Feeding Frequency and Hunger Cues

Aim to feed your baby at least 8–12 times in a 24-hour period. Frequent feeding supports your baby’s nutritional needs and helps establish and maintain a healthy milk supply.

You may hear the general recommendation to “feed every 2–3 hours.” This isn’t because you might overfeed your baby—it’s to help ensure your baby isn’t underfed, especially in the early weeks when they’re still learning to cue clearly and your supply is being established.

That said, feeding doesn't always follow a perfect schedule. Like the image with the cheerios versus the blueberries, your baby’s feeding pattern may be a little irregular at times. That’s normal. Rather than watching the clock, try to follow your baby’s cues—such as stirring, rooting, bringing hands to mouth, or becoming more alert—responding when they show signs of readiness to feed, even if it hasn't been a full 2–3 hours since the last feeding.

In the early days (until your baby has regained their birth weight and is showing consistent weight gain), it’s important to ensure they feed at least 8 times per day—even if that means waking them, including overnight.

Comparison of feeding schedules: top shows a row of baby capsules labeled 'feeding every 2-3 hours'; bottom shows a row of black capsules labeled 'feeding on demand'

Guide for soothing a crying baby with different cues. The guide is divided into three sections: early cues showing a baby as hungry, mid cues, and late cues. Early cues include stirring, mouth opening, and turning head seeking rooting. Mid cues include stretching, increasing physical movement, and hand to mouth. Late cues show crying, agitated body movements, and color turning red. A purple box at the bottom suggests techniques like cuddling, skin-to-skin contact, talking, and stroking to calm a crying baby.