My son has never really been a big eater. He would usually nurse for 5-10 minutes on one side every 3 hours or so. Now that I'm working on switching him to the bottle and breastmilk (mixed with formula), he drinks about 1 to 1.5 ounces every 3-4 hours. He still has about 6-8 wet diapers a day, as well as at least 2 good stools. I know that every baby is different, and their stomachs are only about as big as a ping pong ball. But I know of other babies around the same age (even younger) who drink 3-4 ounces at a time. Any advice?
You mamas are wonderful! All of your responses have totally put my mind at ease. Deep down, I knew that what he was eating was fine, but it's just nice to get the reassurance from other moms who have been there! THANKS!
The best advice I ever received as a brand new mom was "Watch the output, and don't worry about the input." Meaning, focus on the poop and pee, and not so much on what they're drinking. Remember that if you were still breastfeeding, you would have no idea if your baby was getting 1 ounce or 5 ounces when he breastfed. In short, relax, don't worry, sounds like you got a healthy baby on your hands.
i would probably tell you that your baby won't starve. they eat if they're hungry and i always think if he's eating from the breast, you have no way of knowing how much he's getting....so the numbers game once it's ounces from a bottle can just start to add stress. i feel like baby will get what he needs. unless his weight is super low, i would agree that output is more important in this case when it comes to amount of food. good luck!
ok first of all, NEVER compare your child to anyone else's. your child is his own person, and will eat and grow at his own rate. comparing makes it stressful and unfair for both of you
second, dont worry about how MUCH he is eating as much as you worry about just feeding him when he is hungry, and NEVER making him finish a bottle or whatever. when he is full, stop, never force any more food on anyone when they are full. as long as hes growing, and happy nad healthy, theres not much more you need to worry about!
good luck!
www.askdrsears.com has great info about all things baby!
I found this response to a similar question on Parents.com:
Question
My 3-month-old baby does not want to feed (bottle or breast). I offer every 3 to 4 hours but it doesn't seem as if she's drinking very much. If she does take the bottle, she will only have 16 ounces a day. Is something wrong?
Answer
The average baby takes 2 or 3 ounces of formula each day for every pound of body weight, up to a maximum of 32 ounces. A newborn weighing 7 pounds will take an average of 14-21 ounces of formula in a day. A 4-month-old weighing 14 pounds needs 28-32 ounces.
Kids have a very strong thirst mechanism so healthy kids tend to get plenty -- as long as they are not fooled by getting too much juice or water. Juice can be a useful medicine for constipation, but it is not a healthy food at her age.
They get much more efficient at getting breast milk by her age so she will likely get more in less time than she used to.
If kids don't have a wet diaper in 8 hours, are not growing, or don't seem satisfied, they should be checked. Otherwise, relaxing is a good plan.
Breastfed babies tend to eat less at one time than formula fed kids, and it's important to remember that a nursing baby is way more efficient at milk extraction than a breastpump.
kellymom.com has a great visual of how much milk a newborn actually needs. It's surprising what a little amount it is!
My daughter is almost 1 & is breastfed. She never ate more than 2-3oz at a time from the bottle a few times a day, and my husband freaked out because the other kids' bottles at school kept getting bigger & bigger & bigger!
I wouldn't worry if he's having good wet diapers & poops, and it sounds like he is.
Hope that helps!
Sounds like you have a lazy eater which can be perfectly normal at this age. I would encourage him to eat more even if it means taking a bit more time to feed. If he falls asleep keep him awake so that he feeds more and try not to make meal time and nap time a cohesive event. Meaning that after he eats stimulate him so that he has the energy to eat more.
