Seven week old baby feeding
Seven-Week-Old Baby Feeding Schedule & Amounts
By Motherly Updated April 7, 2022
Although your seven-week-old’s feeding schedule probably hasn’t changed too dramatically in the past few weeks, you may find that it’s much easier for you to manage. After all, they say it takes a few weeks to create a habit—and that applies whether you are breastfeeding, formula-feeding or combo-feeding. Be sure to celebrate the little wins both for yourself and your baby. When you do, we bet there is a lot to celebrate!
How much should a seven-week-old baby eat?
The American Academy of Pediatrics and La Leche League recommend the following feeding schedules and amounts for 7-week-olds.
Breast milk: 2 to 3 ounces every 2 to 3 hours
Formula: 4 to 5 ounces every 4 hours. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also recommends that parents should follow the responsive feeding method, also known as feeding on demand, which looks to the infant’s hunger cues for when to feed. The schedules below are just examples—be sure to follow your baby’s hunger signals to know when your little one is ready for the next feeding. As babies get older, their hunger cues and feeding times start to become a little more predictable.
Related: 2-month-old baby milestones
What’s a good seven-week-old baby feeding schedule?
Remember, it’s more important that you follow your baby’s cues than adhere to a set schedule, so schedules outlined are general guides of how frequently you’ll feed your baby—not hard-and-fast rules.
These guidelines also apply primarily to infants born full-term and without any underlying medical conditions. For preterm infants, babies with certain medical conditions or for any specific questions pertaining to your child, be sure to consult your child’s pediatrician for a more customized feeding schedule.
Related: Baby Sleep Guides & Schedules
How can I boost breast milk supply?
For breastfeeding and/or pumping mamas, the breast milk supply generally regulates between six and 12 weeks postpartum.
When this happens, you may find your milk supply lessens. That’s not necessarily cause for concern: Supply tends to meet the baby’s demand. If you would like to boost breast milk production, however, there are a few tried-and-true tips outlined in this how-to guide. Because supply is so linked to demand, also be sure to be consistent with feeding or pumping.
With your baby’s two-month well-check right around the corner, make an effort this week to write down any questions or concerns you have about your baby’s feeding schedule, tummy troubles or formula. Trust us, pediatricians have seen and heard a lot—so there is no such thing as a silly question. You should also feel supported in your efforts to continue feeding your baby the way that works best for your family. You’ve got this!
Read more about wellness for mama and your 7-week-old:
- How much sleep does a 7-week-old need?
- Motherly’s Postpartum Wellness Class is here!
- Subscribe to the Becoming Mama podcast
- New guidelines for infants with fevers that all parents should know
A version of this story was published October 17, 2021.
It has been updated.
7-Week-Old Baby Milestones – Happiest Baby
By Dr. Harvey Karp, MD, FAAP
Your baby is rounding the corner on their second month of life—and those sleepy newborn days may feel like a distant memory. By now, your baby is really waking up to—and is fascinated by—the amazing lights, colors, and sounds all around.
You’re really getting a glimpse of what playtime will look like as your baby gets older. There’s still lots of watching everyone coming and going, but also lots more interest in active play. As a result, you’ll notice new skills, like batting at toys, holding the head for longer periods, and having fun grasping small objects, like a rattle.
Feeding Your 7-Week-Old Baby
For a tiny little nugget, your baby may have quite the appetite! Generally, babies gain 1.5 to 2 pounds of body weight per month. Regular feeding—every couple of hours—is still important to keep your baby fueled.
Your 7-Week-Old Baby’s Development
All these feedings give energy for tummy time, but also nourish very active brain growth.
Whether your baby consumes breast milk, formula, or a combination of the two, the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients they digest are essential for building the brain’s important pathways. Amazingly, your baby’s brain is adding 250,000 to 500,000 cells every second!
7-Week-Old Baby Sleep
Your 7-week-old baby should be sleeping really well (in SNOO babies often have 5, 6, or even 7-hour stretches of continuous sleep). And all that rest is helping them make the most of their awake periods. In early weeks, babies just wake up and quietly look around, but now your baby spends longer periods actively alert and playful. By watching them track moving objects with their eyes and batting at things with their hands you can see that the senses are starting to come together in ways that build the foundation for major motor skills to come!
As much fun as you two may be having together, it’s important to schedule some mellow downtime. Ideas include taking walks, singing lullabies, doing little massages, and rocking in a rocking chair.
7 Week-Old Baby Sleep Regressions
Some parents notice a sleep regression as their little one approaches 3 months. Regressions are marked by early-morning or middle-of-the-night wakeups and trouble falling asleep that seemingly sneaks up on you (and your baby) out of the blue. When it comes to sleep regressions, the best cure is prevention. I advise continuing to use the 5 S’s (or SNOO), to help soothe your baby to sleep. You might want to consider using a dream feed to top your baby off before bed. And be sure to get outside early in the day—this can help get your baby’s internal clock back on track!
Your 7-Week-Old Baby’s Health
How to Spot a Fever
Fevers aren’t pleasant at any age. For infants younger than 12 weeks, however, any temperature above the normal range is cause to ring up your pediatrician.
- Before 6 months of age, the most reliable ways to check for fever are with rectal, forehead, or under-arm thermometers (not ear thermometers).
A fever is a temperature above 100.4° F rectal or forehead or above 99° F for under-the-arm. - As well as feeling hot to the touch, symptoms associated with fever include irritability (more than usual and not just at the witching hour), lethargy (very little good alert time, sleepiness to where baby is just not eating what you would expect).
- Viral infections are the most common cause of fevers, but bacterial infections in the babies are common, too, and can worsen quickly.
- If your infant younger than 3 months has a fever, do not treat the fever with medication before seeing a pediatrician. Call to discuss your baby’s condition right away…don’t wait for the morning.
< Your 6-Week-Old Baby | Your 8-Week-Old Baby >
About Dr. Harvey Karp
Dr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatricians, is the founder of Happiest Baby and the inventor of the groundbreaking SNOO Smart Sleeper. After years of treating patients in Los Angeles, Dr.
Karp vaulted to global prominence with the release of the bestselling Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block. His celebrated books and videos have since become standard pediatric practice, translated into more than 20 languages and have helped millions of parents. Dr. Karp’s landmark methods, including the 5 S’s for soothing babies, guide parents to understand and nurture their children and relieve stressful issues, like new-parent exhaustion, infant crying, and toddler tantrums.
View more posts tagged, Week By Week
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.
Breastfeeding norms for newborns
When a child is born in a family, parents have many questions about the proper care of the baby. One of the most frequently asked questions is related to breastfeeding norms.
Dry initial milk formula adapted by Valio Baby 1 NutriValio for feeding children from birth to 6 months More
Follow-up dry milk formula adapted by Valio Baby 2 NutriValio for feeding children from 6 to 12 months Read more
Dry milk drink "Baby milk" Valio Baby 3 NutriValio for feeding children over 12 months Read more
Starting from the first feeding and in the first days of life, the child receives colostrum. It is very nutritious. The newborn eats little, but remains full.
The volume of the stomach in babies in the first days of life does not exceed 10 ml. In one day, a baby eats about 100 ml of breast milk. This volume is increasing every day. For a baby older than 10 days, it is very easy to calculate the feeding rate. To do this, you need to multiply the number of days lived by 10. The amount of food eaten per day should be 1/5 of the baby's body weight.
To determine the rate of feeding children from the first month of life to a year, experts have developed the following table for calculating the volume of feeding:
You can also determine the correct amount of food for feeding a baby, focusing on the age, weight, behavior and development of the child.
At present, the so-called free-feeding regimen is recommended, i.e., to give the child a breast not according to the schedule, but at his first request, including at night. This allows the baby to take full advantage of the first milk - colostrum, which is characterized by a high concentration of antimicrobial factors, which prevents the possibility of infection of the newborn.
Colostrum, which contains a high percentage of protein and minerals, even in small quantities satisfies the nutritional needs of the child. In addition, the entry of colostrum into the child's digestive tract ensures a faster "maturation" of the intestinal mucosa. A mother can learn to correctly identify the "hungry" cry of her child: at the same time, he turns his head in search of the mother's breast, smacks his lips, cries loudly, insistently. Usually, with a free-feeding regimen, a newborn baby receives breasts up to 10-12 times a day. on, initiating the secretion and release of milk. It has been shown that with free feeding, the volume of milk is 1.5 times higher than with hourly feeding. Subsequently, as the child grows, he usually develops his own feeding regimen by 2-3 months - from 6 to 8 times a day and, as a rule, without a night break. Observations show that with this feeding regime, children are distinguished by calm behavior, good mood, sleep soundly, give normal weight gain, and mothers produce more breast milk and the ability to secrete it lasts longer.
How can you tell if your baby is getting enough milk?
There is a so-called "wet diaper test". If the baby receives the necessary daily nutritional intake, he pees an average of 16-18 times. At the same time, 6-8 or more richly filled diapers are usually spent per day.
You can also determine if a child is getting enough nutrition by observing how much weight he gains each month. Infants from 2 to 13 weeks of age should gain between 170 and 200 grams per week.
Keep track of whether the baby grows out of the clothes he wears and out of diapers. If the baby eats properly, then on the 10-14th day of life, he returns to his original weight at birth. Babies who get enough food also sleep well and look cheerful and cheerful.
#PROMO_BLOCK#
Learn more about proper breastfeeding and check out our blog for tips.
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Baby 7 weeks old - how a baby of seven weeks from birth develops and looks like
Date of writing: 12/09/2014
Reading time: 12 min
At week 7, your little one is still learning to live outside of mommy's cozy tummy. In most cases, kids at this age are already sleeping much longer at night, allowing their mothers to get enough sleep.
The regime is slowly, slowly and surely, beginning to improve. The baby is already exploring the world more actively, and it is in the power of the mother to help him in this.
See a detailed calendar of child development from birth to 3 years by months
Physical development of children at the 7th week of life: what does a child look like?
- Height and weight
Over the past week, the little one has gained about 210 g. Up to 3 months, he will add an average of about 30 g / day. Growth has changed insignificantly. - The gastrointestinal tract of the baby will mature only by 3-3.5 months
So far, the baby continues to empty the intestines 2-3 times a day or after each feeding, and colic, alas, is a regular occurrence.
To prevent colic, we do a massage of the tummy, on which we put the baby, keep it like a “soldier” after feeding, give Plantex tea and monitor our diet.
Baby's daily routine at 7 weeks It hasn't changed much yet. Sleep and feeding The number of feedings is 7 times/day. Be sure to give the baby some water. It takes about 17-18 hours to sleep. 
At 6 am we feed the baby, at 8.45 we make a morning toilet, from 9 am we feed, at 12 we feed again and go for a walk, at 3 pm - feeding, walking (or sleeping on the balcony), at 6 pm - feeding, at 8.30 pm bathe and change the baby, at 9in the evening we feed again and prepare for a night's sleep, at 0 o'clock we make the last feeding.
If the child is not yet able to spend a "hungry" night, spend an additional 1 night feeding.
Physical development: what does the baby already know?
- Laughing and smiling (consciously).
- Recognizes mom and dad.
- Protests and is outraged by shouting and crying.
- When communicating, cooing, buzzing.
- Grabs a toy , always puts it in his mouth “for testing”.
- Hits (no longer by accident) with pens on toys hung by mom over the crib.
- Rolls from back to side. Be careful not to leave your baby alone on the couch. Already impossible. The side of the bed must be mandatory.
- Holds the head and already controls it well. Able to lift it from the “lying on the tummy” position, leaning on the handles.
- Locates light and sound quickly.
- Supported by the mother (under the armpits) rests with the tips of the toes on the surface.
- Recognizes sounds and actively develops his speech talents. The tone of the baby's voice changes, new sounds are added.
- Practicing "vocal". Clearly sung (cooed) vowels can be heard.
- Pulls the chin to the chest. This fact indicates that the neck muscles are strengthened.
Lay the child on the belly more often, let him consolidate his skills.
How does a seven week old baby communicate and explore the world?
There is not much that is new compared to the development of a six-week-old baby, but there are still small changes.
- Dazzling smiling mom and dad.
- Focuses on an object, studies it, follows moving objects.
- Turns the head towards the sound and looks for its source with the eyes.
- If you talk to a baby, he moves his lips, gurgles cooing.
- As for sounds, vowels are mostly vocalized .
- Adaptation to the outside world is proceeding at a faster pace. The baby already communicates a lot , answers mom and dad with gestures and sounds, spends more time on the street.
- By the cry, crying and squeaking of the child, mother can already determine what he lacks.
- Expression of joy occurs after for a smile — not a grimace, but a sincere smile, with which the baby expresses trust in his mother. There are already more than 70 types of smiles in the arsenal of the little one.
- Crying the child begins to cry louder and more demanding, but laughs sincerely and loudly.
- The child is still wary of strangers and sometimes even shyly.
- If there are four-legged pets at home, he is interested watches them .
Now an excess of impressions can lead to mental fatigue of the baby. Therefore, do not get carried away with games, do not stray from the regime and do not invite people unfamiliar to the child home.
Constant noises (joyful lisping of relatives, barking dogs, loud TV, mobile phones, etc.) tire the baby. Therefore, dose the amount of irritants.
Baby whims: what to do when the baby is bored?
At any childhood whims are normal. And at the 7th week, the baby is still too small to entertain himself on his own in the full sense of the word.
Often the cause of capriciousness becomes ordinary boredom. The child is whimpering and anxious. In this case, the mother can tell her child a fairy tale, sing a song, just pick him up and caress him. Now the baby's brain is actively growing, and he needs intellectual stimulation.
Of course, it is too early to learn languages or integrals with a child, but you can stimulate development through touch, new sounds and smells , new tactile sensations, images, songs and poems, music.
And do not forget to accompany your actions with comments, describing to the child everything that happens , what are you doing, what is the weather and what birds are chirping outside the window, what will you do now, etc.
All about child care at 7 weeks: defeat prickly heat and diaper rash
For bathing a seven-week-old baby, the rules are the same as for 6 weeks: bathe 1-2 times a week with soap , and every day just in some water. Bathing time can be increased if the child likes games in the water and the procedures themselves.
What to do if your baby has diaper rash and diaper rash: tips for mothers on care
One of the most common phenomena in babies of this age is diaper rash and diaper rash.
For the prevention and treatment of diaper rash, certain rules must be observed.
Walks: how much to walk, how to dress a baby 7 weeks of life
Walks are extremely important for the health of the little one, do not neglect them.
If there is no way to escape from the house with a stroller, wrap the child in a blanket and just sit with him on the balcony. Or roll out the stroller to the balcony, let the baby sleep in the air. If there is no balcony, open the window wide, wrap the baby up and put to bed.
- Winter walks should not exceed 1 hour.
- Summer walks take from 20 minutes to 3-4 hours.
The baby still does not warm himself, so be careful about his clothes for walking. Rule of thumb: dress as you are + 1 more layer of clothing .
Development of a child at the seventh week of life: games and developmental activities
At seven weeks of age, a toddler is already able to "play" alone for some time. For example, in your bed next to a musical carousel or lying on your tummy on a developing mat.
Of course, it's much more fun to play with mom and dad, especially since the selection of games and toys is getting wider.
- Periodically we shift the baby from the crib to the sofa so that she can see all her relatives and be able to follow what is happening.
- We imitate (imitate) the sounds that the baby makes. You can even record them on a voice recorder and let the baby listen. In most cases, he will begin to communicate with his own voice.
- Telling fairy tales to the little one. Preferably in faces, artistically, with an expression, so that the tone of the voice and volume change, so that the characters of the fairy tale can be shown in pictures. In short, we show the baby mini-performances.
- Pronounce nursery rhymes clearly so that all sounds and intonations can be heard.
- Mandatory we introduce father, grandmother, brother/sister to games . Just do not be too zealous so as not to overexcite the child.
- You can buy bright soft cuffs/socks (even with bells). Put them on the right arm / leg, then on the left, accompanying the process with comments.
- We buy educational dolls, these are toys in the form of gloves on the hand. They are suitable for mini-performances, and just for fun communication with the baby.
- Be sure to give the baby in the arms toys with different textures and different sounds (squeakers and rattles, rustling and creaking toys). The more often you change them, the faster the baby realizes that toys come in different colors, sizes, textures and sounds.
- We fasten all over the room bright patterns, balls, ribbons . We change them regularly (especially in terms of colors).
Games and gymnastics for physical development
- We strengthen the legs with the help of a “bicycle”.
Lay the baby on the back and turn the pedals with the feet. At the end of the exercise, we pull him up by the legs, lifting his ass into the air. Of course, we do everything as affectionately as possible and with songs-jokes. - We use a fitball for training. Exercises on this fabulously useful ball help not only develop but also treat colic.
- Hang toys in the crib at such a level that the child has to reach for them with arms or legs.
- We develop reflexes. Before feeding we put the same melody (for example) so that the baby gets used to the fact that it is followed by milk.
- Bathing before going to bed at night. It also becomes a signal that now they will put you to bed for the whole night.
- When swaddling and changing clothes don't forget about massage and stroking. We easily massage the body of the little one, arms with legs, then on the back, then on the belly.
