The baby's energy needs correspond to the energy the baby needs to grow in a healthy way.
Depending on the age and stage of development, the baby needs different amounts of energy to grow. For example, when the baby starts to move better, it uses more energy and, therefore, it needs to ingest more energy through feeding to grow correctly.
Calories for baby
The energy the baby needs to eat varies depending on the stage of its development and the sex of the baby. The calories a baby needs each day, according to age, are:
- 0-6 months: boys 570 calories and girls 520 calories. 7-12 months: boys 743 calories and girls 676 calories. 13 - 36 months: boys 1, 046 calories and girls 992 calories
During breastfeeding, breast milk can meet all the baby's needs. After 6 months the milk is no longer enough to feed the baby, which grows at a very high speed and it is necessary to start eating other foods, as you can read in: Introduction of new foods for the baby.
When complementary feeding starts, it is important to eat several meals with small amounts to cover energy needs, as the baby's stomach has a limited capacity of 30 to 40 ml for each kg of body weight of the baby. Thus, a baby weighing 8 kg has a capacity in the stomach between 240 to 320 ml.
