Help with Feeding

It's pretty common for babies to tank up in the evening or as it's often called cluster feed. This is their way of getting really full so that they can prepare to sleep longer stretches through the night. A baby should drink 1.5-2 oz for every pound they weigh. So if he is 10lb then he should drink between 18-20oz a day.

Hi. I have a 14 month old boy who has eaten us out of house and home since day one. He never was interested in breast feeding so he has been on formula since his birth. He was up to at least 36 ounces a day by 2 months old. Our doctor said there would be times that we wouldn't be able to keep up with his appetite. He was right. We started him on jar food at 3 months, table food by 5 months and he has a great appetite for a huge variety of meats, fruits, vegetables and pastas. He is solid, but in no way chubby. Keep feeding!

Most good pediatricians will tell you never to put cereal in the bottle. However... my pediatrician said not to give cereal until like whatever it was... I didn't listen... my 6 weeks my son was drinking four to six bottles 8 ounce bottles a day.... AND STILL hungry... I did give him cereal, watered down w/ formula (or breast milk) from a spoon. It was only a teaspoon or two, but that sure worked. So if you need to give him cereal - go ahead, but it may cause stomach problems - just try it, if he gets real fussy - stop, but if he handles it - just give it too him on a baby spoon. It should be the consistency of milk - very thin. Good luck!!!

P. he is 6 weeks old, that means not even two months. cereal in his bottle is a major no no. the digestive system is not ready for it.
i had 'earth's best suggested feeding schedule. here's the site
http://www.earthsbest.com/baby_nutrition/feeding_schedule...

it worked great for me, following it.
for your son's age says feeding every 4-5 hrs 4-6 oz. now if i remember correctly babies do wake up at night for feeding until about 3-4 months, so just have to go through that stage, but it will get better. now if your baby seems hungry after he has finished the 4 or 6 oz bottle try adding 2 oz more and just see how much he takes. might be too much but try it. little by little he will sleep longer. he's just to young right now
good luck
V.

It will be a while before he'll stop waking up for the feeding ever three hours. but Pasty you never know it vary from babay to baby. the baby might stop at three months or maybe at four months. You'll have to wean it out. I know the doctor say no cereal until a certain age, again that vary from baby to baby. some of my kids ate food early some didn't eat food until they were , cereal I'm talking. they didn't eat until four or five months. It all depends on the baby , I had babies that were very pour in health I had to give them food right away, others that was very healthy on the other hand they remain on breast milk only for a while. I hope this info helps.

From your sisterin Mamasource
P. A P.

P.,
I am also a new mom. My daughter is 5 months old and she was not sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. She had a big appetite around that age and also would cry hysterically until I gave her another bottle. She was just going through a growth spurt and all babies have fussy times of the day. I understand how the crying can be upsetting because you don't know whats wrong and you think he can't possibly be hungry this soon so you try everything else first, like changing the diaper, etc. but in the end he just wants a bottle. These are the times you wish a baby could talk and tell you what he needs! I wouldn't worry, my baby went throgh the exact same thing and now she takes one last bottle around 9:00 p.m. and sleeps until about 8:00 a.m. She started sleeping a stretch of 4 hours arounds 2 1/2 months, increased that to 5 hours by 3 months and is now sleeping through the night-I started exclusive formula feeding at 4 months. Her doctor said at that age just to feed the baby what she needs but no cereal until at least 3-4 months. I don't know an exact amount of formula that he should have at that age but her doctor said that at 5 months she should still get 30 ounces of formula a day even with starting solid foods. I know exactly what your going through but I think it's just something he has to grow out of. Good luck and don't worry!

M.

Hi P.,

What I learned about this process is that breastmilk is more concentrated and is more filling than formula. Formula is mostly water and they tend to pee a lot more and are still hungry. So it's okay to give him a couple more oz of formula if he's hungry. It won't hurt him. You also want to make sure he doesn't have gas. The bubbles will make him extremely uncomfortable. What I did with my baby was give her the gas drops and/or just massage her body gently to work out any gas bubbles. It relaxes them and they potentially will go to sleep giving you an extra few minutes to yourself.

As far as the every 3 hours of feeding. I could get 2 hours before she was hungry but all babies are different. It's his way of say, "Mommy I'm okay because I'm hungry and I'm eating". I hear horror storys on how some mothers can't get there babies to eat that often. Then I would worry.

Hope this helps a little.

i always fed my babies until they were full
i never ever listened to the doc
if i would of done that my kids would of starved
i started putting banans rice cereal in their bottle at 4 weeks ... they slept all night long
after i fed them i gave them a nice warm bath and they were as happy as can be
you might want to try that

Hi P..

My name is A. and i have 2 kids my frist is almost 3 years old and my second is 8ms. It is differents with all babies but what i have to say is that my baby has been sleeping trough the night sence he was 3m and i think it was because i started to put a little cereal in his milk becuase like your baby he was eating alot. my dr said it was ok but to only put a litte. It worked for me. My grandmother who has 15 kids told me too also try some warm water after his last bottle at night if you like you can try that it should settle him that what she said. She is 75 and i think that she my know a litte more then me when it come to babies. Hope you solve your problem soon.

Good luck....
A.

There is a good article on AskDrSears.com about How much formula to feed: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/0/t000100.asp#T031009

Every child is different. My son was a great sleeper and eater and my daughter who is 7mths now is the opposite. She's like your son always hungry so what I did was make a 6oz bottle and have her drink what she wanted , whatever is left in the bottle I throw it away and thats how I determined how much she was drinking. 4 oz is nothing to a growing baby. Also you can put a pinch of 2 of rice cereal in the bottle that will help him sleep a little better.