6 Week Old Constant Eating

D.,
You have gotten lots of great advice but I just wanted to comment on the messy eating. I would try the playtex drop in liner bottles with the latex nipples (they flow slower than the silicon). With my second son I had the same problem and once we switched to the playtex bottles, after trying everything else including Dr Browns, he didn't drip one drop of his bottles! And if he is dripping that much of his 3.5 oz bottle he may only be getting 2 - 2.5 oz per feeding. Hang in there it does get better!!!
A. (mom of 3 boys and daycare provider)

I agree that the flow on the nipple may be too fast for him and so maybe he is just not able to keep up? Just a thought. We had problems with gas so we used Playtex drop-ins and had great luck. Yet just another thing to try. Good luck!

Hi D.
When I was first reading your post I thought maybe it is agrowing spurt which will happen about six weeks old but then when I read he soak a burp rag I wonder if maybe he is tounge tied or has acid reflux. If he soaking the rag as you feed him that says that the nipple is flowing to fast and he can't keep up or he does not have a good enough latch on the nipple. If he is spitting up alot it may be reflux. also it is ok to give him a pacifier in between feedings if he will take it. If you have any questions please feel free to instant message me. hang in there it will get better. T.

My son nursed every 1 /12 - 2 hours too. He was hungry and ate many small meals. Your son may be the same or perhaps he would like more and then would wait longer. I saw some folks saying their child ate 6-8 oz at a feeding, why not see if that works? For us it didn't - different strokes for different kids.

Our now 15 week old son has always eaten every 2 -2 1/2 hours and 3-4 oz. at a time. Sometimes on a rare occasion he will go 3 hours and sometimes he wants to eat every hour and a half, but I feed him when he's hungry. You sound very frustrated which is going to take all the enjoyment out of raising your little one. Try not to listen to other people or what you read. Just feed him when he's hungry. He'll be happier and content and so will you knowing that you are meeting his needs. Yes, you will feel like you are constantly feeding him........but that is what parenting a new baby is like. Taking care of a newborn is not easy and takes a lot of patience. Hopefully you can find someone to help you deal with taking care of your baby as it sounds like you need some support.

Hi there,

I know it's frustrating, but you will get through this. In my opinion, you can't let him be hungry. He's obviously hungry and growing. This is probably just a stage and will even out in a few weeks.

Regarding the messy, that is common with a baby that young. they are just learning to get their mouth, tongue, lips & throat all working together. This too shall pass!

When my 11yo was little, he wanted, NO, demanded that I nurse him for an hour each night. The doctor also said that wasn't possible, but he honestly ate the entire time. That lasted for 3-4 weeks and then he was fine. He also gained a pound a week for the first 8 weeks, so he was busy growing.

Good luck, try not to be too frustrated. As with most kid things, This too shall pass!

M.

My 5 week old is eating 5-6 oz every 3-4 hours. Sometimes goes longer, and sometimes needs another ounce or more within the hour.
We have Avent and Soothie bottles. A few days back during a middle of the night feeding he got a #3 Avent nipple that my oldest son uses, instead of the #1 nipple. I wondered how he drank it so fast, he took it like a champ, but are using #2 now. Sometimes if he spits up a bit, he'll get hungry again soon after.
I've fed him until he pushes away, falls asleep or is content, he's the boss of how much he eats. I thought it was a bit much, but searched online and seems about right. Maybe he needs a faster flow nipple? Or try another brand of bottle. Maybe you'll just have to try things.
I've also found that when he gets cranky sometimes the best thing is to put him on his belly to nap, he kicks and is too active on his back, it works for us. He hasn't needed the paci so much the past couple of weeks, which I'm happy about, it never stayed in his mouth anyways.

You should get the book the Baby Whisperer. I found it very helpful to learn the cues and what the different cries mean that your baby will give you. Your baby is still very young so crying during this time is normal but it's not always hunger.

This is a difficult time but try to have patience as it does get easier. I found sitting on an execise ball and slowly bouncing, or floating them in the bath were some other ways to soothe them. The 5-8pm timeframe is notoriously difficult for babies of this age.

Definitely follow what your ped advises because you should NOT be giving cereal in a bottle to a 6week old. Their digestive systems are not advanced enough and it can be harmful. That's not until 6mo and even then they always advise you not to put it in a bottle because it creates bad eating habits.

Good luck, it will get easier.

I would suggest giving maybe giving him more at one feeding. Also, we had the same trouble with the messy bottle feedings. This is because the opening on nipple of the bottle is too big. This was soo aggervating at the beginning. Buy a couple different nipples with different cuts on top. You will find one that works best for you and go with it. This could also be the problem. Maybe he eats most of the food is going to the burb rag vs his tummy. Try a different nipple and this may solve both problems. My son had colic very bad and we put lots of rice in his bottle at the a very early age. It was so thick that it was almost of oatmeal consistancy.

I realize this is your first child ,so it may seem overwhelming! I just want you to know that it is normal though ! As long as he is not throwing up the formula i would say keep giving it to him ,he must need it! I just had my nephew who is only one month old and he was eating 6 onces every two hours ! also they do have special nipples for cereal so it doesn't get stuck! and as far as him being messy with the formula their isn't a whole lot you can do about that! Except keep changing the burp rags like you are !

NO SOLIDS FOR BABIES UNDER FOUR MONTHS OLD!!!
this could cause a lot more intestinal troubles.... and actually CAUSE him to hurt more.

what you can try is a non dairy formula. he might be allergic/sensitive to dairy. this is COMMON and happens all the time, i cant believe the doctors didnt tell you to try that.

what you need to do is just feed your baby when hes hungry, and have patience. during this first year, baby will double his height and triple his weight; hopefully the ONLY time in his life he will do that! on top of that, the poor baby only has a stomach the size of his fist! food goes through that little stomach pretty fast! so you ahve to have patience!! this is normal for babies!! just wait until the growth spurts!

either way, you dont have to make your baby cry, its actually emotionally hurtful to do so, and you dont have to limit his food. just feed him when you need to! rub his tummy in clockwise circles, pump his legs and push them lightly into his stomach to help pass any gas.
get some mylecon drops for gas - they are a LIFESAVER.

messy feedings are common in bottle fed babies, especially when they are still learning (the first 3 months ARE called the 4th trimester after all) - its going to be difficult for him to actually get a seal on the bottle because he has to prime those muscles for sucking. he will get used to it. however, it could mean that he is leaking more formula than he is eating.... which could be a reason that he is hungry all the time. check to make sure that the nipple isnt leaking from the seal on the bottle, or something like that. dont twist the bottle shut too tight or it somehow manipulates the nipple so that it leaks more.

im going to assume that hes not acting like hes gagging on any which would mean he has a too fast flowing nipple; maybe its too slow? try getting a medium flow and see if that helps. if it causes gagging, then back off again.
maybe try another kind of bottle/nipple again. who knows.

bottle feeding is REALLY hard.
good luck

I think maybe you need a different doctor. I also think maybe he doesnt' like his formula. He's crying because his tummy hurts, not because he's hungry. My son had a TERRIBLE time with formula and we finally had to settle on Nutramagin (sp) which was hypoallergenic, lactose free, and it smelled to high heaven but he was finally a happy baby that ate normally and didn't cry all the time. Good luck!

Hi D.! I say you can feed him if he's hungry BUT if he is taking a pacifier and happy about it, he is probably not hungry at that time.
Babies have a very strong need to suck. Pacifiers are actually very good for babies. Many people will disagree but there are even studies that show pacifier use decreases SIDS by 90%.

I know that this is not what you want to hear but planning extra time to feed your little one at the store is exactly what you need to do. Just relax and know that this is normal. I have learned to plan for extra time ALWAYS. You never know if someone will have to go potty, pours their drink down their clothes, throws up unexpectedly, is screaming because they are hungry, etc.
My daughter breastfeed for at least 40 minutes with a 30 minute break in between. It was hard and sometimes I would just cry because it wasn't working out the way I had imagined! but then it passes and you are on to a new set of parenting challenges.
You are doing great! Being a new mom is hard! Just go with the flow and deal with each feeding time as it comes.

Oh, and you may need to expirement with different bottles to help with the messy feedings.
Good luck to you!

I nursed twin girls and they ate anywhere from every hour to 2 1/2 hours during the day on average. As they got older it got easier and went to every 3 hours during the day and night. But by that time they were 4 months old. It is so frustrating I agree, but normal. I don't think he's eating too much. Remember that as he grows he'll have growth spurts and also, the more he eats during the day the longer he'll be able to sleep at night as he gets older. But sleep length is a development process as well and until they are older they need to be fed when they wake at night. Sorry you are so frustrated. I remember those days. Hang in there, it really will get easier in the near future.

Hi,
I can totally understand your frustration with this feeding schedule. I have a 5 week old but I try to keep her on 3 hr feeding but even then I feel like all I am doing is feeding.
I can't offer much experience since I am also a new mom but from what I have read in the books and what popped into my mind from reading your letter, I would try to give him pacifier and let him cry to stretch out his feeding times. It may be hard to hear your baby cry but noone died from crying yet. Just make sure everything is fine with him, diaper is good and he is not sick and it's ok to let him cry.

Bottle fed babies tend to eat way more than they need so he might have stretched his stomach already. Second, I would change a nipple and get a smaller hole than you have now. It sounds like he has it free flowing and I would make him work for a while on it. According to a little chart that I have (i think from Enfamil coupon book they sent me) babies 0-2 months old eat 2-5 oz. So, you baby may be eating what he needs.
And with all those things that I already mentioned I would try and stretch his feeding times and when I am feeding (within that 30 min window of feeding and burping) I would make sure he is getting a full meal, not a snack and not using a bottle as a pacifier.
I hope this is somewhat helpful. I read Babywise book and I would highly recommend it. I am having my baby eat every 2.3-3.5 hrs (staying as close as I can t 3 hrs) and then play time, and then sleep. That's what they recommend in the book and it seems to start working that we have a good routine starting so that I even have to wake her up at night to feed.

Good luck, I hope you will resolve this issue.

Hey D.!
I have to agree with Megan. I feel for you...am currently experiencing a similar situation with my 5 week old son (2nd baby)--who was born at about 9 lbs as well. I make sure to burp my son really well at about 1/2way through the bottle (I use Dr. Browns as well, but you still have to burp them), and again afterwords, as he DOES act hungry when he is really gassy. I also might try seeing if the 3.5 ounces really fills him up, or does he need 4 (my son too, takes 3 to 3.5 oz each feeding at this point, so don't let the doctors tell you it's too much)? Other than that, know that the time WILL begin to stretch out--usually right around 6 weeks is when they can start stretching it out. Oh, and what I learned from my 1st son---don't add cereal to a bottle (ever as they can choke on it) or add any solids until they are around 4 months of age, their digestive system isn't ready to handle it. Best wishes! I'm with you!

take a deep breath. it's all normal. the feeding the crying the frustrations.

if you put cereal mixed in it is a good idea to pick one nipple to enlarge the hole in so it will flow.

the dr office didnt sound very helpful. my nephew has acid reflux since birth. i would suggest maybe his crying is gas and not hunger. babies will eat when they are gasie because they dont know the difference in pains. have you tried an infant antigas like mylacon? both my babies had colic to the point of no sleep for either of us for nights on end until we got ahold of some of that.

make an appt with dr to have this checked. dont let them put you off. you did have a big baby. and it is possible he will just eat every two hours for a long time. 3,6,9 months are growing spurts so its possible by the time he is ready to taper off he hits another spurt so it is never ending.

i breast fed and mine was soooooo messy! i had to take a change of shirts, bras for ME and baby when we went out.

just remember, whatever your baby needs is normal for your baby. whatever you feel is normal for you. i promise you will sleep again. you will get out of the house again. and believe it or not one day he will be able to fix YOU something to eat AND clean up after.

chin up:)

My son, who is now 4, also seemed to eat constantly at that age. And he cried a lot & every feeding we would go through a burp cloth because he would spit up so much. I agree it is very frustrating. I ended up taking him to the clinic. I explained everything to the pediatrician doctor & she said it sounded like he was having a problem digesting the lactose in his formula & that we should switch to a lactose free (I am also lactose intollerant but react differently than he was). He also had become very gasey, bloated and constipated. I decided to try Enfamil LactoFree rather than going with a soy based one. Within 12 hours, the spitting up stopped, he stopped crying & was a happy baby. I am not saying that is the case with your son, but it might be worth a try.

Good luck to you!

Hello,
All the liquid that is on your babies bibs is liquid that is not going into his stomach. So I can see why he is always hungry if he is actually only getting about and ounce of food. Try a different nipple. A baby that young shouldn't be that messy when they eat. If he is still really gassy try Mylacon drops.

My son was 10.7 when he was born and at about 6 weeks went through something similar. I was only breastfeeding so you can imagine how my boobs felt;) The best thing to remember is: this is not going to last. It will get better and easier. It's just a phase of his right now. If you want to run errands and don't want deal with the crazy feeding schedule see if someone can come and watch him to give you a little break and to make it less stressful for you.

As far as what the Dr's office is telling you, unless he is gaining weight way to fast don't stress about it. Sounds like your little one is a messy eater and may be loosing half of what you are feeding him on his clothes.

Sorry I don't have a fix all answer but just wanted you to know that lots of us have gone through the same thing!

I can relate to your frustration. My son nursed every 2 hours until he was about 12 weeks old. I know it is discouraging to get out etc. Do what you feel is best as a parent. Sometimes, listening to advice from doctors telling you that you are feeding too much can be discouraging. Your son knows when he is hungry. In the meantime, get out and don't let feeding him discourage you. Kids get messy whether you want them to or not. I've learned always bring extra food, clothes etc and my son is 16 months now, still eats every 2-3 hours and often needs a change of clothes. Remember this is a stage and in a few weeks/months, your son will be changing his eating habits and may not eat as much, as often.

This is totally normal! My son was 9 lbs 9 oz, my daughter 8 lbs, 10 oz. They both breastfed round the clock, especially at this growth spurt age. I also fed them formula. My son still ate every two hours until he started eating solids at 4 months. I wouldn't try feeding your 6 week old any more cereals. Wait till he's at least 4 months old. (Some say 6 months old.)
I agree that you don't need to worry about how many ounces he eats unless there are problems with his growth chart. Your pediatrician should go over how they track percentiles of height and weight with you at your baby's check ups.
Things definitely get better once they start sleeping more at night, and start eating solids and have to eat less often. It's a gradual process, but you'll find your groove. :)
Also, we use cloth diapers and old dish towels as burp rags. A lot of burp rags just didn't cut it with my messy kids, either. The cloth diapers really absorb a lot.
When you get frustrated, ask for help. Don't feel like you have to be SuperMom, get Dad or Grandma or a friend or neighbor to assist. I have a very type A personality, and this was one of the hardest things for me, but once I gave in a little my life felt so much easier!
Good luck! Don't forget to rest when he rests! :)

He may have an upset tummy. Babies tend to want to eat when they do because it makes them feel better for the time that they are eating but then acts up again right after.....

Try going to the chiropractor. They have done wonders for our 2 kids and my friends have all had good luck with that route as well.

D.,

My experience is only with BF babies, but I always feed them when they are hungry. That was at least every 2 hours at 6 weeks. Because I BF, I'm not sure of the oz., but I know that at a week my baby was eating 2 oz. at a feeding because they weighed her at the Dr.'s office before and after nursing. So, 3.5 doesn't seem like too much to me at 6 weeks.

You are the Mommy, you know what your baby needs. I'd stop worrying about what the Dr.'s tell you about how much to feed your boy - trust your instinct. I wouldn't put cereal in his bottle yet though, most suggest you wait until at least 4 months, and many suggest waiting until 6 months for solid foods.

As far as taking him out, I know it's hard. I went through that with BF too, I'd get the babe ready and out the door and we'd get to the grocery store and they'd be ready to nurse again. It's difficult. You are doing the best by planning ahead, if you start that habit now, you'll be on time for the rest of your baby's early years! SOme of us could take a lesson from that!

I think you are doing great, and know that by 4 months or so things will get much easier.

Good luck and congratulations on your new baby boy.

Jessica
SAHM to Charlie (3-24-05), Joey (12-4-06) and Rebecca (11-21-08)

Hi D......I think you've gotten some great advice from the other mothers and I just wanted to share a similar story with you. I have a son who is now 5 months old. When he was about 6 weeks, it was the middle of the night and I had recently fed him....but he wouldn't stop crying!! I am a new mom, didn't have much experience with a newborn baby, and I was tired!! So here I was....crying louder than my baby saying "just tell me what you want so I can help you!!!" He actually stopped crying and looked at me as if I had completely lost it! Turns out he was still hungry. Sometimes he only ate 2oz, and other times he ate as much as 5oz. I learned to feed him until he was no longer hungry and his weight has never been an issue. It seems so funny looking back at it now because it has gotten MUCH better. It will for you too, hang in there. I'm sure you're doing a great job!!

D.,

You have a growing baby. Just be glad you aren't breastfeeding. He is, for one thing, a boy, and secondly he is only 6 weeks old. My oldest seriously would nurse for an hour and then sleep for an hour. Those were rough days. You just have to get through it.

However, if you try to stretch out the time between feedings, and yes, that means letting him scream a bit - he may become more efficient with his feedings and not quite so messy.

He's still learning, and so are you, give yourself a break - ask someone else to help out a bit - relax, and enjoy being mommy.

Lisa - mom of 4 boys

Infants eat that often. I know it's overwhelming. Just wanted to reassure you that your infant is in the norm. Lots of great suggestions here. I especially agree with the folks who say 3.5 oz per feeding is not too much, and if he's still hungry, try feeding him more. But, every two to three hours for feeding is typical. And, don't forget, the feeling that it's overwhelming is no doubt amped up by your post-partum hormones! I know when it dawned on me that I'd be feeding my baby every two hours for several months at least, boy oh boy, did the tears come! Congrats on the arrival of your dear boy.

It's probably just a growth spurt...they occur at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 3 years, and again at 6 years) Just keep feeding him...and make sure that he burps! Also, I was doing some research lately into feeding my son cereal with his milk (to entice in me sleep longer at night) and found out that babys that young (my son is 4 months)don't have the enzymes in their stomachs to absorb the nutrients in cereal...so it doesn't make them any fuller (or sleepier!). One more thing, have you tried platex drop-ins? I use them and they are supposed to be the best at preventing air intake! Hope this helps~

I had almost the same problem with my oldest son. What I eventually learn is that he was having a stomach ache and not necessarily hungry. I know that sometimes when I'm just getting the flu that if I eat something soft that it makes the pain go away for a short while. Now I'm not saying he has the flu but it could be something else that is upsetting his stomach. My son had a Lactose intolerance and at 6 weeks that is hard to determine, but we did it. Because they can't speak we have to consider all options and not just think they are hungry. I know that it will be hard. But down the road when he picks a flower from the neighbors yard and gives it to you as a present all will be forgotten. Be patient with yourself and check out the options. K.

My boys both ate like that when they were little too. They ate 4 oz at a time and still could not go barely 2 hours without eating! i obsessed over how much they ate but i don't think it got me anywhere! ha ha. I used to take my twins out every day cuz it was easier than staying home. I would go to the mall or the store and feed them while there and then they would just sleep in the stroller the rest of the time while i got to wander around the store.

also, if he is soaking that many burp rags then he probably isn't getting nearly as much formula as you think he is. He sounds like he is not eating too much. like i said my boys ate at least 4 oz every 2 hours at that age and they have never been overweight or anything

I don't know if someone suggested this already but some babies just need to suck. Try giving him a passifier to see if he just needs to suck-not necessarily to eat. Try to keep your spirits up. It's hard at first but he will start to spread out his feedings - about every 3-4 hours by 3 months.

Hello,
I feel your pain, I had a 10.5lb baby and he too wanted to eat all the time. I breastfed him so I don't have a ton of advice but I wanted to comfort you and let you know it is so tough when they want to eat all the time but you will get though it and he will slow now eventually.

First of all listen to your baby, not your mom or a nurse or a doctor. If your baby wants to eat feed him. Maybe try fast flow nipples, my nephew would get so gassy and spit up a ton with the slow flow because he was working so hard to get the milk out. That could be what is happening with your son. Plus if he is soaking so many bibs he may not be getting as much formula as you think making him more hungry.

Another thought, it could be gas making him fussy and making him think he is hungry but then he is not really hungry so he doesn't drink it well. Try the gas drops 20 minutes before you feed him and there is a exercise you can do to help get the gas out. Lay the baby on his back and push his knees to his chest and slow bring them down, keep doing this and see if it helps...

Hang in there, you are doing a great job and trust me the time goes faster than you think and soon it will all be in your past.
M.

I can feel for you since I was that way with my daughter also. She ate every two hours and I was nursing so i thought there wasn't enough milk and changed to formula at 4 weeks. Now I know better, some kids eat every two hours. My granddaughter did and she was never a heavy baby. She was always at the 50% mark for weight and 90% for length. Now, for advice that you didn't ask for... Talk with your doctor. If you are finding yourself crying, stressed and feeling down it could be the baby blues. My daughter in law had it with my granddaughter and no one would have thought about it until I heard from my daughter that my son had told her that his wife was crying every night. Go in and see if you have PPD. They would put you on low doses of antidepressents for 6 months or so and you will feel so much better.

Good luck

D.,
Take a deep breath. Babies are hard work. Feeding him is going to be one of the easiest jobs you have with a baby. You may be getting the baby blues/depression and that is why you feel so overwhelmed. Please talk to your doctor about it. It is always a good idea to bring another bottle with you wherever you go because all new babies eat every 2-3 hours regardless of their size. Please ask for someone to help you out during this time so you can bond with your baby. Some people prepare bottles at the beginning of the day so they can just grab them out of the fridge and warm them when they need to feed so they don't have the frantic baby crying at them the whole time they are trying to fix the bottle. Do what you can to get some rest and if your baby is really upset and you can't seem to soothe him.. put him in a spot where he is safe and go outside and get some fresh air. Sometimes even 5 minutes can clear your head and help you understand that your baby isn't doing anything purposely to upset you... he is just that.. a baby and he is just a helpless little miracle that needs you. Just have lots of outfits on hand and change him after feedings. Good luck and if you even have an inkling that you may have post-pardom depression please get help. You will feel so much better.

Congratulations on your new arrival!

Yes, an hour and a half to two hours seems frequent, however, keep in mind your baby's stomach is the size of a golf ball and very efficient at using the nutrition given.

My experience is with breast fed babies and it was frequent, but convenient to do so since nutrition was always available, the right temp, etc and no bottles to deal with. Your situation is with formula feeding and is normal. 6 weeks is often a growth spurt and cluster feeding. Feed him on demand, as his body is saying when he is hungry and yes you should feed a hungry baby.

Babies are messy and 2 or 3 burp clothes a day is not unusual. We had a number of cloths and just kept them handy. You will figure what clothes to put on that are the easiest to change and launder. In the summer months he can hang out in just a diaper or a diaper and t-shirt or onesy.

Remember to try new things to make it work for your family. It will be different for each family and with each child. The things we did with our first weren't always the things we did with our second. We did nurse both kids and with the first it had a terrible start, but then I was glad we got through it, as it saved me a ton of sleep, which with a new little one is always at a premium. Keep it in mind for the next one.

Go to the Dr Sears Web site, askdrsears.com and read on his feeding advice, as Dr Sears has never failed me. This is a tough transition and the learning curve is steep with a newborn, but hang in there! It gets better and better.

Is there a mother's group you can attend? I know the hospital we delivered had a weekly group that met for the first year of life and was run by a nurse. Having other mother's around with similar experiences and insights was great.

Also, is hubby helpful or do you have family around that can be of support? Not advice, but support! If someone comes in to hang out with you and can hold, feed and play with baby, it will give you some freedom to regroup.

Good luck!
J.

Hi there,
Does your baby seem full after eating 3.5 ounces of formula? Both my son and daughter were bigger babies. When we brought them home from the hospital we started off with small amounts of formula, but by the 2nd week they were already eating 3 or 4 oz. at a feeding. By 6 weeks they were both eating 6-8 ounces per feeding and only feeding every 3-4 hours. Now, my children didn't get stomach upset from eating this much so maybe this isn't the norm, but even my doctor says to give them as much as they want during this time. We made sure to write down when they ate and how much. It gave us a good idea of what their eating patterns were.
Hope this helps!
A.