---
title: "How Many ml Does a Newborn Drink? Day-by-Day Chart"
description: "Newborns: 5–15 ml per feed on days 1–2, 20–60 ml in week 1, 60–90 ml at 15 days and 60–120 ml near day 30. Day-by-day chart (0–30 days), 8–12 feeds and the signs your baby is getting enough."
canonical: https://buppi.baby/en/blog/how-many-ml-does-a-newborn-drink/
last-updated: 2026-10-21
---

# How Many ml Does a Newborn Drink? Day-by-Day Chart

> Newborns: 5–15 ml per feed on days 1–2, 20–60 ml in week 1, 60–90 ml at 15 days and 60–120 ml near day 30. Day-by-day chart (0–30 days), 8–12 feeds and the signs your baby is getting enough.
>
> Canonical: https://buppi.baby/en/blog/how-many-ml-does-a-newborn-drink/

"How many ml does a 15-day-old baby drink?" is probably the most-typed question by anyone who just got home from the maternity ward — and the answer changes week to week, because no phase of life changes as fast as the first 30 days: the baby who is satisfied with a few milliliters of colostrum on day one ends the month taking 60 to 120 ml per feed.

This guide answers it day by day: how much a newborn drinks from birth to day 30, per feed and per day, both at the breast (where the answer is "you don't measure — and that's fine") and with formula or expressed breast milk (where you can measure). And, more important than any number: how to know whether **your** baby is getting enough.

> **First things first:** the ranges below are for **full-term, healthy** babies. Preemies, low-birth-weight babies, or babies with any health condition follow the pediatrician's or neonatologist's plan, not the chart.

## Chart: how many ml per feed, day by day (0 to 30 days)

| Age | Per feed | Feeds per 24h | Total per day (formula) |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Days 1–2** | 5 to 15 ml (colostrum); with formula, many take 15 to 30 ml | 8 to 12 | 50 to 150 ml |
| **Days 3–7** | 20 to 60 ml | 8 to 12 | 200 to 500 ml |
| **Days 8–14** | 60 to 90 ml | 8 to 12 | 450 to 700 ml |
| **Days 15–21** | 60 to 90 ml | 7 to 10 | 500 to 750 ml |
| **Days 22–30** | 60 to 120 ml | 7 to 9 | 600 to 850 ml |

Four caveats to read the chart the right way:

- **It's a starting estimate, not a target** — and the top of each range isn't a goal to hit (on days 1–2 especially, many babies stay close to the minimum). A 20-day-old taking 70 ml and another taking 100 ml can both be perfectly fine — what decides is weight gain followed by the pediatrician, not the number.
- **The exact day doesn't change the math.** Day 15, 17 or 19 all fall in the same range. What shifts the volume within it is the baby's **weight** and that day's appetite.
- **At the breast, ignore the ml column** — breastfeeding is on demand, and the signs of getting enough are [further down](#how-to-know-your-baby-is-getting-enough-without-measuring-anything). The exception is when the pediatrician has prescribed supplementing or pumping with a set volume: then their plan rules, not the chart.
- **For number of feeds, breastfed babies sit at the top of the range** (8 to 12 or more throughout the first month, because breast milk is digested faster); with formula, the first days also call for frequent feeds (every **2 to 3 hours**, especially until birth weight is back); the 3-to-4-hour interval — **6 to 8 feeds a day** — settles in over the month, as the baby grows and weight gain is confirmed.

## Why it starts so small: the newborn stomach

A newborn's stomach is small and grows fast in the first weeks. Exactly how small is debated in the literature — the famous comparisons ("cherry on day 1, walnut on day 3, egg at 1 month") come from old estimates, and more recent studies suggest a somewhat larger initial capacity. What matters in practice isn't the number: it's that **stomach capacity is not a feeding target**, and that colostrum, produced in small amounts and highly concentrated, is enough in the first days.

That's also why **offering volumes that are too large too early** tends to end in heavy spit-up and discomfort, not a more satisfied baby.

In the first days it's also expected that the baby **loses weight**: up to 7% is typical (up to 10% may still be acceptable, at the pediatrician's discretion), with birth weight regained usually **between day 10 and day 14**. That recovery is an important milestone: before it, feeds shouldn't be skipped; after it — and with the pediatrician's sign-off at a visit, not just the scale's — intervals, especially at night, can usually relax.

## At the breast: on demand (and why you don't need to measure)

If your baby breastfeeds, the question "how many ml" has no answer — and having no answer is normal. What the evidence recommends is **feeding on demand**: offer whenever the baby shows hunger cues, which in the first month means **8 to 12 feeds (or more) in 24 hours**, day and night.

Hunger cues to respond to early (before crying, which is the *late* cue):

- Turning the head searching for the breast (rooting reflex)
- Bringing hands to the mouth, smacking lips, making sucking motions
- Growing restlessness upon waking

Two practical points that spare needless anguish:

- **Cluster feeding** in the late afternoon and evening — several short feeds in a row — is common and normal in the first weeks, not a sign of weak or insufficient milk.
- **Feed duration doesn't measure volume.** Some efficient babies finish a feed in 10 minutes; others like 40. What confirms the amount is diapers and weight.

## With formula: how much to prepare

For formula feeding, the chart at the top is the starting point — **an estimate, not a target**. Two rules help you adjust:

- **Once birth weight has been regained**, a reference used in well-baby care for healthy full-term babies in the first months is **~150 ml per kilogram per day**. A 3.5 kg baby → ~525 ml/day; 4 kg → ~600 ml/day. It's a rule of thumb: your baby's hunger and fullness cues and the pediatrician's plan matter more.
- **Prepare a little less and top up if needed** — always in multiples of the can's scoop. The scoop-to-water ratio varies by brand (many US formulas use **1 level scoop per 2 fl oz / 60 ml of water**; many European and Brazilian brands use 1 scoop per 30 ml), so follow your product's label exactly, and never eyeball a fraction of a scoop. A baby who finishes everything and keeps rooting asks for one more scoop's worth; a baby who lets go of the nipple, turns their face away or slows down is saying "enough" — respect it, even if milk is left over. Responsive feeding in the first months is associated with a lower risk of excessive weight gain.

And the obvious thing nobody says: **leftover formula gets tossed** about 1 hour after the start of the feed — the baby's saliva contaminates the milk.

**What about expressed breast milk?** Volumes per feed are similar to, but not the same as, formula: breast milk changes composition across the day and across the feed, and babies fed expressed milk often need less than the chart's upper limits by the end of the month. Leftover expressed milk in a bottle should be used within ~2 hours of the start of that feed, and its storage rules (fridge, freezer) are its own — not formula's.

**And combination feeding (breast + top-up)?** There's no universal top-up in ml: the amount depends on how much the baby transfers at the breast, and the pediatrician is the one who sizes it (often with before/after-feed weighing). The usual path is breast first, on demand, then small top-ups (10 to 30 ml at a time) reassessed frequently — large, fixed top-ups tend to reduce milk supply.

## How to know your baby is getting enough (without measuring anything)

This applies to breast and bottle alike. Four objective checks:

1. **Wet diapers**: few in the first days (2 to 3 per day), rising to **at least 5 to 6 well-soaked per day from day 4–5** onward. One detail that scares parents needlessly: orange/brick-colored stains in the diaper (urate crystals) are common in the first 3–4 days; **if they persist beyond that, tell the pediatrician** — it can indicate low intake.
2. **Stools**: meconium (dark, sticky) gives way to transitional stools and, around day 4–5, to yellow stools — in breastfed babies, typically **3 or more per day in the first weeks** (later on frequency varies widely and can space out without being a problem; it's the combination with wet diapers + weight that counts, never one sign alone).
3. **Weight**: initial loss of up to 7–10%, birth weight regained by day 10–14, and then an average gain of **20 to 30 g per day** in the first three months of life — all followed on the pediatrician's growth curve.
4. **Behavior**: a baby who settles after feeds, has calm alert periods, and wakes on their own to eat.

If all of that looks good, it's a great sign the volume is right — the final confirmation is always the weight curve at checkups, not the chart (ours included).

> **Call the pediatrician without waiting for the routine visit** if: fewer than 5 to 6 well-soaked diapers a day from day 4–5, a baby too sleepy to feed or skipping several feeds in a row, a weak cry, dry mouth or a sunken fontanelle (signs of dehydration), yellowing skin or eyes getting worse, or weight loss beyond what's expected. When in doubt between "normal or not", call — there are no silly questions in the first month.

## Specific-day questions (15, 20, 24 days...)

Search data shows parents ask by exact day — "how many ml does a 24-day-old drink?" — so here's the honest guide:

- **Days 5 to 9**: 20 to 60 ml per feed. (Milk "coming in" happens earlier, between day 2 and 4; if by day 5 you haven't felt your milk increase, seek a breastfeeding assessment — don't wait.) Between day 7 and 10 a first **growth spurt** is common: 2 to 4 days of a hungrier, fussier baby.
- **Days 10 to 14**: 60 to 90 ml — the phase of confirming birth weight is back.
- **Days 15 to 21**: 60 to 90 ml, with hungrier days — around week 3 another spurt tends to come; respond to hunger cues by offering more often, and it passes on its own.
- **Days 22 to 30**: 60 to 120 ml in bigger babies — already the ranges of a [1-month-old](/en/blog/how-much-formula-1-month-old/).

Notice the ranges overlap: from one day to the next, **nothing really changes**. Newborns don't read calendars — they read their own bodies. Your job isn't to nail the ml of day 17; it's to respond to hunger and fullness cues and keep an eye on diapers and weight.

To track all that without a mental spreadsheet at 3 a.m., a logging app helps: noting the time and side (or ml) of each feed and the day's diapers, you arrive at the checkup with the history ready instead of trying to remember.

## FAQ

### How many ml does a 15-day-old baby drink?

Around 15 days, a newborn takes on average 60 to 90 ml per feed, in 8 to 12 feeds across 24 hours — roughly 500 to 750 ml a day. At the breast you can't (and don't need to) measure: the reference is diapers (at least 5 to 6 well-soaked per day) and weight gain, since by this age the baby should have regained their birth weight.

### How many ml does a 20-day-old drink? And a 24-day-old?

Between 20 and 30 days the ranges merge into those of the full first month: 60 to 110 ml per feed, moving toward 60 to 120 ml near day 30, for a total of 600 to 850 ml a day in formula-fed babies. Exact days (20, 22, 24, 26...) don't change the math — what changes the amount is the baby's weight and that day's appetite, not the calendar date.

### How many ml does a newborn drink in the first days of life?

Much less than most people expect: 5 to 15 ml of colostrum per feed on days 1 and 2 (with formula, many newborns take 15 to 30 ml) — the stomach is still very small. Between day 3 and day 7 capacity grows fast and the volume rises to 20 to 60 ml per feed. That's why colostrum, produced in small amounts and highly concentrated, is enough in the first days.

### How do I know how many ml my baby gets at the breast?

You can't measure it — and you don't need to. In breastfeeding the reference isn't volume, it's feeding on demand: offer whenever your baby shows hunger cues (8 to 12 times or more in 24 hours during the first month) and confirm it's enough through external signs: at least 5 to 6 well-soaked diapers a day from day 4–5 on, regular stools, and weight gain on the growth curve followed by the pediatrician.

### My newborn sleeps a lot and skips feeds. Should I let them sleep?

Until the baby regains their birth weight (usually between day 10 and 14), the guidance is not to let much more than 3 to 4 hours pass without a feed — including overnight: wake gently, change the diaper, do skin-to-skin. Babies with jaundice, late preterm babies, or slow weight gain may need shorter intervals, set by the pediatrician. Once birth weight is back and gain is consistent, it's the pediatrician — at a visit, examining the baby — who clears longer stretches at night.

### How do I know my newborn is eating enough?

Three signs matter more than any chart: diapers (at least 5 to 6 well-soaked per day from day 4–5 of life), weight (losing up to 7 to 10% in the first days is expected, with birth weight regained by day 10–14) and behavior (a baby who settles after feeds and has calm alert periods). Fewer diapers than that, extreme sleepiness, or several refused feeds in a row: call the pediatrician without waiting for the routine visit.