Baby Feeding Patterns

Newborns need to be fed very frequently, but this is not a problem you need to solve. Rather, a natural stage where their body needs to absorb as much nutrients as possible to develop and grow. Despite of their small tummies, they digest fast, which means they need to eat often. Also, breast milk digests pretty quickly. Formula-fed babies however, may eat a little less often compared to breastfed newborns; this is because their tummy takes longer to digest the formula, making them fuller for longer periods of time.

Newborn Feeding and Sleeping Schedule

Baby feeding patterns and sleeping schedule may help, but they should only be taken as guidelines, as every baby is different, and every baby’s sleep and feed schedule may vary from the others. It is up to the parents to understand their baby more, take hints and notice their behavior throughout the day. Common clues includes yawning, rubbing of eyes, staring blankly into space, etc. Also, when your baby starts fussing, this is a signs that he or she’s very tired, and needs a quick nap.

This schedule however, is based on averages. Your baby may need more (or less) sleep, or spend shorter (or longer) wake times than what we have in this sample schedule below.

Breastfeeding Schedule for the Newborn, for 2 to 8-week Olds

This is a sample schedule for babies who takes average amount of breast milk, and for mothers with average production or storage of milk. Moms who produce or store fewer breast milk, babies with reflux, and babies who eat smaller amounts may need a different schedule. The same goes for babies who eats larger amount of milk per feeding, and moms who produce or store more breast milk.

9:00 AM   – Wake your baby and Feed

10:00 AM – Nap for 30 minutes to 1 hour

11:00 AM – Wake your baby and Feed

12:30 PM – Nap for 30 minutes to 1 hour)

1:30 PM   – Wake your baby and Feed

3:30 PM   – Nap for 30 minutes to 1 hour)

4:30 PM   – Wake your baby and Feed

6:00 PM   – Nap for 30 minutes to 1 hour)

6:30 PM   – Wake your baby and Feed

7:30 PM   – Quick nap, 20 to 30 minutes

8:00 PM   – Wake your baby and Feed

9:30 PM   – Quick nap, 20 to 30 minutes

10:00 PM – Wake your baby and Feed

11:30 PM – Feed your baby for bedtime

3:30 AM   – Feed and get your baby back to sleep

6:30 AM   – Feed and get your baby back to sleep

Formula Feeding Schedule for the Newborn, for 2 to 8-week Olds

Compared to the schedule of breast-fed babies above, formula-fed babies schedule have longer nap times, and fewer feeding time for babies. This is because as said earlier, formula milk takes longer to digest, which means babies feel fuller, for longer period of time, and need more time to digest the food.

9:00 AM   – Wake and Feed

10:00 AM – Nap for 1 hour or an hour and a half

11:30 AM – Wake and Feed

12:30 PM – Nap for 1 hour or an hour and a half

1:30 PM   – Wake and Feed

3:00 PM   – Nap for 1 hour or an hour and a half

4:30 PM   – Wake and Feed

6:00 PM   – Nap for 30 minutes to an hour

6:30 PM   – Wake and Feed

7:30 PM   – Nap for 30 minutes to an hour

8:30 PM   – Wake and Feed

9:30 PM   – Nap for 30 minutes to an hour

10:00 PM – Wake and Feed

11:30 PM – Feed your baby for bedtime

4:30 AM   – Feed and get your baby back to sleep

7:30 AM   – Feed and get your baby back to sleep

As said earlier, this schedule is simply a guide. As parents, you need to understand your child better, anticipate and read clues for the best time to feed your baby. We hope you learned about baby feeding patterns in this article.