What's in this post...
Inside you’ll find all you need to know to put into a newborn feeding chart and then have a printable one for yourself! Whether or not you are interested in sleep training, this will get you started on a great solid routine.
I gave birth to my firstborn in a hospital in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
With a midwife whom I’d never met.
It all happened so fast and no one thought I was actually near 10 cm because they hadn’t checked dilation since I wasn’t in much pain. Must not be close, they assumed.
But really I’m a redhead and my pain signals are all jacked up so then it was go time before we knew it.
“But I don’t even have the paperwork ready…” she said in a sort of sweet and confused voice.
“IT’LL WAIT!” I yelled.
Fast forward a few days…
Fast forward a few days and I was ready to start tracking my baby’s feeds. I couldn’t remember which side she had fed from or if she was feeding enough and I felt stressed.
I wanted to write it down and keep it in her nursery. So I used a pen and a little notepad and over the next few weeks kept diligent track to make sure things seemed okay.
They were!
Read: The ultimate newborn napping, feeding, and sleeping schedule
Use this simple printable chart to track your feeds to make sure baby is fed, your supply is up, and everyone is well.
Basic Feeding Tips For The Early Weeks
(Psst… you can scroll down and get your free downloadable newborn feeding chart).
Here are some basic rules of thumb when it comes to feeding newborns. Talk to your pediatrician or nursing consultant if you have any issues, but for most babies these principles will help you have a calm, contented baby.
Read: 8 reasons you’ve got a fussy whiny little one
Focus On Filling Baby Up
Newborns are sleepy. They want to feed a bit then nod off. This is not a good idea for a few reasons, listed below.
To keep track of whether or not your baby is taking full feeds, scroll down and get your free newborn feeding chart so you can keep track.
- Babies do not get the breast milk most rich in fat and calories (the hind milk) because if they nurse for a short period they’re only getting the fore milk (less density which means less filling).
- Also, they will not go into a deep sleep (which takes around 20 minutes) and then when they transition through sleep cycles (around 45 minutes or so after they’ve gone to sleep) they’ll wake up out of hunger.
- You will be feeding baby every hour all day long.
Related Reads:
Newborn Settling Guide
Tried-and-true *hands on* newborn settling strategies that even the most fussy (or wide-awake-sleep-refusing) newborns cannot resist!
Learn MoreFeed Unswaddled By Day And Swaddled By Night
We want our babies to know the difference between night and day so they’ll have their wake times in the day and sleepy time at night.
This means that we create certain associations with being awake and other associations with sleep. One of those is the swaddle. You should swaddle from Day One because this will decrease the likelihood your baby “fights the swaddle.”
I had 5 babies and none fought the swaddle because we did it from Day One and there simply wasn’t an option.
Babies who are not swaddled will wake frequently or nap lighter since the startle reflex (moro reflex) will cause their arms to rise up and “startle.”
If they aren’t in a deep sleep cycle this might be enough to wake them.
During the day unswaddle them to feed so you’re communicating wake time. At night, unswaddle the bottom of their swaddle (the swaddles perfect for this shown below) to change their diaper, then reswaddle them and feed swaddled. This means baby will essentially sleep through the feed. Voila!
Read: How to clear up daytime and nighttime confusion in babies
Bring Baby To You, Don’t Lean Towards Baby
Those midwives in Scotland had it going on. Not only did they give you all the logistics while you were in the hospital, they visited you for a few weeks AT HOME during the postpartum period.
You could ask them absolutely anything about anything and they helped make it all work. One thing they gave me in my welcome packet was a DVD on how to get baby to latch properly.
With 5 babies I have had 0 issues with latching on and I’m telling you this works.
Instead of leaning down onto baby, position the breast and the baby’s head so that you push the baby onto your breast.
This means your bringing baby where the milk is, not trying to bring the milk down to baby. And, it means this will make for a better latch.
Related Reads:
Use this simple printable chart to track your feeds to make sure baby is fed, your supply is up, and everyone is well.
Example Daily Rhythm
Newborns have tiny tummies. You’ll be feeding baby around the clock for weeks at a time. However, by giving full feeds and keeping baby awake during feeds (which can be a feat) you’ll be able to increase the time between feeds providing baby with more restorative naps.
Initially you want to aim for feeding baby every 2.5 to 3 hours. So you may feed at 6 am, 8:30 am, 11:00 am, then 2:00 p.m.
The only reasons baby should feed less than 2.5 hours apart are these:
- Baby is not feeding enough at each feed (not getting calorie rich hind milk or enough ounces of formula)
- They are going through a growth spurt.
- You are cluster feeding in late afternoon early evening on purpose.
Read: The Easy Peasy Newborn Routine That Makes For Happy Babies
A Printable Chart That Works Like A Charm
I’ve created a newborn feeding chart below where you can record what times your baby is feeding and use that to find a good rhythm for you and your baby.
Read: The Dreamfeed: The Why, The How, & When To Stop
Is baby sleeping okay?
Baby bedtime can begin to feel like an actual nightmare.
Moms just want baby to sleep well. You just want to have some peace and quiet after a long day of momming and yet you are spending so much time trying to comfort an exhausted baby and wondering where it all went to pot.
Because moms with babies are busy (and tired) I created a set of nitty gritty baby sleep checklists that get straight to the point.
- Things to look for if your baby is sick.
- Habits to check if your baby won’t sleep at night.
- What to do if your baby won’t go back to sleep at night.
- And so much more!
It’s not usually some major problem that’s causing baby sleep issues, it’s usually something small. Use these checklists and get some clarity today.
Read: Cocooning a Newborn & 7 Reasons Why it Can Be Good For The Family
Use this simple printable chart to track your feeds to make sure baby is fed, your supply is up, and everyone is well.
Sources:
Family Routines Reboot
Take our 3 day challenge to create life-giving family, child, and self-care routines.
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looking forward to learning loads from you. My baby is 5 days old n i can already see that he struggles to sleep. He looks exhausted but finds it hard to sleep. However…when he eventually sleep, these r long naps, waking him up becomes a challenge. I have received multiples pieces od advice on babys sleep formula…most of them being let baby determine their own pattern..but must be a right formula that will prevent me from long sleepless nights, something that works for the entire family, a formula that will ensure that baby is getting enough feed n sleep. Looking forward to this journey.
Did you read my Ultimate Newborn Sleep Schedule? Google it and you’ll see it.
Hi, I have a 2 week old babygirl and trying to follow your newborn schedule. What do I do during the day when she fusses during the time she’s supposed to be sleeping? I feel like she gets sleepy nursing, then if I try to do a few mins of “play” like tummy time it wakes her up and she fights sleep after that. Sometimes fights it long enough that it will run into the next scheduled feed, or very close so she will not get a very long nap in between.
The eat play sleep cycle can be hard to get used to but she will. Offer a pacifier to comfort as well.
Should I swaddle my baby for nap today me?? He jerks a lot and seems hard for him to fall back sleep without crying.
I always swaddle for naps, if he’ll do it I would!
My baby is 11 days old and will only sleep for hour stretches in crib at night. She’ll nap for sometimes 2-3 hours during day. How do I flip this?! I’m going crazy with exhaustion.
Where do you find time to incorporate tummy time in the sleep eat play routine? My 5 week old seems to especially hate it with a full tummy.
My girl will only fall asleep while being held. She loaths the swaddle and has since the hospital. And I am opting to not use a pacifier. I know, I’m not making this easy.
Any time she is about to doze off and you lay her down, she wakes right up and starts to cry. This started out of nowhere about a week and a half ago (she’s a month yesterday). The only way to calm her was to pick her up. I tried everything but she won’t have it. Even repeating the process over and over. What do you recommend?
Thanks in advance!
Melissa
Hey,
I am attempting to start great habits with my 3 days old, with full feedings and trying cluster feedings at the end of the day, like the schedule you suggest for newborns. My main question is this; what do you do if they wake up early during the day. Do you try to put them back asleep? With the paci? Or do you rock them, or put them in the sling to keep them sort of alseep until the desired feeding Time? Or do you simply feed them event if they dont make a good strech? I am trying to go for 3hours feeding, but he Often Wakes up after 2 hours and I am not sure what I should be aiming for there…
Thanks!
Hi Rachel, first of all, thank you for this blog. As a new mum, I love all your posts and have been reading though them and taking notes, very helpful. There are two issues I am trying to deal with now. My baby is 6 weeks old now, we have already set a nighttime routine, including bathtime, story and then swaddle to sleep. Now my first issue is trying to prolong the time between feeds at night. He usually wakes up 3-4 hours after first being put to bed then every 3 hours after that. At this age, should I start extending the night feeds so as to eliminate some of them soon? If so, how?
Another issue is my baby fights (with all his power) the daytime naps. He would doze off if I hold him in my arms but once I set him down, he’s cranky and fights it with all his might.
I’m going back to work soon and would love to have a proper day and night routine to make life a little easier. I would ideally like his morning to start at 6-6:30am and I just read your week by week sleep schedule for week 6. I should start working on the start of his day feed. I’d appreciate any advice you can give me to create a proper schedule.
Hi Rachel!
Would you say to go by the same feeding chart for a formula fed newborn? My body doesn’t seem to be producing the amount of milk baby girl needs and it’s been frustrating/stressing me out. ? She is 4 weeks old and I want to get her into a sleep routine and a good feeding routine. Any help is appreciated! This is our first baby, so there’s so many questions and doubts. ?
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for your blog, the sleeping schedule and advice makes a lot of sense. I wanted some advice on feeding schedules but most of your tips seem to be for breast feeding. My wife is really struggling to produce enough milk so we are having to use formula as well. I think this in itself is creating confusion and not helping us with a routine.
All the best
Hello Rachel,
I noticed in the newborn schedule it is about every 2-3 hours you wake to feed your baby. But there is almost 4 hours from the 10:30 feeding thru nap #2. My little one is waking at 12:30 to nurse since the schedule has feeds every 2 hours. He is doing a full feed at 10:30. Any suggestions? Thank you!! This routine has been a lifesaver!
Hi Maddie, great question. So if baby regularly wakes up at 12:30 pm for a feed then go ahead and feed, for sure. I’ll re-check that schedule to be sure it makes sense!