Getting My Baby to Stay Awake During Feedings So He'll Eat More

as long as he is growing and thriving don't force him to eat more than he wants to. If he is going to fall asleep he will just wake back up to eat again later. My kids never ate more than 4 ounces at a time most were about 3 but they would eat more often than normal. As they got bigger they still didn't drink any more than 6 ounces but they got the recommended ounces per day in. Listen to his queues he will let you know when he is content. Eating til content is better than over eating and creating a unhealthy habit from the start.

Hi C.!
A trick that always worked for us was touching the baby's heel with an ice cube to wake them up when they started to doze off. You don't have to leave the ice cube on their skin, just use it to wake them up and then move it away. I always stuck it in a baggie so it wouldn't drip all over. Or you can use an ice pack or something similar.
I hope this helps! Good luck :)

~J. :)

hi, i had the same problem when my son was about a month old, and my sister in law gave me a little advice. when he was feeding, as soon as i noticed he was starting to doze i would stroke his ear and he would waken a little and keep nursing. it worked wonders, and kept him awake while feeding and then he slept twice as long afterwards since he was fuller! best of luck, A..

How often is he eating? If he is eating every 2 hours, maybe you can stretch his feedings a bit. Other than that, if he is having enough wet/dirty diapers every day and is not acting hungry constantly he is doing fine.

Make it a GREAT week!

S.

My son who is now 10 months was the same way - and he still kind of is... but he gets less feedings throughout the day, so I noticed that his feedings now take a lot longer (even though they eventually end in him falling asleep). I think they take what they need. If they need more, they feed more often, wake up more, etc, but they get it somehow - either shorter and more frequent feedings or longer less frequent feedings.

If he is eating enough and not too often, he's fine. I did use a few "tricks" to keep mine up... blew on her hair or rubbed her feet (no socks).

If he's pooping and peeing and his weight gain is fine, follow his cues, as he's getting enough. Babies are very good at self regulating how much and how frequently they eat.

how long is he sleeping? my baby was sleeping a lot and eating often, but not eating much. my pediatrician said that it was because she was too hungry to stay awake. she told me not to let the baby sleep more than 2 hours during the day, but rather wake her to feed her. it worked! she started eating better and was suddenly so alert during the day. i couldn't believe i hadn't figured the problem out on my own since she's my 3rd baby, but i guess i was just so tired myself!

My sister had a sleepy baby too and they actually would take off his clothes while he was eating and tickle his feet. :-)

What is your current schedule, are you feeding to sleep? Try feeding when he first wakes up and then keep him awake, he can then just sleep when he is tired (this could also save some issues later when he is trying to self soothe). Tickling the feet, even a cool washcloth on their legs, undress them, talk, bring the cats around, I tried them all. But the others are right, as long as the diapers are wet, he is doing fine, and may just not need as much. He is about the age for a growth spurt and maybe just hasn't hit it yet.

I think he is probably getting enough, however that is under the assumption that he is eating every 2-3 hours. Normally, they know how much they need. As for waking the baby to finish, I would vibrate my leg and that was enough to get Liliana to resume sucking. Shawnasie histhe nail on the head though about the diaper part. That is my experience, hope it helps some.

T.

Hi, C..
One option would be to feed your baby more often. If the siblings ate 4-5 ounces every 4 hours, maybe this baby would do better with 2 - 2 1/2 ounces every 2 hours. Then the quantity remains the same.
The other thought that comes to mind is bottle brand. I have studied the flow rate among slow-flow bottle nipples, and found the fastest slow flow nipple was eleven (11) times faster than a different brand of slow flow. Perhaps a different brand of bottle with a different flow would work.
You're welcome to email me privately for more info.
A.
www.breastandbottlefeeding.com