Recommended number of feedings a day for a 10 week old

Sarah - posted on 12/19/2008

Thanks for all the advice everyone! My daughter has slept from 9pm to 5am the past 2 nights! My husband and I are calling it a Christmas miracle and don't expect it to last long but I feel caught up on rest now :)

Kirsten - posted on 12/18/2008

Hi Sarah! I have a 2-year-old and a 9-week-old, both solely breastfed. I really like "The Nursing Mother's Companion." It's my breastfeeding bible. Most young babies nurse 7 times or more each day. I have heard that 7 is a good minimum. Anything less than that and you may be underfeeding, and your daughter may not gain enough. That said, weight gain is the gold standard. If your daughter is gaining 5 to 6 ounces a week, she is probably fine. My younger son had a cold for a week, nursed less frequently, and his weight gain suffered. Also, if it makes you feel any better, my baby is not on any kind of a nighttime schedule either. Typically he'll sleep at least one four-hour stretch at the beginning of the night, maybe longer some nights. Other than that, it's pretty much all over the map. In my experience, their schedules don't become regular for a bit longer. Sorry!

Holly - posted on 12/18/2008

My 12 wk. old eats every 2 1/2-3 hours, so she eats 6-7 times a day. She has been sleeping through the night since 8 wks., but ironically, if she doesn't get enough sleep the previous day, she may wake up once during the night (only about once a week). Her nighttime schedule is from 11-7. Also, she doesn't eat a lot. I normally nurse, but when I give her a bottle she'll only take 3 oz. My babies would never chug a 8 oz. until about 12 months. And she's chubby too!

Jennifer - posted on 12/18/2008

My son is 5 months old now and still doesn't go four hours in between feedings unless it's the middle of the night. When he was 10 weeks, he was eating every hour to hour and half during the day with a short nap and about a 3 hour nap mixed in. I would try to get in at least 6 to 7 feedings during the day but he would still wake up once or twice during the night. My suggestion would be to make sure she's not sleeping more than four or five hours total during the day and she may sleep longer at night. But also remember that all babies are different and she may just not be ready to be an all night sleeper yet. I hope this helps you a little.

Debbie - posted on 12/18/2008

My 4 1/2 month old sleeps from 10 pm to 6 or 7 am (occasionaly wakes at 4 am for a dream feed) and then we spend all day nursing every 2 hours or so. She tends to do a cluster feed in the morning eating at 7,8, and 9 am then she has a LONG feed before bed.

Nicole - posted on 12/18/2008

My son who is going to be 2 on Sat. still nurses 6+ times a day and he eats solids like crazy too. Last Dr. apt. he was in the 50% too, so he's not a chub by any means. He didn't start sleeping through the night and not nursing until 18mo. From about 12-18 mo he would only nurse 1-3 times in the night, but around 18 mo he start going most of the night only waking here and there to nurse once in the night. I was STARVING for sleep those first few months too, but a good friend who has 2 babes told me what I needed to hear. Chances were my son wouldn't be sleeping through night until close to 2 and she was right. She recommended cluster nursing before bed, nursing every hour for 4 hours prior to bed time to help "bulk" him up and that did help, but he still woke. So we started bed-sharing at 6mo. until just a week ago so he could nurse and I could sleep. Per my obgyn's advice and Pedi was ok with it too. It was a life saver and I recommend it. A week ago I decided it was time to try to move my son into the toddler race car bed at the foot of our bed since he was kicking me in the back and tummy so much and I am 24 weeks pregnant with our second. I expained this to him and I nurse him to sleep in there and he does great. So transitioning him to his own bed has gone well.
So I am now a firm believer in going ahead and nursing kids at least through the first year in the night as they need and co-sleeping so we can all sleeping, instead of trying to find ways that don't usually work for most to get them to sleep through the night when they are not ready. Best wishes!

Emily - posted on 12/17/2008

Wow... I have to say, I eat much more often than that, and so do my toddlers. Maybe that's just our metabolism, but there's no way me or my babies could eat only four times a day.

Kelsey - posted on 12/17/2008

My son is eleven weeks old. He sleeps for eleven hours through the night and eats four times a day. 8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm. He goes to sleep at 9pm. He is currently in the 50th percentile for weight and my milk supply is doing fine. It is not that he is getting less food throughout the day, he is just eating more at each feeding. My pediatrician said that he is thriving so I am not concerned in the least.

Emily - posted on 12/17/2008

My baby is currently 11 months old, but slept through the night quite well from 2-5 months (until she started teething). She nurses WAY more than six times a day, and WAY more often than every 4 hours.

A breastfed baby needs to nurse much more frequently than every 4 hours. Breastmilk is completely digested within 90 minutes of a feeding, so I don't push my kids to go longer than every 2 hours during the day. If you'll be working and can't breastfeed on demand during the day, make sure you do in the evenings. Try cluster feeding in the few hours before bedtime. Offer the breast every 20 minutes or so for a couple hours before she goes to sleep to help tank her up.

A breastfed baby will sleep through the night when they are physically able to go all night without eating, IF there isn't something physically wrong with them (teething, earache, etc) and IF they've gotten enough calories during the day... this means feeding much more often during the day. (Babies will continue to wake during the night, but if they're not hungry, uncomfortable, or in pain, they should be able to be soothed back to sleep without a feeding, and will eventually self soothe.)

Good luck!! My kids have all been good sleepers at different times, but there's always something that comes up to disrupt their sleep, it just becomes less frequent as they get older. My 3 1/2 year old and 2 1/2 year old are awesome sleepers now!!

Laura - posted on 12/17/2008

I have an 11 week old. He doesn't sleep through the night, but he goes from 11 pm to 5 am, then doesn't eat agian until 10 am, then about every 2.5 to 3 hrs the rest of the day. This is my fourth child, so I have stopped worrying about how much and how often. I feed solely on demand. If your baby seems satisfied and is gaining weight appropriately, then she is getting enough.

Katie - posted on 12/16/2008

When my daughter was that age she was nursing every 3 1/2 hours during the day and sleeping through the night. Her schedule was as follows: 7:30 wake up and eat, 9-11 morning nap, 11:00 wake up and eat, 1-2:30 afternoon nap, 2:30 wake up and eat, 4:00 or 4:30 - 6 late afternoon nap, 6 wake up and eat, 8 bedtime, 9:30 bedtime meal and back to bed till wake up at 7:30 am. :) Hope that helps.