Question About Feeding a 12 Week Old.

I don't understand why people are so adamant about giving infants solid foods. They're not ready for it until AT LEAST 4 months and in most cases, 6. He's getting all the nutrients he needs from his formula. Just feed him a bottle if he's hungry. He's probably going through a growth spurt and his eating will level off again soon.

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If he was born 3 weeks early he is really only 9 weeks old!! In terms of his body his tummy is just not ready for solids (even if he is 12 weeks and right on track). He has his whole life to eat solids. Why rush it? You can do SOOOO much more harm then good. You could give him allergies or food intolerances or worse he could choke. Why would you want to risk that? He shouldn't really have solids till he can sit up on his own and until he is 6 months.

Don't rush this time. I know you are tired but you need to keep his best interest in mind. Food before AT LEAST 4 months (at the earliest) is an extremely bad idea.

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I know doctors say babies have a turn-off mechanism when it comes to feeding, but in all my years of watching children, I've yet to meet a fussy baby who wouldn't take a bottle just to be soothed, hungry or not.

My personal thought is that premies haven't fully developed that turn-off switch. I say that because I babysit a little boy who was born full-term and a little girl who was a premie (by 3 weeks). They're almost the same age, but the little girl is slightly older. The little boy eats 4 ounces every 3 hours like clockwork. He's the perfect size/proportion (to me).

Per the parent's instructions, the little girl takes 8 ounces every 3 1/2 to 4 hours - and would take more if offered, usually spiting up at least 2 ounces, and is very, very chubby (nearly twice the size of the boy). She can barely move, but the little boy is already capable of sitting well in the Johnny Jump Up and is learning how to use it! I don't know if this has anything to do with her being premature, and as I understand it, her doctors are not concerned about her feedings or weight at this point.

I've never heard a doctor say that there's a problem like that with premies, but I have observed it in a couple of babies now. It may be that your little one just needs to eat a smaller amount more frequently.

On the food front, I have known parents to introduce a small serving (1-2 ounces) of rice cereal in a feeder (since they don't get what the spoon is for yet) before bedtime if the baby wasn't sleeping at night. My nephew, was the exception - he took several ounces of cereal at each feeding at the tender age of 4 weeks because you just couldn't feed the child enough!

Our pediatricians, however, were adamant that no foods or juices be introduced until the 6th month due to food allergies, tolerances, etc. (Turns out, that was a good thing - my daughter is sensitive to wheat products.)

Nevertheless, I would call the pediatrician and see what they suggest since they know the trend in his growth an development. Good luck!

I would actually hold off on the solids. I have premie twins and you have to keep in mine their adjusted age. He is getting all the nutrients and things he needs from his formula at this point. I also found that cereal made my babies spit up more and found out it is because the weight of it can either help it sit in the tummy or help it come back up... which you don't usually hear, but a pediatric dietician informed me. Which leads me to my next piece of advice. Schedule and appt with a pediatric dietician. They are SO MUCH MORE informative. There should be one your Ped can refer you to, or if your Ped is in a Hospital office then they can even have them come to your already scheduled appt. This truly is something to take the time to do though. It helped me more than I would have thought.

Sounds like your little guy is just going through a growth spurt again. Its normal for them to take in a lot more during these times. They grow very rapidly during the first several months let alone the first year. It may last for just a day or two or it could last for a couple weeks as well before it levels off again. Give him what he wants. Babies unlike adults don't tend to over eat. They stop when they feel full. More than likely your pediatrician will strongly disapprove of giving solids before 4 months of age. A lot of pediatricians are now trying to push off solids until closer to 6 months due to the development of the digestive system, etc.

Around 3-4 months children are generally ready to start eating baby cereal. You could try starting him on rice cereal. Give him maybe 2 oz prepared cereal and still give him a 4-6 oz bottle, or as much as he drinks. Sometimes it takes a few tries for the little one to learn how to swollow semi-solid foods, so it may take a week or so. He'll probably end up wearing more of it than eating, so he may still drink a full bottle.

My first born son was pretty much the same way. What I did was add a little cereal to his bottle to thicken it up a bit and get a faster flow nipple to help it flow out. You could also try to make a bowl of cereal if he's ready to spoon feed. But make it kinda running, not too thick. I would do that until his next well child appointment. I hope this helps.

I would increase his amount of formula and try a small amount of baby cereal. I learned that it was best to try the new stuff in the morning. That way if his little belly isn't ready for big boy food and it upsets him then he isn't up all night with an upset stomach. If the cereal sits well, then I would try it twice a day for a few weeks before introducing anything else new. This is what I did with my children. My son who is now 3 took very well to the cereal at 3 months. My daughter who is 1 now is another story. Her belly wasn't ready for big girl food until she was closer to 6 months old. The strange thing is they were both born on their due dates and they both weighed the same 6 pds. 9 oz. Have a good day.

I would probably call the pediatrician's office before upping the amount of formula. That sounds like a lot of formula. Also, Maybe stop at least twice in a feed,so that he slows down his feeding time a little.

You may wish to contact your pediatrician, but it is highly unlikely that he/she will recommend starting solids until 4 months. Remember that your baby's digestive system is still developing and introducing food he isn't ready for could lead to an upset tummy, food intolerances, or worse. Two other criteria for beginning solid feeding are being able to hold the head up unsupported and a loss of the tongue-thrust reflex (indicating he is able to swallow). The AAP (highly regarded, in my opinion) has one division that recommends initiating solids at 4 months while another division states 6 months. No need to hurry things along, unless of course you get the blessing from your pediatrician.

Hi L., I have had 4 children and they were all very hungry by 2 months old. They were all born around the 7 pound mark and 3 were rolly polly butter balls for about 6 months. All of them are healthy today and are still good eaters. When mine were 2 months, I started putting a tablespoon of cereal in their formula at night to help them filll up a little more. By 3 months they had cereal in the morning in their formula and around 7-8 pm before bed.

Another thing that I tried was to give them water between meals to get them through to 4 hours. I know that now they don't recommend giving water but mine all did fine with it. Usually an ounce or 2 was all they needed to get them through til 4 hours. Other than that, if they are hungry, I fed them. That's how they grow!!!

No way does a 3 month old need solids. His stomach lining and other digestive organs are not mature enough so I would stick with what you are giving him. Just give him as much as he'll take. He'll stop when he's full and rest assured he'll get plenty.