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Feeding is one of the first activities you'll do with your little one, and you'll spend lots of time doing it as a new parent! Whether your baby is formula-fed, breastfed, or eating solid foods, feeding them the right amount is vital for their development.
Read on to learn more about how much breast milk, formula, and solid food you need to keep your baby healthy at any age.
From the experts: baby feeding
'It is important to remember all babies are different―some like to snack more often, and others drink more at one time and go longer between feedings. However, most babies will drink more and go longer between feedings as they get bigger and their tummies can hold more milk.'
- Sanjeev Jain, MD, - Healthy Children
Breast milk feedings and amounts by age
Though breastfeeding has a whole host of benefits, from providing bonding time with your baby to giving them all the nutrients they need to grow and develop, it can be tricky to know how much they're actually drinking if you aren't pumping!
If you're feeding your baby directly from the breast, they'll likely want to eat little and often at first - every 1-3 hours for the first few weeks. As they get older, this will decrease to longer feeds every 2-4 hours, and you may include a stretch of time between feedings at night as your baby sleeps.
Once they reach 6 months of age and you start introducing solid food into their diet, the amount of breastfeeding and ounces of milk per feeding will vary depending on how much food they're eating.
If you're choosing to primarily pump breast milk, you'll likely find it a lot easier to figure out just how much milk your baby is getting. However, this doesn't mean you know the correct amount for each age! To help you out, we've created a table stating how much breast milk to give your baby and how often:
| Age | Time between feedings | Ounces per feeding |
| 0-1 Month | 2-3 hours | 1-3 ounces |
| 1-3 Months | 3-4 hours | 3-4 ounces |
| 3-6 months | 4-6 hours | 4-8 ounces |
| 6-9 months | 4-6 hours | 6-8 ounces |
| 9-12 months | 5-8 hours | 7-8 ounces |
Remember that this table is only a rough guide - your baby is unique, and they might be perfectly healthy eating more or less than described here.
If you're unsure that your baby is consuming the right amount of breast milk, you should consult your pediatrician for more advice.
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Formula feeding and amounts by age
As well as being more convenient for many parents and more accessible for dads, formula-fed babies can also be easier to feed the correct amount as you can more effectively measure how much they're eating.
Generally speaking, formula-fed babies tend to take fewer feedings than breastfed babies and will eat more in a single feed, but this might be different for your own baby!
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your baby has around 2 1/2 oz of formula per day for every pound of body weight - a baby who weighs ten pounds will therefore need 25 ounces in a 24-hour period, for instance.
To make it easy, we've put together a table with the recommended amounts of formula according to your baby's age:
| Age | Time between feedings | Ounces per Feeding |
|
0-2 weeks |
2-3 hours |
1 to 2 ounces |
|
2 weeks - 2 months |
3-4 hours |
2-3 ounces |
|
2-4 months |
4-5 hours |
4-6 ounces |
|
4-6 months |
4-6 hours |
5-8 ounces |
Once again, you might find that your baby can't quite drink as much formula as this table says, or that they cry for more milk between feedings.
Ultimately, you should always follow your baby's lead when it comes to their basic needs - they know how much milk they need to drink better than a baby feeding chart does! Therefore, just use these tables as a rough guide that you can adjust later down the line if you need to.
Solid food feedings and amounts by age
Once your baby is 6 months old, they'll have reached some of the developmental milestones that mean they can start eating solid food. These include sitting up independently, bringing food to their mouth, controlling their head and neck, and successfully swallowing food by pushing it to their throat.
As you already know, you can't feed your baby a full three-course meal right off the bat - you need to start slow with foods that are easy for them to eat and digest.
For instance, you can try starting them off with mashed or pureed single-ingredient foods such as mashed apples or carrots.
This is also the time when allergies might come to light, so be mindful of what you're feeding your baby in case they have any kind of reaction, and consult your doctor if you notice anything wrong.
Here is a table of how much solid food you should give your baby at each age - bear in mind that these amounts should be supplemented with breast milk or formula, and that the amount of food you give them will depend on this ratio.
| Age | Type of food | Amount of food | How often |
| 6-8 months | Fruit and vegetables | 1-4 tbsp | 1-2 times per day |
| 6-8 months | Cereal | 1-4 tbsp | 1-2 times per day |
| 8-9 months | Fruit, vegetables, cereals | 5-10 tbsp | 2-3 times per day |
| 8-9 months | Proteins | 2-6 tbsp | Each day |
| 9-12 months | Fruit, vegetables, grains | Up to 1/2 cup | 2 times per day |
| 9-12 months | Dairy | Up to 1/2 cup | Each day |
| 9-12 months | Protein | Up to 1/2 cup | Each day |
However, as any parent can tell you, babies rarely eat exactly the right amount whenever they're told! Your baby's appetite will likely fluctuate each day, and it's important to not force food down them when they aren't feeling hungry.
Instead, you should teach them to trust their own feelings and instincts, so that they understand their own hunger better when they grow into childhood.
If you want an idea of how to work foods like this into your baby's diet, here's an example of what your baby might eat in a day:
| Meal | Food |
| Breakfast | Oatmeal with pureed fruit |
| Lunch | Lentil soup with boiled carrots |
| Dinner | Mashed potato with tuna mayo |
| Snacks | A couple of tablespoons of yogurt, smoothie, or applesauce |
Of course, the menu is up to you, and you may even find that your baby can eat slightly altered versions of dishes that you might eat yourself!
Key Takeaways
When it comes to feeding your baby, things can get a little complicated; from choosing between breast milk and formula feeding to knowing how much milk to feed your baby and keeping on top of the milk supply, it isn't always simple! But don't worry - here are the most important points we've talked about today when it comes to feeding your little one:
- Your baby's stomach starts out tiny and starts to grow quickly, so expect to start with more frequent, smaller feedings before moving onto larger amounts with longer stretches of time in between
- Formula-fed babies on average take fewer feedings per day than breastfed babies and will eat a little more in a single sitting
- Babies can begin eating some solid foods from 6 months, but you should start slow with pureed single-ingredient foods to work out their likes and dislikes, as well as any potential allergies
- You should pay attention to your baby's unique needs and feed them when they're hungry - while tables can be useful to give you a rough idea of how much babies eat on average, it's fine if they don't 100% apply to your little one's own habits!
