How many ounces does your formula fed baby take?

Tamika - posted on 03/27/2012

My son will be 4 months Apr. 8th and his stools became very hard at one point too, my pediatrician advised that I give him at least one bottle of sugar water to help soften his stools. She gave me a formula 4oz of water with 1 1/2 tbsp. I have done this once a week for about 4 weeks now and his stools are showing an extreme difference. I hope this helps an any way.

Tamika - posted on 03/27/2012

my son started off at 3oz too! lol he sometimes also nursed for a half hour before taking 2oz.. So, maybe both our babies are kinda weird or as they say just healthy babies! :)

Tamika - posted on 03/27/2012

My 15 week old takes 4-5 oz every 4 hours, he does not always drink the full 5oz so I tend to give him the 4oz and if need be I make 1 more oz. Even after crying like he wanted more he sometimes does not take that last oz. But honestly, I go off what feels right for him. No one knows his belly as well as he does. So unless your baby is seems to never get full no matter how much you give then I do not feel that bumping up one oz is going to hurt any. #just a thought :)

Veronica - posted on 03/27/2012

My 4 month old takes 4 oz every 2-3 hours! The doctor says its small compared to other kids, but because she drinks every 2-3 hours, it evens out. Plus, she's gaining weight beautifully. If your baby is still fusing after eating, I say give him a 1/2 oz to an oz more! All kids grow and eat differently.

Jessica - posted on 03/26/2012

6 oz. with rice cereal and 1st foods

Mommalove - posted on 03/21/2012

I have a little boy that is 3 months old to, he just turned 3 months on the 14th of this month.During the time when he was a month he was drinking 3.5 oz and when he was 2 months he was drinking a full 4 oz bottle, but just like your baby he cried after every feeding as if he was not getting enough so now that he 3 months he drinks 5.5 oz or sometimes a full 6 oz bottle.I up his formula and now he does not cry after his feedings so if your baby is crying he might be wanting more formula because he is not getting enough milk.

Mariam - posted on 03/19/2012

My son is 4 months 3 weeks and was taking 4oz formula milk, top with my feed and use to sleep for 7 hrs at night....since last week he wakes up after 4 hours...I increased his formula to 5oz but didn't effect the new pattern....what does it mean? I dont know what to do either?

Tina - posted on 03/18/2012

My son turned four months on the 8th, he's eating around 7 to 8 oz every 5-6 or sometimes 7 hours. He slept through the night last night after feeding him an 8oz bottle at 8pm and him actually going to sleep around 9 to 10. He usually goes to sleep around 8pm after eating at 5 or so, then waking up in the middle of the night. For some reason yesterday he waited til 8pm to eat, but it made him sleep all night. :)

Mariam - posted on 03/15/2012

My son is on breast milk and 2 bottles of formula mIlk..one in the afternoon when I am out teaching and one at night... I am giving him 4oz of formula n nursed to sleep and he was sleeping 6 to 7 hrs at night..these days he wakes up to nurse in the middle of the night....should i increase 1 to 2oz?

Sabrina Gail - posted on 03/12/2012

my baby is 5 weeks old and takes 4 ounces every 4 hrs but sometimes she wants more idk if i should pump her up at such a young age but i dont want her to starve so idk what to do any suggestions

Michelle - posted on 03/12/2012

My baby is almost 4 months this month and she's taking 6 oz every 5-6 hours ! She sleeps fine in the night now

Sabrina Gail - posted on 03/11/2012

my lil girl is a month and so many days and she eats 4 ounces every 4 hrs is that normal idk how much she should be eating but she still acts hungry

Angela - posted on 07/25/2011

My daughter is a piggy lol. she is eating 5oz during the day and then 6oz before bed. she will cry when the bottle is done, but that's because she needs to burp. she doesn't let me burp her in between, never has. it is hard to tell when i breast feed her how much she is getting, but usually will need a little more. she gets the bottle when i am at work and that's how i told my mom to feed her. i was told when they start wanting to eat more, they get hungrier faster. try 4.5oz and see how baby does. it could be he is growing. they go through growth spurts every 3-4 weeks...or so i was told! good luck!!

Gina - posted on 07/24/2011

Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences. It seemed like my son's stomach expanded overnight...and probably did!! He's taking 5 oz. In 6-7 bottles a day. My big boy is now 4 months and two weeks and 15lbs 26.5"! I enjoy reading all your responses and look forward to everyone's march 2011 baby updates!

Elli - posted on 07/24/2011

My girl was drinking six ounce bottles eight to ten times a day at that age, and ten to twelve eight ounce bottles a day by four months of age. She slept 5-7 hours during the night at this point, occasionally waking to feed or because her diaper was soaked. I wanted to start cereal or other solids, but her doctor said absolutely no way, not until six months. I doubted his advice, even though he'd been my childhood doctor and a really good one. I ended up starting her on jarred baby food by a little over five months. I really had to. Finally got some peace. She's 11 months now, and has 4-5 bottles per day, and drinks 6-8 oz per bottle, and eats erractically. Anywhere from 1-3 meals of some combination of fruit, yogurt, veggies, various types of cereal, 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, and fortified baby cereal biscuits or puffed wheat or rice snacks.

But, short answer would be YES! Make him a five ounce bottle, and if he takes it all, make it six ounces next time and let him drink as much as he wants to. He won't take more than her needs. Always offer a little more than you think he'll take so you know he's getting enough.

Lisa - posted on 07/12/2011

Adrian takes between 4-6oz of formula....but my doctor said we could put 4 tablespoons of Rice Cereal in his bottle at night, so he may sleep longer because he will be fuller to, well see what happens tonight!

Megan - posted on 07/12/2011

oh, i also mix his formula with oatmeal too, and that helps a lot more than just plain formula. we tried rice but he didn't like it. and it's every 3-4 hours.

Megan - posted on 07/12/2011

my son is 4 and a half months old and just a few days ago, i upped him to 9oz and then sometimes 4oz after that. but that is only because he has a stomach problem. he always throws up a couple ounces after each feeding. the past few nights, the last feeding before bed, he has been keeping all 9 or so ounces down. his last check up, the doctor said he might have some problem to where he might need surgery...i think it started with a P but i don't remember the word. but he's still gaining weight, so i'm not worried!

Gam - posted on 07/12/2011

All babies are differant.... my boys will be 4 months on the 16th and are on totally differant amounts. one is on 8/9oz every 3 hours and the ther is on 4oz every 3. now these babies are exactly the same age and dont take the same amount so i wouldn't worry... it all depends on the weight and how much they can take..... your baby will not go hungry he will let you know when he wants food, i wouldn't worry to much and your health visitor should be giving you advice. i get told they'll eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full.... both my boys go 12 hrs at night without feed and sometimes its a struggle to get their first bottle down them(and you'd think they'd be starving) but are both putting the weight on. if it gets to you that much speack to your health visitor she will be able to help

Tiffany - posted on 07/09/2011

5-6oz every 4 hours.
3.5 seems a little low to me but that's just me. my son started at 3oz at like a month old but maybe he's the weird one lol

Gina - posted on 07/08/2011

As an update to my original post, I just wanted to say that Mr. Four Months Old (on the 13th) has climbed up to 5 ounces every 3-4 hours. I tried a touch of rice cereal but it seems to make his stools harder. So, I just have to live with it and feed him as much as he needs when he's hungry. Seemed like the obvious answer all along. Thank you all for chiming in. Everyone sees things from different perspectives and it's all very helpful. I can't believe our babies are all turning four months old now!

User - posted on 07/08/2011

Oh my goodness my son drunk 3.5 when he was born he :( drinks 8oz every 3-4.5 hours the doctor say feed him less in more hours. I'm just like :-O when your thirsty do time yourself or when you hungry do you say no I just had a banana. I fees my son when he's hungry and to make him sleep longer I put banana or apple sauce in his bottle! He loves it and he sleep from 9pm-8am :-) try it

Gina - posted on 07/08/2011

Hey Lisa! Thanks for responding! Sounds like your little man needs to stretch it out for his momma a little longer at night. What we did was when Rex woke up "early" (say 2-3 hours into the night), I'd rock him, use the pinkie, etc before I tried to feed him. It takes a few nights of "stretching" before the baby caught on that waking up during the night didn't produce food right away. He's been sleeping through the night since about week 8. Good luck!

Lisa - posted on 07/08/2011

My formula fed 4 month old has always taken 4-6 oz a day and each night, he has always been a big eater. But you would think with my baby boy eating so much that he would sleep through the night, no not yet..... I am wating for that day to come!!! hopefully soon:) any suggestions??

Amy - posted on 07/08/2011

My little guy eats 7oz every 4 to 5 hours during the day and sleeps through the night from about 9pm until 6:30am with a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. He gets 4 (sometimes) 5 bottles during the day....depending on if his schedule gets messed up.

Erin - posted on 07/07/2011

I agree that every baby is different. They are all different sizes, etc, so it's hard to know what's "normal". As long as your doctor says things are OK, just go with your gut. My daughter will be 4 months on July 9 and is eating 4-5 oz. every 3 hours. She eats the same thing at around 7-8 p.m. and usually sleeps until around 6:30 the next morning.

Elisa - posted on 07/05/2011

My little one is four months yesterday. He eats 6-7 oz 3.5-4 hours apart. Every baby is different. As to the food aspect, Listen to your doctor.... every baby is different. Babies usually start food around 4 months. Now, that is all dependent on the baby and the doctor. If the baby does not seem to be getting enough from formula/breast milk alone (hungry too often already maxed out on a big bottle) the doctor will probablly direct you to a little bit of cereal to start the foods. Generally by 4 months this will happen, and its okay for your baby.

Sheralyn - posted on 07/04/2011

My baby girl breastfeeds during the day but get s bottle before bedtime. She can fit in 7oz most nights after a short mummy feed.

Emily - posted on 07/01/2011

Hi everyone. My daughter is 13 weeks old and has 4 bottles a day of 80z! According to my HV, this is OK. She is gaining weight well and sleeping through the night from around 7pm-5am. My little girl also has Hungry baby milk; as advised by HV as she was draining her bottles when on First milk

Christi - posted on 06/30/2011

My son is 3 months old today. He takes 5 oz every 4hrs (5 bottles/day). He sleeps at night from about 11pm-6am, with about 2-3 naps of 1-2 hrs each during the day. My 1st son however was still on 4 oz every 4 hrs & was sleeping 10-12 hrs each night consistently since he was 8 wks old! He's almost 2 now & still loves his sleep!

Jenna - posted on 06/29/2011

My daughter (born 22nd march) takes between 5-6oz and goes 4 hours in-between and sleeps up to 12hrs on a night.
Babies should not be given anything other than breast/ formula milk until they are 6 months, they can be given solids at 4 months but u must make sure that the food they are given are gluten free! My 1st daughter was given solids at 5 months and I wasn't told by my health visitor not to given gluten and now my daughter has coeliac/ celiac disease. And she now has to follow a strict gluten free diet for the rest of her life!

Desiree - posted on 06/28/2011

your not suppose to give your baby anything but breastmilk or formula until there six months, ive talked to my doctor and home nurses about it

Desiree - posted on 06/28/2011

your suppose to give your baby 4-6 ozs. And my son sleeps 7-8 hours at night and its prefectly fine.

Veronica - posted on 06/27/2011

This is my second time dealing with formula this year as I have 2 babies born in the last year (April 2010 and March 2011). As a guideline, I was told to take 2.25 * their weight to determine the amount of ounces they should have per DAY. I also was told that in the first three months, they tend to gain about an ounce a day, so you can use that as an estimate from your last doctor's weigh-in. My eldest, at 14 months, easily fit the norm and this measurement worked perfectly. My youngest, however, is a little hungry monkey. He has been eating 4 ounces since the formula i mentioned above suggested 3.5 ounces. He sometimes will drink 4.5 - 5 ounces first thing in the morning or for his last bottle at night. The doc says that he should go on solids around 4 months. He said he usually suggests solids between 4-6 months, but suggests 4 months since he's such a big guy. Yet, that confuses me as he said he was in the 55 percentile for weight, which tells me he's pretty average in size. I also breastfeed, but since my breast reduction, I can only get about .25 ounces out of me at a time.

Gina - posted on 06/27/2011

Hey thanks mamas! I swear he would eat ANYTHING I gave him. He seems to spit up a LOT when he gets the 5 ounces but I don't want to withhold food if he's hungry. I just know he'd eat 10 ounces without stopping. Haha! I wish he'd go 4-5 hours in between feedings but even with 4-5 ounces I'm only getting 2-3 hours out of him. Thanks for your replies!!

Stephanie - posted on 06/26/2011

one of my twins is taking 7-8 ounces and the other is taking 8-9 a feeding ever 4-6 hours. try putting 5-6 ounces and see what he leaves in the bottle, that will help you see what he is eating, if he eats it all, add more until he stops and gives you a number hes comfortable with.

Christina - posted on 06/26/2011

my daughter takes 4 ounces every 3-4 hours except at night she still takes 4 ounces but sleeps 10-11 hours... i've tried to up her feedings but she doesn't like to and she's still growing... but our doc said the recommendation is 2 - 2.5 ounces for every pound they are.... i would say upping the bottle size is probably ok

Bethany - posted on 06/25/2011

Haha :) My son just turned 3 months on Friday and he has been on 6 oz of formula since he was 2 months old :) and I think he is going through a growth spurt so he is either going to need more formula, or be fed more than usual.

Nicole - posted on 06/25/2011

My daughter is almost 4 months old and is on 6.5-7oz every 5 hours and sleeps about 7-8 hours a night. She is going to start oatmel/cereal when she hits 4months in July.

Rebecca - posted on 06/24/2011

my baby girl has 6 oz every three hours during the day and sleeps through the night from 8pm til 7am

Cristi - posted on 06/24/2011

My little girl has 200ml of water (which says 7oz on the side of her bottle)and 4 scoops of milk. She has 4 to 5 bottles in 24 hours she has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks. She'll sleep from 8 or 9pm to 6 or 7am. She normally goes 4 hours between bottle during the day. I just follow the guide on the side of my formula tin.