It’s OK for young parents to worry about how often a baby should be fed so that it grows well and develops harmoniously. There are certain norms regarding the daily amount of food for children from the first day of life. However, you should not blindly follow them. After all, each kid is unique, so it is essential to take into account the individual characteristics and peculiarities of development. So let’s find out the approximate amount of food a baby should receive at different ages.
First Months of Life
Once a baby is born, its stomach is very tiny so to get full, it needs a few drops of mother’s milk e.g. on the first day of life, the small stomach holds only 7 milliliters. An infant begins eating more often on the second day of life and should be fed on demand or every two to three hours. The approximate amount of food a kid may eat is 10-20 milliliters at a time. Thus, the daily norm will be approximately 90 milliliters. It might be difficult to control the amount of formula a baby receives during breastfeeding, however, things are a bit easier if a kid is bottle-fed. Besides, if you use baby formula feeding, then the food consumption per day can be slightly reduced as the formula saturates a newborn for a longer time than breast milk.
During the first week of life, a kid should eat from 50 to 80 milliliters of milk at one time, and 400 milliliters per day. At the age of two weeks, the daily ratio should be 20% of the newborn’s weight, and closer to a month – about 600 milliliters. It is important to note that these data are approximate. Each baby needs its own, certain amount of milk or formula, depending on individual characteristics such as height, weight, quality of the mother’s milk, the caloric content of the formula, and baby’s development rate.
From One to 6 Months
While a baby grows and gains weight, its daily portions of milk increase. Having reached a month, a kid already eats 90-100 milliliters six to seven times a day. After one month, the norms become the following:
- at the age of two months, a child should eat from 120 to 150 milliliters at a time. Thus, the daily norm is 700–800 milliliters
- a three-month-old baby should eat from 150 to 180 milliliters. At the same time, it is recommended to observe the frequency of feeding no more than six to seven times a day
- starting from the fourth month, an infant needs 180-210 milliliters of milk or infant formula. The average amount per day is not less than 1/6 of the baby’s weight
- a six-month-old child normally eats 210–240 milliliters at a time, and the total amount of food per day should be 1/7 of the body weight or 800–1000 milliliters. The number of feedings is reduced to 5-7 during the day and 1-2 at night
From Seven to Twelve Months
During this period, a single portion of breast milk or baby formula ranges from 210 to 240 milliliters. At the same time, the average amount per day is not less than 1/8 of the child’s body weight. Vegetable, fruit, and meat purees, dairy-free, and milk porridges are introduced into the diet. On the organicsbestshop.com website, you can find different baby snacks along with infant formula for all stages.
According to WHO recommendations, it is time to introduce complementary foods at 6 months. Start with one feeding, gradually adding variety to the diet. Over time, the number of meals increases. By 8 months, their number is 2-3. For children older than 9 months, meals are provided 3-4 times a day with 1-2 additional snacks at the request of the child. After the main meal, a kid is offered a breast or a bottle.