How Often Should I Feed My Baby?
First and foremost, it is so important for your baby to eat at least every 3-4 hours around the clock for the first month or two, depending on their growth. I know they are sleepy! But you’ll have to wake and feed often to prevent dehydration. Sometimes the newest of newborns even need food every 2-3 hours instead of 3-4 hours.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Once the first month is over and you know your baby is growing, you can start the sleep training process. In order for your baby to learn to sleep all night, they need to be growing properly and getting enough nutrition in during the day.
What Feeding Every 3 Hours Ensures
Your baby is getting at least 6 feedings in during the day — more if needed. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Your baby is getting FULL feedings, allowing them to get enough calories in to grow. If you feed every hour or so, your baby is likely going to get little snacks instead of full feedings, making it more likely for them to need food at night as well. This is more common with breastfeeding and it’s okay if that is your baby’s normal! Just make sure they eat long enough on each side and work up to 3 hours when they are ready.
If you can establish feedings every 3 hours, then you can take comfort in knowing your baby is getting plenty of feedings during the day to begin sustaining them at night.
When Do I Move to a 4-Hour Schedule?
The main reason I recommend moving to a 4 hour schedule around 12 weeks is to increase wake windows. Developmentally, a lot of babies are ready to stay awake for about 2 hours around 12 weeks. During this milestone, you’ll likely be dropping a feeding (or two!) during the day, but the amount they eat at each feeding will slowly increase, keeping calories and total food intake the same.
Please note that I say *around* 12 weeks for a reason! Remember, YOU are the boss. You know your baby better than anyone. Your baby may be ready at 12 weeks or they may not be ready until 20 weeks. You decide.
If your baby isn’t quite ready, that’s okay! Stick to 3 hours as long as you need. Focus on about two hours of wake time and a one hour nap. If you’re nursing and you’re worried about your baby getting enough calories, feel free to add an extra feed or two, if needed.
If you’re unsure if your baby is ready or not to move to a 4 hour schedule, look for one of these signs:
4-Hour Schedule Questions to Answer
Is your baby hungry at the 3-hour mark, or do they seem less interested at each feeding? If they aren’t interested, they may be ready to go longer between feedings.
Is your baby struggling to fall asleep at the 1-1.5 hour mark now? Do they seem pretty awake at their normal nap time? They may be ready to stay awake a little longer now.
Is your baby having a hard time sleeping through the night or waking up before 6am? They may be getting too much day sleep/not enough wake time.
I explain how to move your baby to a 4 hour schedule step-by-step in my e-book if you need a little extra guidance!