Baby Feeding - How Often Does a Newborn Baby Need to Be Fed?

How often a newborn baby needs to be fed depends on many factors, but the general rule is that a newborn should be fed at fairly regular intervals, several times a day and through the night, at least for the first few months. Many parents struggle with knowing how often their baby needs a bottle, how much they need to drink and how to tell when they have had enough.

The requirement of every baby will differ slightly and baby food products will usually state a recommended amount on the packaging, usually based on the weight of the baby. While these are a good guideline, most babies will not quite fit into these patterns, some babies will require less food, but more regular feeding, while others will feed much more than the recommended amount and may still appear hungry.

The weight of your baby is a good indication to go by, if your baby is getting enough food, they will gain weight steadily. If you are concerned that your baby is not feeding well or that they are not gaining weight, then you should talk to your health advisor about which steps, if any, need to be taken. Some babies simply do not fit into the average patterns but you should always make sure this is the case as sometimes a baby can be having difficulty with the type of formula they are drinking. In the case of breastfeeding, the mothers diet can affect the flavor of the breast milk and this could cause the baby to be less inclined to feed.