Is My Son Eating Enough?

second the others on giving the bottle first, and then the food. also about the diaper output and the general growth. as long as he is hitting his growth markers (sitting, rolling, crawling, reaching, etc) and has good energy and weight, i wouldn't worry. i would also NOT force any food or the bottle. this is over-riding his hunger ques and sets up a lifetime of eating issues. if you're concerned that he isn't eating enough, offer food more often than 4 times a day and see if he takes it, don't push more of it those 4 times. and do remember that his stomach is only as big as his fist!

Out of my three children, I have dealt with a variety of eaters. My first one ate great but you couldn't feed him fast enough. My 2nd son, we had to add extra scoops to his formula to get him to gain weight. My 3rd son eats like crazy! When he was 8-9 months old, he was beginning to eat two Stage 2 jars plus 6-8 oz. of breastmilk at a meal. He just turned 1 today (YEAH!) and he currently eats a Stage 3 & Stage 2 (sometimes a Stage 3 instead of stage 2) plus he drinks about 6 oz. Since I've dealt with all types of eaters, I have learned that I will worry no matter how they eat. Are they eating too much, not enough, too fast, etc.?! My suggestion is to keep track of his growth chart. If he dramatically jumps from the 90th percentile for his height/weight and then moves to the 10th percentile, then talk to his doctor. Otherwise, don't worry about it. If he's happy and playing well, then he's eating just enough for him. Let him be your judge-he just might not be a big eater. Good luck! I hope this helps.

Hi R.,

I had a baby who didn't want the bottle much either. It seemed I was always trying to get her to drink more formula and was always worried that she wasn't getting enough nutrition. The truth is though, as long as he is growing and developing, he is getting enough. Whatever we would like them to do doesn't really matter, they are going to eat as much or as little as they want. If you're still having problems with the amount of formula/breastmilk that he is getting through the next few weeks, maybe call his doc and ask them if you can bring him in to be weighed. If there is any problem, you can address it then.

I gave my twins their bottles first at every feeding , that way they get the formula they need and don't overstuff on only food. Hope this helps:)

How is his weight? If it is progressing as it should, then I wouldn't worry. I bought a scales at Babies R Us so that I could weigh my daughter intermittently to see she was on track. Is he getting a bottle in between meals? I wouldn't force any food.

Are you giving the bottle first at each feeding? That is recommended through the first year. Also, how many wet diapers is he making each day? If he is producing around 6 wet diapers each day, then he is getting enough milk. Like was said before, he should still be getting the majority of his calories from milk; he is just learning how to eat solids at this point and not gaining much nutrition from them.

You should visit with his pediatrician, but it is usually recommended that between 6-9 months of age babies should still get most of their nutrition/calories from their formula and breast milk. Between 9-12 months is when they should transition to less milk and more foods.

This child is 4 months old, right? Not 8 months old? Talk to his pediatrician. How is he on the growth percentile chart? How does he sleep at night? Regarding nutritional needs, I would always bounce those questions off of the doctor. I hope you have one who you like and trust and who, hopefully, will get to know your son through the years. Good luck!

First I would talk to your sons doctor if you are concerned.
You could also add some cereal into his diet but the fact is some children once exposed to food don't really want a lot of milk.

Good Luck