How much and how often to bottlefeed

Every baby is different and might need more or less food based on their appetite, age and capacity. Read on to find out how to plan their feeds and what are the indicators you should look out for to ensure they are satiated.

How much milk does a newborn drink? If you’re wondering how much you should be bottlefeeding your baby, there’s no hard and fast rule – every baby and every milk is different. The amount you feed your baby will vary depending on a number of factors, including their age, their weight and their appetite.

You should always read the instructions provided with your formula milk – they should help you to work out the correct amount for your baby. But you can also read on to learn how much is enough and how to time your baby’s feeds.

How much you should bottlefeed

Every baby is different and their appetites vary massively – it can be normal for them to take more or less feeds than what’s recommended in the table, and rarely will they wake exactly three hours after the previous feed is finished.

The table below provides a guide to how often you should feed your baby, relative to their age.

If your baby is premature or of a low birth weight, their feeding requirements will be different. Your doctor will be able to advise you if you are at all unsure.

How to time feeds

If you’re trying to gauge how long your baby is feeding for, and how often to feed newborns, time feeds from the moment they start until the beginning of the next feed. With winding and changing, every feed may last about an hour.

If you begin feeding your baby at 11am, then you would probably expect them to be hungry again at about 2pm. If you have any questions about your baby’s feeding habits, you can call our Careline team on 009647723342222 (Other Countries) between the hours of 9am and 6pm Saturday to Thursday.