Formula Feeding Question

Don't worry about over feeding! He will tell you when he is done. You will know he is over eating if he spits up significantly or vomits. It is actually pretty rare for a child to over eat. My son was eating about 6 oz by this age!

I've always been told that you can't overfeed a baby. THey will either stop when they are full or spit up. I've also been told that at each feeding you feed them about 1/2 of what they weigh. He will stop eating when he is satisfied.

You really can't over feed a 5 week old. Feed him until he is full and then again we he asks for it. Trying to put him on a rigid schedule can adversely affect his growth and his relationship with you. He knows when he needs to eat and how much- just follow his cues and you'll do great :)

Schedule, schmedule. They sound great and make us feel in control, but they can hinder our natural instincts that allow us to discern what our children need. Listen to your baby's cues and you'll know what to do. If he wants more formula, I say give him more formula. My baby was breastfed and ate constantly! Though breastmilk and formula digest differently, they require quite a bit of it. And try not to preoccupy yourself with weight. My son was 20 lbs by the time he was 3-4 months. He eventually evened out and is 25 lbs. at 10.5 months. He's a big boy, but very healthy.

Each child is different, so listen to your baby :)

I agree as well, that as long as he is hungry and it is staying down...give him what he is asking for. However, just a suggestion...read the label of the formula, just to double check and make sure that you are mixing it up properly. I knew someone once (or heard somewhere?) of a mother that was accidentally mixing it wrong, and was feeding her baby formula with too much water...which made him seem extra hungry a lot. Once you check and know that isn't a problem, keep feeding him, and ask your doctor about it at his next visit. I remember one of my daughters ate an awful lot too, seemed to be feeding her almost every 2 hours. She was never chunky, always and still is skinny. Good luck with your hungry little one!
K.

4oz every 4hrs? That is NOT a lot of formula by any means. He is starving...Feed that poor kid! Babies Dont over eat. Their "i'm full" button works just fine.
He can most certainly eat 4oz every 2/TWO hours. That should satisfy him. I dont know of any newborn that goes more than 2hrs between feedings. And he may change his mind and want 5oz and eventually 6 or 8oz. He may also decide 6oz every 3hrs.
So start off w/ 4oz every 2hrs and see if that works. And by all means NO CEREAL at this young age. Their digestive systems are NOT ready for food. Wait til at least 3/4months or older. Life will be more pleasant once he can actually get full.

It sounds like he's still hungry. until he starts spitting up, feed him. 4 oz every 4 hours isn't ver-feeding, I found my daghter ate 4 oz every 2.5-3.5 hours at that age.

Good luck

Feed the baby girl. He is hungry. My 21 year old ate 8 ounces at birth. Time for more dinner.

I would feed my son whenever he was hungry.The pediatrician told me that was fine.

From what I have read, between 1-6 months, 3-5 ounces each feeding is normal. I'm not sure how often you would feed at 5 weeks, but I'm guessing at least every 3-4 hours. I would double check with your pediatrician, they should be able to tell you what guidelines to follow.

I would feed him when he is hungry. Also, in my experience 4 hours is too long to wait at just 5 weeks. Both my kids were still nursing every 2 hours until about 3 or 4 months.

He very well could be hungry! Offer him a five ounce bottle and see what he does. That may still not be enough. He is a nice size baby and just may need more food at his age and size than your other babies needed. Read his hunger signs. He will be happier if you do.

two ideas...give him a slow flow nipple. it will tak longer to drink making him think he is getting more. try affering a pacifier after 4 oz to see if he just wants to keep suckig on something. oh of these worked for mine.

The guideline is 2-3 oz for every lb he weighs a day, upto 32oz. so if he weighs 10lbs he can have between 20-30oz a day. Good luck. My son loves his food too!

HI!
At 5 weeks I was feeding my little one 4 oz. every 3 hours. It seemed to keep him happy and he is not overweight or even at a high % (only 25%). I think just listening to your baby and your heart is best. Good luck!

He is very likely going through a growth spurt which is typical near 6 weeks, so feed him half to an ounce more and see how he does a couple feedings. (Particulary in the morning since he is consuming less probably at night.) Just take it slow, and just use your own common sense about it. If he is hungry feed him. (Assuming nothing else works)

Go ahead and feed him whenever he's hungry.
My babies are super-chubby (and the doctor is fine with it), but I know it's not forever, as my first one is now 4 1/2 and has slimmed down so much some are thinking she's gotten 'skinny'. = )

Really, you can't over-feed a baby that young - if he is not spitting it back up, his body is taking it in and using it to GROW! = )

Be prepared for when he hits growth spurts (this may even be one of them) to radically increase the amount he gets. Only for a short period, then he'll bounce back to a lesser amount.

Good luck!

I breastfed my daughter and she was never satisfied after 20 min of nursing. She needed more like a 30 - 40 min nursing to be full. I say , and I agree with the other moms here, if the boy is hungry , feed him. Babies have an incredibly high metabolism and need constant food so they can grow.

Don't listen to anyone else but your baby. My daughter eats like there is no tomorrow, about 4 oz. every 2-3 hours. She is only 7 weeks old and weighs 13 lbs. But she is healthy and happy and the doctor is fine with everything. If you do overfeed him it usually doesn't cause any discomfort, he will simply spit up. Hope this helps.

My pediatrician told me half their weight so that would be about 5-5.5 oz per feeding so your baby might be hungry still. I would check with your ped, but that is what I did with mine.

If he is hungry, just feed him. He isn't doing anything abnormal and isn't going to be fat because he drinks a little more than the books say. He may be gong through a growth spurt and will slow down in a couple of weeks - that 6-8 week period is one of great change.

Don't get too caught up on the numbers - most breastfeeding moms don't even know how many ounces their kids get - they just eat to satisfy their hunger. Likewise, if he ever doesn't want to finish a bottle, don't force him. As long as he is eating, let him set the pace. Ask your doctor the AVERAGE amount in a day - I think it is 32 ounces? As long as he isn't going WAY over that (like 20 more ounces) and he isn't acting like he is in discomfort after a bottle, then just feed him what he wants. He will have a 2 month and 4 month check up and they wil monitor his weight.

Well lets say off the back if your child is hungry feed him. You can't over feed at this time his body knows what it needs it's the parents who feed when they aren't hungry. Wait until he shows signs of being hungry don't feed when you think he needs it. That way you are feeding a hunger not teaching him to eat all the time.
Just make sure he's hungry not tired or something else.

Aren't you the one who had breastfeeding questions not long ago? If so, I wanted to mention that it doesn't have to be 'all or nothing' you can continue to offer the breast, and still get the very important breast milk into him, continuing to offer immunities and help better develop his digestive and respiratory tracts.

I disagree with the previous poster who says 'bigger the healthier'. It just depends on the INDIVIDUAL baby. As long as baby is not shooting straight up on his own measured curve, or losing weight, and is meeting milestones, then you are not over feeding, nor is he malnourished. Thin does not equal malnourished, and chubby does not equal over fed.

I know this will get lost, but I wanted to chime in somehow.... I noticed someone said to give rice cereal in the bottle... that is dangerous on several levels. First, it's a choking hazard. Second, the baby needs calories right now, and if you offer anything else, you are substituting something that does not have calories, fat, an proper balanced nutrition. You give that baby breastmilk OR formula at this stage. NO 5 WEEK OLD SHOULD BE GETTING CEREAL!!!!!!!!!!!

My 9 week old has been taking 6oz. every 3 hours since about 5 weeks and he was about your sons size. Overnight it's longer. He was 12lbs. at his 2 month appointment. I say don't worry about overfeeding him. Both of my kids have had big appetites and ate/drank more than most of the other kids their age and they're perfect.

I get a guideline form from our pediatrician and it says 6-8oz. a feed and up to 36oz. a day. Hope that helps!

From my experience with babies over the years, most babies don't wait 4 hours between feedings, Especially at only 5 weeks old. My baby, who is now 15 months was hungry every two hours for quite a few months. She was a finicky eater though, and would only take 2 oz. at a time. Try feeding every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, then increase to 6 oz., if he still seems hungry. For many months, everything is a guessing game! Basically, what they say about feeding babies on demand, is what needs to be done!

This is the time to feed him. My son is now 4 mo. old, but at 5 wks he would feed 4oz every two hours. His weight and growth is normal. If he is asking for more, I say give it to him!

I agree with the majority and believe you should feed him as long as he is hungry. My goodness he is so young and I do not believe in an overweight "baby". I think the bigger the healthier. Although I believe the best person to answer the weight limit for your child's length (if you don't believe in my sentiment on it) would be his pediatrician. He will advise whether your child is overweight or not. If so than you would want to limit his intake accordingly but otherwise mix away and give him as much formula as he wants - as long as he is holding it down.

Mind you spitting up can be a sign of reflux which my daughter has and can also contribute to wanting to eat more.

If your baby is hungry, then feed him. The risk with overfeeding a formula fed baby is that sometimes people try to make them finish the bottle rather than letting baby stop eating when baby is done.

Babies know when they are hungry and when they are full, if you feed your son based on his needs, you will do fine.

my son was 9lbs 2oz at birth and ate signifigantly more than the reccomended 4 oz every 4 hours. He was eating up to 8 oz every 3 if i remember correctly.

Hi KJ,

Here are some web sites that may be helpful.

www.verybestbaby.com/mybaby/formulafeeding.aspx?

www.babycenter.ca/baby/formula/howmuchmilk/

Get into a mom's support group and take some parenting classes.

www.kidspriorityone.org or ###-###-####
www.chkd.org/classes

Good luck. Hope this helps. D.

My doctor always told me that if my three want more to eat, then give it to them. It sounds like 4 oz. isn't enough. Try more formula. Also, you can try mixing some rice cereal too. Mine were eating cereal by that age and all three were 9 lbs+ at birth.