How Can I Get My Son to Drink More at Each Feeding?

Hi, My son is 13 months old and still only drinks 6 oz at a time... he was never a big drinker either... Are you giving him cereal? Maybe if you try giving him that it may hold him out longer in between feedings and then in another month you can start him on baby food. I would definately try giving him cereal in the morning and then in the evening if you are not already

your son has a beutiful name my oldest is an alexander but anyway if you don't mind feeding him that way and he is gaining weight don't worry...you could always try giving him alittle water when he seems like he is starving to get him to drink more formula for every three or four hours...or he may just want to eat real food instead give him cereal between meals. or even fruits and vegatables...good luck
my second child never like the formula but loved the food inbetween and when i started giving her more food she would drink up to 6 oz she never went any higher and she is a healthy three year old now

Feeding patterns can vary from baby to baby and some just like to graze while others like a full tummy. It's really best to follow their lead about being full/content and not push them to eat more at this point. Are you breast or formula feeding? It sounds like you are using bottles anyways to know the quantity of milk being drank....Have you changed to larger nipple sizes recently? If it's taking your child a long time to drink that small amount, maybe he's having to work hard. You could get the next size nipple and maybe that will allow him to get more milk and he'll consume a bit more. But if he doesn't, then you just have to accept it. Many 5 month olds don't sleep through the night so that is not unusual for him to be waking still.

i know how frustrating it is for you. my daughter is now 7 months old and only drinks between 2-3 ounces every 3 hours or so if i'm lucky! however, my daughter only gets between 12-15 ounces a day (normal for her age is 25-30), she has done 5 ounces 2 times in her life, but i can't get her to eat more if she doesn't want to. i currently give her 3 scoops of formula and a tablespoon of rice cereal with 5 ounces of water to get her more calories and vitamins (especially iron). My daughter treats her bottles like a snack, but loves her gerber food (except applesauce... she's a meat and veggie girl). i have been told that babies with acid reflux (she has it and is on medication) don't like to have too much liquid on their tummies so they don't eat as much at one sitting. perhaps your son has it mildly and it feels better for him. one of my doctors told me with both my kids that we should all relax and not worry so much. there are different guildlines all over the world for feeding babies (and in the US) each baby is different and should be treated accordingly. don't force your baby to do something he isn't comfortable with, if he isn't behind in anything and if he is growing and happy, then he is probably doing fine. it's a pain to have to feed every 2 hours, but it will stop eventually. especially when you add spoon fed foods. good luck!

When my daughter was your sons age, she didnt drink anymore than 4oz at a time, and that was every three hours. My daughter only ever drank 4oz at a time when feeding from the bottle. Then when she was off the bottle all day she only drank a few ounces at a time out of the cup. Now, at almost 17 months old, and only on the cup, she will only drink about 3 to 4 oz at most every few hours....
What I am trying to tell you is that sometime babies dont drink alot, because they are satisfied with what they get. Only two or three times that I can recall my daughter drank 6oz.Are you breastfeeding or formula feeding? Formula fed babies get full very quickly.

My son left the bottle at 16 months and never graduated to an 8 oz bottle. We used only 4 oz bottles and had leftovers sometimes. I added a bit more powder to the formula for extra calories cuz I worried like you do. For ex, 4 oz uses 2 scoops...I used 2.5 or 3 scoops. The news is , now that he's 14, I can't keep milk in the house. My daughter was the same way, and youngest was on 8 oz at 6 months and on his first unofficial diet with only 3 scoops for 8 oz instead of 4. The first 2 are slim, and #3 battles weight problems since birth. As long as yours is gaining and healthy, don't fret over the numbers, enjoy. Soon, you'll be yelling at him not to drink out of the carton! W.

This sounds like it may be to simple of a solution, but it works. I just gave him breaks in between the drinking of the bottle. Another idea is to maybe wait three hours in between feedings. Just to ley you know, the night time feedings should stop. Trust me, I had this happen to me. If you do not quit now, he will be a year old and still waking up for a bottle, which you do not want. I hope this advice helped. I'm a first time Mom too of a 16 month old Son, Julian. Have a great day!

Instead of looking strictly at how much he drinks per feeding, you should be looking at overall daily intake, and also his weight gain. Is he gaining weight appropriately, according to the growth charts in his peds office?

Also, how does he seem after his 2-3 oz feeds....does he seem content and full? His stomach is still small, so I wouldn't worry about the small, frequent feeds. That's still normal. A breastfed baby at this age would be drinking the equivalent of what your son is drinking, and at the same intervals.

Small stomachs mean smaller, more frequent feedings. He digests his feeds quickly, since he is drinking 2-3 oz at a time. I also would not expect him to be able to sleep through the night yet. He needs those night feeds for growth still.

Trying to force him to drink more at his feedings would potentially lead to reflux, and an overdistended stomach, which could make him irritable, as well as start to make him vomit up some of the feeding.

Think of it this way: you and I eat until we're full. We have larger stomach capacities, so we can eat more food, but at wider intervals. His stomach is about the size of a tangerine/small apple, and holds less than what we can eat in one sitting. Would you like it if you were made to eat more food after you felt full? He's the same way. Just be patient - he will start to eat more when his stomach can hold more, and when he goes through growth spurts.

Good luck!