Milk Feeding Tips

I've heard that as a general rule, the baby's intake should be about 2.5 oz of milk for every pound that baby weighs in the first few months.  Keep in mind that the nutritional and caloric value of breastmilk varies with each mom and that the amount starts to plateau as the baby grows older or starts on solids.  My son for instance, rarely consumed more than 5 feeds of 4 oz each each day by the time he was four months old and weighed 17 pounds.

The following feeding schedule is based on Gina Ford's The Contented Little Baby Book and I would only use it as a general guide.  Your baby will most likely dictate the actual times and amounts.  Another note, encourage your baby to drink as much milk as possible during the day.  I believe that my son took 10+ months to sleep through the night because he was consuming a lot of his calories during night feeds.  

2-4 weeks (7 feedings)

2-3a

6-7a

10-10:30a

2-2:30a

5p

6-6:30p

10-11p

4-6 weeks (7 feedings)

3-4a

6-7a

10:30-11a

2-2:30a

5p

6-6:30p

10-11p

6-8 weeks (6 feedings)

4-5a

7:30a

10:45-11a

2-2:30a

6-6:30p

10-11p

8-10 weeks (6 feedings)

5-6a

7:30a

11a

2-2:30a

6-6:30p

10-11p

10 weeks to 5 months (5 feedings)

7a

11a

2-2:30a

6-6:30p

10-11p

5-6 Months (4-5 milk feedings)

7a upon waking

2-3 times during the day

6-6:30p before going to bed

6-12 Months (3 milk feedings) - By this time baby will also be enjoying solids for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, in addition to the milk feeds.