How much milk should a baby drink?

If you worry whether your baby is getting enough milk you are not alone. It is one of the most common worries of a parent.

A good sign if your baby is drinking enough is if they have at least six wet nappies every 24 hours and the urine is pale and colourless.

The colour of the urine helps to show dehydration in a baby just as it does in a child or adult.

How can we tell if a baby is hungry or thirsty?

Knowing the signs or cues of hunger can help.

A young baby will do something called ‘rooting’ which is where they turn their head in search of food towards your breast and open their mouth.

They may also bring their hands to their mouth and start sucking.

They will have a distinctive ‘I’m hungry’ cry which you will be able to differentiate from other cries as time goes on but generally the cry is the last cue that a baby is hungry.

• If they are formula or breast fed.
• If they are on solids as well.
• The baby’s weight and age.
• If your baby is latching on properly and the sucking is stimulating production, then it’s probable that they are getting enough.

• In the first few weeks a baby will have approx. 800 ml which is generally 8 feeds in a 24 hour period.
• One way to establish and generally considered the best way to ‘measure’ your baby’s intake is to take 800 ml of formula and divide it by how many feeds your child has per day. Then depending upon how many feeds will decide the amount per feed. For example if they have 8 feeds then each feed will be of 100 ml. If your baby is looking for more after the feed then you can give them a little more (30-50 ml) and if it is regularly that they are looking for more than increase it by that amount for each feed.
• If your baby is exclusively breastfed baby it is said that they will have generally the same intake between 1 and 6 months old, only increasing for a few days at a time during their growth spurts.
• On average up to 6 months a baby can drink anywhere up to 750-800 ml still per day, but can be as little as 570 ml or as much as 900 ml. Of course this will vary with each baby, so it is more of a trial and error scenario with your baby.
• Another way to gauge as your baby grows is to 150-200 ml of bottle per kilogram of their body weight.

• Newborns will drink between 30-60 mls per feed of approx. 8 feeds/day.
• At 1 month they will drink between 90-120 ml per feed and consume between 400-800 ml/day.
• At 2 months they will drink 120-180 ml and will have between 6-8 feeds/day.
• Between 3-6 months they will drink 180-200 ml per feed and have approx. 4-5 feeds. Around this age they may change to 3-4 feeds of 200-220 ml/feed.
• 6 months + they are now eating/starting solids so the milk intake will gradually decrease. Generally they will have 3 feeds of 200 ml.
• 12 months +. It is still vital that they continue to drink milk. At this age they can move onto cows milk or a follow on formula. It is recommended that they drink at least 1-2 cups/day.

If you have any concerns or more questions about your child intake please consult your health nurse or Dr.