Formula math question

[levation1]

You start with 4 oz of water and add 2 scoops (0.25 oz each, added 0.5 total) to create a 4.5 oz bottle.

Baby leaves 2 oz in the bottle, did they have 2 oz or 2.5 oz?

I assumed they had 2 oz but never thought about the extra 0.5 oz… how does everyone else calculate consumption?

 

[chantelle1989g]

@levation1 What does it say on the can? Mine says 90ml water + 3 scoops = 100ml drink. In the end, they don't consume water and formula separately, so I'd add it together.

 

[levation1]

@chantelle1989g Hmm never thought to she’s the can lol. It’s Bobbie. It says “one scoop adds about 0.2 fl oz to the amount of prepared formula”

 

[henry123]

@levation1 You count the prepared formula (water + formula).

The first comment on this thread explains it nicely: https://www.reddit.com/r/beyondthebump/s/xX18RxYyxF

So, it is a 4.5 oz bottle. If there is 2 oz left, baby had 2.5 oz.

 

[guitarsound]

@levation1 We do the pitcher method so for us the formula + water is counted in the measurement. I was confused at first too but what I’ve read is as long as you are consistent.

 

[hazelhope]

@guitarsound This is how we do it too!

 

[deegee823]

@levation1 Honestly, just pick one way and stick with it. When you’re calculating intake what’s important is consistency.

 

[sarahkuvington75]

@levation1 Our pediatrician said to mark how much combined he drank. We found it easier to just know how much 1oz of water and 1/2 scoop of formula came out to (33ml). Now he's up to 8oz water and 4 scoops formula which we know is 264ml.

 

[mary0608196]

@levation1 We find it easier to track with ml vs oz. It allows us to be a bit more precise. So we track a 4oz bottle as approximately 135ml and then subtract whatever is left in the bottle to figure out how much she drank

 

[levation1]

Fwiw, when baby finishes the bottle, I always assume they had 4 oz because that’s how much water I added but when baby doesn’t finish the bottle I’m uncertain

 

[nanbee]

@levation1 Your math is wrong. It is always the total mixture amount, no matter if finishing or not.

 

[sass]

@levation1 2oz. That’s how much formula they’ve actually consumed. Even when you make a 4oz bottle & they finish it all. They haven’t had 4.5oz because you only added 4oz of water and 4oz of powder. The powder just displaces the water level slightly but it’s still 4oz.

 

[brynja]

@sass Why are people downvoting this? You go by the nutritional content not displacement. If you’ve added 2 scoops then that’s nutritionally equivalent to 4oz not 4.5. If baby drinks half the bottle they’ve consumed 2oz of formula.

 

[disciplemattias]

@brynja And how exactly would you be calculating this if you were doing the pitcher method? If I make 20 ounces in a pitcher, then pour 7 ounces in a bottle, the baby drank 7 ounces of formula. It’s definitely how much formula it makes, not just how much water you used.

 

[brynja]

@disciplemattias ???? I did not say it went by the amount of water used. I said it’s the nutritional value of the powder used. If you look on your formula can and it tells you that 5oz is equal to 100 calories, that means that your baby consumes 100cals per 5oz of prepared formula. Using Kendamil as an example where it’s 1 scoop per oz of water, if I make a 5oz bottle using 5oz of water and 5 scoops of powder, my baby will consume 5oz and not the 5.5 or 6 it might appear to be when mixed. If you’re using the pitcher method then the same applies. If you’re claiming that they drank 5.5 then that would be equivalent to them consuming 110 calories and not 100. Over an entire day of bottles you’d be assuming an extra 60-100 calories that the baby didn’t actually consume which is almost a 20% overestimate.

 

[dgodshelp7]

@brynja When Kendamil says 100 calories = 5 ounces and IT ALSO SAYS “(as prepared)”

As prepared is talking about when it says 1 scoop = 0.1oz (the volume) added to PREPARED formula. This means the total volume of PREPARED formula is what you count for the 100 cals. The can literally mentions it twice that the 0.1oz per ounce is included in calories. You count the TOTAL volume. If they did not finish a 5.5oz bottle (5 scoops) they did NOT take in 100 calories. If they finished the 5.5oz bottle, you’d count all 5.5ounces and that’s 100 calories.

The nutritional value INCLUDES the total volume.

Enfamil and Similac have also stated to count the TOTAL volume (as in.. 5.5oz.)

Prepared = volume included. 5.5 ounces does not equal 110 calories unless you’re fortifying and if that’s the case you go by grams.

So since the nutritional value is including the 0.1oz added per 1oz scoop, if you have a 4.5oz bottle and baby leaves 2oz left over, they ate 2.5oz. There’s no overestimation of anything when doing it this way because the nutritional value includes the additional ounces the scoops add.

In the pitcher method, it’s all the same. You wouldn’t do it differently because the water displacement is included in the nutritional values.

That is why you count TOTAL ounces, of the PREPARED formula.

 

[chantelle1989g]

@brynja You were so close

that means that your baby consumes 100cals per 5oz of prepared formula

Yes!

Using Kendamil as an example where it’s 1 scoop per oz of water, if I make a 5oz bottle using 5oz of water and 5 scoops of powder, my baby will consume 5oz and not the 5.5 or 6 it might appear to be when mixed.

No! Read the previous part again!

your baby consumes 100cals per 5oz of prepared formula

See?

prepared formula.

It's about the end product, not the powder or water individually. If you prepare 5oz of water + 5 scoops that turn into 6oz or whatever and baby takes 0.2oz leaving 5.8, it didn't add 0.8...

 

[sass]

@brynja Yeah i’m confused at the downvotes too

 

[nanbee]

@sass You're getting downvoted because it is wrong and misinformed.

 

[fessjoz]

@nanbee if I make a 6oz bottle but it turns into 7oz after scoops are added & baby only drinks an oz…. They didn’t drink 0oz.