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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Bottle Fed/Weaning INSATIABLE!

32 replies

Shanx19 · 26/12/2013 13:22

Apologies if this is not the correct place!

Hello everyone

My little boy will be 19 weeks on sunday and weighs around 18lb.

He has an insatiable appetite! At the moment he eats (around these times)

8am 7oz
12pm 7oz
4pm 7oz
8pm 7oz

and then wakes in the night between 3am and 4am for another 7oz.

He absolutely drains his 7oz bottles.

Our doctor told us to introduce a bit of baby rice or porridge to his diet once a day which we have been doing at his 4pm feed. He has 4 spoonfuls of porridge made up with milk from his bottle which he also easily devours.
He tried carrot yesterday and wolfed all that too.

The problem is, he is now struggling to go 4 hours between bottles. I can just about get him to 3.5 hours but by the time he eats he's really upset.
He has never slept through and has only recently started sleeping from 2130 to around 0400. More often than not he will wake between then too.

I dont know what to do. Do i give him 7oz every 3.5 hrs and hope he sleeps longer so he don't need a 6th bottle? Do i give him 42oz milk a day?
Do i introduce another solid feed? He is on Aptamil 1.

He also only sleeps about 11 hours in any 24 hour period.

All advice very welcome!!

OP posts:
StarlightMcKingsThree · 26/12/2013 13:25

Can you not just give him milk when he asks for it, whenever that might be?

Have YOU ever gone 4 hours without a sip or nibble of something?

StarlightMcKingsThree · 26/12/2013 13:28

Rice, porridge and carrot are what you eat when you're on a diet. You're baby needs full fat milk. Your doctor is wrong and merits a complaint lest he advises others to go against WHO guidelines too.

LittleBearPad · 26/12/2013 13:29

Give him more milk when he wants it. 8oz bottles are fine so if he's draining 7oz bottles make bigger ones.

Original poster
Shanx19 · 26/12/2013 13:30

Problem is - i dont think he knows when to stop! We had some feeding issues when he was first born and since having his tongue tie corrected and being introduced to formula at 4 weeks be drinks whatever i put in bottle!

It currently takes him around 6 mins to drain a 7oz bottle. For 2 days, i fed him when he was showing signs of genuine hunger and he took over 50oz.
Plus cooled boiled water.

I hate feeling like im rationing him :(

OP posts:
Original poster
Shanx19 · 26/12/2013 13:34

I will definitely try 5 8oz bottles a day and see if that helps!

I have also spoken to my HV who advised weaning at 17 weeks. We are off to a weaning party (?) 2nd week of Jan so will see if thats any use.

I dont like what i have heard about hungry baby milk-isn't it just harder for them to digest?

We have also struggled with reflux and bowel movements which make it even harder for me to decide!

I asked the MW, my HV and Dr and got 3 lots of pretty different advice :/

OP posts:
StarlightMcKingsThree · 26/12/2013 13:35

Don't ration him and fgs don't give him water. That can be quite dangerous.

Give him milk whenever he asks and he won't greedily grab all he can lest you make him wait another 4 hours.

He'll stop being so greedy when he knows it's always available and start to take just what he needs.

StarlightMcKingsThree · 26/12/2013 13:37

Your HV should also be reported.

The only advice re weaning outside of the WHO recommendations is that of a paediatrician after a full medical analysis.

I am so bloody cross at the potentially damaging advice you have been given.

Bakerof3pudsxx · 26/12/2013 13:39

My dd never went 4 hours between feeds

Just before we started weaning she was taking 8-9oz every 3 hours

She still now has 3x8oz plus 3 meals a day and she is 8.5 months

She also had hungry milk

7 every four hours is not ridiculous

Artandco · 26/12/2013 13:47

4 hours is a long time. As a maternity nanny the longest I leave in the day is 3 hrs. My current 12 week old twins are fed 5oz every 2 hrs in the day. 8am-8pm, a dreamfeed of 6oz at 11pm, then nothing until morning. So:

8am -5oz
10am -5oz
12pm-5oz
2pm-5oz
4pm-5oz
6pm-5oz
8pm-5oz
11pm-6oz

So they have 10oz every 4 hours compared to 7oz . 41oz a day. I would think within a few weeks this will be upped

My own children bf on demand all day

Original poster
Shanx19 · 26/12/2013 13:51

7oz every 4 hours is ok Bakerof3pudsxx ??

So should i try keep feeds a certain amount of time apart or just offer 8oz whenever he seems hungry? Everyone else seems to be able to write their routines down and i just feel up in the air like i don't know what i'm doing :(

Especially if i'm meant to ignore the doctor too!

What if he takes 8oz every 2 hours?

OP posts:
StarlightMcKingsThree · 26/12/2013 13:55

He won't take 8oz every 2 hours. Well he might for a couple of days whilst he catches up with his growth spurt needs but then it will probably vary throughout the day according to hunger/thirst/activity levels/tiredness/comfort needs etc.

StarlightMcKingsThree · 26/12/2013 13:57

Do YOU need a routine?

coffeeistheanswer · 26/12/2013 14:05

It may well be a growth spurt - a breastfed baby at that age could easily be feeding every two hours. Could you not offer him feeds more frequently? As long as you're not encouraging him to drink more than he wants I don't see a problem in offering him more

ethlinn · 26/12/2013 14:06

My DS has never, and I mean NEVER gone 4 hours between feeds. He is 11mo now and even now, if you include snacks and water, it's never been 4 hours. Before weaning, when he was 5 mo, I remember being frown upon quite a lot as I was feeding him every 2 - 2.5 hours. 6 or 7oz bottles. He is not overweight. Not even overly chubby. Just really tall for his age (no wonder, judging by the size of me and OH). OP, I would just feed whenever your baby asks for it. If you're really longing for a routine, let it be baby led. I'm sure that everything will fall into place soon. Good luck!

Original poster
Shanx19 · 26/12/2013 14:13

Thanks ethlinn

OP posts:
ethlinn · 26/12/2013 14:20

And one more thing OP. Don't let anyone talk you into doing something that just doesn't feel right. I remember all these comments: at THIS age he shouldn't be eating that often blah blah blah. And raised eyebrows. People can be sooo annoying, patronising and judgemental. Baby should eat whenever he needs it. And it is nobody's business. Hope it all gets better soon.

FalalalalalalaFiggy · 26/12/2013 14:36

What is his weight gain like? Centile was he born on what is he now?

My DS never went more than three hours between feeds by the end he was back up to 2 1/2 hour feeds at which point we just had to start weaning as he was so full of milk he practically sloshed.

I never used it because it would bung him up but have u looked at hungry baby milk?

Do u want to wean now? We started at around this age and he's 2 now and still eating for England (99th centile height and weight)

Original poster
Shanx19 · 26/12/2013 15:03

At birth (37+6) -8lb and just below 75 centile

On December 17th (17wks 2 days) -17lb and just below 91st centile

OP posts:
Bakerof3pudsxx · 26/12/2013 17:28

If your lo is satisfied by 7oz every 4 hours then that is fine

If not then either make the time apart less or up the amount in each feed

Splatt34 · 27/12/2013 08:06

With DD1 she was on 6 bottles a day at this sort of age and skipping up the centiles. I wanted to wait to do baby led weaning so HV advised we try hungry baby formula. within a day she was down to 5 bottles. Same number of calories per ounce but different proportions of proteins keep them fuller for longer

Gerty1002 · 27/12/2013 08:41

My DS is 15 weeks and has 10oz every three hours, 7 times a day. Granted, he's been 98th centile since birth, but I've still been advised to hold off on weaning until as close to 6 months as possible.

Feed however much they want... four hours is not a short amount of time between feeds imo and 7oz is definitely not too much.

Bakerof3pudsxx · 27/12/2013 09:00

Bloody hell 70oz a day!

Gerty1002 · 27/12/2013 09:36

Yes, though he was going 12 hours at night recently so it was more like 50, but after a few weeks in hospital where the nurses fed him whenever he stirred (I used to just give him the dummy and he'd go back to sleep) and being on medication that has a risk of making his blood sugar low that has gone out of the window and he now has a dream feed at 10 and one other night feed. He doesn't always take the full 10oz I have to say, sometimes just wants a little snack.

Gerty1002 · 27/12/2013 09:38

I should also add that this is hungry baby milk...

Original poster
Shanx19 · 27/12/2013 19:33

Wowzas! I feel a bit better now :)

Does he poo ok?

OP posts: