4.5 month old - am I feeding him too much?

[LittleMilla]

My gorgeous DS is 4.5 months old. When I had him weighed a few weeks ago he was 15lb 10oz. So he must be about 16lb + now. He tracks on the 60th-70th percentile.

He's CHUNKY. His thighs are literally so big that he cannot get his feet anywhere near him mouth! Everyone is having a real giggle about how chunky he is and I am very proud that for the most part, it's down to me. He's BF for all but one feed a day. Where he now takes 200mls of formula for his dreamfeed.

My DH has made me worried that I am feeding him too much. On an average day he'll have about 5 or 6 BFs. Then the dreamfeed, and one but sometimes two feeds in the night. He's not 'sleeping through', but last night we managed to push him from 11pm to 6:20am. ALthough he woke up at 3am and 4am, but DH shhh patted him back to sleep.

He really is delicious. But it seems that compared to all of the other babies he's pretty chubby. DH thinks that we should be getitng him to drop the night time feeds, and I think I agree. But would appreciate other people's thoughts/advice.

TIA.

I really don't think you need to worry, it sounds like your LO is thriving and your doing a grand job. I would just keep feeding on demand and your DS will let you know when he is ready to reduce feeds. Also my DD (8 months) still needs a BF in the night now despite feeding well in the day and eating solids, they are all very different x

You can't over feed a breastfed baby. If you are really worried then lose the formula feed, and stick to just breastmilk. But I wouldn't worry, it'll all melt away in a few months when he starts crawling. He sounds lovely to me.

You can't overfeed a breastfed baby. The boob isn't like the bottle where milk just drips out. Also you can't wriggle the boob in their mouth to trigger the suckle reflex. So a baby takes in only as much as they want. (besides there is no temptation to empty a bottle).

Just keep feeding on demand and you'll be fine.

Mine's a year and has 3 proper meals plus snacks plus still 5 feeds a day. He seems to go in phases where he bulks up, then sprouts up in height (slimming down in the process).

Remember once he's moving in a few months he'll need all the energy he can get - mine could eat every 15 minutes all day and he's bang in the middle of the weight chart for his height. At 4.5 months he was still feeding every 3 hours at least (day and night)

60-70th percentile isn't that big really. I seem to remember at a similar age my ds was having the same number of feeds - 6 bfs in the day, a 200ml carton of formula at 11pm (can't remember if he always drank it all) and then a bf around 3-4am too.

I think babies are at their chubbiest around about this age, they pile it on and then slim down a bit once they start moving around. If he's stayed roughly on the same centile line then that sounds fine.

As for the sleeping issue, this is totally normal and at this age most babies are feeding through the night. If getting sleep is a problem then you would consider co-sleeping?

Don't forget how sleep deprivation can affect you, and make seemingly normal things seem abnormal. Babies are amazing, I've never known of one that just keeps eating after they've had enough. It is normal for them to want more or less at different times. When you're BF, their 'more' phases can take a huge toll on you, though I know it can be very satisfying as well.

My 9yo still has phases of eating more or less now, and my mantra has always been 'stop eating when you've had enough', and I've never harped on at her to finish her plateful (so typical of how I was parented, and I still struggle to stop before the plate's empty, regardless of how hungry I actually am.)

I don't think you'll have much luck dropping nightfeeds until he's older and on solids btw - I think with ds we managed to drop the 3am feed about a month after he started solids, and he continued to have 1 night feed until 8 months.

He sounds great! My ds is on the 91st centile (up from the 25th at about 3m) for weight and no-one has ever suggested he is being over-fed. You?re doing a fab job, clearly

I have only just nightweaned DS at 12m, no way could he have done it at 4.5m, or even 8 or 9m so don?t worry at all about sleeping through or anything yet, he?ll get there when he?s ready.

We call my 5-month old Thunder Thighs. I just tried a new pair of size 6-9 month trousers on him and his chubby bum wouldn't fit in them. But he's healthy and happy so I'm thinking of it as energy he's storing up for crawling. :)

Thanks all for your relpies. I am not overly fussed about the night feed and must confess that I often enjoy our night time booby cuddles!

Emzar I love it! A few people have suggested we use a Bumbo when we begin weaning (not planning to do it until 6 months). Only problem is that he can only just get in, but then gets stuck. And so I go to lift him out and the poor love has the seat firmly attached to his bottom! It's then a real effort to then prize it off!

He's very strong and when I put him on his tummy he's already starting to go backwards, and so I don't think it'll be long before he's on the move. Seems less interested in rolling, but DH and I joke that it's because his gut is in the way! I have no doubt that once he starts moving he'll be tearing all over the place. Friends are joking that he'll be a prop in the rugby team based on the size of his shoulders & hands - I do wonder if he'll just be a big bruiser.

Thanks again x