How Much Should a 2 Week Old Eat? Your Guide to How Much & How Often
As a new parent, it can be nerve-wracking to start caring for a small human who you have just met! If this is your first child, it can be scary not knowing what to do. One of the most common fears that parents have when it comes to taking care of their baby is knowing how much to feed their baby.
Babies have different-sized stomachs as they get older. When they are first born, their stomach is the size of a marble! Because of this, they will need to eat a certain amount, and you need to be careful not to overfeed them. If you aren’t sure how much you should be feeding your two-week-old, continue reading this comprehensive guide.
How To Tell Your Baby Is Hungry
With all the noises your baby is making, it can be hard to distinguish between their wants. Are they hungry? Tired? Bored? Your baby will cry if they are hungry, but there are other things that you can tell if your baby is hungry, like:
Licking lips
Sticking tongue out
Rooting
Putting a hand in the mouth repeatedly
Opening mouth
Fussiness
Sucking on everything
Once you start to see these signs, it's time to get your baby fed before they become inconsolable! If you wait too long, your baby may start to cry, and it will be harder for you to calm them down for their feeding.
How Much to Feed a Two Month Old Baby
As we mentioned earlier, it is easy to overfeed a baby. If they continue to cry after they finish a bottle, it's all too easy to just make them some more! Some babies may enjoy eating more, but for the most part, they will only have the capacity to eat a certain amount depending on their age.
Newborns: Babies fresh out of the womb will usually eat every two to three hours or approximately eight or twelve times within 24 hours. For the first couple days babies may only take in half an ounce at a time, but after this, they will usually drink one or two ounces per feeding. By two weeks old, they can hold two to three ounces in a sitting.
Two Months: Once they hit two months old, babies can usually eat four to five ounces at each feeding every three to four hours.
Four Months: Your baby will eat approximately four to six ounces per feeding.
Six Months: Your baby may eat up to eight ounces every four to five hours.
The general guideline with babies is that each month, your baby will increase their formula intake by one ounce until they cap off at seven to eight ounces per feeding.
Overeating or Underfeeding
You want to find the sweet spot of feeding your baby just enough to keep them content and full, but not too full! There are ways you can tell if your baby is eating too much or too little. This can be difficult at first, but as you get to know your baby and their habits, it will be easier to know how much they need at a time.
How to Tell If Your Baby is Overeating
If your baby is eating too much, they may experience stomach pains, gas, and spit up. This will result in your baby crying with discomfort. You can relieve this by burping them and moving their gas to encourage them to pass gas. They may even spit up if their stomachs are holding too much!
Some babies seem to want to eat constantly, but they just had a full feeding and a little extra. If that’s the case, pacifiers are good to use in between feedings to help them curb their appetite. An important thing to note is that if your baby is breastfed, it may be a good idea to hold off until three or four weeks to avoid nipple confusion.
How to Tell If You’re Underfeeding Your Baby
You’re feeding your baby the recommended amount, but they still aren’t gaining the weight they need. If your baby isn’t gaining weight as they should, you don’t have to wait for scheduled feedings, even if they’re asleep. They need to pack on the weight, so feed them whenever you can!
How Do I Know My Baby Is Eating Enough?
Although overfeeding is a normal concern for most parents, another common concern is underfeeding. How do you tell that your baby is getting enough to eat?
Dirty diapers are an immediate way to tell if your baby is getting enough milk. In the beginning few days of infancy, your baby should have two or three wet diapers a day. After this, you should expect your baby to have five to six wet diapers a day. If your baby doesn’t have enough wet diapers a day, it’s time to bump up their milk supply!
Another way to tell if your baby is eating enough is by monitoring their growth. With routine doctor appointments, their doctor will record their height and weight and measure it against other children their age. This will give you an idea if your baby needs additional milk or supplements!
Monitor Your Baby’s Eating Schedule with Baby Connect
When your baby is small, you need to be sure you aren’t overfeeding them. This can be all too easy to do! You need to be sure you are monitoring how much they are eating to be sure they don’t get stomach aches.
In the early days of parenthood, it can be easy for you to forget how much you fed the baby and when their last feeding was. This is why it's a great idea to keep track of how much and how often they are eating! With Baby Connect, you can document each time your baby eats, how often, and how much so you know your baby is getting enough nourishment.
