How Often and How Much Should a Newborn Eat?

There is no perfect schedule for a newborn, but there are reliable ranges. Here is what typical looks like, and what to measure instead of the clock.

Frequency

• Days 1 to 3: 8 to 12 or more feeds in 24 hours, often clustered
• Weeks 1 to 4: 8 to 12 feeds, roughly every 2 to 3 hours from the start of one feed to the start of the next
• Months 2 to 3: feeds often consolidate to 7 to 9, with longer stretches overnight for some babies

Wake a newborn who sleeps longer than 4 hours until weight gain is well established.

Volumes, if you are bottle feeding expressed milk

• Day 1: 5 to 7 mL per feed, about the size of a cherry
• Day 3: 22 to 27 mL
• Week 1: 45 to 60 mL
• Weeks 2 to 6: 60 to 90 mL, settling around 750 to 1,000 mL per day for the first six months

Breastfed babies do not need ever-increasing bottles the way formula-fed babies do. Milk composition changes to meet their needs.

The measures that matter more than volume

• Six or more wet diapers a day after day five
• Three or more yellow, seedy stools a day in the early weeks
• Back to birth weight by about day 10 to 14
• Steady gain of roughly 20 to 30 g a day in the first months
• A baby who is alert when awake and settles after most feeds

When to get help fast

Fewer than expected diapers, a baby who is very sleepy or hard to rouse, ongoing weight loss after day five, or feeds that always end with distress. If you are worried about volume, read our guide to low milk supply and get a weighted feed done. A single visit often replaces weeks of guessing.