6 month old gaining too much weight

[Dreamcatchme]

Ds2 is 27 weeks. He is an eating machine! I weaned him off bf last week in preparation to start work in a weeks time and it has become apparent that he is eating far too much. Yesterday he had 46oz of formula (half of which was hungry baby on hv recommedation, and 3 meals in which he ate a combination of purées and finger foods - each meal he ate quite a lot. The hv is concerned because over the last 6 weeks he has jumped 2 lines on the centile chart. He is such a hungry baby and he will scream the house down if he doesn't get his fill. What am I supposed to do? Any advice appreciated xxx

Really? Your HV is concerned? I'm surprised because DD was weighed last week (nearly 6mo) and had jumped from the 75th to the 91st centile. I was horrified, but my HV said not to panic, that her growth would slow down when she started moving about a bit more.

Thank you for that - I think I'll just ignore her and carry on as I am. He's very long so doesn't look overweight xxx

Maybe stop the hungry baby milk, if he's having 46 oz then he maybe doesn't need it? Do you offer water with meals? DD is 7 months and has 26oz of formula a day.

I'm no expert but I know the general rule is to consider if there are any issues when a baby jumps more than two centile lines (75th to 91st is only one).

It may be a growth spurt of course and if he were my baby I'd be measuring length and comparing centiles.

The general advice is to feed on demand of course. I wonder though whether he's always hungry when you're feeding him or just wanting to suck? With breastfeeding of course comfort sucking doesn't mean much milk. Does he want more when he empties the bottle or would he just keep sucking or take a dummy/toy/thumb?

I might be talking rubbish though! You could ask on breast and bottle feeding.

How hot is it where you live? He might just be thirsty, in which case offering him water in regular intervals might help.

Water worked well with my DS when he started a lot of milk. Also he jumped up one centile (not two, but then he is quite short so two would have been a bigger relative jump IYSWIM) just before he started moving. He then barely put on any weight for two months and had me panicing the other way... Does he take a dummy?

Thanks for your replies. He has water with meals and I offer water regularly throughout the day. He won't take a dummy (I've tried to get him to take one but he won't entertain it), but sucks his bib/taggie blanket for comfort.

The hv suggested the hungry baby milk to try to reduce the volume he's eating but so far it's not working.

He was on the 25th centile when he was born and is now on the 91st! I asked the hv to measure him when he was weighed but she didn't have a tape measure! Honestly - they are useless where I live. I measured him this morning and he was somewhere between the 75th and 91st so his length seems to have shot up too (25th at birth for length). I'm hoping its just a growth spurt.

He still wakes starving in the night too - normally around midnight and five

My son was on the 9th when was born and is now on the 91st. Some HVs panic about this, some look at him and say he is totally proportional and healthy looking and just a tall boy. I think it is important to keen an eye on it but my 4 month old takes approx 35-40oz a day and is fine. My son, like yours is proportional on height percentiles (he's 98th on height). I totally understand where you're coming from because I worry too, I guess I'm just trying to say you're not the only one, if it helps

Thanks Claire182, it's reassuring to know that we're not the only ones. Today his eating has been a bit more 'normal' so maybe he's been on a huge growth spurt x

Mine was 25th centile at birth, was an eating machine & weighed 21lb & 91st centile at 6months. HV told me to cut back his solids as he was overweight. I ignored that piece of advice & he naturally cut back his milk between 7-10 months, & his weight gain slowed right down once he was mobile. He's now 3 & 29lb & back on the 25th centile. Really don't worry.

DS1's weight rocketed when he went on to solids at 6 months.

I know now that he was breastfeeding inefficiently because of an undiagnosed tongue tie, and the poor bugger was starving so shovelled down solids at any opportunity.

He became a roly poly baby but he's almost 8yo now and although not skinny, he's certainly not fat.

Sounds like his weight and height are in proportion then. Keep offering the water and get him measured and weighed in a months time. Personally I'd ask them to measure him first and if she doesn't have the tape measure, I wouldn't get him weighed. Expressing concern of a baby's weight is pointless without knowing baby's length and head circumference too

Also, I know hungry baby milk has no more calories and should help them to feel fuller for longer but I've seen some MNers say that it really messed up their baby's feeding and once they moved back to first stage milk baby calmed down again. Might be worth a try

Thanks for your replies, it's very reassuring to hear that there are/have been lots of us in the same boat!