Type of feeding | Total number of times per day | Feeding break during the day | Feeding break at night | Duration of suckling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast | 10-12 times | 1. 5-2 hours | 15-40 minutes | |
| Artificial | 8 times | 2.5-3 hours | 5-6 hours |
Breastfeeding
- The most indicative is the amount of milk that the newborn ate per day. It is not necessary to control the dosage with each application and force the baby to eat up the prescribed norm.
- The baby sometimes asks for a breast for comfort, especially in the first month of life. Do not refuse, he will burp an extra portion, but he will feel safe.
- It is necessary to take into account not only the moment how much a newborn should eat. But also that during feeding the child receives an additional portion of milk. It contains the maximum amount of nutrients and nutrients. Comes after 15 minutes of continuous breast sucking by the baby.
- The feeding frequency table indicates the norm, if the child asks for a breast much less often, observe his condition. Breast milk is digested very quickly, so the baby needs to be fed frequently.
Especially in the first month of life. - Milk is produced at night, so it is important for the baby to breastfeed during this period.
- Feed on demand, then the baby will have time to eat the prescribed dosage of milk, which is indicated in the nutrition dosage table for each month of life. The problem of malnutrition will disappear by itself.
Formula Feeding
- When your baby eats less frequently than indicated in the table, increase the amount of formula for each feeding.
- Sucking on the nipple is much easier than the breast, so the baby, satisfying the reflex, will drink the mixture very quickly. Do not pour the mixture, exceeding the daily rate indicated by the dosage table.
- Formula digestion is slow, so don't offer a bottle often. Waking up or crying after a feed does not indicate hunger. Most likely, gaziki, colic or other reasons.
- If he did not drink all the prescribed amount of the formula for one feeding, do not force him to finish eating.
