Big 4month old baby - switching from combi to EFF and struggling with volumes and naps

[nhungthientai]

Hi there

I had been primarily breastfeeding my son but for various reasons we have switched to exclusively formula. He’s a big baby (>97th centile for weight) and struggling a bit with what amount to give him, also factoring in the fact he is still on 4 naps (which is working well sleep wise).

The info on the tin doesn’t really help us. I’ve been giving him the recommended total daily volume for his weight, split over the number of bottles that works for his nap schedule (7 x 6oz - one for each wake window, a dream feed and a ~4am feed) , but I feel like he’s hungry for more during the day and doesn’t finish them at night.

Would it be reasonable to give a couple of 7oz bottles in the day and 2 x 5oz bottles at night?

I guess Im a bit worried of over feeding him - but also don’t want him to be hungry.

 

[truescott]

@nhungthientai If he seems hungry I would try what you’re suggesting. The amounts are just a guide. My little boy is getting so pudgy at the moment and when I expressed concern to our dietician (we have dietary intolerance issues) she said just watch his signs if he’s turning away, closing his mouth, vomiting stop feeding but otherwise if he’s hungry than feed him.

 

[nhungthientai]

@truescott Yeah that’s what he does in the night (clamps his little mouth shut, it’s very funny). Cool we’ll try a couple of bigger ones in the day and see how it goes. Thanks

 

[katrina2017]

@nhungthientai It’s typically very hard to overfeed a baby. My son is in the 99th percentile and I feed him as much as he wants. He is healthy per our pediatrician so if he wants food I give it to him. He is 9 months old now but he was downing 7oz when he was 3 months old. He also goes through phases of only wanting 24 oz in a day to 42 oz in a day. The most we ever gave him was 46 oz.

 

[nhungthientai]

@katrina2017 Thank you, that’s good to know. I managed to find some UK guidelines that say 150-200ml/kg is ok, which makes me feel more comfortable giving him more as well.

 

[yytg12]

@nhungthientai I'm guessing this is a better question for your pediatrician.

 

[nhungthientai]

@yytg12 I’m in the UK - we don’t have a personal paediatrician

 

[b5waddell]

@nhungthientai Can you ring the health visitors team? I know the service they provide varies a lot depending on the area, but mine has a phone line and they're usually quick to respond to this type of questions

 

[nhungthientai]

@b5waddell That’s a good idea thanks. I’ve found that all the support is very focused on breastfeeding but hopefully they’ll be able to help with this too.

 

[yytg12]

@nhungthientai How do you see a pediatrician if you need to? You just go to the GP instead?

 

[nhungthientai]

@yytg12 Yep you’d get referred by your GP but they generally only see unwell babies rather than providing advice. The health visiting team that another user suggested will probably be my first port of call, but it can be a very variable service.