How much formula should my 20 week old be having

[Vespar7]

Hi,

My 20 week old DD is on Aptamil and until recently has been having 6 scoops with 180mls of water 5 times per day. She recently seemed hungrier and was not satisfied at the end of feeds and so I increased it to 7 scoops and 210mls of water 5 times per day. My DP was just making the milk and the packet said she should on be having this amount 4 times a day. We have just moved country so I checked online and there are different amounts on the packet in Switzerland and England. Am I overfeeding my baby? She is 6.3kgs. I think if I tried to cut a whole feed out she would not be happy at all. I can't go to see the health visitor here till next Wednesday so am worrying about what I should do!

I've had a look at a paediatric dietician's book I have and they say in the first six months a baby should generally be taking around 150 - 200mls of formula per kilo in 24 hours. They do stress this is a rule of thumb though - some will take more and some less.

Please don't stress and do just keep letting her feed to appetite (i.e. on demand), until you see the HV.

It is also possible that she is ready to start with weaning (currently advised from six months, but is acceptable from 17 weeks in some cases). A really good book for information etc., on readiness for this (and a few other things!) is the Penelope Leach book Your Baby and Child

Just a quick comment about weaning... Being hungry after milk feeds is not a sign of being ready for weaning. The following link to the NHS Start4Life site outlines the signs of readiness.

NHS Start4Life weaning advice

Starting weaning before 6 months should only be done after consulting a health care professional.

5 feeds sounds fine to me. My ds had 5 feeds up until he was 8 months old at which point he dropped his night feed. He started solids around 23 weeks so was still having 5 feeds alongside his meals.

Another rule of thumb is 2.5-2.7oz per lb of bodyweight so at 6.3kg your dd is just under 14lbs so that would give a daily total of between 35 and 37.8oz - your dd is having a perfect amount for her weight so you are not overfeeding at all. If she was breastfeeding you would have no idea what amount she was taking so stop worrying