New Parents

You can't over feed a baby , when they are satisfied they will stop , my guess is he is still hungry and 2oz just isn't enough , he wouldn't take 4oz if he didn't want it.

My ped told me to feed on command and feed however much he is willing to take. My 16 month old son ate like a little piggy when he was still on the bottle. He was up to 4 oz when he was a month old and at 2 months old he was at 6-8 oz. There were bottles or evenings that he took 12-14 oz of formula! That was before we started solid food at 7 months. Feed him until he doesnt want anymore, he will tell you. As for the rocking to sleep, while this is great snuggle time for you, you are creating a problem. He will get used to being rocked to sleep and then wont be able to go to sleep on his own. Best bet is to put him down when he is a bit sleepy but still awake so he can get himself to sleep. It will help you in the long run. Congrats and Good Luck!

I don't think it is possible to overfeed a newborn. If he is accepting the additional ounces, then I would give it to him. I have a son that was born around the same time as yours. Frequently, he will take a little bit, and either fall asleep, or refuse the bottle for a second. If I try to burp him, and give him some time, he will usually take a little more. Sometimes they need a little time, and some breaks when they are eating.

He was a big baby at birth and if he still needs to suck on something as though he is hungry it is quite possible he is. Try giving him 3-4oz and see if that satisfies him. I know somone will say well don't feed to much however, you know your child and if he takes the extra and doesn't bring it back up then your on track. With his size at birth I would think that 2oz. isn't very much. Sometimes we as parents have to test to see how much he/she really needs. Check the bottle after filling it to 4oz. and see how much he takes and go from there. If its 3oz. always allow for a little more.
Hope this works for you and everyone is happy. Take care, remember no child is the same as the next. I have had 3 children, last one I nursed but I do remember that they always drank very close to 3oz, almost 4 and their weight was just around the 7lbs+. Each child varies.

Let your son eat. At this age, they eat when they are hungry. 4-6 oz is probably more of what you're looking for. Sorry - hubby's probably right :)

Just to make sure I understand...You give you son 2 oz feedings? How often? I had big babies too and they drank much more than this from birth (whether BFing or bottle feeding). You are absolutely right that babies often need to have the sucking urge pacified and doesn't always indicate hunger. However, the other very true thing about babies is that they cannot over-eat. They are perfectly made to eat until they are hungry and will stop themselves when they are full. I would err on the side of offering him more in the bottle.

Hello R.,

I've worked with children for more than 16 years as a Nanny and now as a parent coach. My experience is that a child will stop eating when they are full. So, if your son will take more milk, let it happen. Some people will tell you to only feed on a schedule and a certain amount, but every child is different & needs different amounts of foods.

I hope this helps.

R. Maby

Your fiance is right! If a baby isn't hungry he won't eat. They stop when they're full. (Generally speaking) Some babies eat a lot more and also a lot more often than others, so please don't decide for him how much he wants or needs. If he's still fussing after two ounces (which isn't that much) then he's still hungry. He'll act satisfied and fall asleep when he's done. Remember, men doctors have never been a mother so you have to use your own instincts, but it sounds like your fiance has really good instinct. Remember, animals don't have schedules, they let their young nurse whenever they want to and a lot of times they fall asleep while nursing. It's healthy. I don't know why you are bottle feeding, but try to do it just as if you were nursing. You never know how much they're getting when you nurse, you just do it until they stop eating. I have a lot of experience both ways. Also, if they still want to suck after they don't seem hungry, then a pacifier is excellent. That sucking instinct is huge and it needs to be satisfied. It's very comforting to a baby. I would try to ween them off a pacifier slowly by 3 or 4 mos. That doesn't mean you can't use it at all after that, but I would use it less and less after that age. Some people substitute it for holding them and just get to rely on that for everything, when what they actually need at that age is their parent or someone paying a lot of attention or holding them. The more time you put in now, the more ready they are to start learning a little independence when it comes time. (On their timing.) Always try to put yourself in their place. They really are just little people, not little vegetables like some people seem to think.

He maybe right. Your son may still be hungry. You should never go by the recommended amount since every baby is different. Try to read your baby and see if maybe the 2 ounces is not enough. Your son will tell you when he is done.

He could still be hungry. Why not let your fiance try to feed him another ounce or two? He'll stop if he's not hungry. He'll probably even sleep a little longer if his belly is full (or he'll spit up a little if he eats too much.) It's all a learning process, for all 3 of you.
Also, Although I liked to think I knew more than my husband about this stuff, he usually was right about our baby's different cries so it's possible that your fiance is right about some things.

Keep track of how much he eats during the course of one whole day. Your pediatrician should have (or can) tell you how much he should be eating every day. Both of my boys were big babies (9 lb+) when they were born and ate at least 3 oz every 3 hours from the get go. I do remember thinking,"Seriously? Is he eating THIS much??". But my ped. told us to just give him food until he was satisfied.

Your son might be hungry. The beautiful thing about babies is that they rarely overeat. They eat when they're hungry and when they're done they usually refuse to eat anymore. There ARE high suck babies out there though as well. My daughter is always sucking her thumb, she just loves to suck. But, she also eats as much as she wants as well. (Don't bottle feed so I can't tell you how much she actually eats at each feeding, sorry)

Hi R.,
I remember my infant taking 2 oz feeding so you're NOT nuts (as a PP implied). However, that said, babies come with a nice, built in auto shut off switch feature that means they will stop eating when they are full. I wish I still had that feature! LOL
Give him more if he seems to want it....just keep a little count of the # of ounces he eats every day (total) and you will be AMAZED at how consistent it is from day-to-day. Congrats and enjoy that little O.!

It depends on how much your baby weighs and how often he is eating. You are right to be concerned about overeating with formula and a bottle, but a 2-3 week old is also experiencing his first growth spurt and may still be hungry after 2 oz. I wouldn't automatically double his bottle, but add 1/2-1 oz at a time.

I believe that the general calculation is 2.5 times the body weight is equal to the amount of formula needed in 24 hours. I.e. an 8 pound baby would need around 20 ounces of formula in 24 hours--spread over 6-8 feedings. Your canister of formula probably has the calculation for their formulation.

If you and your fiance can't agree, the best thing is to ask the pediatrician...but be prepared if the doctor agrees with your fiance.

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I think your fiance is right on this one. He is a big baby. Some babies have
big appetites. I would go with the four ounces each feeding. If he does
not want it, that little tongue will push it away. Enjoy your new little one.

Updated

I think your fiance is right on this one. He is a big baby. Some babies have
big appetites. I would go with the four ounces each feeding. If he does
not want it, that little tongue will push it away. Enjoy your new little one.

Updated

I think your fiance is right on this one. He is a big baby. Some babies have
big appetites. I would go with the four ounces each feeding. If he does
not want it, that little tongue will push it away. Enjoy your new little one.

Updated

I think your fiance is right on this one. He is a big baby. Some babies have
big appetites. I would go with the four ounces each feeding. If he does
not want it, that little tongue will push it away. Enjoy your new little one.

If he were still hungry you wouldn't be able to soothe him so easily. The thing with a bottle fed baby is they will eat what is in there. A breastfed baby eats till they are full but a bottle baby will keep going till it's gone. A breastfed baby has the unique ability to use mom as a pacifier without getting milk out. It's called non-nutrative suckling.

But if he eats and he's still crying then I would burp him and add another ounce.

Tough call to make. I'm thinking that if the baby was still hungry then he wouldn't be easily soothed after a feeding. I breast feed both my sons for the first month. First son: ate on both sides (I could pump up to 4oz on each side), then moved onto a 4oz bottle. Second son: ate only on one side and fell asleep, then moved onto eating less than a 4oz bottle. My friend's baby ate on one side then went to sleep when he was a newborn, but also ate more frequently. She was concerned that he wasn't eating enough, but no more worries as he kept gaining weight. Maybe if you two ask the doctor at the next check up.
Good Luck

From about 2 weeks onward my own kiddo was taking apx 20oz per feeding, and he was eating around every other hour. Granted, he's an outlier (most babies fall in the 5-6oz per feeding group). The rule of thumb with bottle feeding is to start at 2oz, and then just keep going up by 2 oz increments until they stop eating, but it's a waste issue. Most women have a very difficult time pumping, and formula is ex.pen.sive. (Best to have the bottles ready, so there's not a lot of time in between feedings). This stays *pretty* constant for the next several months... although there'll be days or weeks where they'll eat less than half of what they usually do, and days where they double it.

Check into "feeding on demand".

And remember:

- Babies know what they NEED
- Kids know what they WANT
- Adults have adgendas

A baby stops eating when he is hungry. There is no such thing as feeding a baby too much if he wants it. A newborn baby cannot be 'overweight'. Just don't give him anything added to the formula (like sugar). Your fiance is right.