During the first 4 to 6 months of your baby’s life, breast milk or baby formula should be the only source of your child’s nutrition. Your newborn baby may always seem hungry because he needs frequent feedings, anywhere between eight to 12 each day, which means feeding every two to three hours, according to HealthyChildren.org. In his second and third months, feedings decrease to between six to eight daily. If you feed your baby formula, you might not have to feed as often because it takes formula longer than breast milk to digest.
Your baby’s feeding schedule will change, according to the Nemours Foundation. Along with fewer feedings, your baby will eat more during each sitting. She’ll also sleep for longer periods of time during the night. Your baby might require additional nutrition as she goes through growth spurts, when her appetite is increased. These growth spurts occur 10 to 14 days after birth; at three and six weeks; and again at three and six months. According to the Nemours Foundation, you should continue feeding your baby whenever she’s hungry, increasing the number of feedings if necessary.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, formula-fed newborns usually consume between 2 and 3 ounces of formula at a time; breastfed babies consume smaller amounts of breast milk at more frequent intervals. At one month of age, your baby consumes at least 4 ounces of formula per feeding, and by the age of six months, he consumes between 6 and 8 ounces per feeding. Breast milk is preferred to baby formula, according to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and the WIC program. However, If you breast-feed exclusively, your little one may need a vitamin D supplement, but if she’s a bottle feeder, she might need additional iron. Most doctors recommend that bottle-fed infants have iron-fortified baby formula.