How much milk should a 3 month old baby drink per feeding
Formula Feeding FAQs: How Much and How Often (for Parents)
Whether you plan to formula feed your baby from the start, want to supplement your breast milk with formula, or are switching from breast milk to formula, you probably have questions.
Here are answers to some common questions about formula feeding.
How Often Should I Feed My Baby?
Newborns and young babies should be fed whenever they seem hungry. This is called on-demand feeding.
After the first few days of life, most healthy formula-fed newborns feed about every 2–3 hours. As they get bigger and their tummies can hold more milk, they usually eat about every 3–4 hours. As babies get older, they’ll settle into a more predictable feeding routine and go longer stretches at night without needing a bottle.
Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about feeding your baby, especially if your baby is very small, is not gaining weight, or was born early (prematurely).
How Can I Tell When My Baby Is Hungry?
Signs that babies are hungry include:
- moving their heads from side to side
- opening their mouths
- sticking out their tongues
- placing their hands, fingers, and fists to their mouths
- puckering their lips as if to suck
- nuzzling again their mothers' breasts
- showing the rooting reflex (when a baby moves its mouth in the direction of something that's stroking or touching its cheek)
Babies should be fed before they get upset and cry. Crying is a late sign of hunger. But every time your baby cries is not because of hunger. Sometimes babies just need to be cuddled or changed. Or they could be sick, tired, too hot or too cold, in pain, or have colic.
How Much Should My Baby Drink?
In the first few weeks, give 2- to 3-ounce (60- to 90-milliliter) bottles to your newborn. Give more or less depending on your baby’s hunger cues.
Here's a general look at how much your baby may be eating at different ages:
- On average, a newborn drinks about 1.5–3 ounces (45–90 milliliters) every 2–3 hours. This amount increases as your baby grows and can take more at each feeding.
- At about 2 months, your baby may drink about 4–5 ounces (120–150 milliliters) every 3–4 hours.
- At 4 months, your baby may drink about 4–6 ounces (120-180 milliliters) at each feeding, depending on how often they eat.
- By 6 months, your baby may drink 6–8 ounces (180–230 milliliters) about 4–5 times a day.
Watch for signs that your baby is hungry or full. Respond to these cues and let your baby stop when full. A baby who is full may suck with less enthusiasm, stop, or turn away from the bottle.
Why Does My Baby Seem Hungrier Than Usual?
As babies grow, they begin to eat more at each feeding and can go longer between feedings. Still, there may be times when your little one seems hungrier than usual.
Your baby may be going through a period of rapid growth (called a growth spurt). These can happen at any time, but in the early months are common at around:
- 7–14 days old
- between 3–6 weeks
- 4 months
- 6 months
During these times and whenever your baby seems especially hungry, follow their hunger cues and continue to feed on demand, increasing the amount of formula you give as needed.
Is My Baby Eating Enough?
At times, you may wonder whether your baby is getting enough nutrients for healthy growth and development.
Babies who get enough to eat seem satisfied after eating and are regularly peeing and pooping.
At your baby’s checkups, the doctor will review your baby’s growth chart, track your little one’s development, and answer any questions. Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about your baby’s feeding and nutrition.
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: November 2021
Feeding Your 1- to 3-Month-Old (for Parents)
During your baby's first 3 months, breast milk or formula will provide all the nutrition needed. Doctors recommend waiting until your baby is about 6 months old to start solid foods. Some babies may be ready for solids sooner than 6 months, but wait until your baby is at least 4 months old.
What Changes Should I Expect?
As your infant grows, feeding will change. Babies will start drinking more milk during each feeding, so they won't need to feed as often and will sleep longer at night.
Your baby's appetite will increase during growth spurts.
Continue to feed on demand and increase the number of feedings as needed.
Your infant also will become more alert as the weeks go by, cooing and smiling. So there will be more interaction between you and your baby during feedings.
The following are general guidelines, and your baby may be hungrier more or less often than this. That's why it's important to pay attention to your baby's signals of being hungry or full. A baby who is getting enough might slow down, stop, or turn away from the breast or bottle.
Breastfeeding: How Much and How Often?
As babies get older, they will start to breastfeed less often and sleep for longer periods at night. Your infant probably is eating enough if he or she:
- seems alert, content, and active
- is steadily gaining weight and growing
- feeds six to eight times per day
- is wetting and soiling diapers on a regular basis
Babies might not be eating enough if they:
- don't appear satisfied
- cry constantly
- are irritable, even after feeding
- are not making wet diapers
Call your doctor if you're concerned your baby isn't eating enough.
A few weeks after birth, breastfed babies tend to have fewer bowel movements (BMs, or poop) than they did before. At around 2 months of age, your baby may not poop after each feeding, or even every day. During growth spurts, you may notice that your little one wants to feed more often. This frequent nursing sends a signal to make more milk. Within a couple of days, supply and demand will get into balance.
Babies who get breast milk only should get vitamin D supplements within the first few days of life. Other supplements, water, juice, and solid foods aren't usually needed.
Formula Feeding: How Much and How Often?
Babies digest formula more slowly than breast milk, so if you're bottle-feeding, your baby may have fewer feedings than a breastfed infant.
As babies grow, they can eat more at each feeding and may go for longer stretches between feedings. You'll also notice that your baby is starting to sleep longer at night.
During the second month, infants may take about 4 or 5 ounces at each feeding.
By the end of 3 months, your baby may need an additional ounce at each feeding.
It's easy to overfeed a baby when using a bottle because it easier to drink from a bottle than from a breast. Make sure that the hole on the bottle's nipple is the right size. The liquid should drip slowly from the hole and not pour out. Also, resist the urge to finish the bottle when your baby shows signs of being full.
Never prop a bottle. Propping a bottle might cause choking and it increases the chances of getting ear infections and tooth decay.
Should I Worry About Spitting Up?
It's normal for infants to "spit up" after eating or during burping. Spitting up a small amount — usually less than 1 ounce (30 ml) — shouldn't be a concern as long as it happens within an hour of feeding and doesn't bother your baby.
You can reduce spitting up in these early months by:
- feeding before your baby gets very hungry
- keeping your baby in a semi-upright position during the feeding and for an hour after
- burping your baby regularly
- avoiding overfeeding
- not jostling or playing vigorously with your baby right after a feeding
If your baby seems to be spitting up large amounts, is spitting up forcefully, is irritable during or after feedings, or seems to be losing weight or is not gaining weight as expected, call your doctor.
And if your child has a fever or shows any signs of dehydration (such as not wetting diapers), call the doctor right away.
Call your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about feeding your infant.
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: November 2021
How much should a newborn eat: feeding chart
0-6 months
Article
5/5 2 reviews
As soon as the long-awaited event has happened and the baby is born, the mother is faced with many questions. One of the most frequently asked: how to feed and how much should a newborn eat? Indeed, this is a very important point, since a properly selected and debugged diet allows the child to grow and develop harmoniously, promotes good health and strengthens the immune system. How to calculate the norm for a baby from the first days of life to a year?
8 min.
for reading Feb. 17, 2022
Contents
Listen to the experts
Calculation norms
- First weeks of life
- One to four months
- Five to six months
- Seven to twelve months
How much breast milk a newborn should eat: table
Not enough breast milk or not at all: what to do
Norms and stages of the introduction of complementary foods
- First stage - vegetables
- Second stage - cereals
- Third stage - fruits
- Fourth stage - meat
- Fifth stage - new flavors
An example of a daily diet for a 6-8 month old baby
Frequently Asked Questions
Listen to the experts baby's age. All these data are usually voiced to parents during a doctor's appointment and entered into the card for further assessment of the child's condition.
Comparison of the actual weight and the prescribed norms allows you to find out whether the child is eating well enough and, if necessary, to correct mistakes made during feeding. If something is not clear to you at the appointment with the pediatrician, do not be afraid to ask again and clarify. After all, only a specialist can give competent recommendations specifically for your baby, based on the results of an examination or analysis. The advice of friends, grandmothers and mothers from various forums may be good, but they do not take into account the individual characteristics and needs of your child's body. So, they may not work or even hurt. Be part of Nestle Baby&Me®
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Calculation norms
1. First month of life
As soon as the baby is born, it is immediately brought to the mother's breast to feed.
This helps to strengthen the immunity of the baby and stimulates lactation in the mother. During this period, there is still no milk in the breast, but there is a very nutritious transparent sweetish liquid - colostrum. It is released in the first two or three days after birth and supplies the child with all the necessary substances. To eat, the baby needs a few drops: on the first day of life, the small stomach holds only 7 milliliters. On the second day of life, the baby begins to eat more often. It needs to be fed on demand or every two to three hours, while the baby eats within 10-20 milliliters at one time. Thus, per day the norm will be approximately 90 milliliters. Starting from the third day after birth, the mother actively produces breast milk, the volume of which increases as the child grows. In the first week of life, the baby should eat from 50 to 80 milliliters of milk at a time, and 400 milliliters per day. At two weeks of age, the daily ration should be 20% of the weight of the newborn, and closer to a month - about 600 milliliters.
It is important to note that these figures are approximate. Each baby needs its own, certain amount of milk or mixture, depending on individual characteristics: height, weight, mother's milk quality, calorie content of the mixture and the rate of development of the baby.
See also: Breastfeeding: the first steps after childbirth
2. From one to four months
Every day the baby grows, gains weight and increases its daily portions of milk. Having reached the month, the baby is already eating 90-100 milliliters six to seven times a day. After one month, the norms become as follows:
- At two months, the child should eat from 120 to 150 milliliters at a time. The daily norm, therefore, is 700-800 milliliters.
- A three-month-old baby should eat between 150 and 180 milliliters. In this case, it is recommended to observe the frequency of feeding no more than six to seven times a day.
- From the fourth month, babies need 180-210 milliliters of milk or infant formula.
The average amount per day is not less than 1/6 of the baby's weight.
3.Five-six months
A six-month-old child normally eats 210-240 milliliters at a time, and the total amount of food per day should be 1/7 of body weight, or 800-1000 milliliters. Also, if there are no contraindications, complementary foods are introduced from six months.
4. From seven to twelve months
During this period, a single portion of breast milk for a baby ranges from 210 to 240 milliliters. At the same time, the average amount per day is not less than 1/8 of the child's body weight. Vegetable, fruit and meat purees, dairy-free and milk porridges are introduced into the diet (if the baby is not allergic to cow's milk proteins).
Below is a table that describes in detail the daily intake of a newborn for each age up to a year.
How much breast milk should a newborn eat: table
| Child's age | The amount of milk eaten per feeding, ml | The amount of milk eaten per day, ml |
| 3-4 days | 20-60 | 200–300 |
| 1 week | 50–80 | 400 |
| 2 weeks | 60–90 | 1/5 weight of child |
| 1 month | 100–110 | 600 |
| 2 months | 120-150 | 800 |
| 3 months | 150–180 | 1/6 child weight |
| 4 months | 180-210 | 1/6 child weight |
| 5-6 months | 210–240 | 1/7 child's weight (800-1000) |
| 7-12 months | 210–240 | 1/8 weight baby |
Important!
Remember that every child is unique, has individual characteristics and needs.
Therefore, slight deviations from the standard indicators are quite possible.
Not enough breast milk or not at all: what to do
When a baby cries after waking up, he is hungry. Modern doctors do not advise mothers to maintain any strict feeding schedule. If the mother gives the baby a breast when he asks, and the baby eats for her own pleasure and at the same time sleeps soundly and well, smiles and is not naughty, then she is full and completely satisfied.
But if the baby cries and sleeps badly, then perhaps he does not have enough milk. In this case, check if the baby is eating his age norm, and try to keep track of this indicator in the future. Found that you don't have enough breast milk? Do not worry, it is better to immediately consult a doctor. The specialist will help you find a way to support milk production and improve lactation.
If you cannot solve the problem and normalize lactation, consult a pediatrician and find the right supplemental formula for your child.
With strict observance of all the doctor's recommendations, instructions for preparation and dosages indicated on the package, the mixture makes it possible to compensate for the lack of breast milk and provide the baby with the necessary amount of nutrients.
Important!
Even if you don't have enough breast milk to fully meet your baby's needs, try to remain on partial breastfeeding for as long as possible. After all, the ideal food for a child is mother's milk.
Norms and stages of introduction of complementary foods
As a rule, complementary foods are introduced at the age of six months. Before you start exploring new products, you should consult with your pediatrician. In general, different types of food are introduced in stages, starting with very small portions.
1.First step - vegetables
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the best product to start with is a one-component vegetable puree, such as zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower or potatoes.
If everything goes well, you can try pumpkin, carrot, pea and tomato puree a little later.
It takes seven to ten days to fully introduce the product into the baby's diet. We start with half or a whole teaspoon once a day until breastfeeding. If there are no allergic or other adverse reactions, you can continue the introduction of this product, gradually increasing the dose to a full serving - 100-150 grams.
2. The second stage - cereals
After the introduction of vegetable puree, we recommend diversifying the baby's menu with cereals. For acquaintance, it is better to choose liquid one-component gluten-free cereals, for example, rice or buckwheat. Then you can add oatmeal or semolina.
The initial portion of porridge is half or one teaspoon. Gradually increase the portion to a full - 150 grams.
3.Third stage — fruits
We also start fruit complementary foods with one-component low-allergenic purees, such as apple, pear, plum, banana.
These products are not only tasty, but also contain vitamins and minerals necessary for the child.
Fruit purees are also introduced with caution, starting with half or a whole teaspoon. Gradually, the portion increases to 100-150 grams.
Find out more: Gerber Baby Food: Puree Range
4.Stage Four - Meat
Meat is an essential product for development, rich in iron and protein, which is well absorbed in the body. It is introduced in the form of a homogeneous one-component puree from dietary turkey, rabbit, chicken, veal or lamb.
At the beginning we give a try - half or one teaspoon, over time we bring the portion to 60 grams.
5. The fifth stage - new tastes
After the successful introduction of the above products, the baby forms a full-fledged varied menu. So you can introduce the young gourmet to new flavors that could previously provoke an allergy: multi-component purees, fruit and cereal cocktails, children's snacks, pieces of fresh fruits and vegetables.
See also: Introduction of complementary foods to children with food allergies
Example of a daily diet for a baby at 6-8 months
A child from six to eight months should be given complementary foods three times a day. Further, at the age of nine to eleven months, the amount is increased to four times a day. To make it easier and clearer, check out two options for a full-fledged daily diet, which outlines what and how much a newborn should eat.
See also: Nutrition for a 7-month-old baby: making a menu for a baby
Popular questions
1. How to warm up breast milk?
Use the bottle warmer to warm breast milk that has been stored in the refrigerator. If this is not at hand, put a tightly closed bottle in a container of warm water and hold it there until the milk warms to body temperature - 37 ° C.
2. How often should a newborn eat?
A newborn needs to be fed every 2-3 hours, i.
e. 10-12 times a day.
3. How much milk does a newborn eat?
During the first days of life, the baby has a very small stomach and a poorly developed sucking reflex. Therefore, for one feeding, the newborn eats 7-9 milliliters of colostrum. Breast milk from the mother appears only on the third or fourth day.
4. How to calculate how much a child should eat?
To understand how much a newborn should eat, you need to know his age and weight. Data for calculation: from 10 days to 1.5 months, the baby needs such an amount of food, the weight of which is approximately 1/5 of the child's body weight; from 1.5 to 4 months - 1/6, from 4 to 6 months - 1/7; from 6 to 8 months - 1/8; from 8 to 12 months - 1/9 of the body weight.
Articles on the topic:
Breastfeeding: benefits for the baby, health for the mother 12 rules of healthy nutrition for children Baby does not eat well, how to feed?
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how much milk a child needs for 1 feeding, the rate of formula and breast milk
The birth of a baby is a very joyful event. However, along with the joy of parents, many more questions arise. After all, it is so important that the baby grows up healthy and actively develops. One of the first such questions is usually: "How much does a newborn eat per feeding?" It would seem that feeding is such a natural process that it should not cause difficulties. However, most mothers are concerned that the baby does not have enough milk or, on the contrary, he overeats.
How to strike a balance? Let's talk about it in this article.
Content: Hide
- Features of breastfeeding
- On colostrum
- consumption norms
- How to calculate the amount of feeding
- What is important 900,
- Features of artificial fuckers
As a rule, the most difficult in the matter of feeding is the first week after childbirth. At this time, mother and child are only learning to understand each other. But there is no doubt that breast milk is the best food for a baby. This product is perfect by nature and has everything you need at every stage.
Breastfeeding is good for both the baby and the mother:
- it helps the baby to get the substances necessary for growth, development and immunity and simply satisfy hunger;
- promotes active contraction of the woman's uterus (under the influence of sucking movements) and a faster recovery process after childbirth.
About colostrum
Newborns eat little, their sucking reflex is just developing and is beginning to be put into practice.
In addition, a woman's milk is not produced immediately. In the mammary glands at the end of pregnancy and in the first hours after childbirth, colostrum is formed. This is not exactly milk, it even outwardly differs from mature milk, and in its chemical composition it is similar to blood. This is a very valuable product. It is high in fat and contains immunoglobulins and antitoxins, which strengthen the immune system and protect the baby's body from infections. After a few days, colostrum is replaced by transitional milk. It is lighter, but also quite oily.
Read also: Complementary foods for artificial feeding
Consumption rates
This is important!
A mother should not worry that her baby is hungry, even if she breastfed him 10 times, but it seems that he has not eaten almost a drop. The size of the stomach of a newborn is very small, so only about 10 ml is eaten per feeding. Thus, for the whole day the baby can drink up to 100 ml.
On average, milk arrives 3-4 days after birth and its quantity gradually increases.
The stomach of the baby also grows. This means that the amount of milk consumed also increases. So, for the first day, a newborn can drink 10 ml per feeding, for the second day - 20 ml, and for the third - 30 ml. But remember that each organism is individual and there are no strict limits here. However, if by the 4-5th day of life the child's body weight does not increase, but only decreases (by more than 8%), then this requires the attention of a specialist.
There is a folk way to determine the rate of consumption of breast milk. You need to multiply the number of days that have passed since the day of birth by 10. But this method is inaccurate and has no scientific confirmation.
So how much should a newborn eat per feeding? The table shows the daily and one-time volume of milk by months for children under 1 year old.
| Child's age | Molo volume for one feeding (ml) | Milk rate per day (ml) |
| 9000 2-4 days | -60 | 9000 9000 |
| 1 week | 50–80 | 400 |
| 2 weeks | 60–90 | 20 % of body weight |
| 99999 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 1 month0002 100–110 | 600 | |
| 2 months | 120–150 | 800 |
| 9000 3 months 9000 9000 9,000,000 9000 9000-1800099 1/6 body weight | ||
| 4 months | 180–210 | 1/6 of body weight |
| 9000 months 9000-240 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 | 1/7 body weight | |
| 7–12 months | 210–240 | 1/8–1/9 body weight |
Do not forget that children with children located in breastfeeding, complementary foods are introduced at about 6 months.
This means that the amount of milk consumed is reduced, giving way to more adult food.
How to calculate the amount eaten
In terms of measuring the amount eaten, formula feeding seems to be just perfect. Here is a bottle with a scale, here is water, here is a measuring spoon. However, in terms of its benefits, formula milk will never be compared with breast milk. And besides, making measurements is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Babies just need to be weighed before and after feeding on a baby scale. To ensure the accuracy of the result, you need to weigh several times a day. If nothing threatens the health of the baby, he does not look thin and pale, develops according to age, and the mother has enough milk, then monthly weighing in the clinic is usually enough.
Feeding schedule
For breastfed babies, there is a rule - to put the baby to the breast on demand. Previously, it was believed that it was necessary to maintain an interval of 3 hours, but now pediatricians agree that the breaks between feedings can be 1.
5–2 hours. This does not mean at all that the baby will overeat.
Video: Does a child get enough food in the first months of life?
Author: pediatrician, Ph.D. Komarovsky E.O.
The duration of one feeding is usually 15-30 minutes. Although there are deviations from the norm. For example, a woman has a lot of milk, and the child is full in 5-10 minutes. Or, on the contrary, there is not enough milk, and the baby can suck out the remains for a long time. Some babies just enjoy suckling and use their mother's breast as a pacifier.
What is important to consider
At first, mother and baby are just getting used to the changes that are taking place, so the feeding regimen may not be ideal. However, you should adhere to the following rules.
- In the first couple of weeks, a woman needs a lot of dedication, because the interests of the child in the matter of satisfying hunger come to the fore.
You can’t refuse food to a baby, even if it costs a sleepless night. - If there is any doubt that the baby is undernourished or overeating, it is best to start monitoring the frequency of feedings. So, you need to mark the time at which the baby was really hungry, mark the intervals between feedings. This information may also be useful at the appointment with the pediatrician.
- It is impossible to establish a clear feeding regime, as with artificial feeding, especially in the first weeks after birth. Maintaining intervals of more than 2–3 hours during the day and 3–4 hours at night is highly discouraged.
- Do not try to force feed your baby. He is still too young to realize the need for food, and is guided solely by his feeling of hunger. If the baby persistently refuses the breast, you need to try to offer him to eat a little later. If the interval is too large, it is better to contact a specialist for advice.
- It is important that your baby latch on correctly.
His mouth should capture not only the nipple, but also the areola. Thus, the milk will properly enter the mouth, and the woman will reduce the risk of cracked nipples. - Soothers and bottles are not recommended for breastfed babies. Such products can reduce the intensity of sucking movements.
- It is best to give your baby only one breast at a time. In the mammary gland, fore milk is formed, with which the baby quenches his thirst, and hind milk, with which he "eats up", since it is more nutritious in composition.
- After each feeding, hold the baby in a column for about 10 minutes. This helps to free the tummy from air and excess milk.
As a rule, with a normal feeding regimen and a sufficient amount of milk from the mother, by the month the weight of the child increases by 500–600 g.
Features of artificial feeding Now consider the situation when the mother does not have the opportunity to breastfeed the baby. In this case, it is necessary to choose a quality milk formula that will cover the nutritional needs.
The pediatrician should help in this matter. The doctor will always take into account the peculiarities of the child's health and will be able to advise a regular or medicinal product. Do not forget that when breastfeeding, the baby makes more effort. He drinks milk gradually and feels full. When feeding with a formula, a strict dosage is needed, since usually saturation does not come immediately, and the baby may require a supplement that he does not really need (the feeling of hunger should disappear after a few minutes). Consumption rates
Almost all known mixtures require 8 or 7 meals a day with an interval of 3 hours. Night feedings are also included. When the baby grows up a little, it will be possible to skip them and sleep 5-6 hours until morning. With regard to formula milk, the principle of feeding on demand is not suitable. Therefore, it is necessary to observe both the dosage indicated by the manufacturer and the regimen.
It will not be difficult to calculate how much the baby eats for feeding.
| Age | Daily milk rate from body weight | |
| 9000 2 days - 1.5 months | 9000 1/5 9000 9000 9009-4–4–4 months | 1/6 |
| 4–6 months | 1/7 | |
| 6–8 months | 9000 9000 | |
| 9000 9000 8 months - 1 year 9000 8 months - 1 year old - 1 year | 1/9 |
For example, a baby is 2 months old and weighs 4800 grams. According to the table, we divide 4800 by 6 and get the daily rate - 800 ml of milk formula per day. To calculate the volume of one feeding, divide 800 by 6 (number of feedings per day). Thus, the child eats about 130 ml of formula at a time.
Not everyone can find the right mixture right away, but do not despair. Even with allergies, digestive problems, cow's milk protein intolerance, you can find a suitable product, but only under the strict supervision of a doctor.
