Newborn babies need quite small amounts of formula to start with. By the end of their first week, most will need around 150 to 200ml per kilo of their weight a day until they're 6 months old. This amount will vary from baby to baby. Between the ages of 1 and 4 months old, most breastfed babies will eat about 2 to 4 ounces (59 ml to 118 ml) of breastmilk every 3 hours during the day. Every baby is different, and it is normal if your baby sometimes eats less or sometimes eats more at a given feeding.

Here's how you can calculate how much babies need milk: Take your baby's weight in pounds and multiply that number by 2.5 (8.25 x 2.5 = 20.6 ounces). This figure represents how many ounces of breast milk your baby should be getting in one day. Based on the example above, the baby should be taking in about 20.6 ounces of breast milk in a 24-hour period.

Overfeeding a baby often causes the baby discomfort because he or she can't digest all of the breast milk or formula properly. When fed too much, a baby may also swallow air. This can produce gas, increase discomfort in the belly, and lead to crying. It can be easier to overfeed a bottle-fed baby than a breastfed baby, because it's harder for bottle-fed babies to control the milk flow. It can also be easier to unintentionally pressure a baby to feed from the bottle than the breast.

Take a look a these baby formula feeding chart:

Common signs of overfeeding a baby:

1. Gassiness or burping.
2. Frequent spit up.
3. Vomiting after eating.
4. Fussiness, irritability or crying after meals.
5. Gagging or choking.

A bottle-feeding should take about 15-20 minutes. If the baby finishes the bottle in 5-10 minutes, the flow is likely to fast. If it takes your baby 30-45 minutes to take a bottle, the flow is too slow. Consider changing the bottle and nipple to meet your baby's needs. Babies need to feed often because they have teeny tiny stomachs. A 4- to 5-week-old baby can only hold about 3 to 4 ounces of milk at a time. This is why babies are ravenous again only a little while after feeding. As babies grow, their stomachs also grow, enabling them to handle more milk.

Signs that your baby might be full: 

1. Turning away from your nipple or a bottle.
2. Starting to play, appearing easily distracted or disinterested in feeding.
3. Beginning to cry shortly after feeding starts.
4. Relaxing their fingers, arms, and/or legs.
5. Slowing his sucking.

The historical evolution of infant feeding includes wet nursing, the feeding bottle, and formula use. Before the invention of bottles and formula, wet nursing was the safest and most common alternative to the natural mother's breast milk. 

Read related article: Do This 5 S's Technique To Calm Down A Crying Baby, Preparing For A Baby 101