Feeding - Independence, MO

If you baby is hungry, feed her! she may not be ready for 4oz so start with one more oz and see how it goes. My oldest son was eating 4 oz at 2 days and my younger one took a while longer. Every baby is different but the bottom line is if they are hungry feed them! congratulations and good luck!!!

Every baby is different. I had a smiliar question when my baby was born and the Pediatrician said to feed them as much as they want. They will let you know when they are full. She will stop eating when she doesn't want anymore. Don't deprive her of food if she wants it. As the Dr said, if she takes it, give it to her.

I guess this is one of those things that young mothers are taught different that we were taught when my daughter was born....

But why would you not allow an infant to eat all they wanted, unless they are exhibiting some sort of over-feeding behavior?

If I were you I would try adding only a half ounce at a time- that way you don't have to deal with a big amount of spit up...she may want 4 oz or even 6 but her little body may not be ready to tolerate what she *thinks* she wants! :)
You could also call her pediatrician and check with them. They welcome (and are very used to) new mama's and their questions! Congrats on your new baby! How blessed you are!

Follow your little one's cues. She will let you know when she is ready to have her formula increased. From the sounds of it, she is ready now.

I would say go ahead and add one ounce onto what you are giving her see how she does, and keep adding on as you feel she needs you dont want to starve like the previous post said its a guideline but not all kids can go under that guideline. You gotta do what you need to satisfy your baby.

D., Try making a 4 oz bottle and stop feeding her as soon as she starts slowing down on eating. Make sure to burp her well or you'll get it all back! You are probably right, she is probably still hungry. She may only want 1/2 an ounce more.

Congratulations! M.

I always just filled the bottle up and whatever they ate they ate...I am a big believer on feeding the child as long as they are hungry...kids don't have the ability to overeat (that is a LEARNED trait). When she is full, she will stop. However, I would recommend burping her after every 2-3 oz to be on the safe side of making sure it all doesn't come right back up thanks to an air pocket. LOL...

Definitely if she is wanting more give her more. Some babies just eat more than others & some take different growth spurts than others. You might want to make sure she has burped inbetween at some point though, so her belly doesn't get too full. Congratulations!

Similac sent me this eating guideline for babies. I didnt know either because I breastfeed my first but my 2nd wasnt having it. SO It says

1-2 weeks old 2-3 fl oz.
3-4 weeks old 3-4 fl oz.
1-2 months 4-5 fl oz.

and so on!

If you go to similac.com and register they will send you some cool stuff, free formula, coupons, and a bunch of stuff about baby. Good Luck and congrats on your little bundle!!

I'd feed her until she's full. Careful not to over feed her and burp her after the first 2 ounces, but I always fed my son as much as he would take.

Congrads on your little one!! I made one more ounce more when they consistently finished the "normal" bottle for which they had been taking.(If she normally finishes 2 ozs bump it to 3 oz). My boys are now 14 and 12yrs now but, I have "raised" many babies with my daycare I have done since before my sons were born. My youngest started eating 6 oz of formula at 10 days old and no he is not overweight by any means. Every child is different. Listen to your baby.:)

I had always let my daughter drink enough formula until she was full...(if I had been able to feed her from the breast, I wouldn't have been able to measure how much she was drinking anyway, right?)
Sometimes she'd drink 2 oz, sometimes 3 or 4. We did end up wasting some...but what can ya do! (If I made 2, she'd seem to want just a little more to top her off!)
They know what they need at that age...if she's hungry...feed her. Be sure to get the burping in there so she doesn't spit up, as you increase her intake.
Good luck!

try 3 ounces and see how hungry she is. You just go by your baby. they don't usually overeat so if she is still hungry then she needs to move up in ounces. If you are feeding her every hour then she isn't getting enough. When full probably eats about every 4 hours. Babies also like to suck a lot at this age so she may just need a pacifier. If she isn't fussing and just wanting to suck on her fist or something then she probably isn't hungry. If she is fussing then may need more to eat.
my oldest used his pacifier for 3 months. Middle child until 9 months but she had colic for 5 1/2 months so had hers a little longer than I had planned, 3rd child had one until 6 months. I do not recommend having them a full year though. They tend to outgrow the need to suck around 5-6 months. After that it becomes an addicting habit that is harder to get rid of the older they get. I made sure they were weaned from the pacifier before weaning from the bottle which were weaned from the bottle very easily at 12 months as they started using sippy cups at 4 months when they started eating baby cereal.

Write down all the ounces she is drinking in a day and ask your doctor how many ounces her age should have in 24 hours. They may even have a guideline chart to give you as she grows to give you an idea how much she needs to eat daily as a minimum. That usually helped me to figure out how much they need to eat.

At this age feed her all she wants. She will self regulate. 3 to 4 oz. should be what she takes but you can't overfeed when they are this little. She will rest better and be happier if her little tummy is full. Good luck and God's blessings to you and your little one.

Feeding your child is something you should do by instinct. Can you imagine if some guy stood over you and told you when to eat and how much? Thats insanity! Your baby shoul already be eating at least 4 oz a day. My 3 kids ate on demand and ate between 4-8 oz of formula until the started solid foods. They are all happy, healthy (not overweight) kids who have a healthy appetite for vegetables and fruits. and i still feed them when they are hungery until they are full. Nevermore never less. I hope this helps.

Hello,
I would just call your pediatricians office to confirm that it is OK. They are used to getting all sorts of questions and they welcome your calls. She sounds like a good eater!

Have fun, I had my first and only child at age 38. She's six now and what a joy it is to be a mom!

SM

My little girl was the same way. She always seemed to be hungry even after the initial 2 oz. So I talked to the ped and she said to let her eat until she is full. At around 2 weeks, she was eating almost 3 oz and then 4 by 3 weeks. I figured it was due to a growth spurt (our little one was a 4 week premie). Talk to your ped though. They might want to do it differently

Good Morning D., Congrats on your precious little one.
Some Mama's go by what their Ped says with out exceptions. Myself I feel if the baby still seems hungry after 2 oz, to go ahead and go to 4. She may only take 2 1/2 or 3 oz. but it's there if she wants or needs it. Good burping between.
We used Equate Gas drops for infants when Corbin and Zane went to formula.

Mom's have good judgements for their little ones. It does take trial and error sometimes.

God Bless you and your precious little girl
K.
Nana of 5

D.,
Use your common sense with your new baby. If she seems hungry, try giving her 2 1/2 ozs and see if she takes that all. Increase it slowly, as long as she takes it without spitting it all up. You don't want to over fill her little belly so that she spits it up on you, but you want her to be satisfied for 3 hrs or so.

Hi D., just call me a mother that did not go by any books or rules.....if they are hungary feed them. No 2 babies are alike for the most part, some want to eat more than others. Just make sure it is always nutritious and always read your labels as your little one grows. When they start eating regular foods just try to stay away from to much sugar and high fructose corn syrup and trans fats. Always remember you are the mom and you are responsible for buying great things for your kiddo. Good luck to you and happy mommying in your new adventure!

Increase the formula as the baby grows and shows hunger signs after eating. Slowly increase the feedings by 1/2 ounces for 2-3 feeding then increase againif still hungry. I am a nurse in mom baby and labor G.

Hey D.! I would go ahead and make 4 oz. for her and let her take what she wants. 3 may be enough or she make take all 4 oz. Generally, babies will stop eating when they are full. With both of my kids, almost 3 and 7 months, I always kind of followed their lead about how much to feed.

D. if you think your baby is still hungry then give her more. It may be that she only needs more a couple of feedings a day or she may even only eat 2 1/2 or 3 ounces. I hated when my girls did that, I felt like they were wasting the formula (that stuff ain't cheap!) But at they age they don't listen to the "starving children around the world would be greatful for that" speach (HA!). There is no hard and fast rule about when to increase. My oldest daughter never took more than 6 ounces at a time and my "litle" one was downing 4 ounces by the time she was 6 weeks old. They are all diffrent. Good luck!!

Increase when you feel the need to. If she is finishing all of the 2 oz that you give her, step up to 4 oz bottles. She may only drink 2 1/2 or 3 but babies know what they need as far as food in thier tummies. My nephew was eating 4oz at 3 weeks old....

I'm sure plenty of people told you to give her what she wants. My girls all ate 8 ounces before we even left the hospital. It won't hurt her to have whatever she is comfortable eating and isn't vomiting back up.

Suzi

D.;
Go ahead and give her more. Let her guide you. My babies, who are now 25, 23, and almost 18 were all eating 4 oz when they left the hospital.
Just burp her extra good :)
That's more time for huggings anyway :)
It's all good,
just enjoy her,
L. (MamaMerz)

Who told you only 2oz? If shes hungry, feed her. Its ok!! You'll quickly find out how much is right for her and then be able to gauge if shes eating a lot or not so much compared to usual. If shes hungry, let her eat. Shouldnt matter the number of oz. Good luck!