Eating like an Animal

Rice cereal should not be introduced until 4-6 months. Especially if he is already eating so much already.

Hi K.,
It is expected for him to eat so many times a day. Do whatever he wants to do... every doctor and book and magazine out there has different believes and facts and studies out there. Here's one of those things that someone told me when mine were that little. Yes, they are going to fuss and cry out but try to let them go five minutes longer. Then ten minutes longer. You may have to increase the amount he eats as the time gets further apart. I personally gave mine cereal at two months. It was only half a teaspoon at first and I made sure it dissolved completely before I let them drink so that they wouldn't fight frustration if a piece got stuck in the hole. I pumped because they didn't latch on so sometimes I would be up at midnight and then up at 1:30 to feed and then back up to pump at 3 and then feed at 4:30, etc. Hang in there... you'll make it through it!

had the same "problem" with my son - turned out i wasn't overfeeding him, even though almost every family member and friend was sure i had been...they could not believe a newborn was THAT hungry. i fed on demand b/c that's what my heart said to do...i thanked god when the day came he ate baby food and cereal b/c he strated eating less frequently. my Dr. assured me he was simply a hungry little guy...i wouldn't worry too much, although i know it is TIRESOME for mommy!

K.,

Don't worry. At this point your sons life, he needs to eat as often as he wants. My baby is almost 11 months old and he did the same thing. I did put cereal in his bottle, and yes I was against it. I talked to the doctor about this because mine was spitting up some, but not a lot, but it wasn't because he was overfed, he had a small touch of reflux, which is corrected now. Anyway, my baby still eats quite often but does sleep through the night now. It will not hurt to put a little cereal in his milk, just remember to make sure the hole in the nipple is big enough for the cereal to come through without choking the baby. Some babies just need to eat more often. When my 11 month old came home, I was up probably every 2-3 hours and that was even after he was up to 4 oz. It does get better. And remember, listen to what your baby needs, a healthy baby will stop eating when he is full. I hope this helps.

K.,

Don't sweat it so much! My recommendation is that you continue to feed him on demand and talk to your pediatrician at your son's next appointment.

My first son was born 7 lbs. 15 oz. He also ate voraciously in the beginning. At his 6 wk checkup, he weighed 12 lbs. 2 oz! Throughout his toddler years, he was in the 95th percentile. That has tapered off through his elementary school years. He's now 14 yrs old. He is not fat or big for his age.

I did start him on cereal mixed in his bottles when he was about 2 months old. This helped him to sleep through the night better because he wasn't so hungry during the night.

T.

First I will say...ALL children are different! you got a lot of good advice so I will just say about my experience, my ds was 5 weeks when I started giving him rice cereal in his bottle, when he started on baby food, I just stopped giving it to him and gave him just plain formula and he was fine, yours may too. If not, just decrease the amt of cereal you use until your not. you know your baby better than anybody, use that to help you figure out what works for you and him. Sorry to say my son took years to actually sleep through the night, but his schedule was good for him and he is almost 5 now and still very active, some kids just have more energy than others. good luck!

K.,

Are you breastfeeding? You may want to see a lactation consultant and make sure you are producing enough to sustain him. Also, you need to talk with you pediatrician and mention how often he eats. Eating on demand or not he should be able to go at least 2 to 3 hours as a norm between feedings. Do not add cereal to the milk since he is only 5 weeks unless you pediatrician has recommended it.

A.

Growth spurt. Yay!!! The kid knows what he needs. My babes started out tiny and both of 'em had tremendous growth spurts their first 3 months of life. (One went from the 7% for weight at three days, to 75% just two months later.) He was 100% breastfed, so there wasn't anything to measure, but I think because of that, I didn't, you know, obsess over the numbers. (I'm not saying that to make you feel bad about bottle feeding, just to let you know that there's an awful lot of moms who really have no idea if their baby gets 20, 30, or 50 oz - so don't think too much about the numbers.) If he squeaked, I tried to nurse him, and if he wasn't interested, I'd see if he needed his diaper changed, or maybe just hold him.

I didn't have time to bother with schedules - and it's just as well. (Google for "Babywise" and "Controversial" - or even "Babywise" and "dangerous". You'll see what I mean.) I figured a baby knows when he's hungry, and if they didn't have a way of communicating that to the adults, humans would've died out a long time ago. I just tried to relax and "let the baby drive", as they say. Keeps it simple. It's a lot easier than worrying about schedules. I was always so tired and had so much laundry to do that I couldn't think - and if I just listened to the baby, I didn't HAVE to think too much. (Granted, babies don't ALWAYS know when they are tired - sometimes they just go all cranky and Mom has to figure that out.)

No cereal yet (unless you got something like crazy acid reflux or whatever and on doctor's orders.) And NEVER add cereal to a bottle - only when they can use a spoon. The most recent recommendations are 6 months exclusively on milk (meaning mom's milk or formula), because whenever you introduce cereal or other foods, they "displace" calories. In other words, the best food right now is milk, and anything else means they will be filling up on that, and having less milk. (It'll probably have fewer calories, too.) Some people push them forward a little, and start adding a little cereal at 4 months, but it's not considered ideal.

(By the way, that baby that was super-chubby at 2 months, is now just about average in weight, height, etc.)

I'm completely confused as to why anyone would go out of their way to "make the baby wait 5 minutes, then 10 minutes..." - what's the point? The baby's hungry, feed him. It's not like he's asking for a pony!

Hi K.

Congrats on the new little one. I am have a little boy, he is one now but he use to eat like that too. I think the doctors prefer that babies gain wieght than lose it. Evenually my son stoped eating that much and I remember that he started sleeping through the night at 3 months. He still has a good appetite. Just ask your child's doctor. I know with the first baby you always want to do the right thing and every baby is different good luck.

Everyone has their own opinion about cereal in the formula my suggestion goes along with the pacifier advise. Try all different kinds of pacifiers, round ones, orthodontic ones, latex, silicone, long ones and short ones all babies are different and yours may have trouble keeping a certain kind in his mouth. If he isn't spitting up you are PROBABLY not feeding him too much but he might just need to suck and be soothed. Another way to help soothe a baby at night so they sleep longer is swaddling them and maybe using some white noise so that they don't get jarred and wake up totally. Just a few thoughts. Good luck, this to will pass. :)

I didn't read through all of the other responses, so sorry if I am being redundant. Although I know it's exhausting (I breastfeed my son for 13 1/2 months), that feeding schedule is right in line with what many babies need. I would strongly advise against adding any solid food, including rice, until the minimum recommended age of 4 months (AAP really recommends 6 months.) They simply do not need nor are able to properly digest that kind of food at this age. They simply need mother's milk or the best formula you can find. Best of luck to you. I know it's exhausting but try to hang in there, ask for help from family and friends whenever you can and rest whenever you can. Try some time-saving measures in other areas of your life temporarily until his schedule becomes manageable (frozen food, take-out, using paper products to reduce dirty dishes, consider a maid for a month or two, whatever you can think of to lighten your load in other areas.) Good luck!

First of all, call your pediatrician! (Just to run it by him or her). Also, i read somewhere that babies go through a growth spurt between weeks 5 and 6. You aren't doing anything wrong. I personally wouldn't add rice cereal to the bottle yet. He's way too young for that. Rice is considered a solid and the AAP recommends waiting until 4-6 months old and then give it to him on a spoon so he can learn to eat. But it's your call, call your ped.!

Hi K.! It sounds like your little guy may be going through a growth spurt. Growth spurts happen quite frequently for babies. Just feed him when he is hungry, after all, he is only 5 weeks old. Newborn babies are supposed to eat every 2-3 hours, averaging 10-12 feedings a day. As he gets older, he won't be eating so often.
Good Luck.

K., I too was worried about adding the cereal to the bottle. I was told 1 teaspoon for every ounce of formula or breastmilk. If you think thats too much you can always try 1 tsp. for 2 oz of formula. When I tried this it was the best thing! Some Moms told me not to do it, but my pediatrician said to try if he could tolerate it. My baby was full longer and much, much happier. By the way I just used the plain single grain rice cereal. Worked GREAT for us! Good luck!
Johna

I would speak to my dr before doing anything like putting cereal in the milk, especially with a 5 week old. It has been proven that cereal does NOT help a baby sleep longer and there is a reason babies only need milk/formula till they are close to 6 months old. Their digestive systems still need time to develop. Please speak to your dr before taking any advice on this site. Your baby is so little. Good luck!

Keep feeding him. Do not give him rice cereal until he is AT LEAST 5 months old. Your mile has everything he needs, there is nothing better for him physically or emotionally during these first few weeks of life.
It can be very challenging in the beginning. I have a four year old & a four month old. MY four month old ate several times per night like your son in the beginning.
He will begin to sleep longer soon, it is a natural development that will occur. There will be a lot of fluctuation the first 8 weeks, At four months the body develops melatonin & long sleep cycles kick in for him & YOU!!
They all drop down form birth weight, he'll gain it back by your 2 month check up.

Read "Healthy Sleep Habits HAppy Baby by Marc Weissbluth
& The Baby Whisperer by Traci Hogg
find a Le Leche League contact through internet for breast feeding information

You're doing a great job by trying to feed upon demand & looking for support, he's a lucky baby!

I have been told by pediatricians that you should never, never put cereal in a baby's bottle. Here is a good explanation of why. http://www.drgreene.com/21_861.html

The best way to tell if he is getting the right amount of food is to have him weighed at the pediatrician's office and have them track his weight on a growth chart. I think you should keep feeding him on demand, as long as he is hungry. You may want to try a pacifier in case he just wants to suck.

I have five children (ages 11 months to 11 years). They all have gotten up quite a bit during the night, so I can imagine where you're at. I hope you have some support and can get naps. I remember how sleep deprived I used to get. (My youngest still gets up during the night, but not nearly as much as a newborn). I can't make any promises about when your son will sleep longer, but it will get consistently better and better. Hang in there. Good luck.

Sounds like a growth spurt!! You should see another one at about 3 month as well. You'll notice a pattern after a while of either very sleepy all the time for a few days and then the increased eating or vice versa. The sleeping more and eating normally last only a week total.

~S.

K.,

Putting a little bit of rice cereal in the bottle isn't going to really make him less hungry. It'll just keep food in his stomach longer because he will have such a hard time digesting it. Little babies aren't meant to have solids yet and their system can't handle it, so it stays there longer. This fools them into thinking they aren't hungry when they may need more calories. My oldest ate and ate and ate, like you're talking about (but we were breastfeeding). I took that as a good sign, though. He gained an incredible amount of weight in the first 6 months, but later didn't gain weight as he grew tall. Your son may have his own pattern that's not in some books.

The amount a baby should eat is also based on how much they weigh but the books don't know how much your baby is supposed to grow for HIM. If you're certain these are cries for food, I would encourage you to give him food he can digest and absorb. He may need to suck, though. Have you tried pacifiers?

K., I agree with most everyone else that you should not add any rice cereal to your babies bottle. It may cause all kinds of digestive changes his little body is not ready for. You didn't specify if you were breastfeeding or not, but if you are (or even for a formula fed baby), your babies eating habits don't seem out of line to me. Every baby is different, and I'm of the school to feed on demand at this age. I am still breastfeeding my 9 month old twin girls, and time will definitely come when your little one will go longer between feedings. I still feed on demand, and they now nurse around 5 times a day. When my girls were born, a good friend told me to think about my main "job" for the first 6 months at least was to concentrate on breastfeeding my girls. When I was exhausted, I remembered my "job", knowing it would get better in time and I would get more sleep. It did, and now they only get up together one time at night to feed. It will get better, but be patient, it will take a little while. Don't rush the solids, I waited until almost 6 months old to start a little rice cereal and was glad I waited. Your baby just needs your breastmilk (or formula) now to grow up health! Take Care, F.

Well, we have 3 children and with my first child my doctor was a women and had her own children so she new about babies as a mother as well as being a doctor, so I took her advise. She told me when my first child was doing that that he was just plan hungry and to sue the rice cereal it gives the milk substance, just a little like a teaspoon, when you do and put it on your wrist you notice it's a tad thicker. Well, I had told her that I had no idea about it and my son was not very good about breast feeding it's like he wanted me to pour the bottle straight to his stomach, so I tried it. She ended up being correct, my son as I pumped I gave him breast milk in a bottle and he was satisfied with the rice cereal in to just about a teaspoon. He slept better I ended up not being able to pump enough I was not patient nor was he and I was very nervious I just wanted him to be healthy and feeling his best. I switched to formula and added the cereal and both of us became very happy. He's 8 yrs old now and healthy, happy little boy. I'm glad I tried it. I had to do the same for my other children and my nephew and his wife just had a baby and they went through the same thing. There doctor had told them the same then I told them my story they tried it their little girl was about 5 weeks old and finally they got some better sleep and so did she. Sometimes you have to experience something and learn from trying to see what's best for you. It's funny my sister 23 yrs ago had to do the same. Make sure the nipples on the bottle are a faster flow if you thicken the milk (formula) so it come out at a good flow or else you little one will become very frustrated and cry by not being able to get the milk (formula) out of the bottle. Best of luck to you and I hope both of you get a little better rest if you try it. Oh, and it won't hurt the baby it really won't they just get a fully belly.

I never ever put cereal in a bottle. I was told it's sort of unhealthy and I think he's too young. When you feed him, add an extra oz or so to the bottle, and if you're not doing it already, stop in the middle and burp him, then finish feeding him. See if you can get him to guzzle down a little more to get him to go longer.

I wouldnt worry at all. My daughter did the exact same thing until she started eating the baby foods. She was an every 2 hour baby!!! and thankfully she was my first so i could nap when she did. I wouldnt worry about over feeding he is letting you know what he wants. Both my kids were big babies and my daughter (now 2) is right on track now, and my son (6 months)well, he is still a tank!! I wouldnt worry about it if I were you, you are doing a great job.

hey K.,

have you heard of babywise? it is a great book that could be a good guideline for you. if you could read it, get some good ideas, and then choose how you want to incorporate it in your schedule, i think it would help. it talks about getting your baby on an eat, wake, sleep pattern. i never was a demand feeder with either of my boys, but neither of them took bottles, so i'm not quite sure what is best for bottle babies. good luck!

J.

My little boy at like that pretty much for three months, but he tapered the 1 and 3 feedings after about three-four months. I breastfed, though so I don't really know how much he was taking in. I just let him eat until he decided he wsa done. It must have been a lot though because he was born 8lb, 5 oz. By one month he was 11 lb, 11oz and by two months he was 14 lb, 4 oz. I didn't put any cereal in the bottles that we did give him though. One, he couldn't get anything out of the bottle, and then when I cut the hole bigger he got too much and threw up everywhere. Two, he was gaining plenty of weight and I didn't see the need for more.
Your little guy is still really young. I think this is normal. He will slow down when his body is ready. He's growing a lot right now. It takes a lot of energy, and fuel, to do all this growing and changing. The night feedings really vary from baby to baby. Mine took a few months to start consistently cutting down on the night feedings, but then growth spurts would kick in and he'd add a few back. Some babies are sleeping through the night with feedings at midnight and 5 after just a month or two. It'll get better. You really do have to work on his schedule though. Babies don't seem to care that we need our sleep at a different time than they do. Good luck and congrats!

is it breastmilk? if so around 3, & 6 weeks they will feed every 1-2 hrs because of growth spurts. i wouldn't add cereal to the milk yet, baby is too young. also, i have heard that kids have more allergies if you start them too early on cereals. cereal should be fed by spoon, or they may eat too much if it's in a bottle. good luck, it will pass. One other thing,if you make it to where the baby won't eat so often it will cut down on your milk supply. let your hubby watch the baby so you can get some rest.

Hi. This happened to my daughter and I just wanted to see if this could be your case.
I asked dr. about her eating so much. The dr. asked was I following instructions on the formula can on how to fix the bottles, I said yes.
Dr. said instead of following directions on the formula, which was to fix each bottle separately, start mixing formula and water together in one big container and then fill the bottles.
Dr. said the way the directions are on the formula is taking away calories (not sure how)
It worked!! Hope this helps, if this is your case.