A Newborn's Diet

Eating, sleeping and crying are the basic behaviors in newborn babies. A newborn's diet is determined both by parental choices and recommendation by baby's pediatrician, and might require changes due to medical reasons or allergies. Fortunately, there are many options for ensuring newborns receive a healthy diet and grow at the desired pace.

Types

• A newborn baby's diet is liquid only, and consists of either breast milk, artificial baby milk (formula) or a combination of both breast milk and formula. Formula comes in a variety of types, including cow's milk-based or soy-based nutrition, for babies who cannot digest diets with lactose. Formula is either liquid or powdered, requiring dilution. Newborns can receive breast milk straight from the breast or in a bottle after the mother uses a breast pump.

Features

• According to the Mayo Clinic, most physicians recommend exclusive breastfeeding for newborns due to health benefits for both mother and baby. However, some mothers are unable to breastfeed, or rarely newborns have a complication that requires a formula based diet. Expect changes in a newborn's feeding times. Your baby won't eat at the same times or in the same amounts each day regardless of whether he is breast feeding or formula feeding. In addition, growth spurts might cause newborn babies to feed more frequently and in larger amounts for a few days.

Time Frame

• Feed newborn babies on demand, whether breast feeding or formula feeding. Breastfed newborns feed eight to 12 times in 24 hours, and a feeding can take up to 30 minutes from start to end. Bottle feeding babies tend to feed less frequently. Each feeding begins about 2 to 3 hours from the start of the last feeding, although some babies "cluster feed" for a few hours and then sleep for a longer stretch of time. Newborns should not go for more than four hours without eating.

Effects

• Breastfed babies might require supplementation with vitamin D, which is necessary for absorption of calcium and phosphorus to build bones. Newborns receiving a sufficient diet gain between 4 and 7 ounces each week. Diets of newborn babies are often evaluated by the baby's diaper contents. The first few days after birth, baby might only produce one or two wet diapers per day, and this number increases daily. When newborns reach four days old, most produce 6 to 8 wet and soiled diapers daily.

Considerations

• Consult with the pediatrician before changing your baby's formula or weaning him from the breast, as sudden changes in a newborn's diet could result in digestive troubles such as gas or diarrhea. Feed babies at the early signs of hunger such as sucking motions, lip movements or rooting, rather than waiting for the baby to cry. Keeping a notebook of feeding time and duration for newborns can help new parents keep track of the baby's diet. Doctors might request these notes at well baby checkups.

Warning

• Avoid giving newborns water, juice, soda or any other liquids or solids. These beverages can cause diarrhea and interfere with baby's nutritional needs. Underfeeding a baby can result in poor weight gain, few wet or soiled diapers and sleepiness, which requires medical evaluation. Prepare and warm formula carefully, as improperly prepared formula could result in illness or dietary deficiency in newborns.