I am your baby. You are my everything.
Please help me grow strong in body, heart, and mind. I grow best when you:
Breast milk or baby formula with iron is all I need to grow and develop for my first 6 months.
You Have What I Need To Grow.
Breast milk is the perfect food for me.
Talk with our healthcare provider if we are exclusively breastfeeding to ask if I need extra vitamin D. Ask about an iron supplement when I’m about 6 months old.
If I drink formula, it’s important to mix the ingredients the right way. Follow the mixing directions on the can.
Always add water to the bottle first, then the powder formula.
Always use the scoop provided in the can of formula. Make sure it is level.
Use prepared infant formula within 2 hours after taking it out of the refrigerator.
Once I start feeding, throw away any formula left in the bottle after 1 hour.
Whether it’s breast milk or formula in my bottle:
Hold me when you feed me.
I feel safe with you and love to look at your face.
Sometimes I may take a break from eating, even though I’m not full yet. I just want to rest or share some special time with you.
Help me stay awake while you feed me. Please don’t prop up my bottle. I could choke or get an ear infection.
My stomach is small.
My tummy can hold about 2 to 3 ounces at a time.
I will want to eat 8 to 12 times in 24 hours.
Feed me every 1½ to 3 hours.
My tummy can hold about 4 to 6 ounces at a time.
I will want to eat 6 to 8 times in 24 hours.
Remember, all babies are different. I may eat different amounts from one day to the next. As I become older and my stomach grows, I may eat less often, but can eat more at each feeding.
I use body movements and make noises to let you know what I need. If you look for these signs, you can respond to me before I start to cry. I am much easier to feed when I am calm.
When I’m starting to get hungry, I might:
When I’m feeling full, I might:
As I grow, my routine might change, and I may want to eat and sleep more than usual. These are called growth spurts.
All babies are different, but my growth spurts might happen when I’m around the ages of:
2 to 3 weeks
3 months
4 months
6 months
9 months
If I act hungry after I finish a feeding, offer me the breast again. If I am taking a bottle, offer me another ounce or two.
I’m ready to learn about you, me, and the world we live in.
I want to discover what my body can do.
Give me TUMMY TIME when we play.
When I’m alert and relaxed, put me on a blanket on the floor. Watch how I stretch and kick my legs and move my arms. I’m making them stronger.
I learn best when I feel happy, loved, and safe.
The world is new to me. It can be scary. I may cry a lot at first.
I must learn what day and night are.
I know your voice.
DO NOT let me have these foods until I am at least 1 year old:
Cow’s milk or other non-dairy milks (like soy or almond milk). It’s too hard for me to digest and may cause health problems.
Honey and foods made with honey. Honey can contain bacteria that cause infant botulism, or food poisoning. These bacteria are harmless to older kids and adults.If my healthcare provider says it is ok, let me try peanut butter around 6 months of age. Doing this might help prevent a peanut allergy as I grow older.
In the morning, mix one teaspoon of peanut butter with breast milk or formula. Make it thin and easy to swallow.
Use a spoon to offer a taste of the thinned product. Wait 10 minutes, then offer more. Watch for any reaction for the next 2 hours.
Continue to nurse on-demand, about 4-6 times in 24 hours.
Babies may experience a growth spurt around 6 months of age and may feed more often.
Offer breast milk in a cup.
24-32 oz. per day of infant formula.
Offer formula in a cup.
Use breast milk or formula to prepare 2-4 Tbsp. iron-fortified infant cereal. Offer twice per day.
2-4 Tbsp. of small pieces of dry bread, baby crackers, and cereal. Offer twice per day.
4-8 Tbsp. per day.
Cooked, pureed, mashed vegetables.
2-4 Tbsp. per day.
Cooked, pureed, mashed fruits. Applesauce, pureed peaches, or mashed banana.
2-4 Tbsp. per day.
Plain strained, mashed, or pureed meats, poultry, eggs, fish, or legumes.
May add smooth whole milk yogurt.
Thinned, smooth peanut or nut butter.
Breast milk is the most important source of nutrition for your baby, even after you start offering solid foods.
Continue to nurse on-demand, 3 or more times per day.
16-24 oz. per day. Offer in a cup.
4-8 Tbsp. per day.
WIC approved infant cereals.
Dry toast, crackers, bread, bagels, rolls, or plain muffins.
Cooked rice and noodles.
3-4 Tbsp. per day.
Cooked bite-size vegetable pieces.
3-4 Tbsp. per day.
Fresh fruits, peeled, and in bite-size portions.
2-4 Tbsp. per day.
Finely ground, chopped, or diced meats, poultry, eggs, fish, or cooked mashed beans.
Thinned, smooth peanut butter.
Feed solids with a spoon. Never put cereal in a bottle.
Continue nursing on-demand, at least 4 times in 24 hours.
If your baby seems less interested in nursing after you introduce solids, try nursing before you offer solids.
Offer breast milk in a cup.
24-32 oz. per day.
Offer formula in a cup.
4-8 Tbsp. per day.
Plain iron-fortified infant cereals.
Plain rice or pasta.
Baby crackers, small pieces of bread, or soft tortillas.
8-12 Tbsp. per day.
Plain cooked vegetables, mashed with a fork.
8-12 Tbsp. per day.
Peeled soft fruit in bite-size pieces.
Unsweetened canned fruit.
4-8 Tbsp. per day.
Finely ground, chopped, or diced meats, poultry, eggs, fish, or cooked mashed beans.
Cottage cheese or mild cheese.
Thinned, smooth peanut or nut butter.
Around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of age, babies may experience a growth spurt when they feed more often.
As they grow babies can hold more milk, so feedings may become further apart and take less time.
To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.
Start offering whole milk when your baby is one year old.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months and beyond.
Wait to offer solid foods until your baby:
To prevent choking, always hold your baby when feeding. Never prop up a bottle to feed.
Try one new food at a time. Wait 5 days before trying another new food to watch for allergies. Food allergies may include wheezing, rash, or diarrhea.
Introduce peanut butter around 6 months. Spread a small, thin smear of peanut butter or nut butter thinly on a cracker. Watch your baby for any reaction for the next 2 hours.
Babies under one year should NOT have honey or foods that can cause choking like nuts or whole grapes.
All babies are different. Talk with WIC or your baby’s healthcare provider about your baby’s needs.
Before teeth come in, wipe gums with a soft, clean wash cloth after each feeding, especially before bed.
Nurse your baby on-demand, at least 7-9 times in 24 hours.
When your baby starts teething, they may want to nurse more often.
25-45 oz in 24 hours.
Your baby needs about 4-6 oz of iron-fortified formula every 3-4 hours.
Your baby may start to feed on a schedule. Instead of focusing on fixed amounts, let your baby tell you when they have had enough.
Newborns have tiny tummies and need to be fed often. In the first few weeks, you may need to wake your baby to feed if they sleep longer than 4 hours.
Many babies are fussy during a growth spurt and will want to nurse longer and more often. This is called cluster feeding. This is your baby’s way of helping you increase your milk supply so that you can keep up with their needs. Remember, the more your baby nurses, the more milk your body makes.
Growth spurts can happen at any time, and every baby is different.
They often happen at these ages:
2 to 3 Weeks
6 Weeks
3 Months
6 Months
Breastfeed 8-12 times in 24 hours to help your newborn stay healthy.
Nurse on-demand and when your newborn shows signs of hunger, such as sucking on hands or smacking lips.
In the first few days, newborns need 2-3 oz. of iron-fortified infant formula every 3-4 hours.
By the end of the first month, your newborn needs about 4 oz. every 4 hours.
Feed on-demand and when your newborn shows signs of hunger.