Is my baby eating enough?

[YumBountyChoc]

Hi, hope this is the right place for this.

My DD is 11.5months old (1 on 28th June), she's following the 25th Centile for weight, and was 18lb 5 when she was last weighed at the end of May. She seems really small to me compared to her peers, and she's only just growing out of 6-9m clothing now. I'm worried she's not eating enough so thought I'd see what people thought about what she eats and whether it's a good amount. I am describing here what she actually eats and not what she's offered, I am worried about the amount. Does this sound right?

She takes three 8oz bottles of SMA Hungrier Baby Stage 1 Milk, and 1 6oz bottle of whole cows milk (on the advise of hv) a day. Generally at 7.30am, 11am, 2pm and 6pm. She's offered water with every meal and generally drinks 1 and a half sippy cups (Avent 6m+) of water a day - more during the hot weather (she always has access to water and will point at her cup or my water bottle if she's thirsty)

She has breakfast at 8.30am which is usually half a slice of brown toast with butter - she won't eat more than that. Occasionally she'll have a few feeding spoons of ready brek made with formula instead of the toast. I always offer fruit afterwards but she never wants it - generally offered a quarter of a banana or some chopped apple.

Lunch is usually at 12.30 and is either a small portion of soup (usually homemade leak and potato) with a quarter of a slice of brown toast, a roasted chicken (usually I roasted the chicken the day before) sandwich on brown bread (one slice folded over) or a very small portion of tuna and sweetcorn pasta (4-5pieces of pasta, a small amount of sweetcorn and a teaspoon of tuna).

Tea is whatever we've had the night before generally at about 4.30pm - we eat normal things; curry, lasagne, shephards pie, roast dinners etc. She generally has a small portion; today she had a quarter of an average size sausage, a teaspoon of mash potato, and a teaspoon of peas with a teaspoon of low salt gravy.

She is offered snacks before her bottles at 11am and 2pm, but she rarely takes this - she's offered chopped grapes or strawberries/blueberries, or a rice cake (the organix ones for babies).

I'm sure she's not eating enough food, is this enough for her?

[MummyTheTramEngine]

If she's following her centile there's no need to worry- if she seems well and happy then she is getting enough.

[DollyBarton]

Good luck to edit she is eating loads! Even the baby milk alone covers her 24oz. Mine is 20nths now and I've already forgotten what she ate at 11mths bout I think she was only on 2 bottles of 6-7 oz by that point and 2-3 meals a day? Can't remember. Maybe someone with an 11mth old will be along shortly.

[DollyBarton]

Good lord she is eating loads.....that should have read.

[DollyBarton]

Also are you sure you're not shoving her into too small clothes? You might be surprised how well 9-12mth clothes actually fit.

[Sierra259]

My only thought is maybe she's filling up on formula? Especially if it's the hungry baby one. I assume the hv advice was regarding the cows milk rather than formula? If not, apologies!

At 11.5 months, my DC1 was having a quick morning bf, then 200mls formula x2 daily (not always finished and it wasn't the hungry baby type). Maybe try offering a bit less formula and see if she starts eating a bit more? Some babies don't eat a lot though - mine was definitely in the minority with eating everything she could get her hands on! If she's on the same centile she's always been, I wouldn't worry too much.

[TeaBelle]

My dd would eat much more than that - greedy sausage as she is, but only had 1 milk feed a day. Milk will fill her up so maybe reduce it a bit if you want her to eat more solids. But fine if you don't

[MumOnACornishFarm]

OP my DS is 1 week younger than your DD (so happy first birthday to you and her, coming up very soon!) He is on the 9th centile (born 6lb 6oz) and he is also only just growing out of his 6-9 month vests. Your DD eats quite a lot more than him, and drinks about 7oz more milk than he does. Also mine will resist eating much other than fruit which he will eat by the truck load, though he is offered a huge variety of foods, as is your DD. I really wouldn't worry. If she's growing, and has bags of energy (which I bet she does!) then I would say she's eating just fine. It sounds great to me!

[YumBountyChoc]

She has loads if energy, but isn't crawling yet so isn't really using it. I will try cutting her milk down. The advise was for the cow milk yes, she's been on that since 10 months. She was 7lb 6 at birth.

9-12 clothes are huge on her, sleep suits where draping off her shoulders but she is too big for 6-9 now so will have to cope til she's bigger.

[MumOnACornishFarm]

I don't think the age of the clothes tell us very much, really. My little boy has always been a little slip of a thing, he doesn't have any cute baby fat rolls or anything, but he's got really long legs. So his vests are still 6-9 months, but his sleepsuits have to be 9-12 months to accommodate his legs, though he's outgrowing some of those now, and round the middle bit I could fit another baby in there with him!

[00alwaysbusymum]

Not a dietician but seems like a lot of milk ? Milk used to fill up my children so they wouldn't eat as much ?

[Caterina99]

DS is one on 21 June (How did that happen?!) He's quite big, about 75 percentile weight and 95 height and is walking loads and very active. He eats constantly I feel!

7am - 6oz bottle half whole milk half formula (trying to drop the bottles and encourage whole milk in cup)
Plastic bowl of porridge or one weatabix with milk. Also offered some whole milk in a cup which he drinks a bit of
9/9.30 - snack. Usually half slice of toast and a bit of fruit. Some more milk from cup
12.30/1 - lunch. Bits of cheese, crackers, meat, veg. Probably total about one of his plastic bowls. Some fruit for pudding. Some milk from his cup.
3/3.30 - snack. Maybe some yoghurt, or fruit or cheese, crackers, baby snack things etc. Often we are out so whatever is easy
5pm - dinner. Small portion of our meals eg spag bol etc
7pm - 8oz bottle before bed.

I think the main difference is he has much less milk than your lo does. I definitely noticed his food intake went up a lot once he stopped having as much formula. He will drink milk from a cup, but no where near as much as from a bottle, so once we drop the bottles I don't anticipate him drinking more than 12 oz milk over the day. Sounds like she's getting enough though if she's happy and growing. We are all different shapes and sizes!

[Caterina99]

Oh and I just moved him into 12-18 month clothes.

[PerspicaciaTick]

I thought that hungry baby milk was designed to fill up baby without actually being more nutritious than standard formula.
(In fact I just went back and checked and, for example, SMA Hungry baby, SMA follow on and SMA first baby milk all contain 67 calories per 100ml).

Perhaps switching to standard formula would leave her feeling less full and keener to eat more solids, without actually cutting back on bottles?

Maybe try adding a tiny bit of cheese to her fruit/rice cake snacks (to ring the changes) or try scrambled egg/omelette with her toast at breakfast.

It does sound like she's consuming lots, but it might be quite bulky and filling without being especially high in calories. And if her weight is steadily increasing along the same centile, then she is growing beautifully.

[Dixiechick17]

My 1 year old DD is around 23lbs and still in 6-9 babygrows, found also that 9-12 are massive. We've switched tp pyjamas instead now and they are much better if you want a solution to moving up a size in sleepwear. Food wise that's a good amount, we've reduced DD's milk intake and found that she has started eating more solids.

[dementedpixie]

They only need around 20oz of milk up to 1 year and then it drops to around 10/11oz from 1 year so try cutting some milk. Any reason you are using hungry milk as it can make them feel fuller for longer? My 2 had only 2 milk feeds at that age

[eurochick]

I have a small eater too. She was prem and under the paediatrician until she was a year old. At her one year check we were advised to cut down her milk to try to get her eating more food. We did and she did! She has never been a hearty eater though. We have found little and often works for her, so she has a snack a couple of hours after each meal. She also follows the 25 centile line and seems dinky compared to her peers but she is growing steadily and is now a very healthy and active almost 2 year old.

[MumOnACornishFarm]

Caterina I think I'd quite like to come and eat in your house please! Our little boys turn one on the same day, and I also have no idea how that happened.
OP have you spoken to our HV or GP if you are at all worried? Your DD will be getting her 12 month check up soon so there's an opportunity. But they are all different. Mine isn't walking yet, but very close, so obviously not using quite as many calories as a baby who is walking. Also mine has crazy long naps so it's hard to squeeze in more than 3 meals and sometimes one snack.

[YumBountyChoc]

She had a check at 10 months, next one isn't until 2 years old now. Will speak to my hv. We used hungrier milk on suggestion of HV as she wasn't seeming full on normal milk, never switched to stage 2 milk as was told it's not as good for them. Will try switching another of her bottles of formula for milk and see if that helps.

[Timetogrowup2016]

Scrap hungry baby formula.
It's designed to keep babies full for longer and then she won't eat as much.
However if she's following her centile she's fine. Don't worry about clothes sizes.

[BotBotticelli]

Agree key should scrap the hungry baby formula and start trying to reduce the amount of milk she has so she is hungrier at meal times. That seems like a lot of milk to me for a baby who is nearly 1.

DS is at the other end of the centile scale - he is 10 months old and 98th centile. He is huge. He normally eats/drinks:

7am - one whole weetabix with whole cows milk and a whole banana

[Buckinbronco]

It's not really much food, to be honest. I can't imagine it's too much concern as her weight is fine as far as we know. The only thing I would say is, as the others- all the milk. She's often having it before you offer food. My children have been off formula at 12m and were only having about 20oz mainly morning and evening at that age, although they did eat much more than you describe. But she's not going to just keep eating more and more, the milk will have to be reduced so she replaces it with food
Good luck!

[YumBountyChoc]

Have cut her 11am bottle down to 6oz (i'll slowly wean her off formula) and her 2pm bottle will now be cows milk rather than formula, so she'll be having 2 bottles of formula and 2 of milk today. Will see how she gets on.

Thanks for all the help

[YumBountyChoc]

Already seeing an improvement. At lunchtime she ate her sandwich followed by some chopped up strawberries, then had a rice cake at 2pm. And for her tea she managed a homemade burger, 4 carrot sticks and 2 teaspoons of sweetcorn. She's just also had some blueberries as well.

Thanks guy, a lot happier she's eating more now I've switched her afternoon bottles to milk rather than formula.

[MumOnACornishFarm]

Great news! Well done OP. for you.

[Caterina99]

Happy birthday for next week too Cornish DS. Crazy how fast it goes. And yes I feel like I'm just providing a running buffet all day. And then cleaning the highchair over and over again!

To move DS from 4 8oz bottles (7,11,3 and 7 roughly) to 3, I stopped his 11am one and gave him a snack around then, I then gave him the bottle at around 1pm after lunch and before his nap, so the 11am and 3pm kind of merged together. He had that routine for a while. I did it though because he wasn't fully drinking either, but he drained that 1pm bottle dry. He definitely ate more as a result of that. Don't know if that would work for your lo though if she's drinking all her milk, so your way might be better.