I Have a Hungry Monster....

Updated on March 16, 2007
W.B. asks from Independence, MO
14 answers

My daughter Rhiannon is 4 months. Last week we moved up to eating 8oz bottles every 4 hours. So i went the entire week to make sure it wasn't just a fluke if you know what I mean. So on saturday i got her some rice cereal and started with 1 tablespoon twice a day one at her 12pm(afternoon) feeding and then again when she takes her last bottle at between 8:30 pm or 9pm this has helped a great deal. she sleeps from about 9pm (her last bottle) till 9 am. so I'm doing good on that. My problem is the bottle when she wakes up in the morning (her first bottle) she sucks down 6 oz's in 5 minutes or less and then again what would be her dinner bottle or around 5pm she eats it and then wants more. So do I start her on 1 veggie(at 1 bottle) and 1 fruit (at another bottle) and 1 tablespoon at each of those feedings and work up from there ? I've had 4 kids but each of them has been different in their eating and I just want to whats best for her. Thanks in advance

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So What Happened?

First off thanks for everyone's advice. we went to the Dr. today. Rhiannon eats an 8 oz bottle every 4 hours, which is 40 oz a day. at 5 bottles a day.
I told her I can't get her to eat the cereal she spits it back at me with formula or water but I can get her to eat with a little bit of fruit mixed in. she said to go with that then and then I told her we had tried some veggies and the were ok no problems there.
so she said I could go with 6 oz bottles every feeding with 1-2 tablespoons twice a day, 1 fruit and 2 veggies so I said good. we will go with that then
so our daily routine runs now as follows
7:30 - 8 breakfast cereal, fruit and 6 oz bottle
11:30 - 12:00 or so lunch 1 veggie and 6 oz bottle
4:00 pm or so a 6-8 oz bottle (snack)
8:00 - 9:00 pm cereal, veggie and 6 oz bottle, then bath, pajamas, daddy read a book and then to bed. and sleep till next morning.
1-2 tablespoons of cereal with 1-2 tablespoons of fruit or veggie more cereal than veggie/fruit

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P.S.

answers from St. Louis on

I would give her 2-3 oz of cereal instead of just a few table spoons..i was giving my kids 4-6 oz of cereal by the time they were 4 monthes old. then you will find she will not be drinking so muck milk/formula. I hope you find the answers you are looking for good luck.

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A.H.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I know that story from somewhere lol. I've been through the same with my youngest son. The doc told me the same, but i didn't care, cause my son was healthy and he was nothing missing. I gave my 3 oldest kids around this age also baby cereals and started with vegie clases once a day. Don't give your baby right away fruit, because some of them include acid. they might be not that much, but still enough to give your baby a diaper rash and he/she also could be alergieg to it. A lot of baby's are alergieg to the fruit clases. Give your baby for right now 1 class of vegies around noon time and in the evening cereals.
By the way, it's totally normal, that your little one drink so fast after 12 hour sleep. They missed one meal time, that's why your baby is so hungry.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.N.

answers from St. Louis on

In the morning time give her a little xtra cereal try adding bananas to the cereal. You can start her on 1 stage veggie and fruit, I used to give my son the small jars 1/2 jar each.

but like u said every kid is different.

Good luck

Hope It helped
G.

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K.C.

answers from Kansas City on

I've always heard and been told not to start baby food until at least 6 months. At that point then veggies before fruits and most definitely not both on the same day. If you do a fruit and a veggie. If he were to have an allergic reaction how would you know which one it was??
I would simply increase the amount of cereal your giving her little by little.
Good luck

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R.C.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Sounds like she wants more food!! I would move up to just more rice cereal at the bottle times that she is hungry. I don't think I would start with the fruits and vegies yet. 4 mo in my opinion is a little young yet for that. The rice cereal is easy to digest and I would just keep up with that until at least around 6 months or so and then start by adding one fruit or veggie at a time to rule out food allergies. Some people don't like to do a lot of fruit because of the high sugar content, but that is just personal preference and belief, I think. But I would hold off on anything more than up her intake of rice cereal when she seems to be hungry.

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J.G.

answers from Lawrence on

It seem king of early to start vegtables and fruit. I would call your pediatrician and see what they recommend. You may want to try and give her more cereal, or switch to another type of cereal. Your daughter sounds like a fat and happy baby!

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A.J.

answers from Kansas City on

I would honestly talk to her doctor. The last thing you want to do is overfeed her and have the problems from that. But you certainly want to make sure her needs are met. I've always been told never put the cereal in the bottle. So maybe making up a bowl of it in place of one of the bottles. Or even as my kids liked it was a bowl of cereal mixed with juice and after eating that a four ounce bottle of formula and they'd be full and usually out soon after. But I know they're supposed to be moving around to eat solid foods, that way it works up burps and stuff also the mobility makes them not put on a ton of weight from the solid foods. So I would definitely call the doctor and see what he/she recommends for your daughter.

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L.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I personally would just offer her more formula until at least 6 mos. Breasfed babies don't get limited to a certain number of ounces.....the nutrition in foods can't be absorbed in babies until their stomach matures. The rule is supposed to be if your baby has lost the gag reflex, is able to sit unassisted and has interest in table foods, that signifies that they are ready.
Food allergies are much more common in babies who start foods earlier than 6 months.
Anyway, that is my suggestion based on my research. I have a son with food allergies and let me tell you it isn't too fun to have to use alternatives and restrict things like dairy and wheat.
If you do start solids, I would choose low allergens like carrots and sweet peas and just stick with those until 6 months and introduce them slowly.
L.

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A.M.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I only have hungry boys, but all of my children were taking 8oz bottles at 3 to 4 months of age every 4 hrs and a half a baby bowl cereal with the morning bottle. We started giving fruits and veggies at 5 months old. It sounds like your child is doing fine, if she wants 8oz, I would give 8oz.

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S.L.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My kids are 15 and 12 so I am sure this is outdates material but still may help with the oldest she would not eat the dry cereal you mix we had to get the cereal in the jars was more expensive but the texture was just right she was a preemie so at 3 months the dr suggested 2 table spoons dry cereal in 3 bottles a day as she was still very small only 4 pounds as of now she still likes veggies more than fruits because that was all i craved while i was pregnant with her and i introduced veggies after the jar of cereal after we knew there was no allergies. we had to buy the bottle nipples with a wider opening i am not sure if it really made her gain any weight as in 3rd grade she still weighed 31 pounds so tiny today she is healthy 15 year old girl who eats well rounded and when she is ill and her throat hurts she still likes baby food hawaian delight, sweet potatoes, carrots, and fruit desert. My son on the other hand was 6lbs born and he was a pig my inlaws actually called him GUT because he ate everything in sight I scolded them for the name they called him knowing it would effect him later i did expect an overweight son but during the times he packed on the pound out of the blue he would slow the eating pace and with in a week of slowing down he shot up close to 2 inches each time and be very thin. My best advice is to ask your pediatrician for a growth chart they have filled out for you so you can see how she is progressing in heith and weight then discuss how to read the chart and ask if at this time you need to be concerned. My son was 80% in weight and 40% in height my daughter was 5% in weight but 95% in height and remember all children are unique and individual and grow at diffrent paces both phyisically and developmentally

keep us posted
S.

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J.H.

answers from St. Louis on

My son took 8 ounce bottle around 4 months, really hasn't stopped. I am starting to gove him 6 ounce bottles now that he takes a sippy cup throughout the day though. Anyway, My son would drink 5-8 oz bottles a day at four months and my Dr. told us to start him on rice cereal then, he was really big for his age. We didn't start any other foods until he was 6 months old. Does your daughter take a pacifier? I'm thinking that maybe she doesn;t want more to drink, maybe she just likes the bottle in her mouth to suck on, so perhaps after her bottle is gone pop a pacifier in and see if that doesn't help. Maybe she likes to suckle still, or maybe she is teething and the nipple helps her gums feel better?

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M.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

4 months still seems early to me to start on baby food. i think it's honestly just a growth spurt. my son did the same thing around 4 months, so i started trying to give him cereal (always do cereal and solid foods with a spoon, never in a bottle) but it really didn't do much to keep him more satisfied, so i went back to exclusive breastfeeding...which was tough on me. that goes through their systems quicker than formula, so i was nursing sometimes every hour!! but it subsided after a few weeks and then he was fine with just milk until about 6 months. to know if your daughter is ready for fruits, veggies, cereal, she should be sitting up pretty well, and her tongue should be able to move food back into her mouth, which is the opposite of what it does when they nurse or take a bottle. and she should be watching you when you eat, acting interested in the food. if she's not showing these signs, she probably doesn't need more solid food, and you may cause digestion and constipation problems starting food too early. if she does need more food, i wouldn't offer more than cereal right now. just give her more, and make it thicker, in a bowl, like consistency of cream of wheat.

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D.T.

answers from Tulsa on

feed her more cereal and don't start fruits or veggies until 6 months.

You might want to implement a meal and snack schedule. One and a half hours after the morning bottle (or after her mid morning nap) you give her a few ounces of cereal. Then at lunchtime, after afternoon nap snack, supper and before bed time. You really need this time to aclimate her digestive system before you start fruits or veggies.

Now when you do start fruits and veggies you only add one new one every 3 days to every week and yes feed it at every meal and snack time for those 3 days. Start with veggies first then work into the fruits so she won't refuse the veggies.

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B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

our doc did told us no to veggies & fruits till after 6 months I think, and I always heard it is best to do veggies before fruits, because fruits are sweeter than veggies.

But I had a strange child he turned kinda range because he would only eat orange stuff - he is now 3 and has started eating peaches again.

Billie

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