Baby stopping taking full bottles

[Heartburn888]

My son is nearly 3 months old always been a good feeder had a few reflux and colic problems when he was about 6/7 weeks but all resolved thankfully and got him on a formula that agreed with him and things have been going well as of late.

He has stopped having full bottles though which is concerning me a bit. When he was having his tummy troubles the doctor for said feed him so many ounce every 4 hours and this guideline had been our saviour in terms of routine and knowing what he wanted.

He had his baby jabs last Monday and he had the usual temperature and I was advised to give him calpol which I did. I was advised he would be a bit unsettled but it was normal. Since probably about last Tuesday or Wednesday he’s only drank a handful of bottles in full the rest have been a couple of ounce here and there.

This morning he woke at 1 o’clock and wolfed down 5 oz and went back to sleep feeling full and happy. He woke again at 5 ish fidgeting and grunting so I made him a 6oz bottle (usually has 6 but gave him 5 last night because I’m sick of the wastage to be honest) but he had a couple of oz from it and went back to sleep till 8am

He usually goes to his grandmas on a Monday and he seemed quite whingy so I thought he defo must be hungry after what he had last feed ( this was about 9 ) but he hardly had any of it. I took him to his grandmas and when I picked him up she said he has had 2 x 6 oz bottles in full and was due another about 6.

Again he was showing his hungry signs around that time and he had another few oz and then he’s gone to bed and woke about 20 mins ago so again I think he’s hungry as he’s barely had anything this evening.

I’m not overly worried but it is starting to chip away at me. I know he’s not under fed because he’s big for his age (in 3-6 months clothes and has been since about 9 weeks) plenty of wet and dirty nappies but just wondering if anyone has any advice for me or is this totally normal? Sorry for the long post - wanted to make sure I got it all in

Sounds very similar to my almost 5 month old. Some days he wolfs down bottles, other days he snacks on them just taking an oz or two at a time. I just keep offering milk and let him take what he wants. As long as he is content and doesn’t seem unwell try not to worry.
If you were breastfeeding you wouldn’t know how many oz he was drinking - that’s how I think anyway (after weeks of stressing myself about it ).

He should be having roughly 2.5 floz per pound in weight in 24 hours? Is he getting this? If he is, I wouldn't worry

Just a suggestion but, what flow teet are you using? He may be ready to move on to a medium flow if you haven’t already. I think they can get a bit fed up with their bottle once they’re a bit bigger and the flow is too slow for them.

Really sorry to say but I totally disagree with @JiltedJohnsJulie - I don't think you can ever say baby "should" be getting a certain amount based on their weight, as every human has a different appetite day to day. My baby is 9m and only has 3 bottles a day along with food, but every day he gets offered the exact same, at the exact same times and what he actually takes differs wildly from day to day. Some days he takes 3 4oz bottles, and some days 3 8oz bottles. He has been through phases where weeks at a time he would reject certain bottles entirely

As it's only been a week, it sounds developmental to me. As long as he's having wet nappies and he's gaining weight then he's getting what he needs. Babies go through all sorts of phases, and I know it's so hard not to stress but I really wouldn't put too much focus on the oz that baby is taking, but instead on their weight and wet nappies. A healthy baby will never starve themselves.

Las time I had him weighed was the last health visitor app and that was about 3/4 weeks ago and he was 13 pound 6 so he’s a big boy.

He is on the mam bottled and I have recently changed his teets to 2 month plus, the next size up is 4 months.

We are also on MAM bottles @Heartburn888 and size 3 teats are often a big adjustment for baby as they are a lot bigger than size 2.

I hope my previous post didn't sound pushy, but I have often felt that these "guidelines" put unnecessary pressure on parents to ensure their baby is getting a certain amount of milk. I breastfed until 6 months and never once gave a second thought to how much milk my baby was having, and when we moved to formula I felt myself worrying about it so much as my boy wasn't having as much as they said he needed. I eventually just accepted his appetite is what it is, he's been happy and healthy and gaining lots of weight his whole life so I now barely even pay attention to what he takes. He just takes what he takes.

muddypuddles 2.5 floz per pound in weight in 24 hours is the amount a ff baby needs in order to receive the nutrients they need. It's not something I've made up, it's the recognised equation for babies up to the time that solids are introduced.

In no way was I suggesting that the baby shouldn't have a fluctuating appetite, but the poster had said that the reduced appetite had been going on for a week.

Older babies will of course require less milk. According to the NHS this is around 600 ml at 9 months, reducing to 400 ml from 10 to 12 months.

@Heartburn888 I think size 2 is plenty big enough for 3 months. We went onto size 3 about 7 months and even then it took a few days adjustment for my baby to get used to it

@JiltedJohnsJulie My post wasn't meant as a dig to you in any way. I understand the guidelines and I know what they're there for, but I'm saying I don't necessarily agree that the guideline amounts are what baby "needs" and I think it puts unnecessary pressure on parents to be told that these guidelines need to be followed in order for your baby to not be malnourished. For example, my baby has regularly not taken anywhere near the guideline amount for his weight, but he has still moved up 2 centiles since he was born. Born in 25th and now in 75th, very healthy and happy, but has never been a big milk drinker.

Really? I thought you just went off the age range on the label? That’s why I changed his teats but I did find he drank easier with the size 2 on.

When I spoke to the doctor when my baby was having his tummy troubles he told me that a baby should be getting 150ml of fluid per kg. At the time it worked out 4.5 oz

muddypuddles if your baby bf for the first 6 months, they would not have needed anywhere near the amount a ff baby needs. From 6 weeks to around six months a bf baby takes the same quantity of milk, roughly 25 floz in 24 hours.

Also, a baby that had been bf would typically take 1floz per hour if offered a bottle, so typically 3 to 4floz per feed.

This would probably explain why your baby hasn't taken the amount recommended to ffers but still thrived.

My 7 month old does this. He's on 8oz and rarely takes the whole amount. Usually around 4oz but he has 4 or 5 bottles at 4oz and at his age the guideline is 3 bottles and he should be getting 20oz a day.
So I just go by him. Sometimes if he has full 8oz bottles he will only have 3 and a bit bottles but I never reduce the amount from 8oz as I'm not sure how much he will take and would rather have the waste of formula than him being hungry.
It's tough because we do worry but seems like maybe he just feeds little and often x

Thanks for all your comments I do feel more at ease now.

Yes I agree with rather having wasted formular than a hungry baby, of course I agree but it’s just annoying that most of it gets poured down the sink then not long after he wants another little bit and at £12 a tin it’s not cheap especially on maternity pay!

Just to add to this, my daughter was similar just before jabs, long story short she is 5 months old and has a feeding problem that became apparent when the demand increased. It's to do with her suction and appears to be an isolated issue. We a nutritionist and I mentioned the 2.5oz that can be found online and we actually got told that around 20oz was a low but acceptable amount for her to take. She's now around 17lb and based on the 2.5oz rule she'd be on 40+oz which would be madness. She does about 25-28 a day and has remained on the 75th centile. Hope that helps :)