Is There Such a Thing of Baby Eating to Much

My son ate almost like that. We didn't put him on baby food until 4 months, but other than that he was a big eater. He was a big kid 95th percentile on hight 75th percentile on weight and he was growing so fast I knew where the food was going. My doctor said it was fine as long as he was hungry for the bottles not just useing them for comfort so I would try not to give him bottles before naps and bed. He eventually slowed down. It sounds like you have a good doctor that you trust so I would trust in him on this.

Hi, B. - I think if you ask your doctor about where he is on the height (you know this one) and weight charts, that will give you an idea if he has an issue with his weight. You can ask your doctor if he has any concerns about your son's weight, too. If he doesn't have a weight issue, maybe he's just a hearty eater and needs this to keep up with his energy level and his size.

I think as long as your baby is growing well, is healthy, doesn't spit up all the time (that's a sign that he's getting too much), then he's fine. I've known of babies who eat more. And I've known of babies who ate cereal around 3 months, too. Don't worry, as long as you and your doctor are on the same page, and that little cutie is happy and healthy, you're doing the right thing.

I am a little hesitant to answer this because I think I may have been one of the ones "rudely" answered your last question about constipation, and for that I apologize. I wasn't trying to be rude at all. You know what is best for your child, and I'm sure your doctor has explained to you why he recommends putting cereal in the bottle. I have just found that rice cereal causes constipation, so I wanted to pass that on, because I wish someone had told me that before I started feeding it to my 5-month old every day! I have also heard that putting cereal in the bottle causes the baby to consume more calories than they need, because they are programmed to stop eating when they are full, but the cereal sneaks in extra calories that they don't necessarily notice, if that makes sense. So maybe a doctor would recommend cereal in the bottle if the baby was underweight, but it doesn't seem like that is the case here.

I love this community and I know there is a delicate balance between giving advice and telling people how to raise their kids. I don't want to come across that way. I think every child and every experience is different, and we can all learn from each other's experiences. But like I said, you know your child and you know best.

I don't know if he's eating too much, I'm just not sure why he's "eating" at all. I'm wondering why the doctor would tell you to give him food at 3 months old or earlier. I've never heard of such a thing, not that that means anything. He should be drinking about 30 or more ounces of breast milk or formula a day, no food until 4-6 months. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Could you let us know why the doctor instructed you to give him actual food as such a young age? I'm curious.

I have been told that Babies that young can't over eat. They eat when they are hungry and when they are full, they stop. They go through spurts in eating anyway so I think it all evens out in the end. Since you are bottle feeding and nursing, that is another good sign that he is hungry. If you were nursing, he could be "eating" for a way to be with his Mommy (my oldest did that).

If you and your Doctor aren't worried, I would just say smile and nod when you get advice that doesn't feel like it is accurate. You're the parent, you know instintictivly what your little one needs.

Best of luck,
M. P

Hi B.!
I am sorry you have had some negative experience with this. It can be frustrating when others try to tell you how to take care of your own baby. I am sure you are doing your best.
My experience with my girls, helped me realize a few thing.
First off, if you trust your doctor to help you with your experience with raising your kids, then I believe they are a good doctor myself. I had a doctor that was good, but something didn't sit right with me about her and her advice, so I went with my gut feeling and found someone new, when the opportunity arised. Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is that I know that if you didn't feel right about what your doctor was saying, you would look for someone different and obviously you don't need to. :)
The other thing I wanted to mention, was that in my experience even the best of doctors, can't tell a mom what is best for her child. If what they are telling you sounds good and you try it, but for some reason it just doesn't work with your "good feelings" or with your baby, do what you think is best. My doctor told me I could start feeding my babies the cereal pretty young too. My mom fed all of us cereal to "help us sleep through the night" at 8 weeks, and we are all fine. I started to feed my first daughter the cereal at 4 months, and something just didn't feel right to me about it. She was acting more fussy, and she had mucus in her number 2 diapers, which is a sign of allergies, and she was already sleeping through the night without it. So I held off until she was 6 months, and she was fine when I started her then. I had the same experience with my other daughter too and waited until 6 months also. My daughters were both close to 9 lbs when they were born, and they are both tall for their ages too still. Sometimes their tummy's just aren't ready for even rice, the most mild food you can find, and I found out later that the mucus may have just been from her tummy being to sensitive to handle solid foods at the time, and that usually their tummy's are more ready for it around 5-6 months anyway.
It don't think you are feeding him to much personally. As long as he is not gaining more weight than he should and he acts hungary when you offer it to him, his body knows what it wants and needs and you will either see physical signs or feel it intuitionally whether it is more than enough or not. If he eats it, and he doesn't show any signs of sensitivity to it, and you listen to your motherly intuition(which is more real than what others tell you) on what you feel is best, I am sure you are doing great!
I personally don't feel that baby's need the solid foods until they are older, but I also know (from experience again)that if they aren't introduced before 9 months they will have a harder time with eating them, and the earlier you get them used to them the better. I actually watched a little boy who was eating similarly to your little boy, and he is 2 now and very healthy. :)
Good luck, and take everyones advice with a grain of salt, because although they may be telling you something out of "trying to show they care", only you will know whats best for your kids in the end.

B.,
I not a doctor but i highly recommend you talking to yours. My doctor recommend waiting to feed the baby food and cereal starting at 6 months. Their tummies are not developed enough to handle the food or cereal. You also put them more at risk of food allergies. My child is 9 months and i nurse her at about 4am and then at 8am. With the 8am feeding i give her some cereal and fruit. I nurse her about 3-4 times during the day and feed her some vegetables for lunch and then for dinner i giver her the 2nd dinners and some fruit. Then nurse her before she goes to sleep. I'm not telling you what or how much i am just giving you and example of what i do. I say talk to your doctor to get an idea what best for your child.

Is your doc worried about how much he eats? I have two boys and my third just turned 1 and is a girl. Like you, I had to start feeding her solids (cereal, etc.) by three months due to a very large appetite. She currently eats more than the two boys combined when we sit down for any meal. She is very tall for her age but slender for a 1 year old. I have just chalked it up to a high metabolism. I think you should just go forward doing what you do with him, if he is hungry, he is hungry. Babies have this great way of stopping when they have had enough (unlike adults). I think if over time if he seems to be having weight issues then I would worry, but for now, don't let anyone give you a hard time. You know your kid, trust that. Good luck!

My first who will be 5 in August was the same way. At 3 months per advice from my doctor he had cereal with his formula. I worried about it at the time, but he turned out just fine. My second who is 3 1/2 months right now is strictly breastfed & we don't have the same issue. He weighs 16 lbs. My first seemed to have a lot of stomach issues and constipation. I almost wonder if he wasn't getting the enough nutrients as my second and that's why he ate more??? Just a theory. But I say if he is hungry let him continue to eat. Babies at this age only want to eat if they are hungry.

Every Child is different and as long as your child is in normal range for height/weight I wouldn't worry about it. Children instinctivly know when they need food. They haven't yet learned to use food to deal with other issues in life.

babies eat as much as they are interested in- just make sure he is having fun playing, etc so the food is not to replace being bored- but I am sure you know that. My younger one was a chubster- the opposite of her older sister. She is 2 and is still eating with gusto.

I would really get a second opinion about starting your baby on all that food so young. I know you said you like your doc. but when all other doc's and books say to wait on that stuff why do you trust this one person? I am just a little worried because the real reason you give a baby cereal and baby food is just to teach them how to eat as they get older and to prepare them for people food. If you look at the labels for baby food and cereal there are not that many calories or nutrients in them. It would be best to just give your baby more breast milk or formula because that has what a developing baby needs. So i totally agree with just feeding my babies on demand and I never worry about how much they eat but again just make sure you are giving your baby enough of the right thing. (formula or breast milk)

I got to hear this kind of stuff all the time when my daughter was a baby. She is a big girl right now. I've got to say that she is a lot bigger than I am. She is kind of an amazon girl. I would say that if it is not a problem for your doctor then it should be alright. Your son may be getting his extra size and appetite from a relative. Sometimes it is also important to look at his gene pool. I never quite understood depriving a child of food. Maybe you could substitute some water in there for some of his diet. I would ask your doctor about any of your concerns. He knows the history of your baby more than anyone else.

When they say that he eats too much, is that because they know what he eats or because of his size? My son has always been called "well-fed", but he was only breastfed up until about 6.5 months when I started cereal, etc. If it is just an opinion, let it roll off your back. If he is healthy and happy, don't worry. I was told that my son would "thin-out" when he started getting active too. All he does now is walk every where, and he is still "well-fed". Trust the charts, trust your doctor (or get a second opinion if you feel that you need it), and try to enjoy the time. Good luck

B.,

I wouldnt worry about it if I were you. As long as he is falling in the normal height and weight range and the doctor doesnt think its weird than I think its fine. My daughter started cereal early too on my orders (I did check with the doctor to make sure it was okay) becuase bottles were not enough she was starving within an hour if I didnt give her cereal. She is 8 months now and eating real people food and no baby food. But she still drinks about 5-6 6-8 ounce bottles a day on top of three "real" meals. Your baby will let you know when he is full and when he is hungry. so dont worry about it. :)

Yes your baby is eating alot but the rule of thumb is that a baby won't starve themselves and I don't think they will over eat either. Tell all the other mothers to back off and mind their own business. As long as your baby is happy why does it matter? just make sure that you are reading his signs right. Sometimes my baby would want to eat but it was because his tummy was gassy and he thought it was the only thing that would make him feel better. My favorite baby book is baby whisperer. She says that at 3 months they should be on a 3 hour schedual. wake up, eat, play and then nap every three hours. When they are four months that changes to four hours until they go from two naps to one. I have found it is a pretty good rule of thumb.
Good luck
PS pick up "I was a Really Good Mom Before I had Kids" It really helped me to quiet the external and internal judgements about motherhood.

Dear B.,
I am so sorry that you have had people making rude comments to you about how you feed your children. Yes, most doctors will tell you that if you feel cereal too soon, it can cause problems for the children as they get older.....BUT some doctors feel it is worse to starve your child when they are hungry. My doctor told me to start my babies on cereal( NOT in the formula) at four months. They were all in the 95% to 98%....so they were big at birth, and needed food to be happy. I did not listen to what everyone told me to do....I listened to their doctor. In one case I asked for a second opinion from another doctor. If they feel that what you are doing is right for your baby...it does not matter what others say.
Now, if you ask the other moms on this sight what they think, you are going to run the risk that they may think you are making a BIG mistake, and they are going to tell you what they think. I hope we all can express how we feel in a kind way, however. I have to confess that I did not read the answers to your other question, so I can not judge what was said to you, but if you got insulting responses from some of us, we will have to try NOT to do that anymore.
I wish you a lot of luck with your baby, and continue to communicate with your baby's doctor.

i think if a baby eats too much they will usually spit it up, at least that is what my doctor said. If you are following what your doctor says and he doesn't seem worried about your baby, you shouldn't need to worry. My 2 month old is already 14 lbs and I worried about the same thing, but the doctor says he is healthy so I try not to worry about it and feed him if he is hungry. Try to ignore the rude coments and do what you feel is best for your child. You are his mom and know him better than anyone. Every child is different so don't worry if he does different things than your other children. It sounds like your baby is just fine.

I'm wondering if he is eating so much in order to get the nutrients he needs. Are there more nutrients in straight formula? If you trust your dr. and your gut, you will do what is best for your child. My kids seemed constipated if they had rice cereal before 4 months. I've also heard that there can be allergies down the road when they eat so much food at a young age. Their stomach enzymes need to catch up with age to progress to more foods. You could research it on the net or ask another dr. or friend that is a dr. Best of luck.