My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Weaning

Weaning guidelines seem conflicting !

81 replies

AlphaAndEcho · 26/02/2013 16:44

Ds is 4mo and lately his first stage formula is not satisfying him . I've read the weaning guidelines say that the hungry baby / second stage formulas are not recommended . Weaning before 6mo is not recommended . I dont know what else to do . He is taking about 800mls a day and any more than that he just brings it back up it's obviously too much milk for his stomach to take , but he's still hungry .

Any advice appreciated Tia

OP posts:
Report
estya · 26/02/2013 16:56

If he is bringing extra milk back up I'd question why you think he's hungry.

A lot happens at 4 months. Sleep goes crazy and there is lots of developmental leaps duo its not unusual for babies to be unhappy and restless.

If he needs more food he really needs more formula/breastmilk. It's nutritionally perfect for him for a long time yet.

Report
AlphaAndEcho · 26/02/2013 17:03

It's obviously too much liquid lying in his stomach . But he's still wanting more screaming when his bottle is done . I just know he needs something more substantial I just dont know what .

OP posts:
Report
nickelbabe · 26/02/2013 17:04

he's probably not hungry, but teething.
sucking for comfort.
or bored.

Report
nickelbabe · 26/02/2013 17:06

some babies go through a growth spurt at 4mo, so that could be a factor - like i said above, he might be bored.
he'll be tired and there's a sleep regression at 4mo, so even though he's tired, he won't sleep.
after you've given him a bottle, try rocking him or taking him out for a little bit.

it could even be trapped wind

Report
AlphaAndEcho · 26/02/2013 22:02

His Weight gain has actually slowed down , which in told means he is not getting enough sustenance from his milk . Yeah I think I will try a walk after his feeds it seems to be the ones in the middle he wants more he is happy with his first and last bottle of the day .

OP posts:
Report
nickelbabe · 26/02/2013 22:26

no it doesn't.

weight gain does slow down.
look at your red book. the graph in there clearly shows the line getting flatter as he gets older.
it slows down because his mental development takes over.
he really really really doesn't need anything other than his milk right now.(even if you decided to wean him, you would be filling him with stuff that had volume but not enough balanced nutritional value, which could mean he'd lose weight. what would you start him on? apple puree? and that's going to fill him more than his milk? rice? that just fibre, not balanced meal like his milk. he won't start gaining anything nutritionally from solids until a year anyway)

Report
FunnysInLaJardin · 26/02/2013 22:32

OP, DS1 started weaning at about 4 months, 7 years ago. He was really really hungry. His brother didn't start weaning until 8 months - 2 years ago. They are different children and so I dealt with them differently. I know 6 months is a guideline but if you baby is hungry you know about it.

Incidentally DS1 is a skinny boy although chunking up nicely now and DS2 was always the 'chubby' one. Aged 3 DS2 is as skinny as DS1!

Report
JumpHerWho · 26/02/2013 22:32

800ml isn't that much. My DS was ff from birth and at that stage he was having 5/6 bottles of 200ml each so nearer 1000-1200 ml and I think that was pretty normal! Confused

Report
FunnysInLaJardin · 26/02/2013 22:34

btw I started weaning my boys on stuff like pureed pumpkin and sweet potato. Didn't bother with baby rice or fruit purees. Not that they will eat that now, oh no!

Report
JumpHerWho · 26/02/2013 22:41

Baby led here... I'm a bit evangelical about it as I cannot understand why you'd bother pureeing stuff when babies don't need puree, they need milk and then start trying to nosh on normal healthy varied food, whatever's on the menu that meal! They won't starve themselves, we're not in some post-war rationed era full of evil diseases that mean we need to shovel our babies full of as much food as we can get into them to fatten them up.

Report
AlphaAndEcho · 26/02/2013 22:42

The information I've been given is that 500-600ml is the norm . The way I look at it is if we drank 2l of water we would bring it back up because it would be too much liquid for our stomach to hold . I feel that's what us happening to ds . He's wanting if because he's hungry but it's too much volume so it's coming back , and he's left unsatisfied . I really don't know what to do for the best .

OP posts:
Report
JumpHerWho · 26/02/2013 22:49

Please give him more than that! DS is 14mo and eats 3 meals and snacks, and still has about 400ml of milk.

The 500-600ml is for babies from 8-12 months isn't it? Please, your DS needs huge amounts of milk, he definitely needs more than 5-600, he really does. Check with your HV if you don't believe it!

I feel Sad because you have such wrong info and your baby must be really hungry (for milk)!

Report
JumpHerWho · 26/02/2013 22:50

How many bottles does he have and at what times?

Report
AlphaAndEcho · 26/02/2013 22:56

4 bottles a day usually at 8 12 4 and 8 . He stopped waking for his night feed when he was about 4 weeks and then he cut another feed out at about 10 weeks . He's got himself into this routine I was worried at first that he was only taking 4 feeds at that Young age but was told that if that's the way he wants fed to go with him .

OP posts:
Report
MajaBiene · 26/02/2013 23:01

4 bottles a day is very few. I would try giving smaller, more frequent bottles so you aren't overwhelming his stomach with big feeds.

Most babies weight gain slows at around 4 months by the way - they can't keep up the same rate of gain as they do at the beginning. How much does your baby weigh?

500-600mls is what weaned babies who are also having 3 meals a day need as a minimum.

Report
stargirl1701 · 26/02/2013 23:04

We were still on 7 bottles at 4 months. 4 seems way too low. Less in each bottle and more frequent feeds would be better. Will he dreamfeed? You could get 2 bottles in overnight if so.

Report
AlphaAndEcho · 26/02/2013 23:05

He was 10lber when he was born . He is 16lbs now . I tried giving him more frequent bottles but he won't do it . That's why I have to give him full bottles because he won't take them any more frequently and even if I did manage to get him to take them he would just bring them back up .

OP posts:
Report
MajaBiene · 26/02/2013 23:07

The amount of formula a baby needs is usually calculated on weight - roughly 75mls (or 2.5oz) per lb of body weight in 24 hours. So a 10lb baby would probably have around 750ml (or 25oz) of milk.

Report
JumpHerWho · 26/02/2013 23:08

I think DS might have been on 7 at 4 months too actually, can't remember properly.

He's probably only sicking up because he's gulping them down so quick being hungry, so if they were more frequent it would help him to relax maybe?

Try to give him another bottle, maybe mid morning? Don't worry if he doesn't want the whole thing, just offer it before a nap or if he seems fussy or agitated/upset. Don't worry about upsetting his routine, it sounds like he's a happy chap who sleeps well so just squeezing another couple of bottles in will sort this.

Report
stargirl1701 · 26/02/2013 23:08

What does your HV say? Have you spoken to the Infant Feeding Specialist at your local hospital?

Report
montmartre · 26/02/2013 23:10

Smaller bottles, more frequently. When did you last see your HV?

Has he always brought milk back, or is this new? Just possible he may have reflux- that would make him howl as well as bring up milk.

Report
MajaBiene · 26/02/2013 23:10

I'd suggest then that many 16lb 4 month olds would have 6x200ml/7oz bottles a day.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Passmethecrisps · 26/02/2013 23:14

I agree with others saying it doesn't sound a lot of milk given your LO's age.

My LO is 15 weeks, 12Ib and should be on 25oz per day. She has 6 bottles a day.

I know how hard it is to make a child eat more or more regularly but I don't think that weaning now will resolve the hunger issue. You will still need to offer all the milk anyway.

Report
LadyWidmerpool · 26/02/2013 23:15

16lb x 75 ml = 1200 ml per day. I would offer more bottles. Have you tried different kinds?

Report
Passmethecrisps · 26/02/2013 23:15

What teats are you using? Maybe changing teat size would help him relax and take milk more slowly this not sicking it up

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.