When a baby is born, parents have an incredible amount of questions. The most relevant of them is how many ml a newborn eats in one feeding. Children are born different in weight and height, someone needs more milk, someone a little less, but still there is an approximate norm, which was determined based on the average weight of the baby. Also, the norm depends on what kind of food the newborn receives - breast milk, or an artificial mixture. In this article we will consider all these issues.
Newborn's stomach size
Before moving on to the norms of feeding, we want to familiarize young parents with information about how large their babies are from the first day to one month.
- The first day - only 5-7 ml, so the baby eats up colostrum, which, as a rule, is very small. Many mothers worry that the child remains hungry. Fears should be dispelled when you find out what is the volume of the stomach of the newborn. Just imagine that 5 ml is the size of a regular syringe!
- By the third day of life, the volume of the stomach of the newborn is greatly increased, and begins to be from 22 to 27 ml. Just in time for the third day after giving birth, women already have real milk in the amount normal for feeding.
- One week old - the stomach becomes even larger - from 45 to 60 ml. By this time, the young mother is already eating all the products allowed during breastfeeding, and there is more and more milk.
- By one month, the volume of the stomach of the newborn will be 80-150 ml.
- At 5-6 months, approximately 200 ml.
- By the year the stomach grows to about 240-260 ml.
It is worth noting that these data are only average. Feeding rates for a newborn can vary - more or less.
How much newborn eats breast milk at a time
As already mentioned above, immediately after giving birth, a woman will not have milk; instead, milk is produced in the mammary glands, which is scarce. Do not worry that the baby will not eat, because the volume of the stomach of the newborn on the first day is very small.
In addition, colostrum is a valuable product, as it contains a huge amount of nutrients and nutrients.
The baby will not stay hungry, the main thing is to teach him to suckle in the first few days, this will be very useful when mom gets real milk.
For one feeding, the newborn eats up to 9 ml of milk (colostrum) up to three days old, but he needs to eat often - about 12 times a day. Thus, it is not difficult to calculate how much milk an infant needs per day - approximately 100 ml (half a standard glass).
How to calculate milk rate
The baby grows up, and the norms for his feeding increase. If the baby is breast-fed, then he will not be hungry, and he will not eat too much. And what if from time to time it is required to give the baby a bottle of expressed milk?
Let's give an example: a child is 2 weeks old, how much milk will it take for one feeding? Above you can find information on the volume of his stomach, but there is no figure corresponding to the desired age. So, for an example, we took a baby for 2 weeks, let's say it weighs 4 kilograms. To find out how much milk he will need at one time, you need to divide the weight by 5, and then by the number of feedings. Here's what we get: 4000 grams: 5 = 800 grams. Suppose a baby is fed 12 times a day, so we divide 800 grams by 12, and we get 66,666 ... - this is the number of ml of milk per feed.
How much should the baby eat mixes
If the baby is fed a specialized infant formula, then the feeding standards must be observed. The newborn digests and assimilates the mixture longer than breast milk, as it is endowed with greater energy value.
Feed the infant with the mixture at intervals of not less than 3 hours. With this schedule, the number of feedings should be at least 8 times a day.
How to calculate the rate of the mixture
On the packaging of the mixture, the manufacturer indicates the approximate single dosage. But, you can independently calculate it, there are two options.
- Under the age of 10 days. Multiply the baby's age in days by 10 - this will be a single dose. For example, a newborn is 5 days old, then 5x10 = 50 - this is the number of milliliters for one feeding.
- At the age of more than 10 days. Divide the baby's weight by 6, then multiply by the number of feedings. Suppose a child weighs 5 kilograms, you feed him 8 times a day. The calculation is as follows: 5000 grams: 6 = 833. Now we divide 833 by 8 (the number of feeds per day), and we get 104 ml.
If the child does not eat the norm you have calculated, then do not force him. Most likely, the baby was swallowing air while sucking the bottle, and he will ask for it again as soon as it burps.
How many babies eat up to one year
The child grows every day, the need for food increases (regardless of what they feed), because he needs to develop. It is impossible to force-feed a baby, since this can provoke not only pain in the tummy and bloating, but also neurosis. And yet, it is worth knowing the norms of milk or the milk mixture once and daily. If for some reason the baby does not eat this rate stably, or if it is not enough, then you should consult a pediatrician to determine the cause of such a failure.
The dosage of nutrition depends not only on the size of the baby, but also on factors such as the way of feeding (mixture or milk), metabolism, time of day, life span of the crumbs. According to the last factor, it is customary to calculate the average norm today.
How much will the volume of the stomach accommodate a newborn baby? This is easiest to determine by week. We offer you to familiarize yourself with the information. The list contains a one-time and daily rate. If 20-60 ml is written, this does not mean that one particular child will eat 20 ml or 60 ml each time. It all depends on his well-being, mood, time of day. For example, if he ate 20 ml for the first feeding, then for the next he can eat 30, and 50, and 60. Hence, the calculation of the daily allowance is no less and no more.
- The baby eats from 20 to 60 ml of food at a time at a week’s age. For a day, the child should take about 200-300 ml of milk.
- From 1 to 2 weeks of age, a single meal will be from 50 to 80 ml. A baby should consume about 400 ml of milk per day.
- From 2 to 4 weeks of life, the baby at a time consumes from 60-90 ml of milk or a mixture, and the daily rate will be 20% of his body weight.
- From 4 to 69 weeks of life, a newborn is able to eat from 100 to 110 ml of milk in one meal. In this case, the daily norm should be approximately 600 ml.
- From 6 to 8 weeks old, the baby eats from 120 to 150 ml at a time. The approximate daily dose is 800 ml.
- From 8 to 12 weeks - 150-180 ml, and in the daily dose, calculate by dividing the weight of the child (in grams) by 6.
- From 12 to 16 weeks, food intake is 180-210 ml, and the daily dose also needs to be calculated independently, again dividing the baby's weight by 6.
- From 16 to 24 weeks, a single meal is 210-240 ml, and the daily intake will be from 800 to 1000 ml, but calculate a more accurate rate by dividing the baby’s weight by 7.
- Starting from six months and ending with a year, the need for milk and a mixture is not so high, since during this period of life the child also tries other foods. A single dose of milk remains at the level of 210-240 ml, but the daily intake becomes smaller, calculate it by dividing the baby's weight by 8 or 9.
Nutrition of a newborn up to a year should be rational. Starting from 4 months, pediatricians recommend introducing juices, fruit purees into the diet, followed by fermented milk products, meat and vegetable ingredients. Only in milk or infant formula will the child not actively develop.
How many times a day to feed a newborn
It is recommended to feed the baby with milk at least 12 times a day, and milk formula at least 8 times. But all these are only recommendations of pediatricians. Each baby is individual, as is his needs.
You can not overfeed a child by pushing a breast or a bottle, but you can not even overfeed. When the baby is hungry, he will hint about it, do not hesitate! The newborn is not able to eat the excess, so he will turn away from the chest or bottle when he feels full.
If the baby was not enough food, then he will smack his lips, twirl, and even act up. If he ate the recommended rate, but did not have enough, do not refuse him to continue lunch.
How long does the newborn eat
Each baby takes an individual time for feeding. Some absorb a breast or a bottle during sleep - slowly, with respite. As soon as he gets enough, he will let go, until this point it is not worth taking.
Other children eat, awake, quickly absorbing milk.
But, you can’t teach your baby to eat too long, or take too fast food, this is harmful. The optimal time for feeding is from 15 to 40 minutes.
Does the baby need to be given water?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the baby is completely compensated for with moisture by breast milk or a mixture right up to the introduction of complementary foods. But, there are a number of points at which a newborn will need to receive water from outside, this:
- diarrhea or vomiting;
- hot weather.
In such cases, the child needs water, and the daily rate of up to a month is 35 ml.