The general recommendation for newborns is to feed them on demand.
This means you should breast- or bottle-feed your baby whenever he or she
appears hungry, rather than setting a strict schedule. The American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breast-feeding your baby for at least 1 year, using
breast milk exclusively for the first 6 months.1 This
means not supplementing your baby's diet with water, formula, juice, cereal, or
other foods. After 6 months, the AAP recommends gradually introducing other
foods to your baby while continuing to breast-feed.1
During the first few days or weeks, on-demand feedings occur every 1
to 3 hours (about 10 to 12 sessions in a 24-hour period) for breast-fed babies.
Formula-fed babies may have slightly fewer feedings, about 6 to 10 every 24
hours. You may have to wake a sleepy baby to feed in the first few days after
birth.
These early feedings often are short; sometimes a newborn nurses or
drinks from a bottle for only a few minutes. Over time, feeding sessions will
become longer. You will learn to recognize when your baby is satisfied with
enough milk.
Babies younger than 4 to 6 months should be fed only breast milk or
infant formula. Around 6 months of age, solid foods are gradually
introduced.
Do not give your baby any milk other than breast milk or infant
formula until he or she is 1 year of age. Cow's milk does not contain the
amount of fat and iron that very young babies need to grow and develop
properly. Also, it may contain too much protein for young babies.
Citations
American Academy of Pediatrics Work Group on
Breastfeeding (2005). Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics, 115(2): 496-506.
