hungry baby or unreasonable expectations!?

[charl25]

hi all, first time mum, first time on here. ive got a 4 month old Lb,(big baby, born 9lb 5oz) and hes on sma gold, we started off giving him feeds every 4 hours, but recently he seems hungery after 3 sometimes even 2 hours! he still wakes through night for food, and doesnt seem settled. he wont take more milk in his bottle, he is suck on around 4/5 ounces. i tried sma white, but was v constipated, and tried cow and gate hungrier milk, but he had bad wind and the runs!
my question is, is this normal to feed this often? or should i try and hold him off?
you know whats its like, ive had older family members saying to put rusk in bottle/start solids etc, but i dont want to go there unless i have to.
sorry to go on, but i really dont know what to do, and need your help. posted question on another forum, but got no replys, so counting on you guys! many thanks! xx

just give him as much milk as he wants, when he wants it - just like adults, some babies like to eat little and often.

Hi, I would speak to your helath visitor do you get him weighed? My little boy is 5 months today and is on Hipps organic First milk I tried him on SMA gold but it gave him bad wind he takes 8 ounces every four hours and sleeps from 8 to 7 it seems that your little boy should be taking more milk.

Whatever you do do not put rusk or anything else other than milk in his bottle I really would speak to your helath visitor or doctor they may recommend you starting him on baby rice a little early but the fact that he is only taking 4/5 ounces they would most probably address first.

hope this helps Turns out my baby is a piggy and a baby between 2 and 6 months should be on between 4-6 ounces

the pack instructions are just a guideline (and imo and ime there to encourage mums to buy more than they might need...)

cmot is right. he's fine on a small amount often, what's the problem? unless you've got him on a routine in which case force feeding is your only option.

thanks for quick reply. i dont mind feeding him little and often, but like you say, trying to get routine is impossible, as he seems all over the place. i know io shouldnt listen, but my mum keeps saying that by feeding him when he wants, he wont get use to set times! its confusing.. lol

By feeding him when he wants, you are actually teaching him that he should just eat what he wants - protecting him from obesity in the future. After all, who do you know that eats at totally fixed times, not a cup of tea or a biccie in between, and always the same amount ?

do you want a routine? i don't. my mum is always on about it as well, i think she's talking shite. i grew up in her house... don't remember everything running to the clock.

ignore your mother... she's remembering what she wants to remember, if mine is any indication.

lol, its refreshing to hear someone say that! even my health visitor is always banging on about routine, makes me feel crap because i cant get into one! yeah i know my mum is only trying to help, but times have changed!

A growth spurt is pretty common around this age too, so that may be why he suddenly seems to be feeding erratically.

I'd go with the flow for now and feed him whenever he wants it. Stick with the stage 1 milk as the stage 2 doesn't seem to agree with him.

Don't start any form of solids yet - you know he's too young. None of the first food have as many calories as milk has, and if he has reacted badly to stage 2 milk, he may get even worse belly ache from solids!

As for a routine, i wouldn't worry too much about that either. I'd try and establish a bath / bottle / bed routine in the evenings and try to get him up at a reasonable hour in the morning but all times in between, go with the flow for now - it WILL even out in time!! Good luck

how long did your mum bf excusively for, for starters? i was on solids from a fortnight old and have the ibs to prove it. not something i'd want to visit on my own child i think.

or exclusively ff for, i meant as well. solids were started at an age KNOWN to damage kidneys.

D'you know, this thread is making me feel a lot better as my 4 month old (well, 4.5) dd2 is currently feeding every 90 mins-2 hrs and the feeds seem short (though she never feeds for long anyway) and I've been worrying I was doing something wrong but it probably is a growth spurt in both cases. Let's just try to survive it. I wonder whether babies just know what's good for them and in some cases, for some babies eating LOADS in one feed would hurt their tummies so they prefer little and often? That's my theory about my girls anyway...

Bleurgh to routines. My hv said to me when I had dd1 "routine is a four-letter word as far as I'm concerned" and I've stuck to this mantra religiously . Their needs change constantly at this age so setting up a routine now would only need adjusting in two weeks or less.

yeah, im not sure about what my mum done, but i know she breast fed(which ive not) and she was saying to me yesterday that me and my siblings were all on solids more or less 100% by 8 months!

yeah bella, its just hard to know what to do. i must admit, i was very silly when my health visitor came(her last home visit) i kinda sais that he was feeding every 3-4 and she seemed impressed! goodness knows why, i just felt if i said he wanted it all the time she'd think bad of me! ive got alot to learn! lol