How Much Milk Does a Newborn Need? Feeding Amounts by Age

Every Australian parent asks this in the first week. The honest answer: babies aren't calculators. But there are realistic guide ranges, and there are far better signs of enough than ml on a bottle. Here's what Maternal Health Nurses and the Australian Breastfeeding Association recommend. Responsive feeding beats clock-watching at every age. Newborn stomach size Day 1: cherry — 5–7ml per feed. Day 3: walnut — 22–27ml per feed. Day 7: apricot — 45–60ml per feed. 1 month: egg — 80–150ml per feed. Formula guide volumes 24-hour 0–1 month: 150ml per kg of body weight per day. 1–6 months: 120ml per kg per day, max around 1000ml/day. 6–12 months: 90ml per kg, dropping as solids increase. Split across 6–8 feeds in the early weeks, fewer as baby grows. Bottles, breast, or both — what matters is steady, calm intake. Breastfeeding — feed cues, not ml Breastfed babies self-regulate. Watch for early feeding cues rooting, hands to mouth, soft sounds rather than the clock. Most newborns feed 8–12 times in 24 hours. Cluster feeds in the evening are normal and not a sign of low supply. Signs your baby is getting enough 6+ heavy wet nappies a day after day 5. Yellow, soft poos breastfed or regular formed poos formula . Steady weight gain — most regain birth weight by 2 weeks. Alert and settled between most feeds. Audible swallows during breastfeeds. Log feeds in our free Baby Tracker to spot patterns quickly without scribbling on the back of a nappy box. When to seek support Speak to your Maternal & Child Health Nurse, GP, or call the Australian Breastfeeding Association Helpline 1800 686 268 if baby has fewer than 6 wet nappies a day after week 1, isn't back to birth weight by 2 weeks, or is consistently unsettled around feeds. Keep reading Formula stages explained Introducing solids at 6 months How to burp a newborn All free parenting tools Personalised care plans by a Maternal Health Nurse Frequently asked questions How do I know if my breastfed baby is getting enough? Wet nappies, steady weight gain, and a settled baby between feeds — not ml on a bottle. How often should a newborn formula-feed? Every 2–4 hours, 6–8 feeds in 24 hours in the first month. Can I overfeed a formula-fed baby? Yes. Watch for paced bottle-feeding cues — turning head away, slowing down, milk dribbling out. When can babies sleep through without a feed? Most babies don't reliably do 8-hour stretche…