How many oz to give baby?

As a new parent, one of the daunting tasks is determining how much breast milk or formula your baby needs. You don’t want to underfeed them and make them cranky, but you equally don’t want to overfeed them and cause discomfort. Don’t worry; this article will give you some amusing tips on figuring out How many oz to give baby?

Babies are Unique!

Firstly it’s essential to know that there isn’t an exact ounce requirement for babies as every newborn is unique. While one child can gulp down five ounces without batting an eyelid, another may be more comfortable taking half of that amount each feed.

Secondly, if breastfeeding, focusing too much on the number of ounces might lead you astray from tuning in with your infant’s hunger cues such as rooting or sucking movements.

Before getting into how much per feeding session- let’s examine guidelines concerning total feeding amounts recommended by experts.

Age-wise Guideline

Age Group	Total Feed (per day)
Newborn	19 – 30 fl Oz
0–2 months	24 – 32 fl Oz
2–4 months	28 –36 fl Oz
4–6 Months	32 –40 fl Oz

Note: These recommendations are general guides only.

What do we mean by “total feed per day”? Simply put: The roughly estimated total amount fed throughout a complete 24-hour cycle regardless of specific time schedule.

But wait! What about individual feeding sessions??

Let’s take a glance at how parents can determine their baby’s per meal requirements:

Newborns

At first two weeks after birth instinctively allow infants free access to nursing with no pressure regarding particular breastfeeding intervals. They’ll automatically consume almost two to four ounces, around 8 -12 times per day.

Formula-fed

At a minimum, formula-fed babies should take three ounces for every pound of body weight throughout a whole 24 hour period.

For example: If your baby weighs eight pounds- that’s approximately 24 oz over an entire day and night cycle (3oz x 8lbs). Divide this total by the amount of feeding sessions he or she has in twenty-four hours. That’s about six feedings daily with roughly four ounces at each feed.

Note: This is just an approximation.

Breastfed

Breast milk requirements’ tend to be greater than formula since studies reveal it gets digested more quickly. However, breastfed newborns don’t initially drink equal amounts from both breasts due to their capacity.

Therefore referring back to what we mentioned earlier regarding hunger cues is necessary when determining how much they need.

Progressively Over Time

With time as infants become older their requirement per feeding session increases as the table below displays:

Recommended Feeding Amount/Single Meal	By Age Group
2–4 Oz	0–2 Months
4–5 Oz	2-3 Months
5–6 Oz	4-5 Months

The quantity differs from individual child; therefore not everyone may commence with only two or progress so steadily.

Acknowledgment

It’s natural within first-time parents to be concerned about giving appropriate nutrition quantities accurately; however understanding standard guidelines for newborns helps alleviate these anxieties reducing unnecessary stress – that can crucially affect breastfeeding patterns.

So relax! Enjoy those precious moments with your darling bundle of joy without worrying too much about exact numbers and dosages & trust your own parental instincts.

Congratulations on being new parents!