Pacifier vs over Feeding

BAbies want to suck - it's comforting. give him a pacifier and if he's huingry he'll spit it out. But if he jsut wants to suck he'll keep at that pacifier.

My 1st was a girl and my 2nd was a boy - my boy baby ate WAY more than my little girl baby! So maybe he's just a starving boy. Get used to it - you won't be able to keep the cabinets stocked when he's a teen.

My experience is, if they are hungry, a pacifier just isn't going to cut it and they will let you know soon enough.

Best,
F. B.

i wish hospitals would be careful about their directives for how much babies should eat and when, because so many young mothers like you take this for absolutes.
it's true that in a very general sense 2oz every 2 hours is what a lot of babies do, but it doesn't begin to hold true for all. breastfeeding moms will laugh at that degree of military oversight.
your baby is TINY. he'll stop eating when he's full.
no need to be paranoid about pacifiers and 'teaching' babies to need them. some want 'em, some don't. but there's no need for you to give one to your tiny boy in lieu of feeding him. study YOUR baby and learn his needs, and don't get too caught up in generalities. they're helpful, but not ironclad rules.
khairete
S.

Feed this baby on demand. The doctor was giving you minimum requirements, not a 'cap' for how much to feed. Your little one is putting a lot of energy into growing, and this will even out in the long run.

Just so you know, too, some medical professionals really have odd perceptions about feeding babies. When Kiddo was about 6 months or so, I took him to a nurse practitioner who told me that based on some stupid chart, he was 'overweight'. An "overweight", breastfed six month old who had never eaten food? Really? I decided she was stupid and never went back. Kiddo? He's seven and a skinny little thing-- has been for a long time. So, all that to say, FEED that baby of yours. Offer a paci if he's still had a long feed and wants to suckle, (some babies love having that sensation) but otherwise, just feed him.

Pacifiers are for all babies, not just fussy ones. And you should feed on demand

Don't ever worry about over-feeding a baby. Give him what he wants/needs.

Also, pacifiers are healthy for babies who need them. They give the baby, and you, peace and comfort. I completely reversed my opinion on pacifiers once I had a child. Pacifiers won't make your child "dependent," don't worry. When it's time to wean him, at two years old or whatever, you can cut the tip off or ask on this site for other ideas.

Babies absolutely do not need to learn to self-soothe. My pacifier baby, who at 2, would walk around with one in her mouth and two paci's in her hand, is now the most competent, adventurous, joyful young woman. The other two sucked their thumbs and stopped at about the same age.

Have fun with your new baby!

All babies are different. Yours is doing OK. What the doctor suggested is only a guideline. At this age you should be feeding him when he's hungry. He won't over eat. Use the pacifer when he's just sucking his lips. I suggest that babies need to suck. All three of my grandchildren easily gave up the pacifier when it was time. The youngest stopped using it even tho there were pacifiers laying around at 6 months or so. I suggest that when we allow them to use it as much as they want from the beginning they will stop sooner because they've sucked as much as they need to.

One of my grandchildren only wanted the pacifier for a few weeks. Some babies refuse it from the start.

You and baby are doing just fine. You are so fortunate to have a calm easy to care for baby. I suggest he is this way because he has a quieter personality. Both personality are normal.

If he is hungry feed him.

Babies stop eating when they're full.
Go for the total daily never of ounces.
It's ok to feed him every 3 hours instead of 2 hours.
The babies haven't agreed to any schedules! Lol
Focus on ounces per day---total them up. You'll be amazed at how consistent it is!

Oh let the poor thing eat. They aren't like us, they don't eat because someone made them feel bad or something tastes good, they eat because they are hungry. If he wants to eat he is hungry, end of discussion.

I can't remember how much my oldest ate at that age but a lot. He is 26 and still skinny as a rail. I am pretty sure if I had restricted what he ate just because it was more than a guideline we would have had weight issues. I mean you are forming neuropathways, personality, things like that and what is always in the baby's mind, I am hungry I am hungry, I am hungry. Just seems like there is a big chance the kid will always be hungry.

Babies that young can't overeat. Feed him when he's hungry. When he's full, he will stop. If he's not hungry (after 2 hours) don't feed him until he is.

I breastfed my daughter, so I have no idea how many oz she drank. I did not watch the clock. When she was hungry, she nursed.

Some babies like pacis and some never do. Mine would not take one, ever, or suck her thumb, either.

I breastfed both my daughters. So of course there was no way for me to know HOW MUCH they ate. Hell sometimes they used ME as a pacifer.

My advice to you is that hunger is a natural process. There is no need to micromanage it. Feed him when he's hungry. And if you feel he's had enough to eat then give him a paci, toy, teething ring, or even your finger to suck on.

What interests me is that this is your second child, not your first. So why are you doubting yourself and the process? Why are you allowing a random doctor's suggestions to overrule your mothering abilities?

What did you do for your daughter?

As long as he isn't crying or fussing let him make the sucking movements if you don't want to give him a paci. He's only 2 weeks old. He will either grow out of this or he will let you know what he really wants, either a paci or more feeding.

Some babies take to pacifiers while others don't.
Our son was a thumb man - wouldn't take anything else.
I'm not sure it's possible to over feed a baby.
Their stomachs are only so big (about the size of a walnut at birth) and if they drink too much milk/formula they just spit it up.
2 oz every 2 hrs sounds spot on so follow the doctors advice.
I was breast feeding our son and he fed hourly for the longest time (can't remember exactly for how long - I was very sleep deprived).
As glad as I was that I could feed him, it took some getting use to to have a baby at the breasts all the time.
That first 8 weeks was a blur - he was very fussy - but the doctor was very happy with his rate of growth - and at 8 weeks he settled right down and I finally found a sense of confidence that we were going to be just fine.
Up until 3 or 4 yrs old, kids do a pretty good job of self regulating what they eat (as long as you make sure healthy choices of foods are available).

Babies need to suck. It's genetic, survival instinct. It's how they live, by sucking.

So you need to think this through. Many times the hospital will give you a pacifier when the baby is a newborn. They know the baby will suck and suck and suck. If you don't want your baby to find it's finger or thumb I suggest you consider giving him a pacifier.

Okay, let me talk to you about the instinctual sucking reflex. Your infant NEEDS to suck. I mean that too. This isn't about milk. This is about needing to suck. They even do it in the womb - sonograms see them sucking their thumbs in the womb.

I chose pacifiers over allowing my babies to suck their thumbs because I wanted the ability to take the pacifier away. It's really hard to take a thumb away, and I watched two of my nieces suck their thumbs all the way up to kindergarten. (They also put a finger up one nostril at the same time they sucked their thumbs - yuck.)

Your baby is helping YOU set his feeding schedule. It is okay to feed him 3-4 ounces every 3 hours. Do not feed a bottle on demand. If you were nursing it would be different, but you aren't.

My younger son was calm like yours (the opposite of my older son!) But they both scheduled like your son is doing. My babies were NEVER fat. And your son won't be either.

Offer him a 4 ounce bottle every 3 hours. Burp him enough so that he doesn't have gas. He might not take the entire 4 ounces and that's okay. In between feedings, offer him a paci when he fusses or moves his mouth. LET him sate his sucking instinct. It's important. He needs it.

Just so that you know for when he is older, my ped told me that between 4 and 5 months old, the sucking instinct dissipates, and then sucking after that becomes HABIT. I weaned my children from their pacifiers betwen 4 and 5 months. I never had to worry about bucked teeth, them WALKING AROUND with paci's in their mouths (I hate that - the paci's get dirty) and I didn't have to worry about them trying to talk with a pacifier sticking in their mouths which I also hate. But by using a paci in the first few months, I didn't have to worry about having a thumb sucker.

Do NOT deny your baby an outlet to suck. He needs it. Just don't substitute milk for sucking. The 3 to 4 ounces every 3 hours is just fine.

Unless your baby is suffering from gird, or excessive spitting up, don't even worry about overfeeding a new born. The sucking motion does not still mean he wants to eat. Its just something babies do. If he is not crying, then he neither needs more food nor a paci. If he is content, but making a sucking motion, leave him be. Yes, feed on demand. Don't bother with pacies unless you can't calm a fussy baby.

DO WHAT YOUR DOCTOR SAYS! You've already put a weight issue on your 2 week old. Never give a pacifier. Babies have to learn to self sooth.

Sad to hear you gave in on the paci. Pacifiers are the lazy way out. Very few babies actually need them. They are for the parent not the babies.