How Much to Give a 14 Week Old

I breastfed my two kids, but I would say that you should feed her as much as she wants. If she is hungry, she probably needs the energy! She will let you know when she's full.

I would stay away from cereal for now--at least until 4-5 months. I have heard that it is not a good idea to put in a bottle (especially as related to later issues with obesity--see here: http://www.drgreene.com/21_861.html).

Good luck!

I'm no expert on how many ounces babies "should" have, but I think I read somewhere that most babies eat 1-2 ounces more than the number of months they are up until at least 7 months. I think you are doing GREAT if you are feeding her when she's hungry and letting her eat the amount she wants. As long as you're paying attention to her feeding cues, you'll do just fine! Young children have a remarkable ability to regulate their own eating to get exactly what they need.

My only concern is that I have read a lot of articles that say you should not put cereal in babies' bottles. The main point of giving cereal is to teach babies how to eat, though it does tend to fill them up a little more! :)

I think her eating 5-6 ounces at a time is fine. She won't over eat. You don't need to worry about that. As far as cereal in the bottle, I don't think it's a good idea. I would wait until at least 4-5 monts to give her cereal, and when you do, just fee it to her. She may not be able to do it with a spoon until 6 months. Until then, all she needs is formula or breastmilk. Good luck.

Hi, Mom!

I am a 55 yr. young Granni who has been raising three of 11 Grans since 2000. I have four grown daughters. I am of the 'old school' when it comes to feeding of babies. My babies were eating cereal in addition to breast milk at age 4-6 weeks. My babies have all been healthy,happy and well nourished. I believe that babies will 'tell' you when they are full and when they need to have more nourishment.

I think 'listening' to your baby, paying attention to their cries and sleeping, waking personality traits will give you all the clues you need to decipher their personal hunger needs.

Best!

A.

Your daughters body and needs will dictate her appetite, and no you are not feeding her too much. As long as her growth is normal, don't worry. Yes, she is WAY too young for cereal.

Please seek advice from her doctor. There are so many theories out there-- the "old school" way is putting cereal in the bottle and some people swear by it, but my pediatrician said it's unnesessary and could cause problems like stomach aches and he urged me not to put cereal in the bottle, and to wait until he was 5-6 months old to start solids because of allegy concerns

Hello S.,
I'm a nutritionist. It is not a good idea to put any cereal in your baby's milk until she is over 6 months. There are a few goods reasons for this: 1) cereal is very hard to digest on their brand new and delicate digestive system which is equipped to break down fats and proteins from breast milk but not grains/cereals just yet 2) exposing babies to grains/cereals too early puts them at risk for allergies and digestive trouble and constipation 3) increase risk of obesity long term.
As for quantity of milk your baby consumes, her body will self regulate. Unless she is not peeing or pooping enough for her age according to your pediatrician's guidelines, or she is below what is considered "healthy" weight (as per her MD), you should not be concerned about quantity of milk and let her drink the quantity she wants.
-A. R.

5-6oz at each feeding is definitely fine, she would let you know if she were getting too full (or she would spit up a ton). My big guy was drinking four 8oz bottles at that age. I'd probably suggest waiting until the 4mo mark at least to start rice, thats what most drs recommend, you could ask your pediatrician at her 4mo visit. I started rice at 4.5 months. And I would double check, I think I've read you shouldn't put rice in a bottle but I'm not 100% sure...I put the rice in a bowl and fed with soft baby spoon. There's first time feeding instructions on the rice box. Have fun!

My advice is to speak with your Pediatrician. Every baby is different and should not be compared. My daughter was ready for cereal at 4 1/2 months, but some Pediatrician’s say you should not give them cereal until 6 months. I urge you to ask you Pediatrician about cereal in the bottle. Mine said absolutely not, that a baby needs to know the difference between eating calories and drinking them. In addition he said that if they can’t eat it from a spoon then they are not ready.

hi S., you can give your baby 1tsp of rice cereal with each ounce of formula. start giving it to her 2 times a day in the morning and at bedtime. if you talk with your childs pediatrician he or she should let you know that this is acceptable. sometimes babies need a little substance with the formula.

thank you,
p. hale rn

Well, congrats on the new baby! Did you ever think that all you would think about would be eating, sleeping, and pooping? :)
At each feeding you should give her as much as she will take--she will let you know when she is done--and that will change based on age, mood, and growth spurts. If she finished a bottle, make a couple more ounces and continue until she stops.
Do not put cereal in her bottle. Yes, she is too young and when she is old enough she should eat the cereal and not drink it. My son when up to about 8-10 oz a feeding (4x a day) by the time he was 4 months old (we started him on solids around 5 1/2 months)

I used to make a quart of formula up ahead of time and keep it in the fridge so I could just take what i needed and not have to make it up every time. It's also easier ot get 1 or 2 oz out of a larger container by measuring then trying to mix that small amount up.
Check out the book:
Child of Mine:feeding with love and and good sense by Ellen Satter. http://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-Feeding-Love-Sense/dp/09...
It will answer ALL your questions about feeding--starting when they are infants, through introducing solids and more. It's a wonderful book and good friend on mine insisted that I read when I had my son (she even bought it and sent it to me). I would highly recommend buying it yourself or at least checking it out from the library...

I'm sure you've already received great advice, but here's my 2-cents~ Every baby is different, every baby's needs vary. As long as you are paying attention to the cues she's giving, you'll be ok. My daughter is now 11 mos and I never put cereal in her bottle. I started single grain oatmeal and stage 1 food at 4 mos, but she was ready for it and bottles were not enough. As I'm sure you've learned, everyone has a different opinion on just about everything. Just feed her a bottle every 3-4 hours and let her appetite guide you as to how many ozs. Have fun :)

Never put cereal in a bottle. I know, plenty of mom's will tell you it's ok, but it's not. Your daughter is 14 weeks old. She's not old enough for solids...cereal is a solid even if you dilute it and mix it in a bottle. Babies eat as much or as little as their appetite requires. ALL mom's compare their child(ren) to other children. I know, I've done it too but you have to remember that EVERY child is different and every child's needs will be different too. Doctors tell parents how much a child should eat at various ages only to give parents a general guideline. It's not an exact science...she could go through a growth spurt and eat like there is no tomorrow...or she could begin teething and her appetite will slow down. If a baby is sick or not feeling well for any reason, they may eat less. You also have to understand that as a baby grows, how much they can hold in their tummy also will increase. I know you will do what you feel is best but I would strongly discourage you from mixing cereal in her bottle. I'm assuming she is formula fed? All she needs right now is provided by the formula. Anything extra will just be too much for her to handle and you wouldn't want to chance having her develop food allergies so early. Most pediatricians recommend cereal (mixed with breastmilk or formula in a bowl--not bottle) at about 4-6 months. You know it's too soon if baby spits it out.

A lot of great advice here, but one thing you're the mom so read the advice and take what you want from it, you know your baby the best, I thought the same thing about the cereal in the bottle with my first and only at night and it worked for us, she is in no way overweight she is 2yrs old and still wears 12 to 18 months cloths, my 6 month old is breastfed and she only gets oatmeal baby kind of course at night & in the morning.
it won't hurt to try it and if she can't handle it don't give it to her, read the labels and do what you feel is right. good luck.

I am sorry that I am going to sound rude, but if you are concerned with your daughter's health and have a nutritional/health related question like this, I strongly advise that you ask your doctor/health professional. He/she will have your daughter's history on file and will be able to help. Every baby is different when it comes to these things, and the safest advice will be from a professional who has actually met your daughter instead of unknown women online who haven't met her and have no right answering your question. Mamasource is a good place to ask if someone knows a referral for a good pediatrician if you don't have one to ask your question, but not to give impersonal answers for a medical question. I hope this helps you. I am concerned that you have a concern, and I just want for you to receive the best, most qualified answer for your daughter.

As long as your baby is consistently finishing 4 oz it is ok to give her 5-6 oz. Don't put cereal in the bottle. She is old enough to start rice cereal, just make it runny until she gets used to it. If you give her the cereal in a bottle you may have a real problem trying to get her to give it up. I know a lot of people do it just to get their babies to sleep longer at night but that is for their benefit not the baby's. Your baby is just ready to start eating. Good luck.

S.,

The best thing to do is speak to your pediatrician. No matter what anyone tells you here, your baby has different needs than everyone else's. Everybody's babies have taken solid foods at different times. I can tell you this for a fact. For instance my oldest son who is now 13 and is completely off the charts for his age, 6' 3" and 220 lbs was eating solids foods directly out of the jar at 4 weeks old on his pediatricians orders because he was eating 16 ounces of formula at once at 2 weeks old. Then there is my second son who is 6 nearly 4' 3" and 58lbs and starting eating solids at 4 months on doctors orders because of the amount of formula he was drinking and finally my third son who is 3 and a little of 3' and 39lbs and starting eating solids at 5 months on doctors orders for the same reasons. So as you can see all kids are different. So you really need to speak with your pediatrician and not follow the opinions of the moms on the board, we don't know your baby as well as the doctor does.

Good Luck.

S.

Babies will normally eat as much as they need. When your daughter is on a growth spurt, she may suddenly increase her intake (temporarily. There is nothing to worry about as long as she is growing and thriving. I would check with your pediatrician about when to add the cereal.

they will gradually start eating more. i think our daughter would eat around 8 onces at 3-4 months. she was very, very petite for her and still is.
unless she starts having really bad gas pains or spitting up i would just feed her however much she will eat..

Giving an infant this young cereal does not help them, it makes life easier for you. The formula has most of the nutrients your daughters body needs therefore, I DON'T recommend feeding her cereal at this young age. Those vitamins and nutrients are vital to her body. If you feed her cereal she will not be hungry for the formula which has the things her body needs.

My son went through spirts were he would eat "like a king" and then after a few days, sometimes a few weeks, he would eat a little less than he originally did. After about the 10th time this pattern happened I realized that it was due to growth spirts. Even as our children are sleeping their bodies are growing: Think about how hard that must be and how much energy (which mostly comes from the food we eat) that must take - The bones and skin stretching (they are literally growing) - Wow! The human body and these tiny little being are so amazing!!!

The last point is that doctors will tell you that introducing 'real' food to a child too young will cause them to develop allergies.

Please talk to your doc. It doesn't make sense to add cereal to her bottle just because she's eating more but the doc can answer that and many other questions you may have. Just relax and enjoy your baby! Don't make food an issue already ;-)

Hey S.,

She is eating completely normal. When my second daughter was born she ate on average 4-5 and sometimes 6 oz. I wouldn't put cereal in her bottle unless your doctor tells you to. For my 9 month old since she was born she had major GI and reflux issues. I was told to do that only because of her GI and severe reflux. I completely agree with everyone else and I would talk to your doctor. When I have my third baby I would never just put cereal in their bottle without a doctor telling me to do so. One other thing when the doctor's do start a baby on cereal that young your doctor has to closely monitor your baby's weight and health. I was taking her into the doctor's every other week just to make sure she was doing well. They said sometimes when babies start cereal that young they stop thriving!!

Beth

Good rule of thumb for babies under a year, they determne how much they need, not you. Unless its off the charts, which it isn't, give her all she wants. Also, although they suggest not going to food until 4-6 months, she may be ready for solids.

hi S.! it doesn't sound like your baby is taking too much food based solely on ounces. i know my baby ate around that amount at that age. i think the key is watching her cues. does she push the bottle away? does she throw up a lot of her formula? the fact that you state she is not an over eater indicates that you know she is only taking what she needs (great perception mom!).
my doctor is pretty strong in his opinion that babies should not get food until six months of age. he sites later obesity as a potential risk. that being said, i started giving my baby a tablespoon of rice cereal a little past her five month birthday. it seemed like she needed it to me, and she is practically off the height and weight charts so she is bigger than most six month olds anyway. so much of the advice i have seen on this site is to trust your gut. i did that and think it has worked well for both of us.

S., do not, DO NOT, put cereal in your newborn's bottle. PLEASE do not put cereal in your newborn's bottle. She doesn't need cereal. Her body can't digest cereal yet. This practice, which started around the beginning of the 20th Century, has led to colic and childhood obesity. Your baby's body needs milk fat and protein; cereal is almost 100% carbohydrates, which is like feeding her candy. Even though it is a trick to get babies to sleep longer between feedings, it is a huge injustice to your baby's digestive system.

She sounds like she is eating just fine. When she gets a growth spurt, she will eat more, and when her body isn't growing as much, she will eat less. If she only eats when she's hungry, that's a good thing. Don't disrupt her feeding cycles. Don't try to get her to go longer between feedings at this stage. Babies whose digestive systems are tricked this way are actually malnourished in a way because their metabolisms are being messed with. If a baby needs to eat every 2-4 hours, it's because her body needs the fuel and nutrients.

Please, PLEASE don't put cereal in her bottle.

Peace,
Syl

Hi S.,
Please don't ever put cereal in her bottle. Baby's digestive systems can't handle food until closer to 6 months. THat's one of the reasons if you try to feed them solids their tongues protrude. You know how much your baby needs. I know it's difficult not to compare to other babies, but trust yourself.
S.