Caring for a baby will shape its whole life. A baby needs sufficient nutrients to develop fully and the basic nutrient of a small infant is milk.

 

Newborn babies who are bottle-fed, i.e. with baby powder, should receive 60 to 90ml of milk per feed. From one month onwards, the amount increases to 90 to 120ml per feed. For each subsequent month, the baby should receive 30ml more per bottle until you reach 240ml. A baby under six months should receive 100 to 150ml per kilogramme of body weight per day.

Babies who are breastfed should generally be allowed to drink as long as they want and as often as they want, even if it can take a long time for slow drinkers.

 

A baby should not be fed according to a schedule, but whenever it appears hungry until a routine is established.

A newborn baby should not sleep for more than 4 hours without being fed. In general, a newborn baby feeds 8 to 12 times a day, i.e. every two to three hours. From the second month onwards, feeding will stabilise at every three to four hours.

 

Even if the baby is to be fed whenever it wants, it is recommended that a full meal is taken at each feed in order to gradually increase the intervals between feeds. This stabilises the baby's metabolism and digestive system so that it sleeps longer. Babies need routine to thrive.

When feeding with breast milk, the mother's body will automatically adjust to the baby's needs. If the baby drinks more, the breast will produce more milk.

 

When a baby starts to cry, this is already the baby's final stage in expressing its hunger. Common signs of hunger are sucking on the fingers, pursing the lips, seeking the breasts and increased alertness.

The baby should not automatically be fed as soon as it cries. Crying does not always mean that the baby is hungry. The mother learns to interpret her baby's crying over time. Other reasons why the baby is crying may be that it is tired and cannot sleep, that it wants to play or has wind.

 

You can tell if a baby is getting enough milk if it is satisfied after a meal and soils its nappy three to five times a day and wets its nappy about twice as often.