Feeding

[136gxx]

My little girl is 12 weeks this week and still only has 5 ounce bottles every 3/4 hours. I've tried upping her bottles to 6 ounce but she just leaves it. She never finishes a full bottle she just wants to snack all the time but she's still not sleeping through.

I'm stuck as to weather I should try her with a little bit of baby rice to try and full her up? There's very mixed opinions on how early you should start weening them which is what puts me off.

She's always hungry, and won't sleep or nap for too long because she wakes up wanting some more bottle. Someone recommend giving her a 6 ounce bottle and if she leaves most of it don't feed her for 5 hours to get her to eat the next bottle in full but I don't like the thought of starving her for 5 hours. She's also a very good weight- so I'm too concerned with how she eats just wish there was something I could do to help her create a routine- then she would sleep for longer and not be so grouchy

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Munyze]

Hello! Congrats on your baby girl! I believe you have a snacker on hand... some babies are sleepers, some are fussy and others are snackers... you should feed like you usually do, for her is routine... with weaning I think she still is to young only 3 months... but talk with your health advisor they have more experience and can advise you better...

Good luck with your little one!

[roxannacar]

The advice is to wean at 6 months. They should be able to sit and be interested in food. Also weaning doesn't mean she'll sleep more. 3 months is very young to be sleeping through... my first didn't sleep through for a long time, she was almost a year and even then as soon as she's ok routine goes out of the window.

Be patient it will happen

[Hidden]

My daughter had a 5oz bottle every 4 hours at 3 months. I thought this was normal to be honest. If you’re worried about consumption, they say babies should have roughly 2.5oz for every lb they weigh over 24 hours. She didn’t start sleeping through until six months when she was big enough to store enough calories to get her through the night. Even then it was with an 11pm dream feed which we didn’t drop until she was 7 months. Hope that helps! X

[136gxx in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. She has what she should have during the day she just feeds all the time. Which is what I was more worried about. She's in a good bedtime routine. She did sleep through at one point but then she got really poorly and ended up in hospital and after that it just through her off xx

[Hidden in reply to 136gxx]

Bless her! I hope she’s better now. Yeah they do like to tease us with one off all nighters! It took two weeks of a full nights sleep before I finally had the courage to say we had a baby who slept through... and then teething starts! 😂 it sounds like you’re doing a fab job. I would say the amount of time she has in between feeds is normal for her age. This will extend over time. She’s still so little bless her. X

[Dad101]

I agree with the other posters, and feeding isn't a magic bullet that allows sleep. Also the patterns you mention seem normal and now is the the to start sleep training. I recommend The baby whisperer as a great book and works on a system of wake, feed and activities and then sleep again. As the others have said few if any children sleep through at this stage but if you take the sleep training seriously in a couple of months you'll be enjoying morning naps, afternoon naps and full night's sleep. Be aware though that 5.30 to 6 is a normal morning time. Best of luck and pm me if you have any questions.

[136gxx in reply to Dad101]

She does go into her Moses basket at 8pm after her bath and feed- I put baby monitors on and go up when she wants her next feed. I was just worried as everyone always says that there baby's are on bigger bottles less often. With her been my first baby it's all new to me

Thank you x

[Dad101 in reply to 136gxx]

Hey, I'm no expert but my first was terrible at nights and the 2nd easier. How big is your little one. Look at their fist and that is about the size of its stomach. So be realistic and you can't force, just keep offering more and as the stomach grows so the bottle will be drained. It's not a competition and all children are different. Concentrate on your and your child's needs everything else is secondary. Also have you thought about moving them into a cot? A Moses basket is lovely but at 12 - 14 weeks they may find it a little cramped.

Best of luck, your doing great!

[Mum-of-three-to-be in reply to 136gxx]

My girls didnt sleep through until they were 2.5 years old!!!

One was premmie with nightmares.

The other got "spolied" with breastfeeding on demand.

You need a lot of patience.

My first drank an ounce in 30 minutes. By the time I wind her and put her down it was time for the next feed. It was very hard work.

Take care

[claire16c]

All babies should be demand fed including bottle fed ones. She might not want 5/6oz in one go.

She might want a small feed one time and a larger one the next time. Please don’t space out feeds - as adults we eat and drink when we want and don’t always eat and drink the same amounts.

Also babies don’t need food before 6 months it is not good for their gut and does not make them sleep. Baby rice is has no nutritional value and would misplace the nutrients she needs.

[claire16c]

You are right why make her wait 5 hours? I doubt the person who suggested that doesn’t have food or water for that long I know I’d end up with a headache from dehydration x

[136gxx in reply to claire16c]

She does demand feed, even if where out she'll still do that and sometimes she won't even take an ounce. All I do there is if she's had a big feed recently rarther than making a 5oz bottle, I'll make a smaller one so she doesn't waste it. Like I said she's happy enough and is a decent wright, quite chinky to be fair xx

[claire16c in reply to 136gxx]

Yup exactly just like us she may sometimes not want it! So making a smaller one is fine. and if she wants more then make more

Don’t worry about the oz on the bottle - trust your baby. If you were breastfeeding you don’t know the oz so try not to think about it too much. The best way to make sure a baby is getting enough is wet and dirty nappies and weight gain! X

[mrsoneill]

Congratulations on your little one, it sounds like your doing a great job and you know what’s best for your little one. Others can be well meaning but ultimately don’t know whats best for you. Advice for weaning is from 6 months, at the weaning talks I’ve been too it’s been said that baby rice has no nutritional content so best to stick to bottles until your baby is older and ready to wean. Starting weaning does not mean your little one will sleep through the night. My almost 6 month old still doesn’t sleep through the night and we have started weaning (purees at the mo and will do some baby led when she’s 6 months) I agree with other posters that demand feeding is best, I wouldn’t want to try and leave 5 hours between feeds it seems unnecessary. Keep doing what your doing Hun, your the momma and you know best xx

[CVITA]

My son refused breast milk at 06 weeks and was a snacker too with the bottle. His dr at 03 months advised us to closely control the gap between feedings (no shorter than 2.5 hours, no matter what), add porridge to his milk and at 4 months to start the weaning process even though is growth rate was over the chart. He did not acknowledge the porridge on the milk, drank his usual amount but took about 4/5 weeks before having a pureed meal.

Did not change his sleeping pattern though.