How Much Is It to Have a Baby
If you find yourself fretting over your newborn feeding schedule, you're not alone. Questions like "how much should a newborn eat?" and "how often should I feed baby?" are some of the most common concerns among new parents. After all, baby is growing by leaps and bounds. They'll grow more in the first year than at any other point in their life, doubling in size by the time they're 5 months old and tripling by the end of the first year—so it's important to feed baby the fuel they need to power through each stage of development. Whether you opt for breast milk or formula, here's what you need to know to make sure baby is eating enough.
In this article:
How much breast milk should a newborn eat?
How much formula should a newborn eat?
What if you're breastfeeding and formula-feeding?
Signs baby is getting enough milk
Newborn feeding FAQs
How Much Breast Milk Should A Newborn Eat?
Wondering how much a newborn should eat? "As pediatricians, we say to feed on demand," says Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, a pediatrician in New York City and an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine. And luckily, when all goes right, breastfeeding is an ingenious, self-sufficient system. When baby suckles, it stimulates your breasts to produce just the right amount of milk to meet your child's nutritional needs. When baby needs more (because of a growth spurt, for example) they suckle more, causing your body to crank up production. Genius. Of course, that's presuming that baby—and your breasts—cooperate.
It's hard to clock how much a newborn eats when you're breastfeeding. Use these guidelines to make sure baby is eating enough.
How many ounces should a newborn eat at a time? From the time your milk comes in a few days after birth, baby will likely take in 2 to 3 ounces at each feeding, working their way up to 4 ounces by the end of the first month. To gauge roughly how much milk baby needs, try this quick, easy calculation: Multiply baby's weight by two and a half. For example, an eight-pound baby should be eating about 20 ounces a day.
In terms of how often you should feed baby, you can expect a newborn to breastfeed as much as every two to three hours (or more!), or 8 to 12 times a day. While baby (and mom) are still figuring out how to breastfeed, it can take 20 to 45 minutes per feeding, or more. But all that suckling helps to establish your milk supply, so it's time well spent. As baby's stomach gets bigger and can hold more milk at a time, they'll be able to go longer between feedings—about three to four hours. They'll also get more efficient, usually taking in 90 percent of the milk they need within the first 10 minutes of nursing.
How Much Formula Should A Newborn Eat?
One advantage to formula-feeding is parents can measure every ounce of milk baby guzzles down. But it can pose its own challenges too: While babies are blissfully free from concepts like the clean plate (or empty bottle) club, parents aren't. Here's a breakdown of how much formula a newborn should eat.
Ounce for ounce, formula has the same average calories as breast milk, so the total amount that breastfed and formula-fed babies will need to eat in a day is basically the same: about two and a half times baby's weight in pounds. The newborn feeding schedule for formula, however, might be a little different. Since babies tend to digest formula more slowly, they'll go longer between feedings. Baby will likely get hungry every three to four hours, eating about 2 ounces per feeding as a newborn and progressing to 4 ounces by the end of the first month. Expect to add about an ounce per month until baby is eating 6 to 8 ounces of formula at a time, which usually happens when baby is 6 months of age. In general, 32 ounces of formula a day is the most baby will ever need. (When they're hungry for more than that, it may mean they're ready to start eating solids, which typically happens around the six-month mark.)
What If You're Breastfeeding And Formula-Feeding?
For moms who do a blend of breast milk and formula, there are no set rules for how often and how much a newborn should eat of each. You'll want to aim for at least six to eight feedings per day of one type of milk or the other (fewer as baby gets older)—but since breast milk and formula are nutritionally equivalent, it's simply a matter of finding the mix that works best for you and baby. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months if possible. Even if you plan to eventually supplement with formula, breastfeeding during that critical period can help better establish your breast milk supply for the months ahead.
Age-By-Age Feeding Guide
Still wondering how much a newborn should eat, and how often? The following feeding chart, based on information from the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, breaks down feeding amounts and frequency by age, so you don't have to constantly worry if you have a hungry baby on your hands. When baby is around 6 months old, you can start introducing solid foods into baby's diet (which is a whole new exciting adventure).
Signs Baby Is Eating Enough
When it comes to newborns, how often you should feed baby depends on how much milk your newborn wants. Keep an eye out for signs you have a hungry baby—like if they wake up and start rooting, or suckling or moving their mouth—preferably before they start fussing or crying. Pay attention to baby's cues even while you feed. You'll know they're still hungry if they're actively suckling and audibly swallowing. When baby stops suckling, relaxes their hands and has that sleepy, relaxed "milk-drunk" look, you'll know they've eaten enough.
Checking baby's diaper can also give you a clue as to whether baby is eating enough: A wet diaper every three to four hours is a good sign. Stools can be more variable: Some babies poop every time they eat, others just once a day.
But at the end of the day, "how baby is acting and growing are the most important [signs]," Trachtenberg says. By measuring baby's weight gain, your pediatrician will be able to tell if your child is thriving. Babies usually gain about half an ounce to two ounces per day for the first three months, says Meryl Newman-Cedar, MD, a New York City-based pediatrician and clinical instructor of pediatrics at Weill-Cornell Medical Center. But keep in mind that the big picture is more important than any single weigh-in. "In general, you want to see baby's height and weight basically follow their own growth curve," she says.
Newborn Feeding FAQs
Should I wake baby for feedings?
"I tell parents not to wake a sleeping baby," Trachtenberg says—at least once baby has gained back their birth weight and is continuing to feed every three to four hours during the daytime. (It's normal for newborns to lose weight in the first few days of life and then gain it back.)
Should I wake baby if they doze off during a feeding?
Some doctors say yes. "When that happens, baby eats so slowly that one feeding runs into the next feeding time—and parents find themselves with little time for anything else," Newman-Cedar says. Try slightly undressing baby, tickling their feet or patting their bottom to get back on task.
Is baby eating too much?
While baby is naturally aware of when they're hungry and when they've had their fill, it's possible for well-meaning adults to coax baby into overeating, especially from a bottle. To avoid overfeeding, watch for signs baby is full, such as turning their head, pushing the bottle away or fussing. And don't be too focused on making sure baby finishes every last drop. Trachtenberg suggests putting no more than a half-ounce more than you expect baby to eat at each feeding in a bottle. If baby drains that too, you'll know it's time to add a little bit more. But go slowly: Try pausing halfway through the bottle, sitting baby up and burping them—then see if they actually want more.
Should I worry that baby is losing weight?
Don't stress: It's totally normal for newborns to actually lose weight in the first few days of life—up to 7 to 10 percent is considered acceptable. Beyond that, your doctor may advise you to supplement with formula to ward off dehydration and low blood sugar.
If baby isn't getting enough calories, you'll start to see a lag in growth, Newman-Cedar says. It starts with a decrease in baby's weight, then length and lastly head circumference, since the body prioritizes the brain when nutrients are scarce. But when it comes to baby's growth, bigger isn't necessarily better. It's all about the growth curve. "If you have parents who are thin and the kid is in the 10th percentile, that's probably normal for that child," Newman-Cedar says.
Call your pediatrician if baby has a fever; is lethargic, refusing to eat or vomiting a lot in between feedings; isn't urinating at least every four to six hours; or if baby's urine is very concentrated (dark yellow).
Expert bios:
Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, is a pediatrician with Carnegie Hill Pediatrics in New York City, where she has been practicing for over 20 years, as well as an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree in 1993 at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine and is the author of two parenting books, The Smart Parent's Guide to Getting Your Kids Through Check Ups, Illness and Accidents, and Good Kids, Bad Habits: The Real Age Guide to Raising Healthy Children.
Meryl Newman-Cedar, MD, is a New York City-based pediatrician at Upper East Side Pediatrics, an attending pediatrician at NYPH-Cornell and a clinical instructor of pediatrics at Weill-Cornell Medical Center. She attended medical school at the SUNY-Downstate Medical Center and has been in private practice since 1986.
Updated January 2020
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