Now my baby is drinking 18oz per day, with 2 cereal meal. I hope her milk intake is enough. She is five and half months old, waight is 8.2kg. Should I give another milk feed or is this enough?
Doctor told me to start cereal now, now what I'm doing is feed her 3 times per 6 oz of formula and give another 2 times before giving solids in 3 oz and also add about 2 oz of formula to the cereal. So the total is about 25 oz. Doctor told me to give her 24oz-32oz, according to her demand.
At 6 months I was told no less than 24 ounces. I'd offer another bottle BEFORE a 2nd meal of cereal. Solids are not important at 5 1/2 months. Most of the nutrition is from formula. In fact, the AAP doesn't reccommend any solids before 6 months so your baby has plenty of time to try new foods.
Not enough milk. Remember this is her food, not a drink. If she is getting cereal at all, feed it after a milk feeding and really only a tablespoon of cereal
Guidelines for bottle feeding:
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in the book Your Baby's First Year, says, "most babies are satisfied with 3 to 4 ounces per feeding during the first month, and increase that amount by 1 ounce per month until reaching 8 ounces." For a 2 month old, that means that your baby will probably be drinking about 4 to 5 ounces of baby formula at a time.
Some babies never reach 8 ounces though, topping out at 5 to 6 ounces at a feeding.
The AAP provides another guideline about baby formula, suggesting that "on average, your baby should take in about 2 1/2 ounces of formula a day for every pound of body weight." So for an average 2-month-old boy who weighs 12 pounds, that would be about 30 ounces a day.
Keep in mind that the average baby drinks:
•4 to 6 bottles of formula until they are about 6 months old
•3 to 5 bottles of formula between 7 and 9 months of age
•3 to 4 bottles of formula between 10 and 12 months of age
•3 to 4 bottles of whole milk or a toddler formula once they are 12 months old
Formula is her only source of vitamins and nutrients. This doesn't sound like enough. Why is your doctor recommending cereal this young? At this age, solids are not generally recommended and are usually only tried for experience, not nourishment.
Have you inquired of your pediatrician? Does she seem to be content with the servings? Usually at 5 months they are not eating much. Drs. usually have a list and schedule for when to begin introducing what when. This is suppose to keep up with their developing digestion. But often times we mothers want to introduce them to foods early as a sign of them growing up. But we have to consider their health. I understand that the fat cells developed as a baby remain with us all our lives. So be careful with feeding her too much, too early and stay away for bad foods. Read the book, An Essential Practical Guide to Family Living for tips on other areas of parenting. Order on www.destroyingyokes.com
