How Much and How Often to Feed

As you develop a bottle-feeding routine for you and your baby, the two of you will work out which formula is best, how much, and how often. This routine may change as your baby grows. As a general guide:

Between birth and six months of age your baby will need an average of 2 to 2.5 ounces of formula per pound per day. So, if your baby weighs ten pounds, she will need 20 to 25 ounces per day.

• Newborns may take only an ounce or two at each feeding
• One to two months: 3 to 4 ounces per feeding
• Two to six months: 4 to 6 ounces per feeding
• Six months to a year: as much as 8 ounces at a feeding

Small, more frequent feedings will work better than larger ones spaced farther apart. Your baby's tummy is about the size of his fist. Take a full bottle and place it next to your baby's fist and you'll see why tiny tummies often spit the milk back up when they're given too much at one time.

IS BABY GETTING TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH FORMULA?
Signs that your baby may be getting too little formula are:

• slower-than-normal weight gain
• diminished urine output
• a loose, wrinkly appearance to baby's skin
• persistent crying

Signs that your baby is being fed too much at each feeding are:

• a lot of spitting up or profuse vomiting immediately after the feeding
• colicky abdominal pain (baby draws his legs up onto a tense abdomen) immediately after feeding
• excessive weight gain

If these signs of overfeeding occur, offer smaller-volume feedings more frequently, burp baby once or twice during the feeding, and occasionally offer a bottle of water instead of formula.