How Much Should Your Baby Eat During The First Year?

Sleep, eat, pee, and poo—these are the highlights of a day in the life of a newborn baby! And if you are a new parent, it’s the eating part that would concern you the most, and make you wonder, “Am I feeding my baby enough? Why does my baby seem hungry? When should I give solid foods to my baby?” Well, the truth is since every baby is unique, they require different amounts of food, depending on their age, body weight, and appetite. Fortunately, experts have crafted a newborn feeding chart that you can rely on for your little one’s feeding schedule in the first year of their life.

Read on to know the different guidelines for feeding your munchkin according to their age, and when to start them on a solid diet. 

Newborn Feeding Chart

According to the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), you should feed your baby whenever they seem hungry. In the first month of their life, your baby will eat every 2-3 hours, by two months, you will need to feed them every 3-4 hours, and by six months of age, their feeding schedule can stretch between 4-5 hours. 

Check out the average amount of breast milk/formula your baby will need, based on their age in the newborn feeding chart designed by the AAP.

Age Of Baby	Average Amount Breastmilk/Formula While Feeding	Expected Number Of Feedings Per Day	Solid Foods
Up to 2 weeks of their life	14.78 ml in the first few days, then 20-50 ml	8-12 feedings	No
2 weeks to 2 months	50-118 ml	8-10 feedings, then 6-8 feedings	No
2-4 months	118-177 ml	6-8 feedings	No
4-6 months	118-236 ml	5-8 feedings	1-4 tbsp cereal and mashed fruits and veggies/ 1-2 times a day.
6-8 months	236 ml	4-6 feedings	4-8 tbsp cereal and mashed fruits and veggies/ 2-3 times a day. An additional 1-6 tbsp of protein foods.
9-12 months	236-350 ml	3-5 feedings	½ cup of mashed fruits and veggies, dairy foods, and protein foods daily.

How Often Should Your Baby Eat?

Newborn

Newborns receive all their nutrition and calories from breast milk and formula. Here’s s tentative breakdown of their feeding patterns in the first few weeks of their life.

• Breast milk: Most newborns eat every 2-3 hours and they drink 14.78-20 ml of breast milk per feeding. As they reach two weeks, this amount will increase up to 50 ml. If you are pumping and bottle-feeding, you can see how much breast milk your little one is consuming during each feeding session. However, the amount of milk your little one is consuming can get difficult to measure if you are breastfeeding. But that’s OK! You can watch your baby’s urine output to gauge their food intake. If they wet their nappy at least 4-5 times a day, then they are eating enough.
• Formula: Formula-fed babies tend to eat every 3-4 hours, and have a more predictable feeding schedule than breastfed babies. As a rule of thumb, you should aim to identify your infant’s feeding cues and try to feed them whenever they are hungry.

1-3 Months Old

Between 1-3 months, your little one’s appetite increases, and they will become more vocal (with their cues) about telling you when they are hungry. Your two-month-old baby will have at least 50-118 ml of milk every 3-4 hours. 

4-6 Months Old

Most babies are ready to start solid foods by six months of age. However, since each baby is unique, they may follow a slightly different timeline than others. So how do you know if your baby is ready for a solid diet? Look out for these signs and cues.

• Your baby will lose the tongue-thrust reflex (which automatically pushes food out of their mouth)
• Mastering the grabbing skill
• Developing head and neck control

However, keep in mind that even if you introduce your little one to a solid diet, continue breastfeeding them, as breast milk is still considered the primary source of nutrition in the first year of your baby’s life. 

6-9 Months Old

By this time, your baby would have already started solids, but nearly all of their calories should still come from breast milk or formula. Additionally, during this age, your little one’s feeding patterns fluctuate a bit, due to growth spurts, or when they just need some extra comfort. That’s why you should always keep an eye out for your little one’s hunger cues, rather than sticking to a strict feeding schedule. 

At this age, you can offer your munchkin solids to expose them to more nutrition and flavours, and add more calories to their diet. You can give them foods like:

• Iron-fortified baby cereal
• Yogurt
• Pureed or mashed veggies and fruits
• Cottage cheese

9-12 Months Old

Between 9-12 months, your baby will still continue to have breast milk, but the nursing sessions are likely to go down to 3-5 times daily. To ensure that their daily caloric requirements are met, you can give them baby-friendly solid foods and even consider exposing them to different flavours to build their palate. You can give them oatmeal, veggies, fruits, and whole-wheat crackers, and also include protein-rich foods like dal, curry, paneer, and eggs. Just ensure that the foods are prepared safely and are either in pureed or mashed form to prevent any choking hazard in your little one. 

While it’s normal for you to worry about whether your little one is having enough food or not, the newborn feeding chart that we have provided above can help you keep track of your munchkin’s feeding requirements and ensure that their nutritional needs are met. Besides following this chart, you should also keep an eye out for your baby’s feeding cues, and feed them whenever they seem hungry. 

Also read:

How to increase baby weight: Check out these helpful ways to enhance your little one’s weight and ensure healthy growth.

Baby brain development food: These foods help improve your baby’s brainpower and cognitive skills.

Baby teeth coming in late: What is delayed teething, and why does it occur? Check out all the details in this post. 

Featured image: Freepik.com