Baby bottle amounts by age: a general guide

If you are a bottle-feeding mum, I am sure you have asked yourself the following question: how much milk from a bottle does my baby need at their age? That is why our midwives at Happymami have reviewed the current evidence and we bring you this post especially for you.

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How many ml of milk should a newborn take from a bottle?

Before we start with quantities, we should mention an important issue that is changing. In the past, paediatricians recommended giving bottles on a schedule, and now there is a new approach to feeding “on demand”.

Bottle feeds on demand too

This new feeding approach comes from the newborn's own situation. As you well know, a baby who is only a few days old has a small stomach and is not ready for large amounts of food. That is why nature provides colostrum. A food that is highly concentrated in nutrients in a small quantity. The baby takes small feeds, followed by rests and then another feed.

Later, when your milk comes in, your baby does not change from one moment to the next. They keep taking small feeds followed by rests and, little by little, as time goes by, they develop their own feeding pattern, unique to each baby.

For all these reasons, if we use formula, the new recommendations tell us to feed on demand. It may seem difficult, but to make it easier for you, I have included an indicative table with the total amount of milk a baby should take according to their age. One rule that can help you is that your baby will need between 150 ml and 220 ml of formula a day for each kilogram of weight, before the introduction of complementary feeding.

You should bear in mind that, just like adults, a whole day's nutritional needs are not divided into equal feeds for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Your appetite is different at each moment, and what matters is the total.

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Also, every milk brand usually includes detailed information on the back about the amount to take by age. Bear in mind that if your baby, for example, only takes 100 ml at the second morning feed and the milk packaging says to prepare 150 ml, it is best to reduce the amount you prepare and adapt it to your baby's needs.

In addition, the AEPED also tells us to pay special attention to the newborn's hunger and fullness cues. Respecting that the baby regulates the amount of the feed, without forcing them to take it.

Hunger cues in newborn babies

As we always say at Happymami, it is important to highlight that every baby is unique, and that is why these cues are generic and your baby may have a different one. To make it more interesting, we are going to divide these cues into three sections.

There are early cues that mean “I am starting to get hungry”, such as starting to open the mouth, starting to move, turning the head and searching. Then, one step further, come the intermediate cues “I really am very hungry”. Your baby starts to stretch, moves more or keeps bringing their hands to their mouth. And finally we have the late cues, or as a baby would put it “first you calm me down and then you feed me”. That is the moment when your baby cries inconsolably, becomes restless and goes red. Guide: why your baby cries.

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Signs that your baby is satisfied after a feed.

We already know the hunger cues; now it is time to know when your baby feels satisfied. As we said earlier, these are generic signs and every baby will have their own peculiarities, but in general a baby feels satisfied when they start to be easily distracted and lose interest in the food. They start to fall asleep while feeding. They suck on the teat much more slowly, taking longer pauses. They stretch out their arms and legs. Or they start to play. How to tell if my baby is getting enough milk.

Types of milk for different ages

For several years now, for the feeding of babies with formula feeding, a series of dairy products has been available, called first infant milks (usually with a 1 on the packaging), used from birth up to 6 months of age, and follow-on milks (with a 2 on the packaging), used from 6 months onwards. You can find these preparations in liquid form and as a powder to dilute in water. It is important to mention that there is currently disagreement about whether or not it is necessary to distinguish between type 1 or 2 milk for the first year. So much so that there is an AEPED publication that says the following: “From the book ‘My Child Won't Eat’ by Carlos González: Follow-on milk is a commercial invention with hardly any practical use. In the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends giving babies who are not breastfed the same milk throughout the whole first year. The WHO also believes that follow-on milks are unnecessary. (…) It is not that follow-on milk is better for older babies. It is worse than first infant milk, because it is less well adapted. But older babies have enough capacity to metabolise it and can tolerate it. Naturally, advertising from the dairy industry tries to turn things around and sell follow-on milk as ‘enriched with protein to cover your child's growing needs’. And then it says that those proteins are not needed, that it is nonsense.” What there is greater consensus about is that from one year old, your baby can already drink whole cow's milk or also growing-up milk. And from 2 years old, whole or semi-skimmed cow's milk. Find out about the BLW method for introducing your baby's first foods. Start designing your bottle

Conclusion: milk quantity in a bottle by age

Motherhood is very intense, and the fact that you are reading Happymami posts about motherhood says a lot about you; you are probably doing a great job. But if you still have doubts about your baby's nutrition, you should go to your paediatrician for a full assessment of your little one. Keys to getting the bottle accepted.