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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To keep saying it’s impossible to overfeed a bf baby

206 replies

bigBigbaby · 04/09/2021 10:07

To my HV?

My 13 month old is really big!! Jumped up to the top centile line (was on the 25th a birth).

Ebf till 6 m. Eats healthily and actually quite small portions (I think)
Has a small bottle of milk after bath each day as we introduced that as part of bedtime routine from 8 months

Breakfast each day is porridge (1oz milk, dessert spoon oats, chopped berries and 3-4 slices mashed banana )

Lunch is usually a sandwich and veg sticks or a savoury pouch, and a yogurt.

Dinner is a small portion of whatever we have.
Small bottle after bath

She drinks water with meals but is breastfed mid morning and mid afternoon before naps and in the night this is what I’m being told is making her so heavy and that I need to cut the feeds but I’m disagreeing I think there are still benefits to having breastmilk but I’m being told those are cancelled out by the negative effects of being ‘obese’ at a young age

I just don’t agree I think once she’s running about more she will slim down surely ?

OP posts:
JeVoudrais · 04/09/2021 10:33

How big is really big?

My 13 month old is 9.4kgs and 77.5cm long. She's longish but average weight wise. We also co sleep and she feeds in the night and before naps when I am with her but obviously doesn't at nursery (three days a week). She has no milk aside from when she feeds from me. She also doesn't walk yet.

I give three meals a day, at nursery she seems to put away whatever they give her including puddings. At home she's not as good at eating but she does eat enough clearly to keep growing. I feel like her portions are very small but I think their tummies are still quite little at this age so they don't need the size of meals we may think.

Marchitectmummy · 04/09/2021 10:34

Its hard to say without knowing the portion sizes but it sounds a lot and i think its unusual to jump so far up the scale, I have 5 daughters and they all stayed pretty much on the percentile they were born on. I don't think panic but maybe do try to reduce either the amount of bottle or the portion sizes.

JeVoudrais · 04/09/2021 10:34

Give her the health start vitamins. Five tiny drops ons teaspoon once a day. The well baby ones are a PITA.

00100001 · 04/09/2021 10:34

As long as you're not encouraging/forcing LO to finish all their food etc. Eg 'one more mouthful/finish the potatoes'
Then you have to trust that baby will self regulate.

FreeBritnee · 04/09/2021 10:35

It’s impossible to over feeding an exclusively BF baby pre weaning. But your baby is now eating solids so I guess you could argue the HV has a point even though I happen to think you’re doing just great and your LO just sounds big and healthy.

Original poster
bigBigbaby · 04/09/2021 10:36

The HV said the food intake / type of food is not concerning her at all as it’s predominantly savoury except breakfast but she thinks it’s the breastfeeds,
I didn’t realise the over feeding only applies to ebf under 6m but then it’s confusing thst if you can’t over feed a baby who is only having breastmilk why after 6m is breastmilk the reason for weight gain if baby is still breastfed.

I think it’s hard as well as I don’t know if she’s feeding and getting 1 oz from me or 10 oz !

OP posts:
workwoes123 · 04/09/2021 10:37

Bf my two until 3 and 4 yrs old.

I agree with the others that the «you can’t over feed a bf baby» only strictly applies as long as they are ebf. Once you introduce ff (even one a day) and / or solids, it’s not the same.

Where I would disagree is the advice that bfs should be actively dropped. She’s still really young. Personally I’d focus on bf and drop or pull back on other things, starting with the ff. are you letting her feed herself at mealtimes? If so, she’ll be better able to regulate her overall intake than if you were spoon feeding.

00100001 · 04/09/2021 10:37

@bigBigbaby

The only sugar she has is from her vitamin liquid which mixes in with her milk but it’s only 5ml or could that be a problem it contains ‘raw cane sugar’
The amount of sugar in that will be negligible.

She'll be having more from the milk, berries, banana yoghurt (unless it plain?)Etc

Original poster
bigBigbaby · 04/09/2021 10:38

12.2kg (I think they said about 26lb ) and I have no idea of length

OP posts:
SheWoreYellow · 04/09/2021 10:38

Do you have a tape measure? I’d measure her myself and then look in the red book to see if her height and weight are roughly in line.

Or the charts are here
www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Girls_0-4_years_growth_chart.pdf

ReeseWitherfork · 04/09/2021 10:39

Guess not crawling may have had an impact?! Not sure. I don't think you should dismiss what the HV says, but that doesn't mean you need to make any drastic changes, just keep an eye on it. My son probably had a similar diet at 13 months but had months of walking under his belt too, which I assume does make a difference.

Original poster
bigBigbaby · 04/09/2021 10:40

@workwoes123

Bf my two until 3 and 4 yrs old.

I agree with the others that the «you can’t over feed a bf baby» only strictly applies as long as they are ebf. Once you introduce ff (even one a day) and / or solids, it’s not the same.

Where I would disagree is the advice that bfs should be actively dropped. She’s still really young. Personally I’d focus on bf and drop or pull back on other things, starting with the ff. are you letting her feed herself at mealtimes? If so, she’ll be better able to regulate her overall intake than if you were spoon feeding.

Yes and she often throws quite a lot of the food !! It’s not big portions and she usually never finishes it all except her porridge

Perhaps I should start phasing out the bedtime bottle instead till it’s a drink of water?

OP posts:
BunnyBerries · 04/09/2021 10:40

I bf for over a year, and my baby jumped from 25 centile to 75 by 8 months. At 1 year though, after natural movement and eating regular food, it was 50 centile.

You may not be over feeding but the extra weight while being small/short already may be limiting how much exercise she can get unless walking (I think 13 months is average for learning to walk

BunnyBerries · 04/09/2021 10:41

Sorry posted too soon!
I've never used pouches either, so check if they have a lot of sugar in them?

Original poster
bigBigbaby · 04/09/2021 10:41

@BunnyBerries

I bf for over a year, and my baby jumped from 25 centile to 75 by 8 months. At 1 year though, after natural movement and eating regular food, it was 50 centile.

You may not be over feeding but the extra weight while being small/short already may be limiting how much exercise she can get unless walking (I think 13 months is average for learning to walk

Yes she’s nearly there with walking I don’t think it’ll be long at all !
OP posts:
00100001 · 04/09/2021 10:41

Does she feed herself?

Do you stop when she shows signs of being full (eg turning head away from spoon)

CallieOpie · 04/09/2021 10:42

All 3 of mine were ebf til 6 months and became giant top percentile chubsters before 4 months - they were all in toddler sized nappies from 4 months due to the massive ebf thighs. I kept breastfeeding while they started solids, and at 1 year old they were all still massive. After they started walking they all gradually slimmed down and are all v slender older kids now.

If your baby became chubby when ebf and is still just carrying the ebf weight OP, then i think it is likely to be absolutely fine and they will slim down when they start moving around.

I would be very wary of any advice to stop breastfeeding. I am not an expert but my understanding is that ebf breastfed babies are generally very good at regulating their appetite/food intake when they start solids, and that continuing to breastfeed for as long as it works for you is likely to provide lots of benefits to your baby.

If your HV is not a trained breastfeeding expert / counsellor, I'd get a second opinion from someone who is.

00100001 · 04/09/2021 10:43

The reason to get rid of bedtime bottle is for her teeth.

Either have it earlier (say before bath) so you can brush teeth just before bed. Or as you suggested, swap it for water. (Or just go cold turkey)

MauveMavis · 04/09/2021 10:43

The issue is that she is having the calories from her meals and then the calories again from feeds morning and afternoon.

By 1 I would expect a baby to be down to minimal day time milk. The bulk of their calories should come from food. ( i know milk is a food , but I think this is the clearest way to express this).

Original poster
bigBigbaby · 04/09/2021 10:43

@BunnyBerries

Sorry posted too soon! I've never used pouches either, so check if they have a lot of sugar in them?
It’s just the veg or savoury ones not fruit or anything if she has fruit it’s fresh with breakfast or as dessert like grated apple / chopped berries etc

I think maybe if I decrease the formula at bedtime over a few days and replace with water perhaps that might help

OP posts:
liveforsummer · 04/09/2021 10:43

As everyone has said you cannot over feed a enf newborn, having said that my comfort feeder was a wide as she was tall by 3 months and it took til about age 4 to begin to start slimming up. You can absolutely over feed a potentially toddling baby on 3 meals plus snacks a day. I'd certainly keep an eye on it. Height and weight should be in proportion so it won't just be that she's small making her 'look' bigger

HavelockVetinari · 04/09/2021 10:44

Some HVs are shit, and really have it in for BF. Go to your GP.

Original poster
bigBigbaby · 04/09/2021 10:44

@00100001

Does she feed herself?

Do you stop when she shows signs of being full (eg turning head away from spoon)

I feed her the porridge and she will say no and shake head if doesn’t want it rest of meals she feeds herself
OP posts:
bonbonours · 04/09/2021 10:45

I have never heard of bf making a baby overweight even when they are eating food too. Personally I would rather get rid of the evening bottle than the bf as it has so many other benefits comfort etc.

liveforsummer · 04/09/2021 10:45

I'd also suggest that if she is eating well at nursery but not at home it's because she's filling up on milk instead