Bottle Feeding Nutrition

My daughter has always eaten less than she was supposed to. She always gained weight, but was also always in the lower weight ranges for that age, even being 3 lbs less than her cousin, who is 5 weeks younger, about 2 months ago. She's still developing fine, she just doesn't want to eat as much.

I would definitely ask your doctor and mention that he went until 3 after his 8am feeding. That sounds like too long. Did you offer him the bottle inbetween and he refused? Or he just never cried for it? Babies do have growth spurts and then slow down, but again check with your doctor. Usually as long as they are gaining weight appropiately and thriving, they're fine.

I know my nephew never made it past 4 ounce bottles. He has always been a little guy, but now he's 8!

My child was like that as well and he also was on zantac for acid reflux. But as time went on he began to eat more. I had to change his formula to Enfamil Lipil with iron which was thickened a little bit more, but you feel uncomfortable than you should definitley give your pediatrician a call and voice your concerns.

MF

Hi T.! Boy i wish my daughter would slow down her eating! haha. My sister's son sounds just like yours - she breastfeeds him, and he probably only shows interest in eating every 5 or 6 hours, and for a 2 month old, that had me worried, but Riley is gaining weight well, hitting his developmental milestones, and the doctor isn't worried. I would not hesitate to express your concerns with the pediatrician, and explicitly state that you're thickening his formula, etc. Some babies (my nephew included) don't respond well to thickened formula- they may find it hard to digest, and if he's got reflux it may actually be hurting his throat when it comes back up. Try experimenting with different formulas- maybe he just doesn't like the taste? In any event, what I've always heard is that babies eat differently, and as long as they are thriving, it's normal for them. :) good luck!

My little guy never ate more than 24 ounces a day of formula ever, even when he was a year old, and he had reflux as well. Since there is already rice in the formula it is adding a lot of calories to the formula which is filling him up faster, plus with our reflux babies their stomachs don't empty as fast as a normal babies stomach does so they are full longer. My guy ate 4 bottles a day at 5 ounces each most days, and occasionally one during the night and he is now 21 months old, outgrown reflux and in the 50th percentile for weight and height. Don't worry... he'll let you know if he's not getting enough, and if the doctors are happy, then he's doing just fine! Hang in there with the reflux... I remember that time all to well and it truly sucked! But he will outgrow it :)

You should discuss this with your pediatrician (the rice starch, the formula type, and his symtpoms). The number of ounces might be in the normal range, but it's pretty unusual for a baby to go 7 hours during the day w/o eating (unless he is eating through the night)??

5- 4 oz bottles a day doesn't sound bad. The 8:30 to 3 break is typical if a reflux baby is entertained. If you are out and about and thus upright all day my children wouldn't ask to eat as often.

Don't forget reflux babies do better on smaller meals more frequently. 5 oz may have been too much and made him uncomfortable and not wanting to eat.

Actually write down when and how much he eats over a 2 week period and then decide if you need to talk to the dr again. I always wrote everything down including their moods (my kids had silent reflux, no spit up just pain).

Good luck,
R.

My dd,who is 3 now, has always gone through phases of eating a lot, eating normal and eating very little. Her "eating a lot" phases usually precede a growth spurt. I don't really worry about the eating very little phases b/c she always gets back to normal and/or more.

If your little guy is thriving, I wouldn't worry about his intake too much. The thickened formula likely keeps him full longer than non thickened kind.

If your doctor is not worried than your baby is probably getting enough nutrition. Also the fact that there is rice starch in the formula is probably why he is not eating as much. It sustains him longer and actually in the long run he won't be chubby from having too much formula all of the time.

As long as he is gaining weight and is not dehydrated then don't worry, he should be fine. every baby is differnet

My son also had pretty bad reflux and was on Zantac and Reglan; he always took less milk than his twin brother, and I also was concerned about his weight the first several months (he started out at 4 lbs and his brother was 4 lbs 8 oz). Well, he grew just fine and is now the heavier twin by a pound at 16 months! Remember, the rice cereal in the formula adds calories, and if he seems satisfied after a feeding, he should be getting enough, especially if your MD is not concerned.

the ar formula might make him feel fuller tis why he isnt eating alot. you can always try regular special formula w/out added rice like nutramigen or almentum and see if he eats more. those 2 are good for reflux babies w/out added cereal.
i also wouldnt let him go 6hours w/out eating. you could just feed him every 3 hours, period. put him on a schedule. my son only ate 4oz at a feeding for several months and after that still only ever took a 5/6oz bottle every so often.
as long as they do gain weight, thats whats important.

If he has reflux issues, he probably isn't that comfortable when he eats- so he chooses not to eat often. He's only 3 months old and not really moving- as long as he's gaining weight and is not screaming, it seems 20 ounces a day is enough for him. If he was hungry, he would eat (we all do)! Good luck, I'm sure he's fine.

As long as there is no weight loss, all is well regarding the amount being consumed. My daughter seemed to live on air for the first few months of her life, even stopped gaining weight for a while, but no weight loss. She turned out fine (almost 17 yr old now). Each baby is as different as each adult.

Maybe a change of formula might help, or not. He just might not like the taste of it, or maybe it's too hard to digest. Ask the doctor about other options. Mostly, don't worry unless there is a drop in weight.

As long as he is gaining weight and your doctor is not concerned, try to relax. I think feeding is what us mom's obsess about most. Each child is different and they will let you know if they need more. You could try smaller more frequent meals during the day though. 8:30 until 3 during the day seems like a long time. My oldest ate 2-3 ounces every 2 around the clock. He would not take more at one feeding until he was around 6 months old and crawling everywhere. Good luck.

It really is so variable from baby to baby and from day to day. As long as he is gaining wait, I am sure he is doing fine. He probably also limits the volume to 4-5 ounces because of the frequency. Do you try to offer him more bottles during the day, and he does not take them, or do you just wait until he seems really hungry?? You could try offering after 4 hours have gone by if you aren't already, and seeing if he wants more....