How Much Food Newborn? | Feeding Made Simple

First days with a baby come with lots of tiny cues. The goal here is to give clear, practical feeding ranges you can use from day one. You will see how amounts grow, how often to offer feeds, and the signs that tell you when your baby wants more or has had enough.

How Much Food For A Newborn: Day-By-Day Guide

Every baby eats on their own rhythm. That said, there are common ranges that help. Most newborns feed 8–12 times in 24 hours. In the first week, bottle feeds land near 30–60 ml (1–2 oz) per feed. By the end of the first month, many babies take 90–120 ml (3–4 oz) per feed. Breastfed babies often sip smaller amounts more often, which is normal.

Age	Typical Per-Feed Amount	Feeds In 24 Hours
0–48 hours	Teaspoon-size colostrum; offer both breasts or small paced bottles	10–12+
Days 3–7	30–60 ml (1–2 oz) per feed	8–12
Week 2	60–90 ml (2–3 oz) per feed	8–12
End of Month 1	90–120 ml (3–4 oz) per feed	6–10

Growth spurts can bunch feeds closer together for a few days. Evenings often bring “cluster feeds.” That pattern is common and helps build supply for the next day.

Breastfeeding: What Amounts Look Like

Milk comes in stages. Colostrum is thick and tiny in volume, yet dense with nutrients. Mature milk follows during the first week. Sessions rarely match the clock. Many newborns nurse about every 2–3 hours, sometimes more often. Length of a feed varies with latch, flow, and baby’s pace.

Reading Hunger And Fullness Cues

Early hunger looks like rooting, hand-to-mouth moves, lip smacking, and waking more often. Crying comes late. Signs of fullness include relaxed hands, slower suck, and turning away. Offer the second breast when baby slows on the first; switch sides as needed. If using bottles of expressed milk, use paced-feeding so baby can pause and self-regulate.

How You Know Baby Is Getting Enough

Wet and dirty diapers tell the story. Expect 2–3 wet diapers a day for the first few days, then at least 5–6 wet diapers a day after day 4–5. Stools shift from dark meconium to yellow, loose stools as milk intake rises. Steady weight gain after the first week is the goal. If wet diapers stay low or weight is not climbing, call your pediatrician.

Formula Feeding: How Much And How Often

Early on, most formula-fed newborns take 30–60 ml (1–2 oz) per feed, every 2–3 hours. By the end of the first month, many take 90–120 ml (3–4 oz) per feed with longer gaps overnight. A handy daily guide is about 2.5 oz of formula per pound of body weight, spread across the day, with a practical daily cap near 32 oz. Let your baby lead within those ranges. If bottles are drained fast every time, add a small amount; if baby fusses or spits up often, try smaller, paced feeds.

For portion planning and overfeed checks, the American Academy of Pediatrics explains both the per-pound rule and the 32-oz daily limit on its guidance page. See the AAP schedule for formula feedings.

Safe Mixing, Warming, And Storage

Wash hands, use clean bottles, follow the scoop-to-water ratio on the can, and use safe water. Use prepared formula within 2 hours, or within 1 hour from when a feed starts. If not used right away, refrigerate and use within 24 hours. Full details live on the CDC’s page: formula preparation and storage.

Timing: How Often Should A Newborn Eat?

Most newborns eat at least 8 times in a day. Spacing tends to land around every 2–3 hours at first. Some babies bunch feeds in the evening. Others sleep a longer stretch overnight, especially as the month goes on. Wake for feeds if a long nap stretches past 3–4 hours in the first couple of weeks.

Sample 24-Hour Rhythm (Weeks 1–2)

Think in cycles instead of a strict schedule. A common loop looks like this: feed, burp, short awake time, then sleep. Repeat through the day and night. If daytime naps are long and nights are busy, try adding a few extra daylight feeds to help shift calories earlier.

Hunger Cues You Can Trust

• Rooting or head turning toward touch
• Hands to mouth, lip smacking, light fussing
• More alert periods, seeking the breast or bottle

Fullness Cues That Say “Pause”

• Relaxed body and open hands
• Slower sucking with longer pauses
• Turning away or falling asleep during the feed

Burping, Spit-Up, And Pace

Burp midway and at the end of a feed. If spit-up is frequent, try smaller amounts more often and hold baby upright for 20–30 minutes afterward. Use a slow-flow nipple for bottles. With breastfeeds, break latch gently to pause when swallowing slows; relatch when baby is ready.

Diapers: The Built-In Scorecard

By days 4–5, aim for at least 5–6 wet diapers daily. Poops vary, yet yellow, loose stools are common in breastfed babies; formula stools are firmer and fewer. Pink “brick dust” the first day or two can show concentrated urine; it should fade quickly. If not, call your pediatrician.

Weight Gain And Growth Spurts

Most babies drop a little weight in the first days, then start to regain by the end of the first week. Many are back to birth weight by days 10–14. Expect brief spurts around weeks 2–3 and again near week 6. During those windows, feeds stack closer together. That short burst of demand helps match supply to need.

When Feeds Seem Off

Call your pediatrician if wet diapers are fewer than 5–6 a day after day 5, if stools stay dark after day 4, if there is poor latch or weak suck, if you see fewer swallows, or if weight is not rising. Lethargy, dry mouth, or fewer tears need same-day care. Trust your read on your baby; timely help keeps feeding on track.

Breastfeeding And Pumped Milk Tips

Latching And Positioning

Bring baby to you, tummy to tummy, nose to nipple, chin in close. Wait for a wide open mouth, then hug baby in fast. If it pinches, break the seal with a clean finger and try again. A deep latch helps transfer and protects nipples.

Pumping And Bottles

If you pump, aim for 8–10 sessions across 24 hours in the early days to build supply. Small bottles work best for newborns. Start with 30–60 ml (1–2 oz) bottles and scale up as baby shows you they want more.

Bottle Pacing Steps

Hold baby nearly upright. Keep the bottle level so milk only fills the nipple. Let baby draw the nipple in, then pause every few sucks. Switch sides midway. Stop when baby relaxes, even if a little milk remains.

Formula Choice And Bottle Setup

Most standard cow’s-milk formulas meet needs for healthy full-term babies. Pick one, mix as directed, and stick with it unless your clinician advises a change. Use slow-flow nipples, hold baby semi-upright, and keep the bottle level so milk just fills the nipple. Give baby breaks to breathe and check fullness cues.

What Not To Offer Yet

No water or teas for newborns. No cereal or solids in bottles. Breast milk or formula alone meets needs at this stage. Around 6 months, babies usually start solids while staying on breast milk or formula.

Daily Totals: Quick Math By Weight

The per-pound rule helps with bottle planning. Multiply your baby’s weight in pounds by 2.5 to get a ballpark daily total in ounces. Spread that across the day in 8–12 feeds early on, moving toward fewer, larger feeds by month’s end.

Baby Weight	Daily Formula Guide	Notes
6 lb (2.7 kg)	~15 oz per day (450 ml)	Split into 8–12 feeds
8 lb (3.6 kg)	~20 oz per day (600 ml)	Watch fullness cues
10 lb (4.5 kg)	~25 oz per day (750 ml)	Do not push past comfort
12 lb (5.4 kg)	~30 oz per day (900 ml)	Daily cap near 32 oz

Night Feeds And Sleep

Newborn sleep is light and short. Many still wake every 2–3 hours to eat. Swaddling, a dark room, and a calm, brief diaper change can help you both get back to sleep. If a nap runs long in the day, offer a feed on waking instead of waiting for clock time. A dim nightlight helps you move without waking baby fully too.

Gas, Hiccups, And Comfort

Gas peaks in the first weeks. Gentle bicycle legs, tummy-to-tummy holds, and burp breaks can help. Hiccups are common and usually fade on their own. Keep feeds calm and unhurried. A quiet room and skin-to-skin time often steadies the rhythm.

Safety Reminders

• Hold your baby for every feed. No propped bottles.
• Follow the scoop-to-water ratio on the can carefully.
• Use mixed formula within safe time windows or chill as directed, then discard on time.
• Keep bottles and pump parts clean and dry between uses.
• Use safe drinking water. If water quality is in doubt, boil, cool, then mix. Never microwave bottles.

Newborn Feeding Quick Reference

• Feeds per day: 8–12
• Early bottle range: 30–60 ml (1–2 oz) per feed
• By 2 weeks: many take 60–90 ml (2–3 oz) per feed
• By 1 month: many take 90–120 ml (3–4 oz) per feed
• Formula daily guide: ~2.5 oz per lb, up to about 32 oz
• Wet diapers after day 4–5: at least 5–6 a day
• Call your pediatrician for low output, poor latch, weak suck, or sleepy feeds