At my 10 month old son's 9 month dr's appointment, his pediatritian said she was a little worried about his weight because he had slipped from 50% at his 6 month appointment, to 25% at his 9 month appointment. She said to make sure he's getting enough breast milk/formula each day and we will keep an eye on his weight. This concerned me and I'm worried he's not getting enough milk/formula each day. I try to keep in mind, they will eat when they are hungry. He eats his solids really well. But, he does resist taking his bottle sometimes and might get thru about 1/2 of a bottle, then be distracted enough by something or another that he doesn't want to finish it. So, I thought maybe I could mix the dry powder of the formula directly into his solids (w/o adding water). If I mix the formula with water and then add it to his solids, it gets too soupy/watery and it's difficult to feed him. However, if I mix the formula powder directly into his solids, it seems to work well. But, I don't know if this is a good idea, or if there are any issues with not adding the water to the formula???
nope, not ok. I went over this with my Ped. Babies need the water or their kidneys don't function properly. Formula is fortified with a lot of stuff that needs to be processed and it's waste expelled.
I wouldn't add formula to his food, I would do one of two things. Either feed him a bottle before the solids so you know he's getting his formula and that he is hungry or don't feed him as many solids. At that age they solids are more for the experience then they are for nutrition. You could also try formula in a sippy cup, maybe he wants to feed himself.
Best of luck,
C.
Hi J.,
Our pediatrician gave us something specific to add calories to his food while he was an infant (we added butter, cheese, ranch dressing, etc., to many foods when he was a bit older [on doc's orders]); we did not add dry formula. Also, are you already mixing up the formula to have as many calories as possible? You need to speak to your pediatrician first before doing this (mixing in too much formula can be dangerous), but we had to make an extra rich version of his formula. So, check with the doc to see if she can give you instructions for doing this and/or give you powder (not formula) for adding calories to solid food. Did your pediatrician consider whether there could be an underlying issue of some sort (e.g., digestive difficulties), other than not eating enough, that could be leading to your son not staying on his curve? If your son is not staying at the 25th percentile or going back up, you might want to get a referral to a pediatric GI. Our son is now 5, and while he's a skinny little guy, he is healthy and strong. Please keep in mind that being at the 25th percentile is just fine as long as he maintains his own curve there. A great book to read is "Child of Mine" by Ellyn Satter. Our son was 2 lbs 6 oz at birth, and our ped GI had us read this book. I think every parent could benefit from reading it, but especially those of us who have had weight concerns with our babies. We so want our kids to gain weight that we can act in ways that can cause our kids to develop unhealthy relationships with food down the road, despite our best intentions. Get more guidance from your pediatrician, and see a different doc if she cannot give it to you.
How much formula is your son drinking? I think the minimum amount is 24 ounces (I think). In 2 months he will switch to whole milk which tastes much better and he will only need to drink around 16 ounces of that. My daughter loves the whole milk and will drink 8 ounces out of a sippy cup in about 5 minutes. I wouldn't add dry formula to solids. I used to mix my daughter's formula with oatmeal and she liked that.
I would not add the dry powder to the formula. My son has always been in the 10% for his weight so we had to monitor his weight as well. We just had to make sure that he got at least anywhere from 25 to 32 oz of formula a day. I realize that can be hard but all you can really do is try. Also, give you son the bottle first before giving him solids. I remember our pediatrician telling us that they should be getting their nutrients from the formula and solids should be secondary right now. Also did you bring up the idea of mixing the dry power of formula to his solids?? If so, what did the doctor say and if not, ask. I'd ask just to be on the safe side but I am still against it.
I just came back from my son's 6 month visit and while he was in the 75th percentile as far as height is concerned (27.5 inches) he is well below average in weight being only 16 pounds. He gained one pound since his last visit. The doctor said something to me that actually not only surprised me but made complete sense to me. She said ... he his healthy and happy and I'm not concerned about his weight. I'm tired of seeing fat babies anyways. With all the formula that we feed these poor children it's no wonder we have obese children. Have you ever read the ingredients in formula? They list ingredients in order of highest concentration and what is the first thing? HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! This is not real food! It's a chemical which has been linked to childhood obesity and diabetes. So don't worry about the blasted formula. If he is happy and healthy so be it. Give him the solids that he wants. Just make sure you're not giving him ho-hos and twinkies, but veggies and fruits and WHOLE grains (nothing white or procesed) and he will be fine. He will tell you when he's hungry.
Have you talked to your pediatrician about switching to whole milk and forgoing the formula altogether? If there is no history of milk allergy in your family, and he has had other dairy products with no adverse reaction (cheese, yogurt, etc) then I would discuss getting rid of the formula and starting whole milk - you usually start that at 12 months, and he is close enough to 1 year to allow the whole milk to start happening if your ped is in agreement.
J.,
Formula alone can be very dangerous without adding water. You don't know how much they are getting. Call your pediatrician for advice on this- I would say don't do it or if you do-measure it out like giving formula in a bottle so that you have the correct amount even if it is more watery.
Molly
