How Much to Feed a 3-Month-Old

Series Summary

Early childhood is a special time for both kids and parents. It is widely held that during the first few years of a person’s life, some of the most important physical and emotional aspects of development are set in place. Young children are dependent upon their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles or grandparents to meet their needs during this time. To grow into healthy, happy adults, kids require many things, including safe surroundings, a good diet, peer interaction and a variety of experiences. In this free video series on parenting, the mother of three young children explains how to care for babies. Get information on how much an infant will eat and how to introduce bottles to a baby. Learn how to change a diaper and how to wash a baby's hair. Get information on stimulating infants and helping a baby roll over. Raise a happy and healthy baby with the help of these free videos.

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Erica. I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I'm going to talk to you about how much to feed a three-month-old baby. Usually, a baby will eat eight to ten ounces of bottle a day. That's usually the normal mark. Usually, you'll just feed the baby 'til they push the bottle away or 'til they say they're done. If the baby is still hungry and they've had a lot of formula, still give it to them. The baby will let you know when they're full. So just the way to gauge it is that if your baby is still hungry after you've...after you've fed them, like, two ounces of bottle, maybe the next time you feed them a bottle, try four ounces and so on and so forth. Some babies can drink up to eight ounces in one shot, which means that they'll be fuller longer. So it just depends on your baby and how much they can eat in a sitting. Be sure not to overfeed your baby. Sometimes if the baby has colic or the baby is gassy, they'll try to drink more to try to get rid of that. So after you feed your baby, be sure to burp them. That way, they don't feel a sensation that they have to keep eating to get rid of the feeling that they have in their tummy. If you do feed your baby too much, just remember that your baby's stomach is about the size of your fist so there's not much that can fit in there. So if...so try not to feed your baby a lot. The baby might throw up or might have even more gas. It will cause more problems for the baby. So when the baby says they're full and they haven't finished the bottle, that's okay. And if the baby hasn't finished the bottle or has finished their bottle and wants more, then that's okay, too. You just have to gauge it with your baby and the signs."