questions re formula feeding

[duplotractor]

Hi I am ff my ds 3 weeks. Although sometimes he also sucks on the breast but not sure he gets much milk so main feeding definitely ff.

when he's been ff he sometimes roots around a lot like he's still hungry but when he's had the max dose of ff shortly before.

when this happens should I just iignore (if he's not crying)? sometimes I've made up another ff and he's had a bit and fallen asleep. once he drank a load more and was sick :(
or should I be giving him a dummy?
sometimes I have offered him the breast and hes been satisfied a while but then come off and rooting around again but refusing the breast.

also generally do i offer more ff if hes drained the bottle and still seems hungry?

tia fir any help and sorry for typos - typing one handed with him asleep on my arm!

[mememummy]

Their is no correct dose of formula you just give him what he needs if he has a 4 oz bottle give him 5 if he leaves some dont worry try winding him half way through, don't worry about how much breast milk he gets either if he is having wet and poo nappies he is getting enough

Congrats on new lovely baby xx

[duplotractor]

thanks for reply! the formula tin says 120ml till they are 4 weeks then go to 150ml. so i will just start making up 150 ml now. was a bit paranoid about overfeeding as had heard could happen with ff baby.

[Stonefield]

Agree with previous poster, feed him if hes hungry. We started on 3oz bottles and when he regularly drained we moved to 4oz and so on. There will be times when he just has a little and other times when he seems like a bottomless pit but as long as he's happy it's all good.
Best of luck.

[Fairylea]

Ignore ignore ignore the guidelines on the tin. One size doesn't fit all. Feed on demand as you would if you were breastfeeding.

[brettgirl2]

No you won't overfeed him. The only thing you shouldn't do is to is to keep trying to give the bottle back to finish the last bit, like breastfeeding once they are finished they are finished. They should be regulating their own appetite. Although ff babies generally take bigger feeds once all is settled they generally feed less often. Dd2 always took more than the side of the tin, dd2 always had much less. They both weighed much the same, some just need more than others for some reason.

[knottyhair]

Hi. My DD is 2 weeks and we've just started giving her a dummy some of the time when she acts like she's still hungry, and it seems to satisfy her (did the same with my DS and he just stopped wanting the dummy at about 3 months on his own) - some babies are just more "sucky" I think! We feed DD based roughly on her weight, apparently 70ml for each lb, which seems to work fine for her. Not saying this is the "right" way for everyone, just letting you know what we do in case it helps. Congratulations!

[duplotractor]

Hi - thanks for all the tips! Really glad I don't have to stick to the side of the tin guidelines and can feed on demand. just so difficult to get ff tips in RL as bf being pushed so hard (not that I say it shouldn't be, just that ff info as well would be nice)

[Fairylea]

I think the guidelines are there more if a baby is underweight really... but if your baby is feeding well and wants more I'd definitely go for it! Both mine have been big hungry babies and I just go with the flow. Sometimes they'd have 8oz, sometimes just an oz ! Worth offering if they seem hungry.... no harm in trying :)

[brettgirl2]

afaik the 70 per lb or whatever is the minimum they want them to take if they are concerned about weight gain. Something like that was mentioned to me by the paed when one of mine was readmitted for losing too much weight right at the start. It may well be the right amount for your baby but it isn't meant to be used to calculate feeds for healthy thriving babies.

[bonzo77]

Ignore the cartons. Make up 1oz more than the baby tends to take. Let him drink till he stops sucking. Burp him. Offer the bottle back. Take it away if he's not interested: don't encourage him to take more than he wants. If he's sick occasionally he's just correcting for taking too much. If he roots around but then refuses the milk, burp him then try again. If no burp or still not interested then try a cuddle and / or a dummy. DS2 is nearly 4 weeks and 100% FF. I think it takes them a while to work out the link between hunger, sucking, fullness and comfort.