How much should a newborn eat: theory and practice

How many a newborn should eat at a time and per day, whether the child is eating enough, whether enough milk is produced - these are the questions that women are most interested in in the early days, when the mother and the child are just starting to get used to each other and study each other. It should be noted immediately that there are no clear norms and standards, as each child is individual and develops according to its own unique program. Of course, the books for young parents are full of different tables with nutritional norms for children of different ages, but these are only approximate, average data based on statistics. So the surest way to find out for sure is if your child is well fed and what should be his diet - this is watching your baby.

How much should the newborn baby eat : we study the behavior and well-being of the baby

Of course, with babies on artificial feeding, the matter is always much easier, because the dosage and the number of feedings are always indicated on the package with food. If the child was born before the term or received a birth trauma, then for the establishment of a normal diet, specialists may need help. But if your baby is healthy and vigorous, it is best to feed him as many times as he asks. Asks for breast after 25 minutes after feeding - feed, sleep 3-4 hours in a row - well, fine. Remember that newborn babies are not as helpless as they seem: nature has taken care of it properly. Therefore, the hungry child will not sleep.

External signs that the baby receives as much breast milk as needed

So, besides the fact that the well-fed kid is cheerful, merry and satisfied, does not cry for trifles, there are several other signs that he eats as much as a newborn should eat:

- the child urinates 6-8 times a day, the urine is not concentrated, light color;

- control weights once a week show that the baby adds 125 grams and more;

- in development the infant does not lag behind his peers;

- during feeding the child sucks in a measured manner, making not only sucking, but also enough swallowing movements.

How many grams should a newborn eat: if you need numbers

In order to determine the specific amount of breast milk that a newborn needs in a single feeding and a day, there are several formulas, but one should always remember that all these are exemplary norms that exist only for reference:

- in the first and a half weeks of life in order to determine how much the newborn should eat, the age in days is multiplied by 10;

- The daily rate of milk consumption for children with birth weight less than 3200 g is calculated by multiplying the number of days of life by 70, and for those born with a weight greater than 3200 g - multiplying the number of days of life by 80. So, if the baby was born with a weight of 3500 g And he is 5 days, then the amount of milk per day that he needs for normal growth and development is 5х80 = 400 ml;

- after 10 days and up to one year, the following formulas apply: until 6 weeks the newborn should eat the amount of milk equal to 1/5 of the body weight, in 6 weeks-4 months - 1/6 of the body weight, in 6-8 months - 1/7 Part and 1/9 of the body weight - up to a year.

These are indicative norms of how much a newborn should eat at a time and a day. But remember that it is impossible to over-feed the mother's milk, and each feeding is a unique moment of intimacy between you and your baby!