More formula than recommended?

[Zamboni]

DS is 5mo and appears to be very hungry. I started off breastfeeding, moved to combination feeding at 3 weeks until he was 12 weeks, then switched to formula completely. He is now on the "hungry" milk.

The packet recomends 5 bottles of 7oz each feed in a 24 hour period. He averages 6 bottles of 8oz and today we are on course for perhaps 7 bottles as he is struggling to go more than 2 hours between feeds! Today he has had 8oz at 7am, 10am, 12noon and was wailing at 1.45pm, so he had another 8oz at 2pm. He is now happy again, having drained the bottle.

He's always slept pretty well and dream feeding him messes up his sleep, so he has all this between 6/7am and 7pm. He does wake in the night but I don't feed him due to the volume he drinks daily. However, I have no doubt he would drain a bottle if offered!

With DD at the same age she drank exactly the recommended amount, no more or less, and went 4 hours between feeds very happily, including a dream feed until she was established on solids.

Is it ok to feed him more than recommended, both by volume and more often, if that's what he seems to want? DS is sitting at the 50th centile with s steady weight gain which pace doesnt seem to have changed despite moving from breast/mixed feeding/formula/move to hungry formula.

Any advice much appreciated!

[BikeRunSki]

Let him have what he needs / wants. There is no such thing as an average baby! For example DS had 5oz 6 times a day at that age and thrived. My friend's DS, similar age, had 13 oz 5 times a day and 6oz once. Also thrived, not a scrap of fat on him.

[Zamboni]

Thanks bike. I know a bf baby should have on demand, so figured there is no reason why a ff baby shouldnt, unless there is something in the formula that isnt recommended more than x amount per day. But that's probably me just inventing problems!