How to tell if your baby is feeding enough

This question keeps more new parents awake than almost anything else. Especially with breastfeeding, where you can't see how much milk has actually gone in. Here's the plain-English answer.

The simplest test: count the wet nappies

Wet nappies are your most reliable home indicator. The rough guide:

• Day 1: 1 wet nappy
• Day 2: 2 wet nappies
• Day 3: 3 wet nappies
• Day 4: 4 wet nappies
• Day 5 onwards: 5 or 6 wet nappies a day, every day

After the first week, six or more wet nappies in 24 hours is the standard "feeding adequately" sign. The nappies should feel heavy, with pale yellow urine. Strong yellow or dark urine suggests not quite enough fluid.

What about dirty nappies?

In the first six weeks, dirty nappies are also reassuring. Several a day is normal, especially in breastfed babies. The colour for a breastfed baby is usually mustard yellow and seedy. Formula-fed is firmer and more brown. Both are fine.

After 6 weeks, breastfed babies can drop down to one dirty nappy every few days, sometimes a whole week. This is normal and not constipation, as long as the baby is otherwise content.

What weight gain actually tells you

This is the one most parents worry about. The realistic version:

• Most babies lose up to 10% of their birth weight in the first few days. This is normal.
• They should be back to birth weight by 2 weeks.
• After that, average weight gain is around 150 to 200g a week for the first few months.
• This slows down as they get older.

But here's the thing. A single weigh-in is not a verdict. Trends matter. Your PHN will plot the weights over time. One slightly lower reading on a day when they happened to do a big poo before the scales is not a problem.

Signs that something might be off

Worth a call to the PHN or GP if you notice:

• Fewer than 6 wet nappies a day after the first week
• Dark, strong-smelling urine
• The baby seems lethargic, hard to wake for feeds
• Persistent green or watery poo (in a formula-fed baby)
• Weight loss after the first two weeks
• Visible jaundice that's getting worse rather than better

None of these are emergencies on their own, but they're worth flagging.

Things that feel alarming but usually aren't

A few things that worry parents but rarely mean a feeding problem:

• Hiccups (very common, doesn't bother the baby)
• Spitting up small amounts of milk after feeds
• Wanting to feed again 45 minutes after a "full" feed, especially in the evening (see cluster feeding)
• Sleeping through a feed at night, once the baby's a few weeks old and gaining weight steadily
• Not wanting both breasts at every feed
• The dummy, finger, or anything they can reach in their mouth

When to ring someone

Any time the answer to "is this fine?" is "I'm not sure", ring the PHN or GP. Out of hours, HSELive (1800 700 700) is open 24/7.

The PHN would much rather you ask about something that turns out to be fine than wait three days on a problem.

The HSE has detailed feeding guidance for the early weeks if you want a fuller picture.

The quiet benefit of just tracking

You don't need to obsess. You just need a record. Knowing your baby had 7 wet nappies yesterday is a lot more reassuring than guessing.

Lullagram makes this a one-tap thing. Feeds, nappies, weights, all in the same place. You see the patterns at a glance. And when the PHN asks "how often is she feeding?", you've got a real answer.