Formula/Solid Intake

Hi I am a first time mom of a 13 month old and expecting number two. Personally I think that every child is different and is going to need different things. For me I NEVER kept track of exactly how many ounces my son was eating or how many wet/stinky diapers he had. And haven't really paid too much attention to the doctors little percentile chart either. My son was such a happy content little man that I was able to just feed him(breastfed him)when he was hungry let him sleep when he was tired and just paid real close attention to what HE needed/wanted. At one point the doctors told me that they were going to have me bring my son back in because he was so low on their growth percentile chart that their might be something wrong with him. I simply said how much is he supposed to grow from check up to check up? And has he grown that much? I dont really care what your little chart there says because honestly both my husband and I are short and little ourselves so we are not going to have a big child and has that been taken into consideration? My son is obviously not starved and overall a happy and content baby. Furthermore he may be in the lower percentile on your chart but he grows at each visit. I believe there was one time when his weight had stayed the same but he had gotten so much taller that it was to be understood and made sense. So moral of my story is, forget paying attention to that stupid percentile chart and pay attention to your son and what he is telling you. He will eat when he is hungry and he will get very upset if you either try to make him eat when he is not or dont feed him when he is. And I would also stop making yourself crazy counting wet diapers. You dont have to drive yourself mad counting. He will have his own routine of when he has a bowel movement and how often he urinates. And being a stay at home mom you will unconciously(spelling?) be intune to that and if there is an issue where he is not going as much you WILL know. You are his mom and you have an intuition that will tell you when something is wrong. And you HAVE to TRUST YOUR INTUITION and stop relying on stupid little charts and listen to your baby boy. This is just what I have learned from my sister who has two children 12 and 4 and from my own experience. I am sure that your baby boy is healthy as ever and I am sure that if you are getting frustrated then that is contributing to your baby's stress level as well. Babies know when you are stressed and it upsets them as well. So try to relax and rememeber listen to your baby and your intuition. Good luck!!!!

Hi M.~
First of all, stop beating yourself up for bottle feeding...it doesn't make you a bad mom, just like breastfeeding doesn't make you a good mom. My babies are born so big, I never worried about their intake, or wet diapers after the first month. But as I sat here counting the oz that my >20 lb 6mo old takes, it's really only 24 oz on a good day! By 7 months or so, your baby's hunger patterns will beging to stabilize like yours and mine...they will move toward three meals a day with some addt'l formula in between. My baby will only take 4 bottles a day no matter what I do, and I have to make sure he gets the bottle before the solids or he won't take it at all. I really think that as long as your baby is not losing weight and is developing well (i.e. new skills on time) you can take a deep breath and relax a little. You will be surprised in another year or so how much energy you spent on this issue when you didn't necessarily need to. I know that b/c I did the same thing the first time around!! :)
That said, if you do think your baby needs to take more formula try a squeeze of Karo. I had to use it on all my babies b/c they were so constipated all the time. I was worried about them getting fat (ironic, huh?) but the doc said the sugars stay in the digestive tract, that's why it works. Anyway, once baby gets a taste of the sweetness added to the formula, he may drink more. Mine didn't like bottles w/o it after they tasted it! One ped also told me to add a tsp of sugar to the bottle...I know, I know, I said the same thing!!!! She said that it was WAY less than the amt of sugar they add to juice, and it would help baby to get the calories he needed. I actually did NOT try it, but I'll pass it along. Take it or leave it!
Good luck w/baby!
~L.

it sounds just like my daughter.

she hated nursing hated formula... I did manage to nurse her for 10 months but she hated it. and would come off the breast to suck on her pacifier. she liked baby food a bit... better than formula.. but what she realy liked was table food and regular milk. once she was 1 year old and we switched her to cows milk she was happy and drank more. she will drink 6 or 8 oz of milk now .. she likes food she can pick up and eat with her hands.

she is fine and healthy- but her weight is below the chart. she is 60% for height and has met all developmental milestones..

she is fine.. your son is fine... people come in different sizes. dont worry... he will eat enough and he might do better once you switch to table foods..

One thing you might try, if you haven't already, is a faster flow nipple. My oldest son (who will be 3 in August) was very lazy, both at the breast and with the bottle. Once we figured out that he was frustrated with working so hard to get only a little bit, as well as bored with sucking for so long, we increased the flow of the nipple and he was more content with his formula. Our newest little guy, now he eats like there's no tomorrow! Like I said, just a thought if you haven't tried it already... Good luck, and let us know if you find a secret :)