Breastfeeding & Bottle Feeding |
How Much
How Much Should Baby Drink?
It Depends on the Baby
“How much should my baby be eating?” was one of my very first questions at the doctor’s office. My doctor’s answer, along with most research out there states that it varies baby by baby and to simply feed the baby when he is hungry. Well at first, that was easy since my baby seemed to be eating very well.
At two months he was eating about 4 ounces every two hours. He seemed to consistently eat well each month and by 4 months he was eating 6 – 8 ounces at sittings every couple hours. Then shortly after his 4 month doctor’s visit he became very upset at feedings and would only drink 2 -3 ounces at a sitting; this is when I really became focused on how much he needed to eat for the day.
I wanted to find out “general” guidelines of what the average baby eats, not just that the baby will eat when she’s hungry. Since my baby all of a sudden didn’t want to eat, I couldn’t just use the philosophy that when he’s hungry he’ll eat, although he probably would eventually eat something, it probably wouldn’t be what he should be eating for the day.
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Best to Feed Baby Before Crying
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, (“AAP”), it is best to feed the baby when 'the infant shows early signs of hunger such as increased alertness, physical activity, mouthing, or rooting'” (“Breastfeeding”). Ideally, you want to feed the baby before the baby is using the hunger cry, "NEH.” Using the E.A.S.Y. schedule discussed in both “Schedule Versus Demand” and “Secrets of the Baby Whisperer” (Secrets) may help identify when it is time to feed the baby before she becomes upset.
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Average Schedule to Bottle Feed
Remember, the amount your baby drinks varies baby to baby, but one way to calculate the average amount most babies drink is to use the following equation documented at drgreene.com:
|
2 or 3 Ounces (oz.) |
Multiply by |
Total Baby Weight in Pounds (lbs) |
Equals |
Total Amount in 24 Hours in Ounces (oz.) up to MAXIMUM 32 oz. |
Ex. 1 |
2 or 3 oz. |
X |
10 lbs |
= |
20 - 30 ounces |
Ex. 2 |
2 or 3 oz. |
X |
20 lbs |
= |
32 ounces (Since MAXIMUM reached) |
The Baby Book uses a similar equation and states to multiply the baby’s weight per pound by 2 – 2 ½ ounces of formula to determine the general guideline to calculate how much formula to feed an infant from birth to six months. Sears also remind to not “expect baby to take this much immediately after birth” (208).
I compiled information based on my interpretation from The Baby Book, babycenter.com, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Secrets, and my personal experience to prepare a table broken out by age of the baby to list the total amount, amount per bottle, number of bottles per day, how often to give bottles, and additional notes. Note: How often to give bottles at the beginning may include during the night time. Generally by 6 months, the baby can sleep through the night without waking to sleep and thus the how often only refers to during the day. Please refer to the actual source for more detailed information.
- Total Amount (Ounce): The total mount of ounces consumed in 24 hour period. The total amounts for age 1 month to 12+ months were obtained from babycenter.com. According to my doctor, he advised for my son to continue taking an average of 18 ounces per 24 hour period until my son turns 24 months. Several of my friends' doctors recommended the baby eat between 16 - 24 ounces once the baby is around 10 months. Remember at 12 months the child may transition to whole cow’s milk. Please refer to the "Whole Milk" article for more information on this transition.
- Bottle Amount (Ounce): The average amount in ounces in each bottle for a baby from birth to 12 months was primarily obtained from The Baby Book (Sears 208) and Secrets (Hogg 120) listed in that order if applicable in the table. For example, for 1 -2 months, The Baby Book lists 3 -4 ounces while Secrets lists 4 – 6 ounces.
- # Bottle: The number of bottles given to baby in 24 hour period. I calculated this using the bottle amounts, total amount, and how often a bottle is typically given.
- How Often (Hour): The amount of time in hours between each feeding (generally this is from start to start not end to start). As the baby’s night sleep lengthens without waking to eat, the “how often” time begins to represent how often in the day taking into account how long the baby is sleeping at night without waking to eat. For example, the 3 -4 month old the baby may have a bottle every 3 to 4 hours during the day and then at night may sleep six hours before waking to have a bottle. I referred to Secrets (Hogg 120) for guidance to calculate how often for birth to 6 months.
- Additional Notes: Additional notes as relevant to age is added such as when solid foods are started and how long the baby can sleep at night before needing to eat. Most research suggests you can start weaning the baby from a night feeding between 6 – 9 months (Weissbluth 15) and (Disney). While the baby is a newborn, the AAP also recommends to wake the baby if 3 – 4 hours passed since last feeding (“FAQ's”)
Age |
Total Amount (Ounce) |
Bottle Amount
(Ounce) |
# Bottles/
D ay |
How Often (Hour) |
Additional Notes |
Birth - 3 Weeks |
12 - 24
|
1 - 2 or 3 |
6 - 8 |
3 |
Recommended to wake
baby if 3 - 4 hours
passed since last feeding. |
1 - 2 Months |
12 - 24 (up to 36 - 40)
|
3 - 4
or 4 - 6
|
6 - 8 |
3 - 4 |
By one month most eat 4
ounces every 4 hours
including during the night. |
3 - 4 Months |
12 - 24
(up to 36 - 40)
|
4 - 6
or 4 - 8 |
6 |
3 - 4 |
By 4 months, usually
can sleep six hours
straight before waking to
eat. |
5 - 6 Months |
12 - 36 |
4 - 6
or 8 |
4 - 5 |
3 - 4 |
Around 5 months most start solids. By
5 months usually can
sleep nine hours and by
6 months usually can
sleep twelve hours before
waking to eat. |
7 - 8 Months |
24 - 32 |
8 |
3 - 4 |
4 |
Solid foods 2 - 3 times.
|
9 -10 Months |
24 - 32 or
16 - 24 |
8 |
3 - 4 |
4 |
Solid foods 3 times.
|
11 - 12 Months |
24 - 32 or
16 - 24 |
8 |
3 - 4 |
4 |
Solid foods 3 times. |
12 - 24 Months |
16 - 24 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
Solid foods 3 times; can
transition to whole cow's
milk (limit to 24 ounces
or may obtain iron
deficiency) |
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Average Schedule to Breastfeed
Breastfeeding is definitely going to vary baby to baby. Not only is there the baby differential, but mommy impacts this one as well since not all women produce and distribute breast milk the same. Most research advises against watching the clock while breastfeeding. I definitely agree that you do not want to be concerned with the exact time the baby breastfeeds and that ultimately you have to feed your baby according to your baby’s needs. On the other hand, I also feel it is also nice to have a rough idea of the “norm” times for breastfeeding.
Similar to the table above which gives guidance on the amount a baby drinks when bottle feeding, I compiled information based on my interpretation from The Baby Book, babycenter.com, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Secrets, and my personal experience to prepare a table to list the time on breast, the amount, number of times breastfeed, how often, the total amount, and additional notes about breastfeeding. Please refer to the actual source for more detailed information.
- Time on Breast (Minute): Amount of minutes on breast (Refer to “About Breastfeeding” which suggests to not switch sides until baby finishes milk on one side. If the baby is still hungry after he finishes one side, then simply switch to the other side. The amount of time on breasts for birth to 6 months was obtained from Secrets (Hogg 105 and 108). The amount of time on breast from 7 – 24 months was estimated. Note that babies will become more efficient eaters and thus they won’t need as much time to obtain the proper amounts (Hogg 108). This is why the time actually decreases even though the amount increases.
- Amount (Ounce): This is the average estimated amount the baby obtains while breastfeeding. The amounts for age 4 weeks to 6 months were obtained from Secrets (Hogg 108) and I estimated the remaining amounts based on average amounts a baby would drink in a bottle. If you would like to obtain a better estimate of what your breasts provide your baby then “fifteen minutes before a feed, pump your breasts and measure what you are yielding. Taking into account that a baby can extract at least one ounce more by physically sucking at your breast…” (Hogg 108).
- # Breast: The approximate number of times to breastfeed baby in 24 hour period. According to the AAP, during the early weeks, it is encouraged to have 8 to 12 feedings at the breast every 24 hours (AAP, “FAQs”). The number of breastfeeding times for 4 weeks to 24 months was estimated based on the number of times a baby would bottle feed. Generally, breast milk digests quicker than formula and thus a breastfeeding baby may feed more often than a formula feeding baby (Sears 209).
- How Often (Hour): The amount of time in hours between each feeding (generally this is from start to start not end to start). As the baby’s night sleep lengthens without waking to eat, the “how often” time begins to represent how often in the day taking into account how long the baby is sleeping at night without waking to eat. For example, the 3 -4 month old the baby may have a bottle every 3 to 4 hours during the day and then at night may sleep six hours before waking to have a bottle. I obtained the information for age Day 1 – Day 4 from Secrets (Hogg 105) and for babies starting at 4 weeks to 24 months I used guidance from Secrets (Hogg 115) to calculate an estimated time.
- Total Amount (Ounce): The total mount of ounces consumed in 24 hour period. The total amounts for age 1 month to 12+ months were obtained from babycenter.com. According to my doctor, he advised for my son to continue taking an average of 18 ounces per 24 hour period until he turns 24 months. Several of my friends' doctors recommended the baby eat between 16 - 24 ounces once the baby is around 10 months. Remember at 12 months the child may transition to whole cow’s milk. Please refer to the "Whole Milk" article for more information on this transition.
- Additional Notes: Additional notes as relevant to age is added such as when solid foods are started and how long the baby can sleep at night before needing to eat. Most research suggests you can start weaning the baby from a night feeding between 6 – 9 months (Weissbluth 15) and (Disney). While the baby is a newborn, the AAP also recommends to wake the baby if 3 – 4 hours passed since the last feeding (“FAQs”).
Age |
Time on Breast (Minute) |
Amount
(Ounce) |
# Breast |
How Often (Hour) |
Total Amount (Ounce) |
Additional Notes |
Day 1 |
5 on each side |
|
8 - 12 |
On demand |
12 - 24 |
Some feed every 1 1/2
hours, others every 3
hours. Recommended to
wake baby if 3 - 4 hours
passed since last feeding. |
Day 2 |
10 on each side |
|
8 - 12 |
2 |
12 - 24 |
|
Day 3 |
15 on each side |
|
8 - 12 |
2 1/2 |
12 - 24 |
|
Day 4 - 3 Weeks |
40 single side |
|
8 - 12 |
2 1/2 - 3 |
12 - 24 |
|
1 Month |
Up to 40 single side
|
2 - 5
|
8 |
3 |
12 - 24
(up to 36 - 40) |
By one month most eat 4 ounces ever 4 hours including during the night. |
2 Months |
Up to 30 single side |
4 - 6 |
6 - 8 |
3 |
12 - 24
(up to 36 - 40) |
|
3 - 6 Months |
Up to 20 single side
|
5 - 8 |
6 |
3 |
12 - 24
(up to 36 - 40) |
By 4 months, usually
can sleep six hours
straight before waking to
eat. Around 5 months most start solids. By
5 months usually can
sleep nine hours and by
6 months usually can
sleep twelve hours before
waking to eat. |
7 - 8 Months |
Up to 20 single side |
8 |
4 - 5 |
4 |
24 - 32 |
Solid foods 2 - 3 times.
|
9 -10 Months |
Up to 20 single side |
8 |
3 - 4 |
4 |
24 - 32 or 16 - 24 |
Solid foods 3 times.
|
11 - 12 Months |
Up to 20 single side |
8 |
3 - 4 |
4 |
24 - 32 or
16 - 24 |
Solid foods 3 times. |
12 - 24 Months |
Up to 20 single side |
8 |
3 |
4 |
16 - 24 |
Solid foods 3 times; can
transition to whole cow's
milk (limit to 24 ounces
or may obtain iron
deficiency) |
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Signs Breastfeeding Baby Drinking Enough
Since breastfeeding does not give you the exact amount the baby is drinking, I was always wondering if my son was getting enough milk. This was my main concern and a contributing factor as to why I liked to occasionally give my son a bottle to see how much he would drink from the bottle. With my daughter I was more comfortable with breastfeeding and I knew she was getting enough milk: I could hear her gulping the milk, when I did pump I had a lot of it; when she would occasionally take a bottle she would easily drink the "norm" amounts so I knew if she wasn't getting that same amount when I breastfed her she would have been crying.
If you would like to obtain an estimate of what your breasts provide your baby then “fifteen minutes before a feed, pump your breasts and measure what you are yielding. Taking into account that a baby can extract at least one ounce more by physically sucking at your breast…” (Hogg 108).
If you do not want to occasionally give your baby a bottle or pump to find out, how do you know your baby is drinking enough? Well, you may not know exactly but there are signs to look for such as how many wet diapers or bowel movements the baby has. I compiled information from both La Leche League (LLL) and Sears (pages 99 &139) to prepare the table below.
|
Wet Diapers (Disposable) |
Bowel Movements |
Additional Notes |
Day 1 & 2 (Only Colostrum in Breast Milk) |
1 or 2 |
|
If bottle feeding, I would expect more wet diapers day 1 and day 2. |
Around Day 4 - 1st Few Months |
4 - 6 |
2 - 5 |
Some babies may only have 1 or 2 bowel movements a day. Some babies start having less frequent but large bowel movements around 6 weeks. |
If you want to determine the weight of a wet disposable diaper you could pour 2-4 tablespoons of water into a diaper and compare the difference (LLL). Another important thing to note is that the consistency of the baby's stools will change. Generally you should "expect your newborn's stools to progress from black to green to brown to yellow" (Sears 99).
Once my son was around 4 weeks old, shortly after his one month visit he became extremely constipated and sometimes would not have a bowel movement for 5 – 7 days. It was evident that when he finally did have a bowel movement it was very uncomfortable for him. If my son was only breastfeeding, then it would have been hard to determine if he was drinking enough based on his bowel movements since they were so infrequent. The "Constipation" article is coming soon. There are additional signs other than the amount of wet diapers and the amount of bowel movements. According to the LLL's web site, the following “are additional important signs that indicate your baby is receiving enough milk:
- The baby nurses frequently averaging at least 8-12 feedings per 24-hour period.
- The baby is allowed to determine the length of the feeding, which may be 10 to 20 minutes per breast or longer.
- Baby’s swallowing sounds are audible as he is breastfeeding.
- The baby should gain at least 4-7 ounces per week after the fourth day of life.
- The baby will be alert and active, appear healthy, have good color, firm skin, and will be growing in length and head circumference.”
Please discuss with your health care professional if you have any concerns.
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Document: Refer to Templates
I believe it is important to record how much the baby drinks, by the amount of ounces or the amount of time on each breast and the amount of wet diapers and bowel movements. This is something I promoted in my article about “Schedule Versus Demand.” I think it is very important to document so you can establish the baby’s routine to determine what is “normal” for your baby. Even if you don’t do it every day, do it at least once a week if you feel your baby is acting “normal” from the prior week.
You may think you’ll remember, I know I thought I would remember everything. I thought I would remember exactly how much my baby had to drink for the day but then at the end of the day I wasn’t quite sure. Going back to my notes was very helpful especially when my baby stopped eating. I started to doubt did he really drink six ounces every two hours because now he wouldn’t drink more than two or three ounces at a time. Looking back at my notes, I could confirm, yes he was eating six to eight ounces; so something changed.
Please refer to this template for a baby 0-6 months and this template for a baby 6+ months.
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Remember Your Baby May Not Follow the “Norm”
I was happy to find some guidance as to what the average amount my son should be eating although it just confirmed that my son was not eating what the average baby ate. He ate the “norm” maybe even more than the “norm” until four months and then he no longer wanted to drink a bottle. He would maybe take two – three ounces at a sitting, when he previously was taking six – eight ounces. His refusal to eat was primarily due to his acid reflux.
My son continued to only take a few ounces (four ounces was the average) until he was about a year and thus instead of giving him three – five bottles a day (norm) when he was 6 months to a year we had to continue to give him six – eight bottles a day in order to help him eat approximately 25 ounces a day. Generally, one or two of these bottles was given at night. As discussed in “Feeding Tricks” my son ate best when he was falling asleep or still drowsy from sleep. Some other things discussed in that article were to feed him in a quiet calm place with no distractions and feed him every couple hours; because if he missed a feeding he didn’t make up the difference, he still only drank a few ounces.
By 16 months my son would occasionally have six – eight ounces but sometimes still only drank four ounces. My son was still taking his acid reflux medication as well. We tried to take him off the medication a couple times and every time we took him off the medication he drastically cut back on what he was drinking and eating, and became “needy” for mommy when he normally is a very independent happy baby.
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Trust Your Mommy (or Daddy) Instinct
I discussed my concerns with the doctor as to why my baby wasn’t eating well and if there is anything we should do about it. He felt since my baby was growing well (he was always at the 50th percentile) and the fact my baby was a happy baby that there wasn’t anything to worry about. I knew something wasn’t right though, why would he be eating great one week and then cry when he sees the bottle the next week.
So I did my best to try to make giving him a bottle or breastfeeding easier for him and thus, refer to “Feeding Tricks for Fussy Drinker.” I then decided we needed to switch doctors since I didn’t feel my son’s doctor was addressing any of my concerns. After switching to a new doctor, the new doctor felt that my baby should be drinking closer to 30 ounces and that he probably didn’t want to eat due to acid reflux.
She explained that some babies start to realize that when they eat more they feel sick which is probably why my baby went from drinking 6 – 8 ounces to suddenly only wanting 2 – 3 ounces. She started our son on medication for acid reflux. She also told us about a Nestle Good Start formula which is 100% whey based (rather than a casein/ whey mix) which she felt he may digest easier and help with his constipation. Please refer to the "Formula" article for more information. She also suggested we add oatmeal cereal to all of my son’s bottles to help with the acid reflux. For information on cereals, click here. Please refer to “Acid Reflux” for more information on acid reflux.
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Can’t Force Baby to Eat
How much my baby was eating was probably one of my biggest concerns the first year. We were always worried that he should be drinking the 30 ounces that the doctor kept saying he needed to drink and I had to work very hard at trying to get him to drink close to 25 ounces.
Although I do think it is important to stay on top of the “average” amount babies eat also try to reassure yourself that as long as your baby is progressing; gaining weight, meeting milestones, and the doctor is not concerned, try to relax. I also understand that is hard to do because even though my baby looked very healthy and had chubby cheeks I was still always concerned whether he was getting enough food and I kept trying new ways to feed him. I do think that some of my efforts were beneficial and enabled him to eat more than he may have been able to. For all of our feeding tricks, please refer here.
I hope you are reading this and completely baffled because your baby eats well and loves her bottle like my friend’s baby that cherishes her bottle like a favorite blanket. I have a feeling when my baby is a teenager and I have trouble keeping the house stocked with enough food for him, I’m going to be laughing that I had trouble getting him to eat his first year of life.
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For more Information
Please refer to the "Food" section to read about "Baby Food," "Introducing Baby Food," "Top 10 - Get Baby to Eat" for more information. By the time the baby is one, she generally consumes up to 32 ounces of formula and gets about half of her nutrition from solid foods (Sears 237). In addition, please refer to “Boost the Immune System” which discusses giving the baby additional vitamins and minerals, probiotics, fish oil, flax oil and serving organic food.
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Works Cited
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk.” Pediatrics:
Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 115 (2005): 496-506. 17 Nov. 2009
<http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;115/2/496>.
---. "FAQs: How Often Should I Nurse in the First Few Weeks?"AAP Breastfeeding Initiatives. 18 Nov.
2009
<http://www.aap.org/breastfeeding/faqsBreastfeeding.html#70>.
BabyCenter. "Sample Baby Schedules for 1- and 2-Month-Olds." BabyCenter. 15 Dec. 2009
<http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-1-and-2-month-olds_3657227.bc>.
---. "Sample Baby Schedules for 3- and 4-Month-Olds." BabyCenter. 15 Dec. 2009
<http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-3-and-4-month-olds_3657230.bc>.
---. "Sample Baby Schedules for 5- and 6-Month-Olds." BabyCenter. 15 Dec. 2009
<http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-5-and-6-month-olds_3657233.bc>.
---. "Sample Baby Schedules for 7- and 8-Month-Olds." BabyCenter. 15 Dec. 2009
<http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-7-and-8-month-olds_3657236.bc>.
---. "Sample Baby Schedules for 9- and 10-Month-Olds." BabyCenter. 15 Dec. 2009
<http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-9-and-10-month-olds_3657239.bc>
---. "Sample Baby Schedules for 11- and 12-Month-Olds." BabyCenter. 15 Dec. 2009
<http://www.babycenter.com/0_sample-baby-schedules-for-11-and-12-month-olds_3657182.bc>
Disney. "Parentpedia: Nighttime Feeding." Disney Family Parenting. 8 Dec. 2009
<http://family.go.com/parentpedia/baby/sleep/baby-nighttime-feeding>.
Greene, Alan M.D., and Cheryl Greene.“How Much Milk Should Baby Be Drinking?" drgreene.com.
11 Jan. 2010
<http://www.drgreene.com/21_857.html>.
Hogg, Tracy and Melinda Blau. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and
Communicate with Your Baby. New York: Ballantine, 2001.
La Leche League International (LLL). "How Can I Tell If My Baby Is Getting Enough Milk?" La Leche
League International.
14 Jan 2010 <http://www.llli.org/FAQ/enough.html>.
Sears, William M.D., Martha Sears, R.N., Robert Sears, M.D. and James Sears, M.D. The Baby Book:
Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby - From Birth to Age Two. New York: Little, 2003.
Weissbluth, Marc M.D. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A Step-By-Step Program for a Good Night’s
Sleep. New York: Ballantine, 2003.
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Last updated: January 2010