How much to feed newborns

The amount of food a newborn eats affects their weight much more than their length in the early stages of life. Poor weight gain needs to be present for a long time in infants before it affects their length.

Poor growth in length by itself in the first year is very uncommon and would more likely be due to a genetic syndrome or other uncommon condition.

In the early weeks of life, it can be difficult for caregivers to know how much to feed a newborn. If the baby loses weight after birth, parents may feel pressure to help the baby regain the weight as quickly as possible, especially if the baby was born prematurely or has other health risk factors.

Most breastfed newborns eat every 1–3 hours, but formula-fed babies may eat less frequently than this.

After the first few days, people typically feed formula-fed babies with 1–2 ounces (oz) of milk per feeding, which may increase to 2–4 oz by the end of the first month.

It can be hard to tell how much milk an exclusively breastfed baby consumes. People can feed the baby on demand by following the baby's feeding cues.

Some signs that indicate a baby is hungry include:

• opening their mouth and turning their head to the side
• smacking their lips
• licking their lips
• trying to suck on things
• trying to put their hands or fingers in their mouths
• crying

Newborns typically need to eat several times each night to sustain healthy growth.

If a baby does not gain weight by consuming breast milk, a pediatrician and lactation consultant may be able to help. Sometimes, the problem is that the mother does not produce enough milk.

The problem may also be that the baby has trouble effectively sucking. With the right help, however, most babies are able to breastfeed.