As a new parent, while you’ll enjoy the miracle you’ve created, there is so much to do - feeding, changing and bathing your baby – the list goes on and exhausts many parents. Luckily, we’ve got your back. We’ve done the research and collated all the info you need to create the perfect newborn feeding schedule for you and your little one.  So sit back, catch your breath and read on!

What are the energy requirements for infants?

Every baby is unique – no fixed calorie intake or newborn milk volume per day applies to all newborns. While there are general calculations that can help, you will need to take into account factors such as age, gender, activity levels and sleep.

While a newborn needs around 100kcal/kg/per day, that decreases in the first few months. At 3 months, 95kcal/kg/per day is the average requirement; from 4 months, it levels off at just over 80kcal/kg/per day for around 36 months.

A sufficient newborn milk volume helps meet the calorie and essential minerals and vitamins requirements for healthy growth and development.

However, as they grow and develop, they need nutrients such as iron and zinc, from solid foods. At this point, normally around 6 months, you can start to include blended or mashed foods like broccoli, potato, carrot, and apple in your feeding schedule. To ensure your little one is consuming adequate food, we suggest regular checkups combined with monitoring their weight at home.

What should a breastfed baby’s feeding schedule and volume be?

Newborns have small stomachs and require constant feedings in the first few months. Most need their first feed within an hour after birth and you might be surprised at how often the infant has to be fed going forward, which can be as frequent as 8 to 12 times per day!

The recommended breast milk volume for newborns is roughly 30 to 90 ml per feed. The good news is, as the babies and their stomachs grow, they will consume more milk per feed, reducing the frequency. the feeding frequency will correspondingly reduce since they'll be able to consume more milk at each feeding.

Breastfed Newborn Feed Schedule and Milk Volume

Age

Feeding Frequency

Milk Volume per Feeding

0 – 1 month old

8 – 12 times per day

30 – 90 ml

1 – 3 months old

7 – 9 times per day

90 – 120 ml

3 – 6 months old

6 – 8 times per day

120 – 240 ml

6 – 9 months old

6 times per day

180 – 240 ml

9 – 12 months old

3 – 5 times per day

210 – 240 ml


What if my baby is bottle-fed?

Infants need more time to digest formula milk, so although newborn formula volumes are the same as breastfed, bottle-fed babies generally feed less frequently than breastfed babies. Since bottle-feeding parents have more control over how much they give their newborn, bottle-fed babies typically show a more predictable feeding pattern (it’s worth noting that this also applies to babies who are fed breast milk through bottles). Similar to breastfed babies, as bottle-fed babies grow, they can go longer in between feedings since they can consume more formula each time.

Bottle-fed Newborn Feed Schedule and Milk Volume

Age

Feeding Frequency

Milk Volume per Feeding

0 – 1 month old

6 – 10 times per day

30 – 120 ml

1 – 3 months old

5 – 8 times per day

120 – 180 ml

3 – 6 months old

5 – 6 times per day

180 – 240 ml

6 – 9 months old

3 – 5 times per day

210 – 240 ml

9 – 12 months old

3 – 4 times per day

240 ml

 

The newborn feeding schedules and milk volumes serve as general guidelines for an average full-term baby. If you have any concerns about your baby's feeding behavior, we recommend you consult your pediatrician for more individual advice.

How does my feeding schedule affect my baby’s sleep?

We’ve all seen it in advertisements: a loving mother gently nursing her infant to sleep at night. While it appears to be a great way to bond with your little one and enjoy some quality time together, this habit can lead to your young one associating sleeping with feeding time, which can result in more frequent waking up at night. Instead of feeding the baby before bedtime, we recommend doing so after they are fully awake from sleep. Not only will this help with creating routine (and slightly more predictability in a baby’s needs), but also encourages more wakefulness during eating so that it is more likely that your baby will finish a complete feeding. 

How can I get my baby to sleep longer at night?

Establishing a feeding schedule encourages your newborn (and yourselves) to sleep longer at night. In addition to frequent and regular feeds during the daytime, you may also consider giving your infant a ‘dream feed’. Dream feed is a late night feed (around 9-11pm) after your baby has gone to bed for about 2-3 hours and you feed without fully waking them up. Babies have a rooting reflex that allows them to suck (and drink) while half asleep or even fully asleep. So before you go to bed, gently pick up your newborn and feed as you normally would. Remember to do it as quietly and as dimly lit as possible, so that they’re filling up their little belly while asleep. This full stomach will help most babies last for longer through the night, and also equally important, let mommy have a more restful sleep!

How can I learn to recognize my baby’s hunger cues?

At the moment, your little one can’t tell you when they are hungry through words, but you can learn to recognize the hunger cues, providing both baby and you with a calm and timely feeding experience. The early cues include stirring, mouth opening, and sucking on hands. If you miss these early signs, your infant will turn to middle cues like stretching and making fussing noises. Don’t wait till your baby starts crying! It is often their last resort calling for your attention. At this stage, it’s better to leave your feed behind and soothe your little one first, so that they are ready for food in a relaxed state.

Newborn Feed Schedule Template

Sticking to a newborn feeding schedule establishes consistency and minimizes the chances of missing a feed. For this reason, we’ve prepared an exclusive feeding schedule template for anyone to use. We’ve filled in the first few rows to show how easy it is to use. 

We hope your new family, both parents and young ones, enjoy your feeding, sleeping and everything-in-between time!

Newborn Feed Schedule Template

Date: __________

Time

Feeding

Solid Food

Activity / Notes

Breast milk

Formula milk

L

R

Time (mins)

Volume (ml)

06:30

✓

30

/

07:00

Nap

08:00

Nap

09:00

✓

90

/

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