How much milk should my baby drink?

What your baby takes in during the day largely decides how the night goes. A full tummy goes into the night; a half-full tummy comes back at two.

That's why this question is on a sleep site.

The rule of thumb for formula

Weight in kilos times 150 milliliters is the total per 24 hours. Divide that total by the number of feeds per day, and you know roughly how much goes in per feed.

The stomach grows fast too: around two weeks, about 60 to 120 milliliters goes in, and around six months 200 to 240 milliliters.

These are averages, and every child is different. If you're unsure, or growth falls behind, always talk to your doctor, a lactation consultant or your pediatrician. That isn't meant casually: the amount your child needs is decided by the professional who weighs your child, not by an article.

Every three hours, and skip nothing

As your baby gets older and drinks more per feed, that stretches out on its own. If it's time and your baby is asleep, wake them up.

This feels unnatural. Still, it's the core. See also what happens when a baby drinks more at night than during the day.

Recognize the early hunger cues

Feeding goes best with a calm baby who isn't upset yet. So watch for the early signals:

• smacking the lips or tongue
• bringing hands to the mouth
• rooting, the rooting reflex

Crying is a late signal. If the crying has already started, calm first and feed after. Not the other way around: using a feed as a soother turns drinking into something other than eating.

If you're unsure whether it's hunger, stroke the cheek. If the head turns along, that's a clue.

Full feeds instead of snacks

Try to limit the number of small snacks and give a whole feed each time. That works best with a fixed order: wake up, feed, a little play, sleep. Then the feed falls when your baby is really awake and alert, and sleep doesn't get linked to the bottle or the breast.

If you do want to feed just before bed, keep at least fifteen minutes in between, or do a diaper change in between.

Cluster feeding early in the evening is normal. Many babies then feed in quick succession to fill up for the night.

Not every cry is hunger

Be a detective. When your baby cries, go through SOAR first: stop, observe, breathe, and only then respond. Check the diaper, the temperature, the stimulation in the room, and how long ago there was really a feed.

Every child has their own language, and you learn to read it in the first months. More in what your baby's crying means.

If your baby suddenly feeds every half hour at the end of the day, that's probably cluster feeding.

If you're unsure whether enough is coming in, there are four things to look at: how to know your baby is drinking enough.