Formula milk: How much does your newborn need?
Whether you've decided to bottle feed from birth, are combination feeding your baby with both breast and formula milk or are making the switch from breast to bottle, here's everything you need to know about how much milk your new baby needs.
Knowing how much formula milk your newborn needs can be confusing for new parents and it's common to feel anxious that you're not feeding them enough or maybe even too much.
Even if you've done your research into feeding before baby's birth, when dealing with the after effects of giving birth and lots of sleepless nights, it can be hard to remember exactly how much and how often you need to feed your baby if you've decided to bottle feed.
To help keep things simple and reassure you that you're doing a great job, we've answered all your burning questions about formula feeding a newborn baby, including how much milk should a newborn drink (with a handy newborn feeding chart) so you can be sure your baby is having the right amount of formula milk for their age.
We've also included advice for helping you know the signs that your baby is feeding well and how to tell when they're full, plus what to do if you're worried about your baby's feeding or weight gain.
How much milk should a newborn drink?
When you're breastfeeding it's impossible to know how much your baby is ingesting, but when you're filling a bottle with formula it's a much more exact science and you can keep track of how many millilitres (or ounces) of milk your baby is consuming. This has its positives – you can see that your baby is feeding well (or not, in which case you can seek medical help) as well as negatives – some parents may become fixated on the amount of formula in the chart rather than responding to their baby's individual feeding needs.
Every baby is different depending on when they were born (premature, on time or late), their weight at birth, and any other medical or genetic factors, However most newborns follow a similar and predictable feeding schedule, which you'll find in our chart below. According to the NHS, the general rule is to give your baby 150ml - 200ml per kilo of their weight a day until they're 6 months old. So if your baby weighs 4kg (around 8lbs 13oz) they will need between 600ml and 800ml of formula milk per 24 hour period.
It's important to remember that newborns' stomachs are tiny in the first few days of life and you only need to give them very small amounts of formula – starting with a bottle containing 60 to 90 millilitres (2- to 3-ounces) of formula every 2 to 3 hours. Depending on the size of your baby they may not manage to drink the full bottle at this stage and it's important to respond to their hunger cues rather than make them wait for a bottle at exact intervals.
A newborn baby's tummy is about the size of a cherry at birth (and can take 5 - 7ml of colostrum) and after a week will have grown slightly to about the size of an apricot with the ability to hold around 45 - 60ml of milk. At 4 weeks, baby's tummy is around the size of a large egg and they can fit about 80 - 150ml (3 - 5 ounces) of formula or breast milk inside it at one time.
In general, a newborn baby should be consuming (however it can vary depending on baby's size and individual needs):
Sixty - 90 millilitres every 2-3 hours if they're newborn, around 90 - 120ml every 2-3 hours when they're a month old, 120 - 150 millilitres every 3-4 hours when they're 2 months old, 120 - 210 every 4-5 hours at 4 months and around 200ml at every feed when 6+ months old depending on how many solids they are consuming.
Our newborn feeding chart outlines how many bottles you can expect this to be and the average total daily amount per age.
*Please note this chart is for general guidance only and parents should work out the amount their baby needs using the NHS guidelines of 150ml - 200ml per kilo of their weight a day or advice from their GP or health advisor.
How Often Should Your Newborn Feed on Formula?
A newborn baby should be fed on demand, which means you should respond to their hunger cues (usually crying, but can include rooting or sucking their fists) as often as they make them. This means you might be feeding your baby up to 12 times a day or as little as 8 times depending on their individual needs, their weight and how and when they were born.
In the first week your baby should be feeding around every 2-3 hours and they may only take small amounts of formula even if offered more. Often breastfed babies need feeding more frequently, while bottle fed babies tend to go for longer spells at an earlier age. If your baby isn't waking instinctively in the night every 3-4 hours as a newborn you will need to gentle encourage them to wake and feed.
Once your baby gets to around 3 - 6 months of age it's fine for them to go for much longer stretches at night without a feed (around 6 hours) although they will need more frequent feeds during the day.
Our formula feeding chart above shows on average how many feeds a baby needs of formula per day by their age as well as what this looks like in hourly intervals. However, it's important to remember each baby is different and your babies needs may not fit neatly in these parameters.
How do I know if my baby is getting enough formula?
All babies tend to lose weight in the first 48 hours or so. Anything under 10 percent of body weight is considered normal. So in the first week don't panic if baby weight isn't going up. However to help reassure you in the weeks that come there are some key signs that will help you know if your baby is drinking enough milk (for babies up to 6 weeks):
- Around 6-8 wet nappies a day
- Some dirty nappies but the number will hugely vary – stools should be frequent and soft
- Your baby settles well after a feed and seems calm and happy
- Managing to go short stretches between feeds (this varies but is usually around 2-3 hours)
You can also get your baby weighed at your local clinic and the health visitor will be able to reassure you that your baby is getting enough, or if they aren't they can help you to find out why. A useful guide to keep an eye on yourself is the weight chart in your baby’s red book, which shows you how much weight your newborn is expected to gain.
How can I tell if my baby is full?
Babies might not be able to talk but they're brilliant at communicating their needs if you know the signs to look out for.
It's important to remember that babies know when they've had enough milk so be sure to trust them and not try and force them to drain an entire bottle just because you think they should have that particular amount. Overfeeding a baby may lead them to start ignoring their body's fullness cues.
Here are some of the signs that your baby has had enough formula milk:
- They turn away from the bottle
- They fall asleep while feeding*
- Starting to look around and clearly disinterested in feeding
- Relaxing their fingers, arms and/or legs
- Slowing their sucking down
- Crying if you try and put bottle in mouth
*This may only apply to slightly older newborns as some babies can be very sleepy in the first few weeks and need help staying awake long enough to feed adequately. If you newborn is sleepy and hasn't fed for a few hours you can try and encourage them to stay awake to feed by undressing them, wiping their forehead or feet with a damp clean cloth, talking to them or playing either their hands and feet.
Once you've had the all clear from your health visitor or GP that baby is gaining weight well, sleepiness while feeding it's fine to let baby fall asleep while feeding. Remember how much milk your baby consumes may change from day to day or week to week depending on whether they are going through a developmental or growth spurt, and these commonly happen around 7-14 days old, between 3-6 weeks, 4 months and 6 months. When your baby seems hungrier make sure to respond to their hunger cues and feed them on demand.
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