Formula amount

[smithleigh]

So FTM here, I took my 5 month old to a GI specialist today for reflux and of course they asked me how much she eats as expected but when I told them that she eats 6 oz every 3 hours they told me I was overfeeding her. I’m so confused because she won’t take anything less or else she scream at the top of her lungs and I’d much rather have a chunky baby instead of a starving one. so my question is how much are yall feeding y’all’s 5 month old? Is 6 oz really too much? Should I cut down her feeding time to like 2 hours and feed less? She’s currently at 17 lbs so she’s growing pretty good, I’m just confused because I always heard that you give a baby how much they want.

 

[fiftyseven]

@smithleigh That is what my kids ate at 5 months. Sounds normal to me!

 

[alysson]

@smithleigh Is she eating 6oz every 3 hours over the course of 24 hours or just in the day? Because that would mean that she’s having 48oz a day, which I can see why your doctor said it’s on the high end - but it’s not unheard of. Typical range is 28-32oz a day but during growth spurts it could go up to 40-45oz daily. If she’s just having 6oz every 3h during the day, even 36oz is super normal.

 

[smithleigh]

@alysson She eats that during the day, she usually has her last bottle around 9-10 pm and then usually wakes up between 6-7 am for the day. So she doesn’t eat anything through the night

 

[alysson]

@smithleigh You should be alright! Keep feeding what she wants, I’d just keep a tracker to see any trends with her daily volumes, I do notice increase in intake during growth spurts weeks and slight decrease when they’re teething or going through a developmental leap.

 

[klogan]

@smithleigh I always fed my baby as much as he wanted and he was probably knocking back 6+ ounces at 5 months per feeding (he’s 2 now). I always followed his lead and fed him as much as he wanted. Doing the same with my current newborn. If it’s too much they will toss it back up but what I found is he would just, ya know, stop eating when full.
Keep doing what you’re doing!

 

[jennylpkho]

@smithleigh At 5 months my LO was eating anywhere from 3 oz go 6 oz every 2-4 hours. Could you start trying some solids? That might help curb some of the milk intake. Either way babies aren’t machines so I agree that you should follow her cues. She wouldn’t physically be able to drink more than her stomach can handle.

 

[sleeplesswhite]

@jennylpkho Kiddo's total milk intake is around 30oz a day, so there's no need to curb anything. It's important to know the total number of feeding in 24 hours, not just ounces/hours. OP states her child doesn't eat overnight.

 

[jlottering]

@smithleigh My 5 month old eats 7oz for the first bottle of the morning and then 6oz every 3 hours following. Sound normal, and you can’t overfeed a baby

 

[jaks]

@smithleigh My 2.5month old boy mostly takes 6oz when bottle fed but mostly I M breastfeeding so I cannot estimate his intake in total.
He is spitting up a lot since few days as d his dr also said the same that he is being over fed and advised to take gaps while feeding. Poor boy cries a lot when we give him break during feeding sessions.

 

[dav7dhero7j7sus]

@smithleigh My 3.5 month old eats 5-6oz every 3-4 hours during the day time. She has about 5 feedings during 24 hours since she mostly sleeps through the night.

 

[annystephans]

@smithleigh My sons 4 months and eats 6oz every 3-4 hours . His pediatrician said that’s okay , said I could start solids if I wanted that his bottle in take could start being less due to solids but I’m waiting until 6 months

 

[smithleigh]

@annystephans The GI told us to go ahead and start solids so we are going to give that a shot, but she’s also been getting rice in her bottles since she was about 2 months old because she was losing weight. I thought the rice would’ve made her eat less but I guess I just have a very hungry girl

 

[ducmessi3792]

@smithleigh At 5 months my now 6 month old was taking 4x 8 oz bottles a day (every 3-4 hrs) + a 3-4 oz dream feed. She spit up a fair amount (but some bottles very little), but she screamed if you took it away before she finished, and would occasionally leave an ounce or two behind, so we were not force feeding her. She just had her 6 month pediatrician visit and is growing perfectly along her curve, pediatrician had no concerns about the volume she was taking, and said as long as she’s growing well give her what she wants and the spit up is just “calories she didn’t need”

ETA: was the specialist saying you were feeding too much because of the reflux? Smaller amounts more frequently CAN help with that, and some babies with reflux drink past full because it soothes the reflux sensation/pain.

 

[smithleigh]

@ducmessi3792 She didn’t specify if it was too much due to reflux or just in general, she just said it was a lot for her age. I tried doing the split bottles or taking a break during her feed when she was around 3.5 months but she would just scream until she was able to finish her bottle so I just gave in and let her have the whole thing.

 

[ducmessi3792]

@smithleigh I mean, as a fellow mama of a finish-the-bottle-or-scream baby, I hear you! So unless it seems to make her more comfortable/less refluxy to do smaller amounts more frequently, I would ignore the “it’s too much for her” commentary. No one knows what exclusively breastfeed babies are getting every feed and I would bet plenty are getting over 6 oz!

 

[canedunkan]

@smithleigh If baby is eating 6 oz a day every 3 h and sleeping through the night that’s pretty normal. My son did the same.

 

[hla72]

@smithleigh That’s what I was told my baby should be eating at 5 months? Around 6oz every 3-4 hours, so 5 bottles a day.

 

[katrina2017]

@smithleigh Hi currently combo feeding #5 shes 10 months. If your baby uses bottles to help fall asleep, sometimes they'll cry because they are full & arent sleep yet. Or your baby could be genuinely hungry & have reflux or a milk allergy. a switch to non dairy formula would let you know if its an allergy within 2 weeks. For the reflux they usually recommend smaller feedings more often. & feeding your baby more in a seated recline than a laying down position & to keep them upright 20 mins. After meals. I think the doctors forget their text are guidelines & not rules.