Newborn nursing 101: Getting on a baby feeding schedule

Newborn nursing 101: Getting on a baby feeding schedule

As a new mother there are always tons of questions about nursing and how often exactly you should be doing it with your child. While it will very likely vary due to your child specifically, it is typically recommend that you start by waiting for your baby to make signs that he or she is hungry. This typically will happen once every 1 1/2 to 3 hours and around 8-12 times a day.

After a while you will build up a bigger milk supply and can start to get on a more regulated schedule with your child.

After 1-2 months you might start to notice that your child is getting hungry at specific times of the day. It is very helpful to keep a newborn feeding chart with your baby so that you can track their schedule form and plan around it.  Keeping a chart also helps when you visit your pediatrician as they able to see the feeding pattern. There are a lot of apps that provide this service, our mamas favorite is Sprout Baby that keeps a track of breastfeeding schedule and has many more useful features. 

At around 6-7 months also start to think about starting to wean your baby off of breastfeeding and into solid foods. Check out our article here about the stages of baby food and introducing solids. Getting on a baby food schedule can help prepare your baby for larger solid meals in the future as well as make life just a tad bit easier for you.