Is My Little 5 Month Boy over Eating??

I agree that if he needs it he needs it. Give him as much milk as he desires but also try to give more solids to help him feel fuller longer. My youngest was also hefty at that age but has grown into his weight just fine. Feed him whatever you're comfortable with and whatever his body can handle.

Unfortunately, it sounds like you could be overfeeding him. If he gets fussy or starts crying, do you automatically reach for the bottle? If so, you might want to try just some basic comfort techniques. Carry him in a sling or carrier, play with him on the floor, give him a baby massage, etc. He might be just crying to be with you and not really need all that extra food. Hope this helps and hang in there new mama!

Well, that does seem like a little much, one rule of thumb is how well he is staying in his percentile of the infant growth chart, for example if he goes from 30% to 60% in weight in a month or two, that's a problem, call the doc...

I had a boy that as a baby ate a lot. And I do mean a lot. But he was never fat because he was tall. Check your baby's height to his weight. My son's weight to height proportion was always in the 99th percentile. Many thought he was fat, but he was just tall and just right for me. I loved him a lot and ignored others' opinions.

After reading other people's responses I would remind you that each child needs are different and look to your child' weight and activity level to tell if he is over eating or not. Don't limit his intake to number of ounces because someone says so, except if your doc says so.

In agreement, some babies are just bigger eaters. As long his doctor isn't saying anything about his weight, I wouldn't worry. My first son ate a lot.

Maybe you can increase his food intake. I used to add rice cereal to my children's baby food to fill them up. He may need to start eating daily ? We also used to add rice cereal to our boys' formula. Just make the hole a bit larger and make sure you get the consistency right. Not too thick or he will work too hard, not so thin that it comes out too fast for him to keep up with. You'll have to try it out yourself before feeding but we never had problems.

Good luck!

That sure seems like a lot of bottles. I ahve always stuck to a 6 oz bottle every 4 hours and an 8oz at bedtime and then nothing ALL night until morning. I was like you with my first and he still has issues with sleep and is 3 1/2. My daughter, now 11 months, I started a tough schedule day one and it has been wonderful! she sleeps great, eats great and life n general is great! I would set a schedule and stick to it! It will be tough, but well worth it! I am not sure what time your son wakes in the moring but here is my schedule since about 4/5 months: Wake up 7am, 6oz bottle, 8am a small bowl of rice cereal with fruit mixed in ( my daughter had trouble digesting cereal alone), nap at 9am, 6oz bottle at 11am, 12pm 1 jar fruit/veggies, nap at 1pm, 6oz bottle at 3pm, 5pm 1 jar fruit/veggies, 7pm rice cereal w/fruit, and then 8pm an 8 oz bottle and down for the night. A small amount of fussing my come for a few days but if you stick to it, everything should work out in time. It will be tough, as I found, but well worth it! This all comes from a great book a friend let me borrow, of which I cannot think of the title at the moment. If you want to chat email me! :) Good Luck and God Bless!

He shouldn't be getting 3 bottles a night at his age. Is he waking up and you are giving him a bottle so he will go back to sleep? He needs to learn how to go back to sleep without having a bottle. Ask his Dr., they will tell you he shouldn't need 3 bottles during the night. I breastfed my babies and they only woke up once a night like 4 am and would nurse but they had gone 6 or 7 hours without eating. Breastmilk is digested faster then formula. If you start him on solids, you need to decrease the amount of formula he is getting not add to it. Once he is eating solids 2 or 3 times a day he should only need maybe 4 or 5 bottles a day at the most. My son weighed 25lbs by the time he was 12 months and was a big eater but didn't drink that much. How tall is your son? Is his height & weight proportionate? If so I wouldn't worry about it.

AmyG

Feed him when he is hungry. if you are really concerned talk to your pediatrician when you take him for his 6 month check up. I'm guessing he is fine and is just growing. You could try giving him more solid foods during the day. Feed him the solid food and then give him a bottle. good luck.

My son was born 8.13 and was 17.2 at 4 months... and he was exclusively breastfed. When we switched to bottles at 6 months, he was eating 3 jars of baby food with rice cereal mixed in and drinking 64 oz of milk per day. The doctor assured us that a baby cannot over eat unless you are forcing food on them and that bigger babies eat more, NOT eating more makes them a bigger baby!

My suggestion is just that by 5 months, you should be working up to two solid meals a day (baby food with rice mixed in). The amount he is eating is not too much, but he is very hungry because he needs more food... add more solids.

My understanding is that you do not want to put cereal in the milk, unless you are trying to make him fatter. Just start feeding him more healthy foods as recomended by the doctor and for his age. Get him loving his veggies and fruits when you can, it is too easy for us all to over eat our portions of cereals and breads.
Blessings to you and your healthy boy.

A.,

I would start feeding him cereal and cutting some of the bottle feedings to help him adjust...my boys were doing cereal and then a 6-8 oz bottle about 1.5 hours later. That was for morning. Afternoons were about the same...again for dinner. I introduced veggies a bit at 6 months and went from there. Now, they eat great and try new foods. We are almost 3, and healthy without being too big.

God Bless,
T.

Sounds to me like it's time to up his baby food intake, for sure! But it's also a question of whether he is interested in it. Does he enjoy the baby food? Does he take an interest in the food that you eat when you are eating in front of him (watching you put it in your mouth with curiousity)? You might also go to larger (8 oz) bottles so his feedings won't have to be so frequent (I think at 5 months you should be able to go 4 hours between feedings). My son used to take 4 bottles a day when he was in daycare, 8-9 oz each.

My son was over 20 lbs before he was 4 months old (I remember because it was the upper limit for his infant carseat!). He was a total pork chop (and breastfed--boy was I tired). He is now 5 and a really tall, active, athletic kid--but not fat.

I never did cereal in bottles. I remember that there was some medical advice against that, so we just gave him cereal from a spoon.

Good luck! He'll be fine!

Hi A.. My 8mos old son is a little porker as well. Some babies are just bigger than others. I think the first thing to consider is his ht/wt ratio. If his weight is within proportion of his height, than I think he's okay (just my opinion, I'm not a doc). My son is in the 95th% for both height and weight, my first son was big too. If your son is in the 90th% for weight but only 20th% height, just for example, you may want to talk with your pediatrician. I would also try giving him the single grain oatmeal or rice cereal in the morning or afternoon. I gave my son the oatmeal with a stage 1 fruit mixed in it. He loved it. It seemed to keep him satisfied and lasted throughout his naps. Are you formula feeding or giving him breastmilk? If you want him to sleep longer at night, I would try some rice cereal in his milk at night. My son preferred rice cereal mixed in his milk, not the oatmeal. If you are using a stage 1 nipple on your bottle, you may need to get one that has a larger opening so he can get the cereal through. I don't know of a special nipple, just a larger hole or advanced stage one. I did this with expressed breastmilk. I wouldn't make the bottle thick, but added just enough to satisfy his appetite for at least 5-6 hours. If you are ever concerned, don't hesitate to call your pediatrician, that's what they are there for. Hope this helps. Good luck!!! Oh, and just like Linda below, my older son, now 3 1/2, is a very tall and slender kid. He was a chub like my little one is, but is now very tall, slender, healthy, and active!!! Look out for your little one, sounds like he's on the same path. Enjoy because it goes by too quick. :)

Hi A....
Just like many of the other moms responding to this, my son was a big boy and big eater too! We didn't introduce rice cereal or any solid foods until he was 6 months old though, and we avoided rice cereal in his bottle. We thought food should stay in a bowl with a spoon or be finger food, liquids are for bottles and sippy cups. But, keep feeding the hungry lil' guy...he'll let you know when he doesn't want to eat any more. I would definitely encourage introducing rice cereal and/or oatmeal and multigrain cereals for babies. That will stick in his lil' tummy a bit better than just breastmilk/formula alone. Mix in a little of the stage 1 baby food for taste since he's used to that :)
One mom also suggested finger foods, like Gerber puffs (which all of my kids have loved) and cereals like Cherrios or Kix puffs, or steamed peas...that will at least keep his little fingers and mouth busy :) If he's ready for that, it will be a fun way for him to keep filling his tummy without you having to be the one feeding him.
Good luck! Enjoy this stage...pretty soon he will probably turn into a picky eater and scare you thinking he's not eating enough!

My girls were 20 pounds at 6 months and they did not over eat one i started cereal at 3 months and the other table foods at 5 months DON'T PUT CEREAL IN THE BOTTLE.
I know the doctors day do not start food until 6 months but sometimes it needs to be started sooner and the usual is to start rice cereal in the mornings and at night good luck. after a couple of weeks for lunch introduce veggies one at a time for about a week to make sure that they are not alergic. after the veggies start on the fruits but always feed the veggies first. I use to put the fruit in their cereal one new food at a time to make sure not alergic do not give eggs until a year old. around nine months i started then on finger foods and they had no problems my girls had mostly table foods from 6 months on.
paula

My son also going to be 5 months next week and his birth weight and current weight are 8 lb 5 oz snd now 16 lb 14 oz. He still exclusively nurses (2 morning feeding, 1 afternoon, 2 evening and the occassional night feeding). I plan on starting him on solid foods including cerel this month.As I did with my other children.I started them @ about 5 months with cerel onetime a day and work up to 2 times after about 2 - 3 weeks. They ate veggie & or fruits every other time with the cerel at first and then everytime once they were ok with it.
Our pediatrician does not seem concerned about my baby's weight and says he is healthy. I would talk to your ped.to see what he/she says, it sounds like your baby has a healthy appetite and his little body just craves food.
I have 4 children and they were all healthy eaters but only the last two packed on the pounds early on. Once my 3rd started walking he lost all the baby chub quickly and still is a healthy eater, but not overweight (@ 4 yrs). Not sure if this helps, but to me it sounds like you baby is just going through a growth spurt. Good luck

I would ask your doctor first, but in my opinion it sounds like he needs more solid food. At 5 months, he should (in theory) be able to go through the night without eating, especially if he's a formula baby. My baby was a big eater too, but I was told that I should give her up to 30-35 oz of milk each day. Around that age, she was doing 4 bottles per day, 7-8 oz each. If she was still hungry, I would give her more food.

Definitely start feeding him rice cereal. My youngest started wanting over 40 oz. at 4 months old and my pediatrician said to definitely start solids. As long as they're getting the proper amount of formula or breast milk it doesn't hurt them. I wouldn't put the cereal in the bottle. Just feed him rice cereal that's really watered down with your formula or breast milk until he gets used to swallowing then start thickening it up. You can start introducing the other cereals each week and then new fruits/vegetables every few days. You can give him more than 1 container a day if he wants it. He'll probably start sleeping better for you at night if he fills up more on food during the day. He shouldn't need more than 40 ounces to drink each day tops. I have three kids and while they all started eating solids at different point (4 mo, 5 mo, and 6 mo respectively....) once they weren't satisfied with 35-40 oz. of formula/breast milk it was a definitely signal to begin solids.

I am an older mother of four boys. My first baby exhibited those same symptoms.He began to skip feedings at night when I laced his night bottle with a little rice cereal.I did not use special nipples for that. If you need to do that then just give him some cereal by spoon mixed with his formulae before you give him his bed time bottle. It will keep him full and satisfied longer. It sounds like he may not be comfortable on his formula. My son needed to get off formulae and drink regular milk before he was comfortable enough to
last three hours between meals. The doctor told me that the formulae was too rich for some babies. Does your baby fuss a lot? Mine did and when we removed the formulae
he didn't. SOmetimes babies are uncomfortable but do not exhibit rashes or other allergy signs but can still have the inability to digest all the nutrients in baby formula. When they no longer have gas or discomfort they play happily between meals. This worked for my oldest son and the second one was put on fat free skim right away with vitamin supplements and we didn't have any problems. The other two were born when we had a goat so had fresh goats milk which to this day I think is the best milk for babies. Please write if you have any questions. I feel like I am telling you too much a may be confusing the issue.
T.

My sons were 8 lbs 7 oz and 9 lbs 3 oz at birth and both weighed almost exactly 20 lbs on their 1st birthdays (they are 2 and 3 now). They were breastfed for about 8-10 months and then formula. It sounds like he is eating about as much as they did, they had quite a few bottles a day. My 3 year old will still drink about half a gallon of milk (in addition to his food) a day if I let him. Does your pediatrition think your son is overweight? If not I wouldn't worry about it, but since he is over 5 months old maybe you should start introducing a few more foods. Have you introduced any foods yet? Gerber (and I think some store brands) have these little puffs by the baby food, my kids loved the sweet potato and banana ones - they are kind of like cheerios but practically melt in your mouth. Do you ever give him a little water in his bottle? You might want to try that. Or they have the little mesh ice cube holders in the babyfood isle also, my kids loved those. You can also put a thick baby carrot in there for teething, works great. I have noticed that my boys would often eat a lot for a week or two while they were going through growth spurts. Overall just trust your instincts and do what you think is best.

Hi A.,
While it's hard to say for sure,I'd have to say it does seem like a lot of food. The usual max is about 32 ounces per day. I'd talk to your pediatrician and see what they say. I remember feeding my baby all the time when I was a new mum trying to stop he crying!). This included supplemental bottle feeding. As I look back on photos, it is obvious that my little one got a little porky for a few months. That tells me that I was overfeeding and didn't quite know how to deal with him crying.
Good luck

If he wants more milk he is hungry. My son drank a ton- 8 oz at a time. I tried to feed him more often to go to smaller servings, and i recommend doing that, but he still liked large amounts and ate around the clock. He also grew a lot very early. Now he's 18 mos, in size 2T-3T and off the charts for height and 90% for weight. He is dense (heavy!) even for his size. Some babies just need a lot of milk. You will soon be able to add thicker and more calorie dense foods which may help him fill up more. I'd ask his dr at his next appt. just to check in and be sure.

He's definitely not overeating! He's a boy! My own son was about the same weight at the same age and I have a friend whose son was 18 lbs at three and a half months!! Anyway, what you might want to do is start him on solids, but I would give it to him via spoon rather than bottle. You can look for signs that he's ready to eat solids - such as eyeing up what you're eating, reaching for your food, showing general interest in what you're eating, etc. Start with rice cereal watered down with formula or breast milk and have fun! It's such a great experience to feed your baby his first solids! We started at about five months with my son as well. The age to start solids is between 4-6 months. And I think most people start with once a day and then twice, etc. Anyway, talk to your doctor, but basically you can introduce one new food a week to ensure that he's not allergic to anything. Look in your local library for a good parenting book and you should be able to find lots of good advice on starting solids...

Absolutely give him rice cereal! I started my hungry son on it even younger than your son is and he started sleeping through the night. I spooned it into him in the evening, but it could be easier by bottle. My son was about like yours in weight, but although he was a chubby baby, he was not a chubby child once past the baby stage, and to this day (age 36 ) is slender.

Everyone will have a different opinion but all I can say is my son hit 24 lbs by 9 month (7lbs 14oz at birth). He is now just over 2 years and only weights in at 28lbs. He has always been happy and health. He grew into his weight. Doctors never had a problem with it at all and neither did I. But then our daughter didn't even hit 20 lbs till she was 2.5 years old. they are all different. If he needs it he needs it. That is just my opinion.

A.,

I put rice cereal in my daughter's bottle with a normal nipple. I made sure it was still pretty runny, and used more to thicken her formula (mostly at night).

If he's eating the Gerber food slowly offer more. My son took to the "real" food like a champ, my daughter was a little more picky. My son is now 5 1/2, my daughter 2 and both are about a pound an inch. He's around 50 pounds, she's around 30. Neither is fat either.

Do what you feel is comfortable, listen to that little inner voice that is almost always right.

Melissa

i wouldn't put the rice cereal in his bottle, since that can make him consume more calories than necessary and can set up bad food habits for later. i would start making him 8 ounce bottles. my stepdaughter was 20 pounds by 6 months and eating 8 ounces at a time (every 3-4 hours), while my own daughter didn't even hit 20 pounds until she was a year (possibly older) but was eating 8 ounce bottles every 3-4 hours also at that age.
every baby is different in terms of how big they are, and it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong.
if you're already feeding him baby food, then i don't see why you shouldn't start introducing rice/barley/oat cereal as well.
in the meantime, here are some links for you. remember, these are guidelines, and every baby is different.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y...
http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_e/E-135.pdf
http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/feed...

most importantly though, i would talk to your doctor about what is best for your baby boy.

I say NO, no, no to putting rice cereal in bottles...it's a choking hazard and too easy to put away unnecessary calories (heard several docs say this). Have you tried spoon-feeding it yet? He will tell you when full pretty well that way...
I did rice cereal for a little while alone, then added one baby food at a time...
The weight/timing sounds similar to what my boy was (he's 18 months now, and 29lbs)..he's a big boy, but not overweight, just high percentile for weight/height. What does your pedi say?