Newborn Feeding: How Much Milk Is Enough?

Newborns have tiny stomachs, so they need to be fed small amounts of milk frequently. In the first week of life, newborns should eat roughly 1 to 2 ounces of milk per feed, building up to 3 to 4 ounces per feed by the time they're one month old. This can be breast milk or formula milk. Breastfed babies should be fed on cue, whereas formula-fed babies tend to have more regular feeding schedules.

Newborns should be fed on demand

Newborns have tiny tummies—about the size of a walnut—and need to feed frequently. For this reason, it's important to feed newborns on demand, or responsively, rather than according to a set schedule.

The Benefits of Feeding on Demand

Feeding on demand is recommended, especially in the early weeks, for several reasons:

• Responding to your newborn's hunger cues will result in better feeding sessions and healthy weight gain for your baby.
• If you're breastfeeding, frequent feeds will signal to your body to make breast milk and will boost your milk supply.
• Responsive feeding helps your baby develop good eating habits and learn to self-regulate their eating. It may even lower the risk of obesity later in life.
• Learning your baby's hunger cues helps you connect and bond with your newborn, which has far-ranging benefits. One study even showed that feeding babies on demand was associated with better cognitive and academic outcomes when they were older.

Scheduled Feeding vs. Feeding on Demand

Scheduled feeding means feeding your baby at set intervals, such as every 3 hours, regardless of hunger cues. While this can be helpful for managing triple feeding (when a parent is breastfeeding, supplementing, and pumping), scheduled feeding has been linked to poor weight gain in newborns and may contribute to early weaning in breastfed babies, since they can lead to reduced milk production.

How to Know When Your Baby is Hungry

Babies tend to feed little and often, so they may not finish their bottle. It's important to never force your baby to finish the bottle—always be led by your baby.

In the first few weeks of life, you'll probably feed your baby about every 1.5 to 3 hours, or around 8 to 12 times a day. For formula-fed babies, the time intervals might be a little longer because formula takes longer to digest than breast milk.

• Sucking on their hands or fingers
• Rooting (a newborn reflex—babies turn their head toward anything that touches their face and open their mouth, looking for a nipple)
• Opening and closing their mouth
• Sticking out their tongue
• Clenching their fists
• Smacking or licking their lips

It's best to feed your baby as soon as you notice them making any early signs of hunger, before they're fussing or crying. You'll have more success feeding them before they cry. Once they're crying, you may need to calm them down before they'll successfully latch to a breast or bottle and get a good feeding.

In the first few weeks, give 2- to 3-ounce (60- to 90-millilitre) 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.

When to Stop Feeding on Demand

It's most important to feed on demand during the newborn stage—the first weeks of your baby's life—to ensure they get accustomed to eating and gain weight properly. As your baby gets older, probably around 2 months old, they'll naturally fall into more of a predictable schedule. They'll also need to eat a little less frequently, usually every 3 to 4 hours.

Newborns eat every 2-3 hours

Newborns have tiny tummies, so they need to eat little and often. In the first few days of life, newborns will feed on demand, whenever they show hunger cues. This is called on-demand feeding and is essential to meeting their needs.

After the first few days, newborns will feed every 2-3 hours. This is around 8-12 times a day. This is because their small stomachs can only take in a small amount of milk at a time. They will drink around 1-2 ounces of breast milk or formula per feed.

As they get bigger, their stomachs will be able to hold more milk, and the time between feeds will increase. By two months, babies will feed every three to four hours.

It's important to remember that every baby is unique, and their feeding preferences will vary. Some may like to feed more often and take less milk, while others may prefer less frequent feeds with more milk. It's important to follow your baby's hunger cues and feed them on demand.

• Moving their heads from side to side
• Opening their mouths
• Sticking out their tongues
• Placing their hands, fingers, or fists in their mouths
• Puckering their lips as if to suck
• Nuzzling against the mother's breast
• Showing the rooting reflex (moving their head in the direction of something touching their cheek)

Newborn feeding amount for formula

Newborns should receive all their calories from breast milk or baby formula. In the first week of life, a formula-fed newborn will take about 1 to 3 ounces per feed. This will gradually increase to 3 to 4 ounces at each feeding by the end of the first month.

Formula-fed newborns tend to eat every three to four hours and are more likely to be on a predictable feeding schedule than nursing infants. In the first few weeks, give 2- to 3-ounce (60- to 90-millilitre) bottles to your newborn. Give more or less depending on your baby's hunger cues.

On average, a newborn drinks about 1.5–3 ounces (45–90 millilitres) 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 millilitres) every 3–4 hours.

By 4 months, your baby may drink about 4–6 ounces (120–180 millilitres) at each feeding, depending on how often they eat. By 6 months, your baby may drink 6–8 ounces (180–230 millilitres) about 4–5 times a day.

As a rule of thumb, infants under 6 months who haven't started solids should be taking 2 to 2.5 ounces of formula per pound of body weight over 24 hours. This may work out to somewhere between 18 and 32 ounces per day, depending on your baby's size and mood.

Remember, every baby is different. Bigger babies tend to drink more than smaller babies, and your baby's appetite may vary day-to-day and feeding-to-feeding. So treat feeding guidelines as rough approximations. Always take your cues from your baby. If they become fidgety or easily distracted during a feeding, they've probably had enough. If they drain the bottle and start smacking their lips for more, they might still be hungry.

How to tell if your baby is hungry

Babies can't talk, but they're very good at letting you know what they need. Crying is usually a late sign of hunger, and it can be harder to latch a baby once they've started crying. Here are some of the signs your baby is hungry that they'll show before they start to cry:

• Sucking on their hands, fingers, clothing, or fists
• Opening and closing their mouth
• Sticking out their tongue
• Puckering their lips as if to suck
• Smacking their lips
• Turning their head to the side, as if looking for food
• Turning their head toward the breast or chest, or a bottle
• Moving their fists to their mouth
• Becoming more alert and active
• Making sucking motions with their mouth
• Drooling more
• Staring at you and following you with their eyes

How Much to Feed Your Newborn

Newborns should receive all their calories from breast milk or baby formula. Most newborns eat every two to three hours, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and they drink 1 to 2 ounces of breast milk per feeding. When your baby reaches two weeks old, this amount increases to 2 to 3 ounces per feeding.

If you're formula feeding, a good rule of thumb is to feed your baby 2.5 ounces of formula per pound of body weight daily. However, it's important to respond to your baby's hunger cues rather than giving them a specific amount of formula.

Signs that your baby is full

Newborns should be fed on demand, whenever they seem hungry. In the first few weeks of life, newborns will nurse about 8 to 12 times per day, or every 2–3 hours.

It is important to let your baby nurse until they are full. Here are some signs that your baby is full:

• Slowing down, or sucking with less enthusiasm
• Spitting out the bottle or unlatching from the breast
• Closing their mouth
• Turning away from the breast or bottle
• Relaxing their fingers, arms and/or legs
• Starting to fall asleep
• Relaxing their body and opening their fists

Babies know when they've had enough to eat, and their hunger can change from day to day and feeding to feeding. It's important to trust that your baby knows how much they need.

Frequently asked questions