3 months old - how much per day?

[twinsplusone0912]

We just recently started formula feeding. How much should my 3 month old be eating on average?

[kirst]

I would feed baby on demand, whenever he or she wants. Make up sterilized bottles with 60 mL of boiled water in them and just give whenever they cry. I don't think it is really possible to over-feed a 3-month old. My son went through a tub every 5 days once I stopped pumping. I had been pumping 210 ml to give every 2-2.5 hours so I just simply couldn't keep up anymore with the volume needed. He did drop in his volume intake a little bit once he was on the formula, but only about 20 mL a feed less.

[CASMama711]

Baby's weight is a better indicator of how much formula to offer than age. How much does your LO weigh?

Also, boiling water is unnecessary in most cases. Unless you have well water with a risk of bacteria in the water, you probably shouldn't boil it. With public water, boiling can actually do more harm than good because it will increase the concentrations of heavy metals in the water.

[LinzTAW]

When my DS was 3 months he was eating 4oz of formula 6-7x a day to give you a reference. But, we were feeding him on demand so it could definitely be different for your baby, and that's totally fine.

[M&Lsmomma]

My DD just turned 3mo old and she's taking 5oz four times a day. 'They' all say she should be taking in more but I can't make her, kwim? It's kind of a push to get the full 20oz a day in her. She's 11lbs for refrence. But I think all babies are different. We've always fed on demand and this just happened to be the routine we/she fell into.

[ErinJenna]

When I first started FF my older DS I was worried about how much to feed him and my ped told me in general they should get 1.5 ounces per pound of body weight. My youngest weighs 17 lbs and is "supposed" to get about 25-26 ounces per day.

[mayasmomma]

I agree with feed on demand. Don't make up a huge bottle, somewhere around the 4 oz range is probably about right. You can make bottle feeding closer to like breast feeding by holding them close and watching their cues. If they pull off - don't force the nipple back in. It's easy to over feed a baby with a bottle. It might take you a week or so to figure it out but you'll know from watching their cues soon. Good luck!

[Sha-nanagins]

Originally Posted by mayasmomma I agree with feed on demand. Don't make up a huge bottle, somewhere around the 4 oz range is probably about right. You can make bottle feeding closer to like breast feeding by holding them close and watching their cues. If they pull off - don't force the nipple back in. It's easy to over feed a baby with a bottle. It might take you a week or so to figure it out but you'll know from watching their cues soon. Good luck!

Yes, this. Start with a 4 oz bottle, but have prepared water and formula powder ready so that you can make up another 2 oz if that doesn't satisfy. Some babies want to eat 3-4 oz at a time, every couple of hours. Others want 5 - 6 ounces every 3 -4 hours. You'll start to figure out your baby's preference in about a week. The general rule of thumb is to expect baby to eat between 2 and 2-1/2 oz. of formula per lb of body weight each day. (so, for example, a 15 lb baby usually eats between 30 and 35 oz. total (or about a quart, if you buy ready-mixed formula) in a day. If baby is consistently eating much more or less than this, check with the doctor.

Once baby gets used to formula, you'll probably find that he stays full longer, and will gradually ease into wanting to eat every 3-1/2 to 4 hours.

[MommaBee1013]

we used the old 2-2.5 oz per lb of body weight as a guideline. Obviously depending on appetite/growth spurts this could vary by a lot but its a good minimum guideline.