How Often Should I Feed My Baby? Feeding Schedule by Month

Start with responsive, cue-based feeding and use age-appropriate wake windows to create a gentle rhythm. Strict clock-only schedules can lead to missed hunger cues, fussy babies, or supply issues. A practical hybrid works for most families: cues first, with soft time anchors.

What to watch: early hunger cues such as stirring, rooting, hands to mouth, and lip smacking. Crying is a late cue, so offer sooner when you can. Use paced bottle feeding if you're using bottles.

Typical spacing by age

Wake windows (approximate)

• 0 to 8 weeks: 45 to 90 minutes
• 2 to 4 months: 60 to 120 minutes
• 4 to 6 months: 90 to 150 minutes
• 6 to 9 months: 2 to 3 hours
• 9 to 12 months: 3 to 4 hours

Many families feed soon after waking, then again before the next nap or bedtime, adjusting to cues. It's normal to feed overnight, and stretches lengthen with growth. Growth spurts, teething, and illness can temporarily increase frequency.

Sample schedules

Newborn to 6 weeks (full term)

• Frequency: 8 to 12 feeds per 24 hours, about every 2 to 3 hours. Some babies cluster in the late afternoon or evening.
• At the breast: most feeds last 10 to 30 minutes on one or both sides.
• Bottle volumes: often 1.5 to 3 oz (45 to 90 mL) early. Pace bottles so a feed takes 10 to 20 minutes.
• Sample 24-hour rhythm: 6:30a, 9a, 11:30a, 2p, 4:30p, a 6:30 to 8:30p cluster, 10p, 1a, 4a. Wake by about 3 hours if very sleepy.

2 to 6 months

• Frequency: 6 to 8 feeds per 24 hours. Many babies still need 1 to 2 night feeds.
• Bottle volumes: often 3 to 5 oz (90 to 150 mL) per feed. Total daily milk intake usually levels around 19 to 32 oz (570 to 950 mL).
• Sample rhythm: 7a, 10a, 1p, 4p, 7p, 10p, plus one night feed between 1 and 4a.

6 to 12 months (with solids)

Keep milk the main source of nutrition while adding solids. Many babies do 4 to 6 milk feeds per day plus 1 to 3 solid meals, spaced about every 3 to 4 hours while awake.

• 6 to 9 months: offer milk after waking, then solids 30 to 60 minutes later once or twice a day. Keep the bedtime milk feed. Night feeds may reduce naturally, though some babies still take one.
• 9 to 12 months: many shift to 3 solid meals with 2 to 3 milk feeds (morning, after nap, bedtime). Water in an open or sippy cup with meals is fine in small amounts.

Notes for the first week

Skip schedules and feed responsively. Your baby is calibrating appetite and, if you're breastfeeding, your supply. Aim for 8 to 12 feeds in 24 hours. Sleepy babies often need gentle waking to feed at least every 2 to 3 hours by day and about every 3 to 4 hours at night until weight gain is on track. Wake windows are tiny, about 30 to 60 minutes including the feed. Many newborns cluster feed in the evenings, which is normal and temporary.

If your baby is formula fed

Most formula-fed babies take about 2.5 oz (75 mL) per pound of body weight per 24 hours, up to about 32 oz (950 mL) a day. Feed on demand and don't pressure your baby to finish a bottle.

Avoid routinely exceeding about 32 oz a day, and avoid adding cereal to bottles.