When can I stop timing feeds 2-3 hours apart (for newborn)

[Anonymous]

Hello,

FTM here. I’m at it with the feeds for the baby every 2-2.5/3 hours as instructed by the pediatrician. Baby has gained her weight back that she lost at birth and gained a lot more. I’m now reaching 2 months for the baby and still feeding every 2-2.5/3 hours. Baby is getting big. When will pediatrician lighten the duration and allow us to go with longer time between feeds? I’ve gotten used to the feedings but just curious if it’s too much now as the baby is getting big.

[Anonymous]

You’re talking about just during the day right? You’re not waking baby up at night to feed every 3 hours at two months, I hope? If you’re doing that you can/should stop immediately. Every 3 hours during the day, baby should be eating ~5-6oz per feed at this point so should only need 5 or 6 feeds (7 if you’re my DS who has always had the fastest metabolism known to man - my girls were much less hungry.)

[Anonymous]

My babies all ate every 3 hours in the daytime until after their first birthday. But I let them sleep as long as they wanted at night.

[Anonymous]

Yeah mine is three months now and I’m just feeding on demand which ends up being every 2-3 hrs during the day, although she is mostly sleeping through the night. My understanding is that this will continue for pretty much the first year and then it’s much the same but with constantly asking for snacks lol.

[Anonymous]

I never woke to feed the babies...they gained fine. I thought that was if there were weight issues.

[Anonymous]

Mine started out as a newborn eating every 3 then it actually got closer to every 2 by around 5 months after she dropped the night feedings. Then as solids increased around 9 months, she started spacing out the liquid feeds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re talking about just during the day right? You’re not waking baby up at night to feed every 3 hours at two months, I hope? If you’re doing that you can/should stop immediately. Every 3 hours during the day, baby should be eating ~5-6oz per feed at this point so should only need 5 or 6 feeds (7 if you’re my DS who has always had the fastest metabolism known to man - my girls were much less hungry.)

What??? 5-6 oz per feed? That’s insane.

[Anonymous]

Agree with others that day feeds stay about every 2-3 hours for my EBF kids until they start getting significantly more of their calories from solids, but by two months you should definitely be working up to longer stretches if sleep at night. I think even my worse sleeper would stretch to at least one five hour stretch between feeds at that age.

[Anonymous]

Also remember that babies get hydration through breastmilk in addition to nutrition, so in hot weather, they often want to nurse more frequently. My two-month-old sometimes wants to drink constantly when we’re outside these days! But luckily the nighttime stretches are getting way longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah mine is three months now and I’m just feeding on demand which ends up being every 2-3 hrs during the day, although she is mostly sleeping through the night. My understanding is that this will continue for pretty much the first year and then it’s much the same but with constantly asking for snacks lol.

Lololol this. My 2 year old still eats every 2-3 hours between meals and snacks

[Anonymous]

Can't remember exactly when it stopped but by 3-4 months she was only eating every 4 hours and only occasionally once at night/early morning.

[Anonymous]

Mine is 4 mo and I still feed every 3 hours during the day and occasionally one early am feed but baby sleeps 10 hours so I’m fine with the frequent day feeding to get in the calories so he sleeps through the night.

[Anonymous]

My four month old girl who was born a month premature (so really 3 months, and we were sent home from the NICU with instructions to wake every 3 hours round the clock) now eats about 4oz at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and a dream feed at 10. So 6 bottles a day for a total of around 24oz. Goes to bed at 7:45ish and wakes up at 6:45ish. If that’s helpful. I never asked the doctor when I could stop waking her up overnight, I just sort of phased it out around 8 weeks old and waited to see what happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

FTM here. I’m at it with the feeds for the baby every 2-2.5/3 hours as instructed by the pediatrician. Baby has gained her weight back that she lost at birth and gained a lot more. I’m now reaching 2 months for the baby and still feeding every 2-2.5/3 hours. Baby is getting big. When will pediatrician lighten the duration and allow us to go with longer time between feeds? I’ve gotten used to the feedings but just curious if it’s too much now as the baby is getting big.

Just feed on demand. She will tell you when she is hungry. If you stretch out day feeds, you may lose the longer stretch of night sleep and that’s not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Hello All. OP here.

Thank you ladies. Your feedback is very helpful. I implemented it last night and the baby slept as long as she needed until she woke for a feed. Rather than I keep waking her for a feed. It’s just frustrating when at the pediatrician they always ask what is the timing between feeds. We go in for the 2 month checkup this week and I will inform them we are doing long durations during night time now.