How much formula is your baby drinking?

Bridgette - posted on 01/27/2010

Hi. My baby girl is now 4 and a half months. She has a bottle every 4 hours which consists of 200ml water and 8 spoons of formula.

I've started her slowly on solids even tho the child health nurse says we should not.

I just feel that our lil ones have to start getting used to food and it's really just gona make them stronger sooner - i give my baby a taste of whatever im eating - ofcourse only if it's not to spicy. I've started giving her a bit of very watery baby rice and some purity baby foods evry second or third day.

I have a friend with 2 kids - he says the first kid he also started on solids pretty early - this child is now a healthy eater - with the 2nd child he went according to what the nurses say - this child now is a oicky eater and does not want to chew proply.



So i dont know - good luck! :)

Davina - posted on 01/26/2010

my son is 19 weeks old and gets 4-5 8oz bottles per day, he weighed 18.7 lbs at his 16 wk visit so i guess his more than that now. he sleeps throughout the night as well. Maybe he is bigger than the average baby so he requires more.

Brandi - posted on 01/25/2010

My little girl takes 4 to 5 oz bottles every 2 to 3 hrs....I do give her baby food here and there. I was told by her Dr that until they are 6 months they really don't need it but, we could slowly introduce it a 4 months.... My family seems to think I should have been giving it to her since day one....and are constantly telling me to give her "real" food....If she doesnt seem like she is satisfied after eating I make her a 2 oz bottle with a little rice cereal. Our Dr. said that was fine and that it also helps if your baby spits up alot. I would go by what your Dr and you yourself think on how to feed your child. You know him better than anyone and know what is needs are...

Crystal - posted on 01/24/2010

My son is about 4 and 1/2 months old, and has had ceral in his bottle since he was about 8 weeks old. As of right now he eats about a 1/2 up of ceral mixed with fruit in the morning and 1 container of veggies for lunch and dinner. He eats a 4 oz bottle in between and sleeps all through the night. My ped suggested that as soon as he could hold his own head up that we could start foods if we were comfortable and he responded well to the food. I have found that as soon as we started baby food, he was a much happier baby. Every baby is different, Good Luck!!

Jennifer - posted on 01/22/2010

She eats 7-8 oz. every 2.5-3 hours and usually eats 5 bottles a day. She's formula fed. The pediatrician said that since my LO is 4 months that she could start on cereal if we want too. I'm waiting until she gives me a sign that she's ready. She shows no interest in it yet.

Marsha - posted on 01/22/2010

about 6 oz give or take an ounce. Solids can wait til about 5 months, starting with Rice cereal, a little bit once a day, as it's the easiest for baby to digest since it's a simple grain.

Naomi - posted on 01/21/2010

Annie i agree with you! and Holly thanks for the advise :)

Holly - posted on 01/21/2010

My baby is 16 weeks now and he has been drinking 6oz of milk 5 to 6 times in 24 hours since he was 8 weeks so at 10 weeks I introduced rice cereal and he is doing fine. He gets the cereal mixed with formula not water two times a day and he sleeps through most nights. His pedi told me to give him water as well so he do not get constipated.

Do what you feel is right for your baby and although the public health says not to start solids until 6 months my child would not have been able to go that long, he probably would have been drinking 8oz every hour by then! LOL

As for the cereal, I would try another starter cereal like oat rather than start your baby on veggies yet as the cereal is easier for them to digest

Annie - posted on 01/21/2010

I think it is important for all Moms to remember to do what is right for you and your baby. My doctor advises to start cereal at 4 months. I have friends that have started baby food and cereal at 4 months.

Naomi - posted on 01/21/2010

Its a hard one because if i give him solids it doesnt make any difference to his hunger! All i found solids did to him was give him a belly ache, so i figure he is not ready for it just yet. If i give him less formula he will scream (gut wrenching) because he wanted the full amount. Could it be the rice cereal giving him a belly ache....would i be better off maching a bit of potato or pumpkin with some formula milk and trying that???

Karolin - posted on 01/21/2010

I think thats too much formula. My son is 4month and 3 weeks and he is having 5-6 feeds a day...he is not eating more than 30-35oz..and i am planning to start with solids when he is 5 months...i am from Germany and there they give you the advice if you do not breastfeed to start with solids at 5 months...but it sounds more like your baby is not satisfied just with formula

Miranda - posted on 01/21/2010

My doctor told me that if your baby is eating more than 40oz. of formula or breastmilk a day, then he/she needs food. My daughter, 20 weeks old, starting eating baby oatmeal once a day for two weeks. She has now graduated from that and is eating one container of veggies and one container of fruits a day. I hope this helps!

Wanyu - posted on 01/21/2010

my girl is about 20 weeks n drinks about 5-6 oz every 2.5 to 3.5 hrs. and weighs at 7200grams. she's taking both expressed breastmilk n formula. i think that some babies get fussy when it's difficult to get the milk out? maybe it's good to try and introduce a faster flowing teat when they are older. my girl will continue to suck at her teat when she finishes the milk, but if she doesn't cry much during burping then i guess she's satisfied. she use to throw up quite abit when she drinks too much, i heard it's possible to overfeed. my PD said if u wan a baby to put on weight, have her drink lesser but more often. like 4-5 oz every 2-3 hrs.

Tiffany - posted on 01/20/2010

My daughter is 3mnths 3 weeks was going to be strictly breastfed and it wasn't enough now she gets the boob quite often and also about 10-12 bottles at 4oz a day. had planned on starting cereal at 3 months but due to allergy concerns I have to wait till 4 months. my nephew is 3 weeks behind Abby and he is drinking 8oz bottles quite often daily and already 15lbs I will find out Abbys wait on the second but last check at 3 months she was 12lbs 13oz

Naomi - posted on 01/20/2010

My son was 17lbs at his 3 month check. He would be easily over the 20lb mark by now, he is very tall too, in 6 - 12mth clothes....he is a monster lol. I had him on rice cereal with the doctors advise and the doc said "you will know if hes not ready for it" and....HES NOT READY! hahaha the past 2 days have been hard work for me, just very unsettled, i havnt given him any today and i have my happy settled little man back :) Like i said in my last post im going to leave it a bit longer. My friend has a baby 3 week younger then mine and has had her child on rice cereal for weeks now and it working a dream for her!

Jennifer - posted on 01/20/2010

Yeah I know that every baby is different but I am only giving advice so no one has to listen to me & I am not trying to be smart either!

Jennifer - posted on 01/20/2010

The doctors say cereal helps babies that throw up alot. Also is better to do vegs before fruits,cause of this is most babies love fruits then they won't try the veggies! Is also better to do one veggie for 3 days to get them use to it & to see if they have any reactions!

Marina - posted on 01/20/2010

Really, every baby is different. My baby boy just had his four month check up today and his doctor doesn't want to start him on solids yet. She did say we could put one scoop of rice cereal for every four ounces of formula I make. Before adding the cereal, he was eating 7-8 ounces of formula about every 2 hours. So from 8am to 9pm, when he's awake during the day, that's about 45-50 ounces of formula a day! I thought it was a lot, considering he weighed about 15 lbs today at his check-up! Hopefully the cereal will work.

Mala - posted on 01/20/2010

my daughter is 3 an half month she drinks a 4 oz formula every three hours but after 6 pm a 2 oz an sleeps like for about 8 to 9 hours straight then a 5 oz when she wakes up i use d SMA GOLD formula she takes it very well once in a while she throws up a little i thinks it is too early to start her on solid food i will start her from 6 months on fruits and cereals

Jennifer - posted on 01/20/2010

WOW I think that is way to much formula! I'm no doctor but I think he needs some solids. Does your baby boy get sick alot? Does he sleep through the night? My baby is 4mos & weighes 20lbs 10ozs but was 10lbs 1ozs when she was born! When she was drinking just formula it was just 6ozs every 3to4 hours. She started eating about a tablespoon of rice cereal at 2mos before the bottle at bedtime.Now at 4mos her doctors have told me to start her on vegs 2x a day.If you don't mind try to cut back on the formula some. Try doing a tablespoon of cereal in the morning & a tablespoon of cereal before bedtime! Also try 6to8ozs of formula each feeding! For example:Cereal & 6ozs formula in morning but do one or the other wait about an hour then do the other, then no more than 8ozs formula other feedings, then before bedtime do cereal & 6ozs formula but do wait about a hour between! Make sure the cereal is about pudding texture not to thick but not to watery.Good luck & let me know if that works!

Azmina - posted on 01/20/2010

My son is taking about 4 oz per feeding and he feeds about 6-7 times. So, he's nowhere close to where you are at :). No solids yet...not planning on starting until his 6th month. How big is your boy? Mine is about 13 lbs.

Ashly - posted on 01/20/2010

My 4 month old son is a big boy. Last week he weighed 18lbs! He does love to eat. We haven't started solids yet b/c he has a protein allergy and were advised not to start until 6 months. He eats between 6-7oz. every 3-4hrs.

Christina - posted on 01/20/2010

I don't personally have that experience, I have the opposite, I can't get him to eat more than 2oz at a time during the day. But my uncles 1mo old eats 4oz every 2 hours and would drink more if they let him. My baby is very busy, I think he justs gets bored and only eats long enough to hold him over to the next feeding.

Naomi - posted on 01/20/2010

I spoke to my doctor again in reguards to eating solids and he said i could give it a go if i liked. I have had him on only a couple of teaspoons of baby rice cereal for the past few days as well as his regular formula....its not working how i planned. He has become harder to settle so im going to lay off it for a week or two....but sleeping longer at night. Thanks for the advise everyone :) Just another question....does anyone have a baby who doesnt know when to stop drinking? My son would attempt at downing at least another 3 to 4 oz after a 7oz bottle....i dont let him have more than this as he throws it all back up.

Christina - posted on 01/20/2010

Also don't give water until he is about 6 months. I learned in nursing school that a babies body is mostly fat and water can dehydrate them.

Christina - posted on 01/20/2010

My little boy is 4 months and one week. At his 3 mo visit he was 10lbs 13oz and 12lbs 13oz at his 4 mo visit. Compared to most of the stories I have read on here my son doesn't eat much at all. He never eats more than a 4oz bottle and only does this for his 4am feeding. Other than that he takes about 2-2 1/2oz every 2 hours during the day. I started him on cereal from a spoon about 2 weeks ago every morning and he loves it and it is fun to watch him eat. Baby single grain cereals are for supported sitters which is about 4-6 mo old. Also 1st food baby food is for the same age group, which my son gets one veggie at night. Before the cereal and baby food he was drinking approx 27 oz/day and now drinks approx 23oz/day. He doesn't get much cereal probably 2oz in the morning and one 2.5oz jar of baby food at night. Every baby is different and although I take my ped advice, I am around my baby all the time and I know if he is satisfied or not and it sounds like your little man is not. Plus peds give every mom the same advice. It will not hurt to try, if he can't tolerate it yet then you will know after the first feeding and will know to wait a while longer. But you are mom and regardless what advice you get on here, a mothers intuition is better than advice from others and peds (on some issues). You know your baby, just do what your heart says do, you will make the right decision. I hope this helps.

Gotsome - posted on 01/19/2010

This is a great post - thanks for starting it! Reading everyone's responses just goes to show that you have to do what's right for your baby b/c no 2 are the same - sigh. My little guy is 19 wks & taking 7 oz 4x day (between 3-4 hrs depending on how hungry his demand) & our ped told us not to exceed 28 oz/day - in fact to try and keep it between 24-28 oz. Every dr. I have spoken to - 3 & counting, pediatritian & 2 family doctors -has something different to say, so we have had to get comfortable with doing trying to match what they recommend with what works for us.

Karen - posted on 01/18/2010

my son drinks 4 6 1/2 oz bottles through the day, then just before bed he takes a 8-9oz one (sleeps through from 8:30pm to 6:30 or 7 am)

Catherine - posted on 01/18/2010

My daughter is on 8oz bottles of SMA stage 2 milk. She's has about 3-5 feeds a day. She's doing well with what we're giving her, she throws little a bit up every now and again but she sleeps through the night, and my health visitor said that as long as she's sleeping through, what we're giving her is just right. ^_^

Jenna - posted on 01/18/2010

My son was eating about 50 oz too so I started him on solids with Pedi. approval. He just wasn't gettign satisfied off just milk.....now he seems way more content and happy. we feed him solids 2x/day and now he drinks more around 25-30 oz/day.

Naomi - posted on 01/18/2010

My formula bill is not pretty hence why i have gone to the cheapest good formula around lol, he eats every 2 - 2 1/2 hours during the day. It is also summer here and we dont have an airconditioner so that may add to his thirst a little. Last time i had him weighed was at 3 months and he weighed in at 16.8 pounds i think, sorry im not too familiar with lbs but he was 7650grams......he has grown heaps since then so ill be surprised to see what he weighs in at. I cant give him straight water as he will throw up every last drop, i can only get away with watered down formula of he wants more formula than that :)

Erin - posted on 01/17/2010

My daughter is relatively small, almost 9 lb at birth, but only just over 11 lb at 3 mo visit (4mo visit is this week so she is at least 12-13 lbs now). She eats 6-8 oz every 3-3.5 hrs during the day and sleeps almost 10 hrs at night. So about 35-40 oz a day. I too am under opposing pressures to, or not to feed solids. I haven't yet, but will probably start cereal with in the next couple of weeks. I'll see the nutritionist this week and take her advise, but last time she told me to start solids whenever my daughter can sit on her own so it's almost time :)

Kellie - posted on 01/17/2010

My son is not a morning eater only drinking about 3/4oz for his first two feeds but by mid-day he drinks 5 oz bottles and then with his last two feeds (before bed and in the middle of the night) he drinks 6 oz bottles. All of these feeds around about 3/4 hours apart and then in the night 5/6 hours apart. So daily he probably adds up to 30-32 oz a day. My son is not on solids yet. He is still content with his formula. He's a big guy as well. Weight 1.7lbs 12 oz at his 4 month check up. So I guess your son is eating a bunch but if no one seems alarmed then keep on going. I hate to see your formula bill! :)

Naomi - posted on 01/17/2010

by thickened formula i mean with a propper thickener designed to turn formula to paste, not lots of formula powder to a little water....thought i would just clarify that :)