Not Enough Formula?

Updated on March 17, 2007
L.B. asks from Evansville, IN
13 answers

My daughter is 6 months old. She is on baby food and formula. She'll take 6oz baby food at noonish and another 6oz in the evening. BUT she MAYBE takes 20oz formula a day. She's gaining weight and seems happy and healthy, but with a WIC appointment coming up I worry what to tell them on her fluid intake. She is teething, she has her bottom teeth cutting through and is extremly cranky. I just worry that she isn't getting enough formula and I can't even get her to take a 4oz bottle at a time...any ideas?

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M.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

My son would refuse bottles when he was teething so I would put a litte oragel on right before I offered the bottle. Also, he would refuse the bottles when he had an ear infection. Is there any chance she could have an ear infection?

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J.P.

answers from Wheeling on

Relax. You are doing a great job as a mother. as long as your little girl is growing the way she should and is healthy and happy then she is eating enough. when babies are eating solids they tend to not drink so much formula....but if you are giving her cereal are you mixing it with formula bc thats what i did with all 3 of my kids and it worked great. but really it sounds like she is fine.....good luck with everything..

1 mom found this helpful
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J.M.

answers from Lafayette on

My ped told me that as long as they get in 16 oz a day they r fine. My baby on the other hand is taking about 36 oz a day and they want her to cut back. I wouldn't worry so much about what others think you are the mom and you know what she needs. Wic told me my girls are overweight but my oldest (4) just hasn't hit her growth spurt yet and my baby (8 months) is just a growing girl and I am sure she will out grow it she is very active, and I know what is best for them. Other than that they are healthy.

A.R.

answers from St. Louis on

L.,

It is OK. Do not worry, she will be fine; it is absolutely normal. The most important is that she is gaining weight and he is happy, and because she is teething, she will be not as much hungry as usual.
The same thing happened to me what you are going thru. So, what I did then, and what I do now is giving my baby the formula first and leave the food at the kitchen, so my baby cannot see it, and when he is D. when the formula, I bring the food and give him to him.
Try also to make feedings apart longer, instead giving her formula and food every 3 hrs , do it every 4 hrs or 3 hrs and half. Also you may want to try just give her the formula and like "snack", after 1 hr and half or so, you give him the food. I mean not everything, formula and food, at once
I do not know if I am explaining well myself, I hope so! and I hope this help you as well!

Good Luck!
Alejandra

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C.B.

answers from Bloomington on

The pediatricians say as long as she is having the appropriate number wet diapers a day for her age, she is getting enough fluids. I was worried about my daughter's intake too and asked. If you offer her fluids/formula at every meal, you can't force her to drink it. As long as it is offered and she is gaining weight, WIC will be pleased. Don't forget to count the formula or water used if she eats cereal. If you don't want to always offer her formula, offer her water or watered down juice. As for the teething, I was worried about offering my daughter orajel too often so I used teething tablets which are homopatheic and safe. The dissolve in the mouth and really do the job. I considered them better than orajel sometimes. You can get them at any grocery, Walmart or Babies R Us.

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S.L.

answers from Indianapolis on

If she is gaining weight and is happy, as one of the other moms said, she is fine! Every kid is different-some want 4 bottles a day on top of two jars of food for every meal, like my son used to (he was quite the chub!)and others eat or drink less.
Make sure she is wetting enough diapers every day (I think 5 is normal for that age, but check with your ped to be sure) so you know she isn't dehydrated and I'm sure she is just fine.

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T.C.

answers from South Bend on

if she is gaining, and has enough wet/.poopy dipes she should be fine. teething definately can affect babys eating habits.

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J.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

According to my pediatrician, as long as they are getting at least 16oz a day of formula once taking solids they are okay. It sounds like she is gaining normal weight. During teething, my daughter ate less than normal because her teeth hurt. Good luck!!!

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M.S.

answers from Evansville on

Hi L.. I am the mom of a baby girl born Sept 25th. I know a ton of ppl who WIC has given a hard time about the amount their child was eating. As long as your little girl is generally happy and content then she is eating fine. Your best bet is just to listen to what they say and continue to do things the way you have been doing them. It sounds like you have been doing fine. I am a little older but feel free to message me here or if you have myspace you can look me up there. www.myspace.com/mandistclair

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K.C.

answers from Elkhart on

I agree with the other women. Your daughter is probably fine. WIC gave me a hard time when I took my son in a couple months ago for his first check-up. They said he wasn't eating enough and that we should be feeding him 2 oz every like half an hour ??? or something crazy like that. I just ignored them. My son's three months old and weighs like 16-17 lbs. Which is just huge! They're ultimately trying to be helpful but every child is different and I believe the children know what's best for themselves... and as long as your Dr. says she progressing fine I wouldn't give it a second thought :) Email me if you ever want to talk (____@____.com) we're close in age and so are our children. Good luck!

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A.W.

answers from Lafayette on

Tell WIC the truth about how much of what she takes. The worst they will do is whine whimper and fuss about it. Just keep the well baby check ups current and discuss it with the pediatrition and he will let you know if there's a problem. The question isn't "why is she drinking so little?" it is "how much does she weigh?". How much formula a child NEEDS to have depends on how much he/she weighs. 20 ounces or a little less may be plenty for her size. I also suggest that while she's on formula, give her the formula first, when she's done give her the food. The formula is more important right now.

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S.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

That is a lot of food for a 6 month old. I think you should lessen the amount of food you are giving her and increase the formula. Afterall, formula should be the number ONE source of nutrition at this age. Food only supplements it does NOT take place of the formula she should be getting. Rule of thumb--they should be getting at least 2 oz. per pound they weigh. For instance, if your baby is 12 lbs. she should be eating at the LEAST 24 oz. a day.

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D.P.

answers from Indianapolis on

As long as the dr is ok with it, i never care what wic says. good luck!

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