If you choose to breastfeed, it's recommended that babies should consume only breast milk for around the first 6 months of their lives. After this, it is recommended that they continue to be breastfed for 2 years and beyond, alongside eating other foods.

As a very rough guide, your baby should feed at least 8 to 12 times, or more, every 24 hours during the first few weeks. It's fine to feed your baby whenever they are hungry, when your breasts feel full or if you just want to have a cuddle. It's not possible to overfeed a breastfed baby.

Some babies sleep for 8 hours and others for 20 hours in a 24 hour period. Young babies sleep for short amounts of time throughout the day and night and don't usually sleep for more than 3 hours at a time. They have small stomachs and wake up every 2-3 hours for a feed. Some babies wake and feed more often than this