Here at full feedings, we believe one of the main reasons babies wake at nighttime is due to hunger. When they are newborns, it’s normal for them to need to eat 24-hours a day to consume the calories they need to remain full & satiated.

But by around 8 – 12 weeks old (yes, weeks!) an average size baby is physically able to consume the calories they need during the daytime hours (this includes a dreamfeed between 10 – 11pm).

When you work on full feedings at each and every feed from birth (and maintain them as baby gets older, bigger, and needs more to remain full) you will naturally be “moving” the milk they are drinking at night, to the daytime, to support their circadian rhythm and establish consistent nighttime sleep.

It’s very simple: if your baby doesn’t get the calories they need during the daytime, they will wake at night to eat…and you ALWAYS need to feed a hungry baby.

So we wanted to show you exactly how the milk moves slowly from birth, from the nighttime to the daytime. We called this process “milk management”. This isn’t the only “ingredient” you need for consistent nighttime sleep, but this is an important one.

Please remember, this is just an example and every baby is different. We always say, a 1 percentile weight baby and a 99 percentile baby have 2 very different amounts of “full”. We do not recommend pushing or force feeding your baby, but instead to gently work to make those full feedings happen.

This blog uses bottle feeding amounts as an example, but this concept also applies to breastfeeding. With breastfeeding, we use time as a measure of full, so each of the feeds below would represent a full, 30-minute breastfeed. If you have specific breastfeeding questions about how this applies, please email us at hellomilk@fullerfeedings.com and we’d be happy to answer.

MILK MANAGEMENT

Understanding how to move milk and increase intake slowly can be a really challenging part of having a baby. Whether you’re a first time parent or not, it’s a lot to keep track of and understand. We know you’re tired so we want to make this really simple and straightforward so you can be sleeping through the night (STTN) by 8-12 weeks old.

Every baby is different and it’s possible you can have full feedings all day and not be STTN until closer to 12 weeks old. Please don’t be discouraged, keep doing what you’re doing and the sleep will come.

In the first few weeks we want to slowly increase feed amounts. We typically use time as a measure of full, and also as an indication of when we should slowly increase baby’s intake. A “full feeding” is considered 30-minutes to finish an age-appropriate amount of milk. This includes burp time, as long as it’s not excessive.

When your baby starts taking their “normal” amount of milk quicker than 30-minutes, you’ll know it’s time to increase milk volume slightly. We typically recommend increasing by .5oz per feeding. This allows us to adjust slowly as babies stomachs grow and their needs change. We want to be on top of these changes as these slight increases in intake are what allow us to slowly move feeds further apart at night, and is what ultimately allows babies to STTN at a younger age.

So, what does this look like in reality?

BIRTH – 1 WEEK OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE

From birth – Week 1 your baby is eating every 2-3 hours during the day and night. Their stomachs aren’t as large and they can’t control their blood sugar yet, so they need to eat regularly to maintain their fullness and blood sugar levels.

Their feeds are small and frequent but keeping them awake for a full feeding is a large portion of the work at this age. If they’re actively eating we consider it awake time, even if their eyes are closed.

It’s a good time to ask your pediatrician if you need to keep waking your baby overnight to eat.

BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES: 1.5 to 3 oz (45 to 90 ml), at least every 2-3 hours

1 WEEK OLD – 2 WEEK OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE 

Feeds are slightly larger so they’re eating one less feed during the day but it’s still more milk overall. We’re aiming for at least 8 feeds during the day and likely 4 feeds overnight.

We have one less daytime and overnight feed but the larger feed amounts (even .5oz) mean more food in 24 hours, which is why we have fewer feeds.

Waking them regularly to eat will help them develop full feedings.

BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES: 1.5 to 3 oz (45 to 90 ml), at least every 2-3 hours

2 WEEK OLD – 3 WEEK OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE 

With another slight increase in ounces per feeding, we move enough milk to other feeds that we often need one less feed during the day and overnight again.

Since babies stomachs are increasing a lot at this age, we see a quick change in the number of feeds the first few weeks (yay!).

You’ll likely have two full overnight feeds and it’s important to keep the dreamfeed.

BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES: 2 to 4.5 oz (60 to 135 ml), at least every 2-3 hours

3 WEEK OLD – 4 WEEK OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE 

Milk intake continues to increase slightly and daytime feeds are at least every 2.5 hours which means night feeds start to get further apart, even though you will likely have 2 overnight full feedings still.

BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES: 2 to 4.5 oz (60 to 135 ml), at least every 2-3 hours

4 WEEK OLD – 5 WEEK OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE

Milk intake increases again slightly so the second MOTN feed becomes much closer to the start of day. We also want to move the dreamfeed to 10:30pm because daytime feeds extend to every 3-3.5 hours.

We want to begin have a consistent start of day that’s no later than 7:30am to help you baby begin to establish more of a circadian rhythm.

BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES: 3 to 5 oz (90 to 150 ml), 7 to 9 times per 24-hours

5 WEEK OLD – 6 WEEK OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE

As milk intake increases per feed during the day, the dreamfeed moves to 11pm and you are likely down to one MOTN feed.

We want to maintain full feedings and encouraging your baby to eat fully (& similar amounts) at each feeding.

BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES: 3 to 5 oz (90 to 150 ml), 7 to 9 times per 24-hours

6 WEEK OLD – 7 WEEK OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE

Overnight feeds may now be 4+ hours apart with milk intake increasing another .5oz per feeding. This pushes the overnight feeds further apart while maintaining feeds at least every 2.5 hours during the day.

If your baby is eating more per feed, it’s possible they could be sleeping through the night (with the dreamfeed).

BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES: 4 to 6 oz (120 to 180 ml), 7 to 8 times per 24-hours

7 WEEK OLD TO 8 WEEK OLD FEEDING SCHEDULE

At this point with consistent full feeds that increase slightly each week, you may have no overnight feeds. Yes, at only 8 weeks old your baby may be sleeping 12 hours overnight (with a full dreamfeed in place)!!!!

Newborn feeding changes often and it’s so important to be able to plan for and expect these changes. While the weekly increase is small to us, it’s an important step for your baby to grow and remain fully fed!

BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES: 4 to 6 oz (120 to 180 ml), 7 to 8 times per 24-hours

REMEMBER…

PLEASE NOTE: The BOTTLE FEEDING GUIDELINES listed in each week are just guidelines. If your baby is eating more than recommend, they may be able to consolidate their calories to the daytime sooner, and sleep through the night. If your baby is eating less than recommended, it’s okay. Eating less may have to do with their weight / stomach size, which is nothing you can change. Eating smaller feeds may just mean it will take slightly longer to consolidate calories to the daytime hours. We DO NOT recommend force feeding. We support feeding your baby fully (to the extent of their need), on-demand and the sleep will come! We promise!!!

Whether you’re exclusively offering breastmilk to your baby, bottle feeding, or combination feeding, we can help you via our Online Programs and 1:1 consulting to support your family towards establishing full feedings AND consistent nighttime sleep…all without crying it out or compromising them in any way.

To learn more about The Full Feedings Method Infant & Toddler Online Sleep Programs, click here for simple 3-step, needs based, NO CRY IT OUT approaches to sleep that can be safely implemented from birth and alleviates the need to sleep train. You can also book a 1:1 Sleep Consultation with one of our sleep gurus, and we can privately support you to a full night of sleep.

To learn more about our self-paced feeding programs, BREASTFEEDING BASICS and BOTTLE FEEDING BASICS are great ways to support your feeding and troubleshoot any problems that may arise. To book a 1:1 Lactation Consultation, email HELLOMILK@FULLERFEEDINGS.COM to schedule a 30, 60, or 90-minute call with our Certified Breastfeeding Specialists® and we can help you achieve all of your feeding goals.

Questions? Email HELLOSLEEP@FULLFEEDINGS.COM and ask us anything!!!