All mothers of babies are worried about how much a child should eat at 3 months, and whether he has enough food. This is actually very important, since the general well-being of the child, his correct development, and also a good mood depend on the amount of nutrition.
The baby in mom's arms is cheerful
Nutritional standards for a three-month-old baby
According to the norms, babies at three months should drink 150-180 ml of milk or mixture in one feeding, this is 1/6 of the weight of a 3-month-old baby. The amount of food in ml that a three-month-old baby eats during the day is equivalent to both breastfeeding and formula feeding. As practice shows, children who are on the guards eat more times a day than babies who are on willows.
The fact is that a baby who feeds only on breast milk can suck out very little milk from her mother's breast at a time and will ask for food much more often than the same child who feeds on formula. Artificial babies eat less often because the mixture is much more nutritious and they stay full longer.
The baby in the arms of mom is small
If the baby is feeding on breast milk
At three months, the baby, as a rule, already develops its own individual feeding schedule. The norm for feeding a three-month-old baby who is on gv is 6-7 meals a day and the child's consumption of up to one liter of mother's milk per day.
It is much more difficult to control the amount of food eaten with HV, since the mother cannot see how much milk the baby has sucked in one feeding. Therefore, if there is a need to control this process, it is necessary to weigh the baby on an electronic scale before feeding and after the baby has eaten.
Interesting. When feeding a baby in the morning, a mother needs to understand that she sleeps at night, therefore, does not eat food, therefore breast milk in the morning is not very high in calories. After breakfast, closer to lunch, the milk will become more nutritious.
At night, you should not take a long break between feedings, since it is at night that the hormone prolactin is produced, which stimulates good lactation.
Baby sucks mom's breast
When a child is on artificial feeding
A three-month-old baby can drink about 180 ml of the mixture in one feeding. During the day, the child eats 4-5 times during the day and 2-3 times at night, this is much less often than the newborn baby ate at first.
There are two methods for calculating the nutritional norms of a baby at three months. In order to calculate the average amount of food, you can use these methods at the same time.
Method one
To calculate how much a child should eat at 3 months, it is necessary to multiply his body weight by 1/7, as a result, you get the average daily volume of the mixture. Next, you need to divide the total volume of the mixture by the number of feedings per day, you get a single dose that the child needs.
For example, the baby's weight is 5 460 * 1/7 = 780 ml, this is food for one day. Then 780/5 = 156 ml. A total of 156 ml will be required for a child per feeding.
In reality, it is very difficult for a mother to prepare such an amount of a mixture, since they prepare it right before giving it to the child. If 150 ml of the mixture was enough for the baby throughout the day, then by the evening, after an active game, he will have a strong appetite, and such a volume of the mixture as during the day will not be enough. In this case, you can add another 25 ml to 150 ml, and the amount of the mixture consumed will not exceed the average daily rate.
Method two
This method takes into account the weight and height of the child. According to average statistics, a three-month-old baby on a willow tree should eat from 900 to 1050 ml of the mixture per day. This rate is divided into the required number of feedings (as a rule, it is 5-7 times a day).
For overweight children who are actively developing, the volume rate of the mixture will be different, not the same as for children with average body weight and height. Children weighing above average should eat 900-950 ml of the mixture per day.
The bottle and nipple lie on the table
If the baby is on mixed feeding
If the mother feeds the baby with breast milk, then feeds it with a mixture, in this case it is quite problematic to calculate the average daily volume of food for a three-month-old baby. An indicator that a baby who eats both mother's milk and formula is full is his behavior. If the baby is cheerful, cheerful and fast asleep, it means that he has enough food.
With this type of feeding, it is worth first offering the baby a breast, first one, then immediately the second. This is what the mother should do so that, while the child is very hungry, he first eats more nutritious and healthy food. If the mother sees that the baby is not full, then it is necessary to feed him with a mixture from a bottle.
Note. Depending on the amount of milk the mother has, the amount of formula required to feed the baby may vary. In the third month of life, it can vary from 25 to 120 ml.
Babies are not on this type of feeding for very long, for the reason that it is very difficult to suck milk from mother's breast, and the mixture from the bottle enters the mouth without unnecessary effort. Then the child prefers to drink the mixture from a bottle more and more often and stops breastfeeding.
The child drinks the mixture from a bottle
Diet of a three-month-old baby
Each child is individual, so the mother should choose the frequency of feeding herself or consult a pediatrician. This is especially true for infants on artificial feeding.
One baby, thanks to the nutritious milk of the mother, can be full and not ask for food for 5-7 hours, usually at night. Another toddler wants to eat in three hours. Everything is strictly individual.
In the afternoon
A three-month-old baby is already more awake and sleeps less. During the waking period in the daytime, the child is studying the world around him, communicating with mom, dad and other relatives, but he most often eats according to his own schedule. The table below shows an indicative feeding schedule for a 3 month old baby.
Estimated Daytime Feeding Times
| Feeding | Time |
|---|---|
| 1st feeding | from 9:10 to 9:40 |
| 2nd feeding | from 11:20 to 12:00 |
| 3rd feeding | from 15:20 to 16:00 |
| 4th feeding | from 19:00 to 20:00 |
Feeding times can vary for a variety of reasons: late waking up, high-calorie foods, illness, and so on.
At night
At night, the baby should eat about three times: at 22:00, 1:30 and 3:30 at night. This time is an average, it cannot be considered as a strict rule.
It often happens that the baby misses one or even two feedings at night. You should not wake him up when the baby is hungry, he will wake up himself, only a little later.
The child drinks some water from a bottle
When to add water to a child
Whether it is necessary to give the baby water at three months depends on the type of feeding, as well as on the health of the baby and the climatic conditions of residence.
When breastfeeding
Modern pediatricians do not recommend adding water to infants until the age of six months. As an exception, you can give your child some water in hot summer weather, when the fluid rate per feeding for a three-month-old child should be at least 200 ml. If you constantly apply the baby to the breast, then breast milk can easily replace this norm, and this "risky" liquid will not enter the baby's body.
According to the research carried out, it turned out that the water that got into the baby's body helps to wash off the protective mucus produced by the gastrointestinal tract. Along with water, third-party microflora can enter the immature intestine, because it is unrealistic to give a child extremely pure water at home.
Bottle-fed
It is simply necessary to add clean water to babies who eat only a mixture. Calculating your daily water intake is easy. This is done at the rate of 50 ml per kg of the child's weight. For example, a baby weighing more than five kilograms should be given 250 ml of pure water per day. This volume does not include the water that was required to prepare the mixture.
Give some water one at a time, a maximum of two teaspoons between feeds or when waking up at night. It is extremely undesirable to exceed the specified rate, since the increased use of water can disrupt the water-salt balance in the baby's body, because the baby's stomach and kidneys are completely immature and remove water from the body for a long time. You should not give your baby water before feeding, as it can greatly reduce appetite. Water is offered only freshly boiled and at room temperature. Sugar should not be added to it, as this can provoke obesity, impaired hydrocarbon metabolism and other serious consequences.
Baby 3 months old lies on a blue blanket in a white bodysuit
How to understand that a child is full
With any type of feeding, if the baby receives a sufficient amount of food, then immediately after feeding he falls asleep peacefully. Sleep is not the only indicator that a child is full. If the baby has sucked all the mixture from the bottle or milk from the breast and does not sleep, but smiles, walks, and he wants to play, this means that he is full and very happy.
Important! Breastfeeding should be at least 15-35 minutes. The interval between meals will depend on the nutritional value of your mom's milk or formula.
If the baby is not full while breastfeeding, then he drops the breast and starts crying. Mom should make sure that there is no more milk in the breast with which she fed the baby, and immediately offer him another. If there is not enough milk, then it is necessary to supplement the baby with a mixture.
A baby who gets enough breastmilk gains weight well. If there is not enough food, then the increase will be very low.
Average statistical rates of increase for 3 months
| Parameters | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| Weight, gram | 600-1100 | 500-1000 |
| Height, cm | 3-2,5 | 3-2 |
| Chest and head circumference, cm | 2 | 2 |
If the baby is cheerful, cheerful and gaining weight very well, parents should not worry. You can make sure that your baby has enough breast milk by doing a wet diaper test. To do it, you need to leave the baby for a whole day without a diaper and swaddle in ordinary diapers.
If you get 12-18 wet diapers for the whole day, then there is no reason for concern, the baby's nutrition is in perfect order.
If the child eats less than the norm
Any situation can provoke a poor appetite in a child:
- A disease, for example, acute respiratory infections or stomatitis.
- Changed environment, such as moving, staying for a long time, not getting enough sleep.
- Climatic changes, especially intense summer heat.
- Change of diet, switch to another mixture. Or the mother ate something unsuitable for the child's body, and he does not like the taste of milk at all.
All these factors have a short-term effect on the change in appetite in infants. If the baby does not eat well for two days, then an urgent need to consult a doctor.
