AIBU to think you CAN be overfeeding a baby?

[splodgeses]

My ds, average weight when born, is 5 months and wearing 9-12 and 12-18 month old clothes. I will admit he has been hopping up the length centiles as well as the weight ones, but I'm not surprised.

What I am surprised about is that he feeds soooooo much! I tried bf, but after almost 3 months of poorly boy with stomach pains, colic, constant vomiting, diarrhoea and endless feeding (which was observed by a bf consultant, who said he did seem to be feeding excessively) I gave up. I moved him onto leading formula, and he was drinking 8-10 4oz bottles a day, from the off. HV said to try a hungry version. I switched to the hungrier baby formula after 2 weeks. 7 weeks later and he is still on the hungrier formula, and drinking between 4/5 12oz bottles every day.

I have concerns that he is feeding too much, his weight gain slope is steeper than any centile and has gone over the 99.6. He was introduced to solids about 3 weeks ago as advised by HV but this hasn't slowed his milk consumption at all!

HV doesn't seem too vexed (although she was initially) and said that you can't overfeed a baby. But this evening, following his usual bedtime bottle (as well as this morning actually) he seemed to still be hungry. I don't think I could possibly up his bottles even further, but will feel like I am not giving him enough if I don't.

I will speak to HV again but she doesn't seem to be much use.

Has anyone else had such a demanding baby?

Matte hea thirsty? Do you give water to drink with his solids?

Oh organ thanks so much for taking the time to write your post!

That makes so much more sense than anything any hc provider has said. Perhaps they thought me too simple to understand as I find with quite a few professionals these days

I really can't thank you all enough !

I don't think you can based on my experience.
My two were both big babies, very hungry with severe reflux. They were EBF and never stopped feeding for the first 6 months. Both ended up on 99th percentile and were visibly chubby.
I never worried. No MN then.
Once they started moving around the weight balanced out and by 18 months they were skinny.
Both are extremely skinny adults now.

Since the weight & length are in proportion on the centile chart, I think it sounds ok & he's just "finding his line".

Also to say my DD (weaned at 26 weeks) was massively hungry in the weeks run up to weaning. She was taking 7oz bottles 2.5 hourly during the day. And she was a 50th centile baby, but is now quite petite (no tall genes in my family!!).

Sorry OP Tt is tongue tie, all 3 of mine have posterior tongue ties which, in dc1 and dc3, really affected their feeding. Many health visitors and gps misdiagnosed it because they are not as obvious as anterior tongue tied until I saw a specialist on dc3 who finally diagnosed and did a revision.

yw :-) It may be that your hcp just don't know because midwives, HVs and GPs get quite minimal training in infant feeding, which is madness. I'm a breastfeeding counsellor so am trained in infant feeding as a speciality.

Op none of mine could have possibly waited to 5 months to be starting in solids.

We started them at 4 months

My lads are well over 6 feet now and built like rugby players and my girls are tall, athletic and super slim.

Go with your baby. He hasn't read the latest baby Manuel's/fashions/ feeding fads.

Theboodythatrocked... he is on solids and has been for over 3 weeks now. He has breakfast and dinners (mostly porridges with fruit purees and blitzed 'whatever we had the day before' as dinners) and a lunch of finger foods ie steamed carrot sticks, broccoli etc

To a couple of pps as well, he does have water from a cup with meals, especially lunch, and throughout the day. I have tried substituting a bottle of water instead of milk, but he remains discontent.

Thanks again to organ Even the bf consultant didn't offer me all that much information. The bf mums (and the not bf) in your area are lucky to have you! Not so oddly, now you have enlightened me He has actually seemed far more satisfied on the usual Aptamil formula, not even needing to finish his last two bottles! I am keeping my fingers crossed for a yellow poo in the next couple of days.