Am I overfeeding?

[TubbyBubby]

My DS is 8 months and is quite a big boy. I BF to just past 6 months and had intended to continue but he went on nursing strike and I gave in after a few weeks of struggling and he is now on formula and 3 meals a day.

We had a 8-9 month check up with the HV yesterday morning and she said I was overfeeding him because he is above the 75th centile, near to the 91st. I had to explain what I was feeding him, I said veggies, with a bit of chicken or mince ususally for dinner, half a weetabix for breakfast etc. I was starting to feel quite defensive about it all.

In the end, I insisted she measure his length, turns out he is way above the 75th centile, near the 91st, for length too.

I think that means he is in perfect proportion but she kept insisting that I must be overfeeding.

It has really upset me, I think because its related to feeding and I still feel guilty over giving up on bf so early.

Do you think she is right? Am I overfeeding him? She said I needed to cut down his milk because he is too big, but he loves his milk and I don't want him to be hungry/thirsty.

Meant to add that I have to pop out for a few hours, I know its bad form to post and run but I feel unsettled about what happened yesterday and wanted to post early to get the morning crowd.

Hoping you lovely ladies can either make me feel better or at least break it to me a little more gently than she did that I've created a maaaasive baby monster!

The centiles are just averages, someone has to be on the 91st and someone has to be on the 9th. Unless we're taking 50th to be "perfect" and everything over or under to be wrong, just being on a particular centile isn't a problem.

Has he always been on that centile, or has he suddenly shot up? If he's been following a curve then he just a big, in proportion baby. You can't put an 8 month old on a diet! Maybe ask the HV what centile she wants him on, and how you can stunt his length too?

If he isn't climbing centiles ignore her! Some babies are just big.

More cracking HV advice?

If your DS is in proportion like you say he sounds just fine. I thought babies were supposed to get most of their calories from milk in the first year anyway?

So unless he has a diet like mine you are secretly stuffing him with crisps, chocolate and cake then I wouldn't worry about it. Do you need to have him weighed?

Just a quicky before I head out. I don't know if he has always been long because they have never measured him before. He has always been above the 50th centile but seems to have shot up a bit in the last 3 months or so, ,mostly since he started on solids.

I can't think there is anything wrong with his diet, its only veggies and meat and cereals he has really, nothing bad or anything and all his meals are home cooked, not jars or preprepared so I know exactly what is in them.

I he has about 5oz of formula 3 times a day, and about 3oz as a dream feed, which I didn't think was loads either.

Off out now, would love to hear if you think I'm ok as I am or need to change anything.

If it makes any difference he looks just like his dad his side of the family and they are all very big people, not fat at all, just broad and tall.

HVs are right in asking mums of big babies what they're feeding them - the very, very occasional mother tells them (I suppose) that they are whizzing up mars bars with lard in the blender and forcefeeding the result.

Once they get an answer that gives no cause for concern, it's almost always the case that the baby is large physiologically - and as has been said, many babies are :) Just as many of them are small, physiologically.

It seems a shame you have been made to feel anxious about this, so it would be perfectly in order for you to speak to someone else and share how unsettled you are, and to get another opinion on this.

If he's 91st for weight and height then she's talking out of her bottom. If he ws 91st for weight and 9th for height then she might have a point. I've seen a fat baby... not just baby fat but properly fat and you'd know if you were over feeding. As long as you aren't making your child eat more than they want - so that they keep their natural mechanisms for portion control i'm sure you're fine...

It's a good thing your HV doesn't get her scales within reach of my DD (7.5 months) who's a real porker (I like to tell it as it is ). She's bf and has 3 smallish meals a day. The only advice a HV could give me is to cut down on bf which I'm not prepared to do.

As others have said, if he's in proportion then he's fine. I've had three great big fat babies 2 of whom are now skinny boys that you can't keep weight on....

marsbar/lard milkshake... mmmmmmm

Thanks all, I feel less bothered now. I'm pretty sure that I'm not overfeeding him, but tell me what you think.

I make and freeze little meals for him in these tommee tippee pots www.tommeetippee.co.uk/product/4_food_pots_lids_4_months___/ and for a meal he has one which is filled about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Usually a mix of sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli and chicken or something like potato, carrots, peas, tomatoes and mince beef or similar. He doesn't have any desert or anything and just has water in a sippy cup, no juice at all.

As soon as he loses interest we stop, so he doesn't always finish a meal, though mostly he scoffs the lot and then is upset when its all gone!