| Age | Number in twenty-four hours | Intervals during the day hours | Night nursing between 9 P.M. and 7 A.M. |
| 1st day | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2d day | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 3d to 28th day | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| 4th to 13th week | 8 | 21/2 | 1 |
| 3d to 5th month | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| 5th to 12th month | 6 | 3 | 0 |
There may be some slight deviations from this if the child is ill and small for its age. It is a good general rule to feed the child according to the age with which its weight corresponds.
There can be no regular rule followed for all. Some authorities hold that fifteen- to twenty-minute feedings at four-hour intervals during the day, with one feeding at night, are sufficient, but it depends on the child. Some babies’ stomachs are smaller than others, and some do not nurse regularly, but play and are inattentive to the nursing. In either event the child will not get sufficient nourishment at four-hour intervals. The intelligent mother can determine what is best.
Water
In breast-feeding, as well as in most of the formulæ for bottle-feeding, there is an allowance for an amount of fluid that, under ordinary circumstances, satisfies the baby’s requirements. Additional water is often necessary, especially during the hot weather when the body heat is regulated through evaporation from the skin. The most effective means of promoting perspiration is the giving of water. This, however, should not be done to excess. Eight ounces for a 10-pound baby, given in divided doses during the day, will be sufficient.
It is best to give the water when the stomach is nearly or quite empty. It should be boiled and cooled and should be given by the bottle as the child will then take at intervals all that its thirst requires, and the danger of choking as a result of too hasty swallowing is avoided.
Normal Development in the Breast-Fed
The growth and general condition of the child will, of course, be influenced by the quality and quantity of the milk. The birth weight of 7 to 71/2 pounds is usually doubled by the end of the fifth month and trebled by the end of the year. The average gain is from 5 to 8 ounces a week during the first few months and from 2 to 4 ounces a week the last few months of the year.