It is not always easy, when you are a young parent, to know exactly how much milk to give your baby and how often. Follow our advice to see more clearly.
You are unwilling or unable to offer breastfeeding to your newborn baby and wondering how to tell if your baby is drinking enough after giving birth. Because unlike breastfeeding which can be offered at will to baby, bottles of powdered milk will have to respect certain doses according to age and be spaced two hours minimum to allow time for baby to digest.
How much milk and how often between birth and 4 months?
After delivery, at maternity, it's simple: if you cannot or do not wish to breastfeed your infant, you will then be offered to give him, from birth, small bottles of 90 mL of milk ready to be drunk. Your baby will take what he needs and you will only have to throw away these first bottles after each use.
Once at home, you will be responsible for preparing each bottle of your baby with infant formula milk powder.
You will first pour in the quantity of water indicated and the number of measures required, knowing that one measure of milk powder corresponds to 30 ml of water, two measures to 60 ml of water, etc. You will be able to choose mineral water which will be marked as "suitable for infants" or cold tap water if it is fine. You see, the recipes are very simple!
Here is a small guide to help you in this preparation during the first months. Do not hesitate to note the times and the quantities of each feeding in a notebook, especially during the first weeks when your infant has not yet set his rhythm. It will also be useful for your pediatrician appointments, where you can always ask for advice.
- 1st week of life: it is recommended to give between 6 and 8 bottles, 30 to 90 mL each (that is to say with one to three measures of milk powder)
- 2nd week: between 6 and 7 feeds from 60 to 120 mL
- 3rd and 4th week: between 5 and 7 bottles of 90 to 150 mL
- 2 months : between 4 and 6 feeds from 150 to 180 mL
- 3 and 4 months: between 4 and 5 bottles of 150 to 210 mL
Keep in mind, however, that these quantities are only a guide and that they can vary from one baby to another, depending in particular on his weight but also on his appetite. Always prepare the largest amount recommended and at worst your child will leave what he does not want. Better satisfied babies than starving babies! Do not try to compensate once on the other if you have the impression that he did not eat enough during the last bottle: it is important to offer him balanced rations and your baby will be able to regulate himself. Some drink little in the morning and more at night: do not try to be "settled" from the first month, allow time to time, and your baby will gradually find his rhythm, which must always be respected as much as possible .
Likewise, some infants may digest or appreciate a breast milk better than another, or a certain type of pacifier. Do not lose patience or self-confidence, you will certainly find, on the advice of your pediatrician if necessary, the most suitable powdered milk for your baby, and the pacifier that satisfies him the most.
In any case, be sure to always use infant formulas specially developed for baby needs, and not vegetable "milks" not at all suitable for infants and babies.
How do I know if my baby is drinking enough?
Even if, unlike breastfeeding, we can accurately follow the quantities of milk swallowed at each feeding by bottle-fed infants, the fact remains that we can also worry about the fact that her baby don't drink enough, be it our first or our third! Don't worry as long as your baby is on a normal developmental curve and his health is good. To check that he is gaining weight regularly and to reassure you, you can also have him weigh at the PMI between two appointments with the pediatrician. His stools should also be regular (at least once a day), yellow and lumpy in appearance. Your baby should look good and generally seem quite peaceful. Trust yourself, you will know if something is wrong with your child, and you can talk to a doctor right away.
How much milk and how often during food diversification?
If it is advisable to exclusively breastfeed up to 6 months of the child, we can nevertheless start to introduce food from the 5th month of the baby when he is fed on the basis of infant formulas. Again, this is obviously an indicative age and you will do according to baby's desires and appetite. You will start to make him taste vegetable purees and fruit compotes, then gradually introduce protein into his diet through meat, fish and other eggs.
During this period of food diversification, milk remains the main food for babies, so parents will have to offer a bottle with each meal, that is to say normally four times a day. Offer him 180 to 240 mL bottles and gradually decrease the amounts as he eats more food, to arrive at bottles of around 120 to 150 mL.
A few weeks after the start of food diversification, you can change the milk powder and then bet on a 2nd age milk richer in proteins, iron, vitamins and fatty acids.
How much milk and how often between 9 and 12 months?
Around the age of 9 months, you can start to introduce dairy products into your baby's diet, which will gradually replace infant formula and which should not be offered at the same time. You can for example keep the baby bottles in the morning and taste them, but replace those for lunch and dinner with a piece of cheese, a yogurt or a small Swiss cheese, which you will of course complete each time with a puree, a compote and a little animal protein for lunch.
Some babies are too tired in the evening to eat with a spoon and prefer to drink a bottle: you can then if you want to supplement it with a little infant flour to further satiate it.
How much milk and how often between 1 and 2 years?
Around the age of one, children's food continues to diversify with the introduction of starchy foods at each meal, for increasingly varied recipes. Continue to offer him three servings of dairy products per day in different forms, and keep the bottle of morning and that of the snack if your child still demands them, using if possible growth milks, enriched in iron and essential fatty acids to good development, or whole milk.
Once again, it's a matter of following the wishes of your growing baby, who may prefer certain dairy products to others. Some will abandon the bottle more quickly than others.
How much milk and how often between 2 and 3 years of age?
From 2 years old, even if their diet increasingly resembles that of their parents, children can still drink growth milks or whole milk, in a bottle or not, for breakfast and / or to taste for example. At lunch or dinner, you can then offer him other dairy products such as yogurt or cheese, so that he continues to consume three dairy products per day necessary for a good calcium intake and better health.
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