4-Weeks-Old Baby Feeding Guide

At 4 weeks, your baby is becoming more responsive. A good feeding schedule is essential at this active stage.

While your baby’s feeding pattern may still be irregular, there are ways to manage it. Read our 4-weeks-old baby feeding guide for schedules, tips, and common concerns.

Understanding Feeding a 4-Week-Old Baby

Learn about the importance of good nutrition and how to face common feeding challenges.

The Importance of Early Feeds

As your 4-week-old baby grows, nutrition is more important than ever. The nutrients your baby gets from breast milk or formula will help them continue to develop.

Breastfeeding is often seen as a convenient feeding method for many moms, as breast milk is cost effective and readily accessible.

Others enjoy the versatility of bottle feeding, which allows you to share feeding your baby with your partner or helper.

Common Feeding Challenges for a 4-Week-Old Baby

It’s normal to encounter challenges around feeding your 4-week-old baby.

For example, your baby may refuse to feed. It could be that they are getting distracted by their surroundings. In this case, try taking them to a quiet place to feed.

Your 4-week-old baby may be feeding constantly. They are more aware at this stage, so the extra stimulation can make them more demanding. Rest while you can in between feeds, napping while baby sleeps.

Or your baby may sleep through feeding time. It’s important that they get regular nutrition, so wake them up gently to feed.

4-Week-Old Baby Feeding Schedule

Let’s look at a typical 1-month-old baby feeding schedule and how to adjust it.

Typical Feeding Schedule for a 4-Week-Old Baby

According to WebMD, an appropriate 4-week-old baby feeding amount is 4 to 5 ounces (around 115 to 140 ml) of breast or formula milk per feed.

At this stage, your baby may take more milk at each feed and feed slightly less frequently. This means that they may go 4 to 5 hours between each session.

You should still look for cues that your baby is hungry. These include:

• Increased alertness.
• Sucking on hands.
• Looking for the breast or bottle.

Adjusting Feeding Schedules Based on Baby's Needs

Your 4-week-old baby may be going through a growth spurt, which means they are constantly feeding. If you’re breastfeeding, make sure someone can mind your baby while you rest in between feeds. If you’re bottle feeding, hand over some feeds to your partner.

Your baby may not be feeding much at all. Consult your pediatrician immediately in this case. There may be a physical cause — for example, tongue tie (when the tissue attaching the tongue to the mouth is too short).

Your 4-week-old baby will still be feeding through the night. At this stage, you can try giving them a feed later in the evening. This can help them to go for longer periods at night without feeding.

Breastfeeding and Bottle Feeding Tips

Read our tips to help you with breast or bottle feeding.

Tips for Successful Breastfeeding

It’s important to get into a comfortable position for breastfeeding. Follow these steps:

• Sit ensuring your back is supported by a pillow.
• Hold your baby so their back is supported by the arm on the side you are going to feed from.
• Position their head towards your breast.
• Hold them close to your nipple to aid latching on.

You can help your baby to latch on by:

• Ensuring their nose aligns with your nipple.
• Tipping their head back gently.
• Brushing your nipple against their mouth.

It’s essential that your baby gets enough milk at this stage. You can do this by:

• Making sure they are latched on properly.
• Holding them close to you with skin-to-skin contact.
• Feeding them from both breasts every time you feed.

Bottle Feeding Guidelines for a 4-Week-Old Baby

When choosing a formula for your 4-week-old baby, check that it’s appropriate for their age and stage of development.

Know that you can choose between:

• Cow’s milk formula.
• Hydrolyzed formula, ideal for babies who have digestion issues.
• Soy formula, which is free from animal products.

You may also want to consider how you are going to prepare formula for your baby. You may choose powdered or concentrated liquid formula, which you will need to mix with water. Or you can opt for ready-to-use formula, which requires minimal preparation.

You can also choose a bottle that will make feeding time easier for you and baby. Here’s what to look for:

• An anti-colic valve to reduce air swallowing and ensure smooth flow.
• A bottle that lets you use nipples with different flow rates.
• A bottle with a rounded nipple, closest to the shape of a mother’s breast.

Follow these steps to bottle feed your baby:

• Sit in a comfortable position with your back supported.
• Cradle your baby in your arms, with their head in the crook of your arm.
• Offer your baby the nipple. When they open their mouth, place the nipple gently inside.
• Keep the bottle in a horizontal position while you feed your baby.

Tools and Logs for Tracking Feeding

Tracking your baby’s feeding schedule will help you spot patterns and establish a regular routine.

Maintaining a Feeding Log

It’s important to keep a feeding log so you know how much milk your baby is consuming and when they are due their next feed.

You can use a feeding tracking or parenting app on your phone for convenience.

Or you can simply write down your baby’s feeding schedule in a notebook, keeping it in your feeding area.

Tools to Help with Feeding

There are lots of products to help you feed your baby:

• Formula targeted for 4-week-old babies.
• Anti-colic bottles to minimize air ingestion.
• Self-sterilizing bottles for ease and safety.
• Bottle brush to clean bottles thoroughly.
• A pregnancy/nursing pillow for your comfort.
• MilkFresh, a sensor that tracks the freshness of stored breast milk.

Getting Your Baby Off to the Best Start in Life

Understanding your baby’s changing nutritional needs as they grow helps get them off to the best start.

Now that you’ve read our 4-weeks-old baby feeding guide, you will have an insight into the importance of great nutrition for your little one.