Calculating baby feeds by weight
Amount and Schedule of Baby Formula Feedings
- In the first week after birth, babies should be eating no more than about 1 to 2 ounces (30 to 60 ml) per feed.
- During the first month, babies gradually eat more until they take 3 to 4 ounces (90 to 120 ml) per feed, amounting to 32 ounces per day. Formula-fed babies typically feed on a more regular schedule, such as every 3 or 4 hours. Breastfed babies usually take smaller, more frequent feedings than formula-fed infants.
If your baby sleeps longer than 4 to 5 hours during the first few weeks after birth and starts missing feedings, wake them up and offer a bottle.
By the end of the first month: Your baby will be up to at least 3 to 4 ounces (120 mL) per feeding, with a fairly predictable schedule of feedings about every 3 to 4 hours.
By 6 months: Your baby will consume 6 to 8 ounces (180–240 mL) at each of 4 or 5 feedings in 24 hours.
Formula feeding based on body weight
On average, your baby should take in about 2½ ounces (75 mL) of infant formula a day for every pound (453 g) of body weight. But they probably will regulate their intake from day to day to meet their own specific needs, so let them tell you when they've had enough. If they become fidgety or easily distracted during a feeding, they're probably finished. If they drain the bottle and continues smacking their lips, they might still be hungry.
There are high and low limits, however. If your baby consistently seems to want more or less than this, discuss it with your pediatrician. Your baby should usually drink no more than an average of about 32 ounces (960 mL) of formula in 24 hours. Some babies have higher needs for sucking and may just want to suck on a pacifier after feeding.
On-demand feeding
Initially it is best to feed your formula-fed newborn a bottle on demand, or whenever they cry with hunger.
As time passes, your baby will begin to develop a fairly regular timetable of their own. As you become familiar with their signals and needs, you'll be able to schedule their feedings around their routine.
Eating & sleeping patterns
Between 2 and 4 months of age (or when the baby weighs more than 12 lb. [5.4 kg]), most formula-fed babies no longer need a middle-of-the-night feedings. They're consuming more during the day, and their sleeping patterns have become more regular (although this varies considerably from baby to baby). Their stomach capacity has increased, too, which means they may go longer between daytime feedings—occasionally up to 4 or 5 hours at a time.
If your baby still seems to feed very frequently or consume larger amounts, try distracting them with play or with a pacifier. Sometimes patterns of obesity begin during infancy, so it is important not to overfeed your baby.
Getting to know your baby's feeding needs
The most important thing to remember, whether you breastfeed or bottlefeed, is that your baby's feeding needs are unique.
No book―or website―can tell you precisely how much or how often they need to be fed or exactly how you should handle them during feedings. You will discover these things for yourself as you and your baby get to know each other.
More information
- How Often and How Much Should Your Baby Eat?
- Making Sure Your Baby is Getting Enough Milk
- Is Your Baby Hungry or Full? Responsive Feeding Explained (Video)
- Remedies for Spitty Babies
- Last Updated
- 5/16/2022
- Source
- Adapted from Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5 7th Edition (Copyright © 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics)
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician.
There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
Baby Formula Calculator - How Many Ounces to Feed Baby Chart
Created by Aleksandra Zając, MD
Reviewed by Dominik Czernia, PhD and Jack Bowater
Based on research by
National Health and Medical Research Council of Australian Government “Infant Feeding Guidelines: information for health workers“ (2012)See 1 more source
Stanford Children's Health “Feeding Guide for the First Year“
Last updated: Feb 02, 2023
Table of contents:- What is infant formula?
- Newborn baby formula feeding charts
- How to use the baby formula calculator?
- How much milk should my baby drink? How do I know it's not enough/too much?
- FAQ
If you are a new parent, or are about to be, you've probably wondered, "How much milk should my baby drink?" - and the baby formula calculator has got you covered!
We all know that every baby is a special and has their own eating needs; still, it's good to get an idea of where your baby should be with baby formula feeding charts.
The calculator finds the amount of infant formula to be given per day so that you can spend more time with your newborn. 👶
We try our best to make our Omni Calculators as precise and reliable as possible. However, this tool can never replace a professional doctor's assessment. If any health condition bothers you, consult a physician.
What is infant formula?
Although pediatricians recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the newborn's first six months, there are situations where you may have to give baby formula to your child.
Baby formula (or just formula) is a special dietary product meant for feeding babies. It is usually made from cow's milk, although you can find goat milk-based baby milk. The animal milk is first treated so that it is suitable for babies. You should not feed your baby regular cow's milk instead of infant formula - small babies (up to one year old) cannot digest untreated cow milk properly, which can lead to health problems.
Cow's milk also lacks the right amount of important nutrients, like vitamin C and iron, which can lead to iron-deficiency anemia. Formulas, on the other hand, are often enriched with iron together with DHA and ARA (docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acids), fatty acids that support baby brain development.
There are more formula types available on the market - like soy, sheep's milk, and almond 'milk'. You can also find baby milk for special tasks, such as extensively hydrolyzed formulas (meaning the proteins have already been broken down), formulas for premature babies, or formulas that help those who suffer from acid reflux. You should only use special formulas if your pediatrician has recommended them to you. If you think the formula you are currently using is not suitable, talk to your doctor or midwife, and only after that should you try changing the formula.
Newborn baby formula feeding charts
Our baby milk calculator is based on the Australian and American recommendations on infant feeding in the first year of their life.
We present these recommendations as simple charts so that you can quickly get an idea of how much and how often your baby should be fed.
How much milk should a baby drink per day?
Age | Amount of formula per day |
|---|---|
1-4 days old | 30-60 ml/kg (1-2 oz/kg) |
5 days - 3 months old | 150 ml/kg* (5 oz/kg) |
3-6 months old | 120 ml/kg (4 oz/kg) |
6-12 months old | 100 ml/kg (3-4 oz/kg) |
*Some infants may require 180-200ml/kg (6-8oz/kg)
Baby formula feeding chart - how often they should be fed?
Age | Approx. amount of formula per feeding | Number of feedings per day |
|---|---|---|
Newborn | 60-90 ml (2-3 oz) (may be between 15-60ml (0. | 8-12 times (every 2-3 hours) |
1 month | 60-120 ml (2-4 oz) | 6-8 times (every 3-4 hours) |
2 months | 150-180 ml (5-6 oz) | 6-7 times (roughly every 3-4 hours) |
4 months | 120-180 ml (4-6 oz) | 5-6 times (roughly every 4-5 hours) |
6 months* | 180-240 ml (6-8 oz) | 5-6 times (roughly every 4-5 hours) |
7-9 months | 180-360 ml (6-11 oz) | 3-5 times (roughly every 5-8 hours) |
10-12 months | 180-330 ml (6-10 oz) | 3-4 times (roughly every 6-8 hours) |
5-2oz) in their first few days)*Introduction of solid foods
How to use the baby formula calculator?
If you're still asking yourself how much milk should a baby drink, our calculator has got you covered.
It will count the amount of infant formula that your child should drink per whole day (24 hours), based on their age and weight, and also provide you with suggestions of the volume of one portion and the frequency of feeding. Let's see how it works!
- Look at the calculator panel on the left side of the page.
- Input the baby's age.
Monthsare the default age unit, but if you've got a newborn at home, switch it toDays. You can also use other time units. - Provide the child's weight. You can switch freely between
kg,lband smaller units. Make sure you check the baby's percentile in the weight percentile calculator, too. - You get your results at the bottom of the baby formula calculator. You'll see the amount of baby milk to give per one day, (approximately) how much formula the baby will drink in a sitting, and how many times a day the baby should be fed.
- Remember, the results are approximate and give you a general overview of the baby's feeding.
Every baby is unique and so are their feeding needs.
How much milk should my baby drink? How do I know it's not enough/too much?
There is one important thing to note - the baby formula calculator is not an oracle. The tool should give you an idea of the amounts of baby milk your child should eat, but there are no strict ranges. You may want to use the baby's milk intake calculatorto get an estimate of your baby's requirement. Most children will change the amount they eat from feeding to feeding so they always get enough. So, learn to understand your baby's body language. When they become distracted during bottle-feeding and start to fidget - they've probably had enough. On the other hand, if the bottle is finished and your baby is still smacking their lips, sticks their tongue out, or sucks everything they can get their mouth on, they might still be hungry. Learning these signs takes time, but it strengthens the bonds between the two of you.
❤️
Too much food?
If your child seems hungry and is craving baby formula all the time, you should discuss it with your pediatrician or midwife. You should also pay attention to your feeding habits, as overfeeding can lead to obesity in the future (check out the BMI percentile calculator for kids for more info). Sometimes pacifiers are used to soothe babies after a proper feeding.
Important - this doesn't apply to newborns. In their case, it's best to feed them on demand, even if it's ten or fifteen times a day. As they grow up, newborns will develop their own infant formula eating scheme.
Too little food?
If your child never meets the 'goals' of the baby formula feeding chart, you should seek medical advice as well. It might be that your baby just like that, but it could also be some kind of health disorder. A particular red flag arises if a baby has trouble gaining weight. Typically a child should double theirbirth weight by 5 months old and triple it by a year old.
**. If this doesn't happen, always talk to a pediatrician, as it might a sign of an underlying condition. To help babies grow, doctors often recommend frequent feeding, even if that means waking up a sleeping child.
Signs of a well-fed child:
- Meets the growing-up goals and progresses proportionately on their pediatric infant growth charts;
- Develops properly - neither you nor the pediatrician, who sees baby regularly, notice anything out of the ordinary;
- Drinks the infant formula gladly but doesn't always act hungry; and
- Wet diapers - a newborn should have 2-3 wet diapers daily up to 5 days old. After that, they should have 5-6 diapers. Wet diapers are a good indicator of the baby's nutrition state.
Always seek medical advice if anything in your baby's eating habits or their behavior concerns you.
FAQ
How much formula should I give to a 3-week old baby?
A 3-week old baby should eat approximately 150 ml (5 fl oz) per kilogram of its body weight per whole day.
To find the total amount of formula needed for the day, you should multiply the baby's weight in kilograms by 150 ml or 5 fl oz. Every baby is different and has its own needs. Always seek medical advice if anything in your baby's eating habits or behavior concerns you.
How do I count baby formula amounts per day?
To count baby formula amounts per one day, you should multiply the baby’s weight by their recommended daily intake by age. The quantities of formula per kilogram are:
Age | Amount of formula per day |
|---|---|
1-4 days old | 30-60 ml/kg (1-2 oz/kg) |
5 days - 3 months old | 150 ml/kg* (5 oz/kg) |
3-6 months old | 120 ml/kg (4 oz/kg) |
6-12 months old | 100 ml/kg (3-4 oz/kg) |
*some infants may require 180-200ml/kg (6-8oz/kg)
Every baby is different and has its own needs.
Always seek medical advice if anything in your baby's eating habits or its behavior concerns you.
How do I count baby formula amounts per feeding?
To count baby formula amount per one feeding, you simply divide the formula per whole day by the number of feedings.baby formula amount per feeding = (formula per day)/(number of feedings)
Can I use two different types of baby formula?
Overall, it is safe to give your baby more than one type of formula, just follow the mixing instructions. So if you're thinking of changing the formula because of availability, price, or preparation reasons, you can do so. Some babies might not like the new formula taste, so mixing two formulas in varying proportions at the beginning can help your baby get used to the new flavor.
Every baby is different and has its own needs. Always seek medical advice if anything in your baby's eating habits or behavior concerns you.
Aleksandra Zając, MD
Baby's age
Baby's weight
Check out 12 similar pediatric calculators 🧒
Adjusted ageAPGAR scoreBaby's milk intake… 9 more
How to calculate the formula according to the weight of the child
Ekaterina Borisovna Bulavina
pediatrician of the 1st category
On artificial feeding, they do not feed on demand: you need to control the one-time and daily amount of food, its frequency.
The development and health of the baby depends on this. Learn how to calculate the amount of formula for your baby at different ages so you don't overfeed or leave him hungry. The formulas for the calculation are given to us by a pediatrician of the first category, Ekaterina Borisovna Bulavina.
— Ekaterina Borisovna, why should parents observe the dosage of the mixture?
- Adapted infant formula, unlike breast milk, has a constant composition, a certain calorie content, the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, saturation with vitamins and microelements. These parameters are calculated in accordance with the daily need of the child. Therefore, formula feeding cannot be free or on demand. If you give the mixture randomly and without taking into account the daily requirement, you can get either an overfed child with a risk of developing obesity, diabetes, or, conversely, a hypotrophic, developmentally lagging baby who, for health reasons, cannot eat the prescribed norm.
HOW MUCH FORMULA SHOULD YOU GIVE YOUR CHILD. FORMULA FOR CALCULATION OF NUTRITION FOR CHILDREN UNDER A YEAR
— Please tell us how to calculate the amount of formula by weight or other parameters.
- There are several methods for calculating the adapted milk formula for a formula-fed child - by weight and height, by the age of the child. As a rule, the daily volume is initially calculated. Then it is divided by the number of feedings, depending on the age of the child, to determine the required amount per feeding.
How to calculate infant formula by weight (up to 10 days)
How to calculate formula by weight and age of baby (over 10 days old)
For a baby over 9 months
- Which method of calculation is preferable?
- Each method is useful in a specific situation. The most accurate, especially in small children, is the calorimetric method, but it is rather complicated and is used less and less.
If the child has average physical indicators, then the volumetric method will be optimal.
UNDERFEEDING AND OVERFEEDING - HOW TO AVOID PROBLEMS
- What nuances should parents take into account when determining the amount of formula?
- When calculating the formula, parents most often focus on the recommendations indicated on the packaging for the average child. It is better if the doctor makes the initial calculation of nutrition based on the weight and growth indicators of a particular baby, the presence or absence of perinatal risk factors, intrauterine growth retardation, malnutrition at birth and the banal ability to suck, the strength and condition of the nervous system.
Parents will have to observe the feeding regime - the amount of food calculated by the doctor, the intervals between meals. Small deviations in one direction or another are allowed, but it is important to ensure that the child eats an approximate daily volume of milk formula.
The calculation of the amount of the adapted mixture is made by the pediatrician after assessing the child's health, its initial anthropometric indicators and monthly increases. Further, the change in the dynamics of weight will be decisive in calculating the volume of the mixture.
— What problems can haphazard feeding lead to?
— The composition of the mixture is balanced and calculated based on the daily need of the child in calories and nutrients. Unbalanced chaotic feeding will lead to an overabundance or deficiency of not only calories, but also essential nutrients, and overfeeding or underfeeding will lead to developmental delay. During this period, the formation of the whole organism takes place, and the future health of the child largely depends on what foundation will be laid at the beginning.
LOOK AT A WET DIAPER AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHETHER THE BABY IS FAT
— Ekaterina Borisovna, the child is full, overfed or underfed — how to understand?
1.
Assess the volume of the drunk mixture and its compliance with the calculated norm. - It is better to analyze the daily volume, since the child may well eat a little more in one feeding, a little less in another. The degree of saturation is taken into account - the baby has eaten or asks for more, has assimilated the received volume or burped out the excess mixture, maintains intervals between feedings, or begins to worry ahead of time.
2. Assess diuresis and stool pattern.
— If there is enough urination, then the child is getting enough nourishment. Rare urination, up to 4-6 times a day, is uncharacteristic for an infant: it means that he is malnourished. Formula-fed stools usually occur once every two to three days. If a child has a tendency to constipation or rare bowel movements due to the small amount of contents in the intestines, this also indicates malnutrition.
3. Assess the general condition of the child.
— Harmony of development, compliance of weight and height indicators with average statistical norms are important here.
Both excess and underweight require revision and timely correction of nutrition.
— When should I go to the pediatrician?
— For a timely assessment of the child's condition, you should contact the pediatrician at least once a month. The specialist conducts an anthropometric study, evaluates the thickness of the skin fold, the correspondence of height and weight, the level of psychomotor development. The doctor will notice problems with nutrition in the first months of life.
The most common reasons for emergency visits to the pediatrician:
- profuse regurgitation after feeding;
- infrequent urination, stool retention;
- marked anxiety of the child;
- sucking problems;
- the child quickly gets tired during feeding, cannot eat the minimum amount of the proposed mixture;
- excessive pallor, cyanosis of the extremities, cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle during feeding;
- No weight gain despite good appetite.
PROPERLY DILUTION OF INFANT FORMULA
— How to prepare infant formula and how long can it be stored?
- Prepare infant formula according to package directions. Each manufacturer, including MAMACO ® , may have its own dilution rules that require strict adherence.
Mix dilution
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and only then start cooking.
- Use well-washed and sterilized feeding utensils beforehand.
- The recommended dilution water temperature is 37-40°C.
- Bottled baby water is sufficient to warm up. Water from other sources requires boiling and cooling to the required temperature.
- The powder is placed in the water bottle and not vice versa to avoid lumps.
- Gently shake the contents of the bottle until the powder is completely dissolved. Vigorous shaking will result in abundant foam.
- Check your temperature again by placing a few drops on your wrist.
In the absence of discomfort, offer the mixture to the baby.
Ready Mix Storage
- Some manufacturers allow 24 hour storage. But in reality, the mixture rarely costs more than 4-5, since the intervals between feeding the child do not exceed these periods and it is not advisable to prepare a new portion if there is already a diluted one.
- How do you reheat formula that has cooled down or been stored in the refrigerator?
— The method of warming up is of fundamental importance in order to preserve the beneficial properties of nutrition and not harm the baby.
Breast milk is undeniably the best food in the first year of life. If natural feeding is not possible, the child will receive an adapted mixture that will help him fully develop and provide the maximum of the necessary nutrients. For this, it is important that the child eats an approximate daily allowance. Systematic underfeeding and overfeeding equally adversely affect the growing organism. To assess the development of the baby, it is necessary to visit the pediatrician every month, and if alarming symptoms appear, without waiting for the planned visit, show the baby to the doctor. In the organization of artificial feeding, it is not enough to correctly calculate the amount of the mixture, it is important to prepare it correctly - following the simple rules that we talked about will help organize the full and safe nutrition of the baby with breast milk substitutes.
* Breast milk is the best food for babies. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a child's life and continued breastfeeding after complementary foods are introduced until the age of 2 years. Before introducing new products into the baby's diet, you should consult with a specialist. The material is for informational purposes and cannot replace the advice of a healthcare professional. For feeding children from birth. The product is certified.
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Calculation of nutrition for newborns - Articles on baby nutrition from pediatricians and experts MAMAKO
— Olesya Vladimirovna, please tell us why it is important to calculate the amount of nutrition for a baby in the first year of life.
— Everything is important for a baby of the first year of life. Especially nutrition, thanks to which it actively grows and develops. Both quality and quantity matter. If a child does not have enough food, he becomes weak, “slows down” in mastering skills, and lags behind his peers in weight and height. Excessive nutrition is fraught with extra pounds and obesity - a real scourge of modern children.
- Let's talk about how to calculate the amount of breast milk that a baby needs.
— As I think most modern mothers know, we breastfeed our baby on demand. And no calculations are needed here. The baby himself calculates - as much as he needs, so much is applied to the chest. We control it by weight gain: Ideally, babies gain 800 g for the first three months, and 700-750 g for the next three months. If weight gain is significantly lower, we raise the issue of a lack of breast milk and in the form of an adapted milk formula.
The baby itself regulates the frequency and duration of stay at the breast - this is how nature works, no additional calculations are required.
- Let's discuss the calculation of the nutritional norm for a newborn on mixed feeding?
— This is a situation in which both mother's milk and formula milk are present in the baby's diet. Most often, we recommend this feeding if the woman does not have enough milk and the child is malnourished. Or when mom went to work or is forced to leave home for other reasons.
The first question I always hear in this case is how to calculate the volumes and ratio of both products.
First, let's remember that breast milk comes first. And only after the baby has emptied the breast, it is the turn of the milk mixture.
As for the volume: for milk is as much as mother has . For formula: try diluting a third of the age norm and observe the reaction of the child. He ate everything and ate, he is not naughty and falls asleep - that means that so much is enough. If he is naughty and wiggles his legs and arms, there was not enough food. Then next time, dilute the half age norm and observe.
To prevent the baby from giving up the breast in favor of formula, it is recommended to use the special supplementary feeding system - a tube that is fixed at the nipple at one end and is placed in the formula bottle at the other. So the baby sucks the breast, thereby stimulating lactation, but at the same time it is saturated thanks to the mixture.
As for the mode, here it is no longer entirely on demand. Our task is to establish a regime close to that on which the artificial baby is located.
Read also
- Olesya Vladimirovna, how to determine the daily amount of food for artificial feeding?
- In this situation, the baby's main diet is formula milk.
When formula feeding, it is recommended to give the baby formula every 3-3.5 hours, and the night break should be 6 hours. Older children are fed 5 times a day. The amount of food also depends on the age of the child. As a rule, indicative figures are on the packaging of the mixture. They should not be final, they are used as recommendations.
If your baby does not eat the calculated amount of formula, feed him more often, albeit in smaller portions. This is often the case in children born prematurely or with a shortened frenulum of the tongue.
When calculating nutrition scientifically, several approaches can be used at once.
If we focus on height and weight, then we take the Reiche method to calculate . To do this, we use a simple formula - the child's weight in grams is divided by his height in centimeters and multiplied by seven. So we get the daily volume of the mixture and then distribute it according to the number of meals.
Table: basis for formula calculation by age
Also, when calculating nutrition by age, you can use Shkarin's formula : a child at 2 months eats 800 ml of milk per day. For each week missing before this age, we subtract 50 ml, and for each month older we add 50 ml.
Formula for calculating the nutrition of a newborn:
where n is the number of months of life
Most mothers are concerned about choosing the right infant formula. As a pediatrician, I will tell you what to focus on in this matter.
- the mixture must be adapted, that is, as close as possible in composition to the breast milk of a woman,
- nutrition should be age-appropriate, and today there is a gradation of mixtures: 1 formula - up to 6 months, 2 formula - from 6 to 12 months, 3 formula - over 12 months,
- , there are additional inclusions in the mixture, and I am in favor of choosing a mixture with additional “usefulness”: nucleotides for immunity, lecithin for brain development, bifidobacteria for enriching the intestinal microflora, and so on.
Now let's talk about the mode. When breastfeeding, meals are organized on demand, but on artificial feeding requires a regimen of with optimal intervals. They are listed for each age on the food packaging. We recommend taking them as a basis, but adjusting to the individual characteristics of the baby.
MAMAKO ® 1 Premium with 2'-FL human milk oligosaccharides is an important step in the evolution of baby nutrition.
— And one more question that worries moms. Is MAMAKO ® Premium with goat milk suitable for both artificial and mixed feeding, and why?
- Let's start with the fact that this is a premium segment - the highest quality and most comfortable food for babies. In addition, it has long been proven that goat's milk is much easier to digest in the gastrointestinal tract of a child, and therefore, nutrients, vitamins and trace elements are absorbed better.
