Sleeping and Eating Patterns for a 4 Month Old

My son is also 4 months and weighs 16lbs 12oz, and is formula fed. However he takes in 30 oz a day by drinking 5 6oz. bottles. We use playtex nursers because they were recomended by the lactation specialist for one of my other children. At four months I switched to a fast flow nipple. Maybe if you tried these bottles with a fast flow nipple he would be able to drink more because he would be getting less air and he would drink quicker before he feels full.

Do consider the pacifier and finding a better bottle that your baby does better with. And once he's eating a little bit better, try sleep training, but only if you are sure he isn't hungry. AND put the baby in a separate room to sleep during the sleep training! There is no way he will go back to sleep on his own if you are right there, basically teasing him with your presence. We just did Dr. Weissbluth's sleep training for our 4-month old. At first, I thought we should wait till she is 6 months, but our pediatrician swore that it's way easier for both her and us when she is 4 months, rather than waiting till she is older and her patterns are much more cemented. And he was right! We had the easiest time (knock on wood), without many of the stories we hear from our friends who waited till their babies were 6-months or older. Good luck!

I was thinking the same thing about the nipple size. At four months he is most likely ready for the next size nipple. Give it a shot. Good luck, I know it can be frustrating!

If he is feeding this often, maybe he just isn't hungry enough 1 hour later to get more than 2 oz. He might be hungry again... but not that hungry. This feeding routine may be more of a habit. If he is getting 2 oz. every 45 min or so, he is consuming more than 50 oz. per day... that is A LOT... I forget, but I think a baby this age should get about 32 oz.?? Maybe when he is crying he is not always hungry... try to passify him by playing, rocking, or giving him a pacifier... to prolong time between feedings. Then maybe he will be hungrier next time and take a little more, then be full for longer stretches. On the other hand, some babies are just like this, but you can tweek their feeding habits. My neice was like your son, and her parents were able to space out feedings gradually. At each feeding, they would give her as much as she would take, give her a break for 10 minutes or so, then give her more of the bottle. Sometimes giving her a short break helped. Also, try a variety of bottles and nipples. My neice always had trouble latching when she tried to nurse, and like you, my sister in law had to move to bottles. It took them a while to find a bottle that was a good fit for her, and it still took work to get her into a pattern... but you can ease a baby into a feeding schedule with some work and consistency. Good luck.

Is it possible that the nipple hole is too small and he gets tired of sucking. Maybe try a faster nipple and see if that helps. Sometimes if it is to much effort to suck they get tired and just stop. One other suggestion is try holding him off with a pacifier so he will be hungrier at each feeding and take more. I would keep trying all different kinds of pacifiers until you can find one that he likes. I am a supporter of crying it out but not at 4 months I think he is to young. I hope you get some sleep soon. Good luck!!

Hello K.:

Has the tongue-tied issue completely healed? That issue may be the result of a compromised digestive and/or immune systems, which is affecting is relationship with food and his overall health. More information would be needed to thoroughly assess and administer care. Feel free to contact my office for a consultation.

All the best,
N.
Holistic Healthcare Provider
www.wholecreations.com/wombfull.html

My daughter does some of this kind of thing but only in the daytime (she is 9 months and sleeps through the night on formula). Both my kids spent some time in the NICU even though they were full term. At the hospital they timed feedings from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next. They would allow the babies to cry for a while and not feed them until 30 minutes before the scheduled feeding (for example, if the baby was on a 3 hour schedule then they waited at least 2.5 hours to feed). They also tried to limit the time to do the feeding to 30 minutes. I don't recommend being that strict with the schedule but you can probably stretch the time between feedings by maybe 15 to 20 minutes at a time (feed him every 60 minutes one day, every 75 minutes the next day, etc. until you get a reason able schedule with feedings 2.5 or 3 hours apart or longer). I would write everything down for a few days and start from there. If you distract him with an activity (walk, playing, etc.) he might not notice right away it is past his usual feeding time. The Baby Whisperer book has some good tips also.