How Many Ounces Does My Baby Need to Sleep?
One of my biggest concerns as a new mom was, “is my baby getting enough ounces in a day? How many is she supposed to have each day? What if she drinks 2oz less than the recommended amount, then what!?”
These concerns kept me up at night pretty often, until my pediatrician told me something that calmed my nerves and changed my perspective.
He said to me, “Jessalyn, if your baby is growing and gaining weight, and having plenty of wet diapers, she’s getting enough! She’s right on her curve, so she’s doing great, and so are you!”.
He continued to tell me to stop counting the ounces because it was stressing me out😂. Babies are humans too, and sometimes they are just less hungry than other times and that’s okay!
So, if one day your baby drinks 6oz bottles, and the next they only drink 5oz bottles, don’t sweat it! Babies will not let themselves go hungry. They are intuitive eaters and will eat when they are hungry and stop eating when they are full. It’s pretty amazing honestly. And think about it, nobody is tracking how many ounces EBF babies are getting in a day, so why is google telling us our baby needs “30oz per day” to be healthy?! Every baby is different, so we can’t listen to that. What’s normal for your baby might not be normal for another baby, and that is what’s normal. If your baby isn’t gaining weight, of course consult with your doctor and they may tell you how many ounces to aim for in a day based on their size. This is a different story. But for healthy, growing babies, try not to stress because if they are gaining weight properly, chances are they are getting enough:)
And remember, the amount of ounces in a day is not what makes your baby sleep. The SKILL of sleep is what helps your baby sleep.❤️ So keep feeding your baby however much they need for their little body, but stop stressing about the total ounces at the end of the day. It will continue to change and evolve but as long as your baby is healthy and growing, they are getting enough:)