- Babies eat every 3-4 hours on demand.
- Babies eat different amounts at each feeding.
- Generally, babies eat 2 ½ to 3 ounces for every pound of body weight per day. (For example, a 7 pound infant will consume 17.5-21 ounces of formula per day.)
- Use filtered water, boiled water or bottled water for formula preparation. Allow for the water to come back to room temperature before mixing with formula. Special note: Bottled water has been a controversial topic and under scrutiny for poor regulation from the FDA.
- Prepared powder formula may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours after mixed.
- Never warm formula in the microwave. This can cause the milk to be very hot in some areas. Always warm milk by placing bottle in warm water. Then test the milk on the inner aspect of wrist to ensure temperature safety. Perfect temperature is when you are unable to feel hot or cold on inner aspect of wrist.
- Discard any unused milk one hour after feeding. Bacteria from baby’s saliva begin to rapidly multiply when left at room temperature.
For information on formulas, visit our Formula section. More information on bottle feeding can be found in our featured articles:
Breast or Bottle?
Bottle Feeding Tips
Cleaning Bottles and Pacifiers
Weaning Your Baby from the Breast/Bottle
Newborn 101
Author : Diba Tillery RN, BSN, IBCLC, CPST
