Are formula fed babies bigger?

[hdhshsnebe]

So just curiosity. Backstory. 4yo DS was formula fed from day 1, he was born a bit big (9lb 2oz for 4 days early) and gained weight rapidly. He’s always been taller and definitely evened out as he started moving but he’s still a tall member of his class!

DD was born 2 days early, 8lb exactly. I’ve been ebf but not enjoying it it’s affecting me mentally :( but this is so silly

i nearly died from an eating disorder , anorexia , when I was 14. It’s still left me with some hang ups and hearing constant comments about my beautiful DS years ago really upset me.

“what are you feeding him” “he’s huge” “he’s massive” I even heard someone say he’s fat once? A fucking healthy happy baby ! I was so upset and disgusted

I’m so scared of the comments again it makes me touchy and quite defensive. Mainly as I think why are you commenting on my beautiful, happy babies size but hey ho

does how I feel DD affect her weight gain? Do siblings grow the same or very different?

I want to do what’s best for us but I am scared about this again. I still wouldn’t change my journey with DS. He’s so happy, beautiful amazing and healthy :) and formula feeding was best for us

My baby was 6lb, formula fed, was and is on the 9th centile. Aged 4.5 now and aged 2 to 3 clothes, sometimes 3 to 4.

My EBF baby was absolutely massive and she still hasn’t really lost the weight at age 4.5yo. I worry a lot.

My second baby was FF from a few weeks old and despite being heavier than DD1 at birth, is on the 50th centile so distinctly average.

My boy is 13 now. Mainly formula fed. Always been slight, even as a baby. Skinny thing, he was.

My EBF boy is 96th centile. Babies can't be "fat", that's so rude and ridiculous for someone to have said! The body shaming starts early...
So, no just go ahead and feed your baby however you like.

I am not qualified but the midwife told me it’s impossible to over feed on breast but is easy to overfeed on formula. Something like that, basically there’s a higher chance of a baby being fat on formula but it doesn’t guarantee it

Not always and honestly, I love a chunky healthy baby. People can be horrible though.
I’ve learnt that I’ve had to have a thick skin when it comes to children, defending them and defending my decisions. It’s really tough though and I’m sorry some people are so mean.
Don't struggle if you aren’t getting on with BFIng and practice your raised eyebrows and offended look if people comment on your baby.
Id just reply “He’s perfectly healthy, thanks”.
good luck OP x

But he was born big so surely that’s where it came from and maybe he needed more because of his size anyway? One ds was 9 lb 8 and another 10lb 5. Our ds who was 7lb 8 is still smallest in his class. All bottle fed all happy out. Whatever suits each family is best and people who comment are just making conversation and don’t think.

No definitely not, no two babies are the same and that goes for feeding too. I FF both my babies, my first was on the 91st centile for weight and was a chunky baby, she's now 4 and is completely normal weight. my second is on the 50th centile and is tall and slim at 10 months.

No, my dd was formula fed and she’s always been tiny. My DS is currently formula fed too and although he’s long, he’s not chunky at all.

DS was breastfeed and huge, he's 7 now, the hight of a 10yo, though skinny as a bean pole. DD was also breastfeed in exactly the same way, and about average hight, and on the slightly tubbier end of healthy weight range. I think it's down to the individual child, not how they're fed or the size of their siblings.

I think (though I'm no expert) it's easier to accidentally overfeed with formula, so more formula fed babies/toddlers do end up overweight, but as long as your following recommended intake, there's no difference in how the kid turns out.

I was told it is possible to over-feed a formula baby too, but I was also told by the midwife that the baby would throw up if this happened so I think you would know if you had fed them too much. My baby was combination fed from day 5 when the midwife advised me to top up with formula due to weight loss. I then switched to exclusively formula feeding at around 6 weeks and my baby has never been big (at last check up he was on the 25th centil).

Honestly, people need to not comment on the size of babies. As a mum you can't ever get it right. My DC1 was ebf for six months and he's now five and skinny as a rake. Didn't stop my DM making me a bag of nerves about his weight.

Having said all that, formula does have more non essential calories in it - I can't recall exactly how it works, but basically to "carry" or "hold" the nutritional parts, there are also other ingredients. So it's important not to over feed a ff baby, and I think that on average they are bigger, but that does not mean they are necessarily unhealthy.

When I spoke to the HV about it (and DC2 is also big, but by the time I had her, I had the confidence of a second time mum to shut down my mum's comments) they key thing is to check weight and height centiles against each other. As long as they are the same or adjacent, then you're all good.

Sorry, should have said DC1 was ONLY bf for six months

Both mine were formula fed from birth after failed breastfeeding, and both have been chunky and sturdy babies. One started off 7lb 15 and the other 8lb 1 so basically the same weights at birth, but they both tracked high 90th centiles for weight and height despite taking vastly different amounts of formula. Eldest is now 5 and perfectly normal skinny build, youngest is a toddler so I'm expecting him to slim out as he gets more physically active.

I never had any negative comments about their size, quite the opposite in fact.

I also feel that people do just comment on the size of babies, eg look how big he has got, look at those chubby thighs etc. it's not necessarily meant in a bad way by them, just possibly ill thought through especially if it's something you are worried about. Maybe just a different way that you can frame in your mind, they are not necessarily being judgemental.

Mine was formula fed and has always been tall and thin, he wasn't a chunky baby at all

back when my mum formula fed the practice was to make them take their X oz, whether they wanted it or not. Every four hours.

so if your baby stopped because they were full, you’d keep putting the teat into their mouth until the bottle was drained. Then it would be no more until the next feed.

i think with what we know now and more “natural” bottle feeding, so on demand, stopping when they pull away, not making them finish the bottle etc, they develop more instinctive feeding habits and it’s less likely they’re over fed.

My sister was fft and didn't reach the 0.4th percentile until 1. Formula fed from 6 weeks ish due to my mum being in a coma for 10 days. She projectile vomited until 2.
I was 2nd percentile baby breastfed.
Sister 2 breastfeed fairly average I think around 30th percentile. 4years my junior and we could share clothes for a while.

Adults sister 1 5ft4, me 5ft2 and sister 2 5ft3. We can share clothes all size a-b. Sister 1 usually more size b sister 2 usually more size a and I switch between the 2. All three of us have been prone to eating disorders mostly anorexia and bulimia

My niece was breastfed and born on the 75th percentile and at 13 is now 5ft4! Dad not particularly tall.
My daughter was born on the 25th percentile. She went down to the 9th for the awhile until I took out dairy and soya from my diet. Mostly on the 25th percentile for weight but is small and only the 1st percentile for height. Dad is 6ft but was short as a child. She outgrows clothes based on height. She is 3.5 and the size of an 18 month old. I get a mix of response. She's really small or she's really "solid" looking as she's a normalish weight and short. Professionals always comment on how "normal" she looks but not sure how to take that!

My two were exactly the same weights as yours, OP @hdhshsnebe

DD1 was 8lbs exactly when born, BF her for six months exclusively then started to introduce a FF and did my last BF at 8 months.

DD2 was 9lbs 2oz when born, I mixed fed after a few months, basically BF but not for quite as long as DD1. Basically as DD2 took to formula and bottles like a duck to water and seemed a hungry baby and preferred to get her milk down quickly! Also DH could help more which was handy when you have two.

DD2 is much taller than DD1. But I think this is because she was always going to be taller than DD1- at birth she was not only over 1lb heavier but also 10cm longer!

DD1 is now 18 and is 5'5"

DD2 is now 15 and is 5'10"

They are both slim, size 8 clothes (borrowing happens!), but have a different body shape. DD2 is of course heavier but only proportionately because she is taller. Both are the exact height predicted by the toddler height/parental height calculation in the red book. DD1 followed the 60th-75th centile, DD2 99th or even somewhere above that.

as PP have said, babies come in all shapes and sizes. What matters is that they are fed and healthy.
Start FF today!

My dd was ff and was born at 5lb2 and remained on the 0.4 centile. My nephew was exclusively breast fed and was born and remains on 75th centile - he was huge compared to my dd. My dd was still in 0-3 clothes at 6 months, nephew was in 12-18 months by 7 months 😂

I think birth weight and genetics are important and any feeding issues, my dd has horrendous reflux and didn't start to really thrive until weaned whereas nephew had no reflux and fed on demand a lot!

DS2 was the only one of my 3 who had formula and he definitely went through a chunkier stage, but now he is 5 he is so skinny we have trouble getting trousers to fit him - just like DS1 was. He has always been tall. When he was a baby he was more in proportion and currently is in a beanpole stage.

As long as you aren't overfeeding, nothing to worry about. Babies grow at different rates and it usually evens out in the end.