My 2 month old is still hungry after a 4 ozs feeding, what should i do?

Cam - posted on 08/21/2012

I started baby food with my son at 2 months, although he wasnt premature. He was only 34 weeks along, and only weighed 6lbs 11oz. He also, never gained weight, The doctor asked me to give him baby food as long as he was opening his mouth for it to make him gain weight, he had a problem eating when he came home from the hospital, but, it made him more full and never hurt him, ask your childs doctor :) would be the smartest choice. My child is now almost 8 months old and only weights 13lbs! He is super small for his age, but def. eats a lot!
4, 5oz bottles a day,
1, 5oz bottle at night,
1 jar of baby food and some cereal in the morning
1 jar of baby food at lunch time after nap
2 jars of baby food at dinner,
and 1 4oz bottle of juice, and
water throughout the day whenever he reaches for the bottle.
My child is small not starved, but, he will probably always be small.
He has only grown 6 inch since birth,
but he does eat, and eat and eat... :)

Amanda - posted on 08/21/2012

she might be crying because her stomach isn't taking the solids. depending on age adjusted, her stomach is likely really undeveloped... since even at "term" babies are born with an immature digestive track.

Nelly - posted on 09/07/2010

when my son was two months old i just gave him two more ounces and thats all he wanted an extra two.. try giving her two or one more ounce..it doesnt hurt giving her a little more milk it just means she is growing

Elizabeth - posted on 09/07/2010

Zoë does this too and is almost 2 months old. But if I feed her anymore than 4 oz she spits it all back up. I found that feeding her more frequently helped. Like instead of giving her 5 oz in one sitting... giving her 2.5 and 2.5 for 2 hours... I hope that makes sense. Or I try distracting her... sometimes she just wants to be comforted and sucking is a babies natural way to comfort. I feed her ebm, so if she still does want more to eat I offer her my breast and that usually does it for her.

Casey - posted on 09/05/2010

you shouldnt start feeding till 4months preferably 6.
but all babies are differnet and my son was eating probably close to 180mls (6.5ozs) of formula every couple of hours at that age. if your baby is only having formula if she has to much it will simply just come back up.

Lizzie - posted on 08/28/2010

well I think you may have gotten, your answer of what to do from the doctor , but I think he was saying feed her more formula not baby food this not age appropriate. normally infants feed every 2 / 3 hours. You should not use baby cereal yet babies don't digest things well at that age. When ever you are feeling overwhelmed you should write down the things you want to know about your baby that way when you call or see your doctor you don't forget what concerns you have about your baby . When in doubt always call your doctor.

Stephanie - posted on 08/27/2010

My 2 mth old is drinking 6 ounces every 3 1/2 to 4 hours you probably need to boost up the ounces I don't give him cereal yet my doc says not till he's 4 mths thats when i started with all my kids. Good Luck!

Lauren - posted on 08/24/2010

Dont try baby food yet, could make her very ill.

Lauren - posted on 08/24/2010

I had to put my son on a formula called Aptamil for Hungrier Babies. Because he used to scream the place down from being hungry. It's basically thicker, creamier milk, that makes him feel fuller. Not all babies need it. But my son weighs 18lb at 5 months so..:) Big boy lol hope this helps hun xx

Melanie - posted on 08/24/2010

When my youngest was 2 months old I had to start him on cereal or he would eat 2 1/2 8oz bottles at a time. His doctor said it was okay to try it but to keep a close eye to make sure it wasn't bothering his stomach. Every other bottle was a cereal bottle. And especially at bed time. This helped him sleep through the night. Now by the time he was 4 months old we had already started him on some baby foods. By 9 months he was completely off of the bottle and formula. Whatever you decide to do, I bet you'll make the right decisions! Best of wishes to you and your baby!

Angel - posted on 08/23/2010

try baby on hungry baby i had to do this with my 1st at 10days old as he drained 2 6oz bottles in 4hours. docs wasn't happy but in end found out he was hungry an had to be weaned at 16weeks.

Kayla - posted on 08/23/2010

My daughter never got over 8 oz but I have a friend that her daughter left the hospital eating 4 oz so try increasing the amount and try feeding more often. I do not recommend baby food at this age but that is just my personal opinion and I totally agree with Nikki's post the digestive system at this age is way to sensitive and not fully formed so be careful adding cereal and such.

Gemma - posted on 08/23/2010

try using a bit of gripe water in her milk she might av wind,my boy was on 7-8oz every 2 hours n i started him on solids at 3 months he slept better n stopped getting wind n premmie babys do tend to be hungrier u cud always do her a bottle of juice or water 4 inbetween feeds it doesnt give them what they need but it does fill them up

Heather - posted on 08/23/2010

Feed her as long as she's hungry. I keep the little formula scoops and put 1/2 a sccop of cereal in my sons 6oz bottle of formula. It just thickens it a bit. You might have to use a med or fast flow nipple though.

Faith - posted on 08/23/2010

i wouldn't start solid foods at such a young age expecially being a preemie. Just increase the amount. instead of 4oz go to 6. my son was put on cereal bottles per dr recommendations at 3 months. He was big and he was constantly hungry.so talk to baby's dr too. they may have some suggestions

Janelle - posted on 08/23/2010

Same thing with my baby. She's 2 months and drinking 4 oz every 2-3 hours. Originally she was eating 4 oz every 4 hours, but gradually seemed to get hungry sooner. Generally (depending on average size of this age) a 2 month old shouldn't drink anymore than 4 oz in one feeding. Unless the baby is larger than average. This is just what I've been told by the pediatrician. She told me to just feed my baby the same amount but more often. The general rule as to how much to feed your baby is based on weight. It's 2.5 oz of formula or milk to every pound your baby weighs. And there should be at least 6 feedings a day.

Julie - posted on 08/23/2010

My boy has eaten 8 to 9 oz since he was 1 mth old. He eats every 2 1/2 to 4 hours. The ped. told me as long as he isn't spitting up then that is fine. My 19mth old did the same thing as a infant. They eat more often during growth spurts. My Ped also told me not to start cereal until 3 mths when his system can handle it. Even with cereal my daughter still at that much. Some babies are just eaters and that is normal for them.



I need to also note that my 19 mth old was 65 days early so that is normal for them too.

Stephanie - posted on 08/23/2010

sounds like a growth spurt. my son got like that. he wasnt getting full off just formula. so we started him on cereal bottles at 2 months and also on stage 1 foods. after that he seemed to be full after he would eat. and would sleep a little bit longer.

Jenee - posted on 08/23/2010

Cereal is only empty calories. I would suggest NOT putting it in the bottle unless your baby has reflux For one it can be a CHOCKING hazard. So I would cut out the cereal. Also your babies stomach is not ready to digest the cereal in the bottle, let alone solids.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be given only breast milk or formula for the first 4 to 6 months of life. Rice cereal, by spoon only, should be started when the baby is at least 4 to 6 months and she shows that she’s ready: she shows interest in food, she seems hungrier than before, her head control is good in a seated position and she can close her mouth around a spoon and use her lips and tongue to swallow food rather than spitting it out.

Sue - posted on 08/23/2010

Shes two monthss old there abouts, maybe up the formula feeds. Mine increased dramatically in the first few months. in hospital they gave me a chart they consisted of this: 96 hours and over 69 - 92 mls each feed . By the time there 2 months by the chart they should have: up to about 80 - 100ml or more. On the back of formula tins they have the corresponding chart for the age. Hence you have to eliminate the premmie consideration, 5 pound is a normal weight range. starting baby foods to early is not good, not until their 6 mths or more. My kids were having regular feeds every 3-4 hourly or when they require it. They will tell u. Best of luck, write back, tell me how it goes. Sue.

Stacey - posted on 08/23/2010

Im going through the same thing at this moment. My daughter is JUST over two months old, and she's eating 5 ozs every 2 hours or less . It's just a growth spurt.



Nothing too be worried about.



It's a good thing she wants it that much, another reason she could be crying is yes her tummy could be sore from eating that much but its just something you have too deal with.



Growth spurts can last up too a week or even longer, it may seem like hell, but its a really good sign !



good luck !

Chrissie - posted on 08/23/2010

By the way, while the doctor okayed me adding the cereal, she did stress that I should wait until my daughter was at least 4 months before trying pureed baby food.

Chrissie - posted on 08/23/2010

I had the same problem, with my daughter. By 2 months, she still seemed hungry after 8 oz. every two hours. I was afraid I was giving her too much too often. I added a little cereal and mixed it with 5 oz. of formula instead, and it worked perfectly. I also noticed my daughter spit-up less. Infant cereal is so fine and I used just a touch, it melted into her formula and basically just thickened it, but it wasn't really "solid." I told my daughter's pediatrician that I was doing this and she said it was fine as long as it didn't seem to bother her negatively. But, I believe it's best to follow your child's pediatrician's advice.

Sarah - posted on 08/22/2010

my preemie had this same issue- she was literally starving for the first couple months. we put her on higher calorie formula and that helped, adn we did end up putting cereal in her formula, but it was for her acid reflux and it was with our pediatricians guidance. and like some have said, it can be that she is just going through a growth spurt- like the doctor said, feed her more often- we had to feed zoe every 3 hours (more like every 2 hours)until she was about 5 months old. my doc told me, feed her is she's hungry, just give less formula more often.

Adriana - posted on 08/22/2010

feed your baby as much as she want right now that she is a baby then when she grows up check her diet ...i have a almost 2 month old baby girl and she eats 6oz every 4 hours

Emily - posted on 08/22/2010

my two month old eats over 8 oz per feeding.your baby knows when she is hungry or not. i agree with the other person,cereal right now might not be so good just yet. don't try baby foods until she is 4-6 months. my son went through a few growth stages and i thought i was over feeding him but turns out it is what he needed. Good luck!

Renae - posted on 08/21/2010

Who told you its not good for her stomach? Putting cereal in the bottle is unlikely to make any difference, all it does is make the milk sit in the tummy a bit longer, it doesn't actually give the baby extra energy that will keep them from being hungry.

Dont try baby food, it has WAY less calories than formula and will not stop her being hungry, you are better off giving more formula.

If I were you, I would start making 8oz bottles and let her drink as much in one go as she wants, then see how long that lasts her. 4oz is a normal sized feed for a little newborn but a smallish feed for an older baby.

Julienne - posted on 08/21/2010

I don't think putting cereal in a 2 month old bottle is such a good idea. Their digestive systems are definately not ready for food at this stage.

Maybe she is going through a growth stage and is needing more food at the moment. It doesn't seem that you need to be worried about feeding her too much as she is still a little bubba - less than 8 pounds - and the extra nutrition won't do her any harm. She's still so little so should be fed when hungry, changed when dirty and cuddled when needed still at this stage. Good luck

Nikki - posted on 08/20/2010

My son ate 4 ounces the day he came home from the hospital by two months he was eating 6-8 every 2 hours. We didnt start solids til 5 months. A babies digestive system isnt fully formed or ready to digest solids properly at 2 months, they recommend waiting til 6. Cereal can also cause constipation, so make sure that she is not in any pain and thats why she is hungry. All she needs is formula , just feed her more. Her body is too weak for solids