Need Advice on Feeding

I have three girls and they all ate differently. Your baby will eat when she is hungry and stop when she is full. Trying to get her to eat more can lead to obesity later in life. 11 weeks is pretty young to sleep through the night.

I agree that you should try pushing her daytime feedings a little bit further apart. That should also encourage her to eat more at her last feeding of the "day" - which for us was about 10pm. All 3 of my children dropped their nighttime feeding by 12 weeks - even my colicky little boy. And - they were exclusively breast fed and didn't get cereal until about 5 months. I don't think adding cereal is a great idea. I have been told that children at that age don't tolerate it well - their systems are not ready yet to digest solid foods. I know lots of moms try it and are successful, but I would make it my last resort.

Also - I don't know what kind of schedule you're on. When I had my first one, several people recommended that I feed, play, and then put the baby down (awake but tired). That way she would learn to go to sleep and not need that feeding to settle her down. (The only time I varied from that was when I was giving a nighttime feeding - of course, we didn't play then.) I think this system helped my kids to give up that nighttime feeding because they didn't need the bottle (or breast) to go back to sleep. If they woke up, they could put themselves back to sleep. I had 3 VERY different children and it worked with all of them. I hope it will work for you too.

Finally, if she is growing, don't worry too much about how much she is eating. If she is happy and healthy, then she is getting what she needs. All you need to do is adapt her, little by little, to a more "big kid" schedule - ultimately with 3 meals a day and a snack or two. As you adjust that schedule, she'll adjust the volume.

My son (6mos now) was same way. Turns out he was just a 'grazer.' He would only take 1 to 2, lucky to get 3oz in him. He'd nof off then wake up for rest of it in about 30 mins to a hour. So just go with it. Listen to her cues... my son's a healthy whoping 20 lbs at 6 mos. His eating habits have leveled out. Some babies are just more in tune with their tummy size than others. A doctor once told me that the size of anyone's stomach is twice the size of their hand. So that ought to give you an idea if she's actually getting full.

Its not just because she's a girl-its because she is a different baby. Both of my daughters ate very differently and still do. You may try pushing her feedings a bit more apart so she is hungrier when it is time for her to eat, so instead of 3 hours go for 3 hrs and 15 minutes and when she is comfortable with that go to 3 hrs and 30 min. etc... When my daughter was still eating every 2 hours at 3 months old I had to do something, so one morning I fed her played and when she was fussy 2 hours later instead of feeding her I put her in her bed and when she woke up she ate much better-she had really just been snacking instead of getting a full meal at each feeding. BTW, my 2nd dd didn't stop night feedings until she was a year old (breastfed.) God bless!

C.

My daughter never took more than a 4 oz. bottle the entire time she was on a bottle, which was only a year. She was a premie and would rather sleep than eat. At 5 weeks I started her on cereal, oatmeal, and she was sleeping all night in about a week. Rice cereal never agreed with her and this is what I had used on my other children and they did fine on it. Are you giving her anything besides milk? My children were early eaters on everything. If I had waited for the doctor, they would have been a year old before they had anything but milk. Use your instinct. It works just fine. If she is gaining weight, her intake is fine. You always want them to gain some at that age. Most babies are not full at night, therefore they are not going to sleep. I get up and eat at night if I get hungry, they cannot. Just try a little cereal, a teaspoon or two, in her bottle and see how it goes. You may have to cut a larger hole, but not too big or too much will come out and choke her. I am 60, have raised two boys, and have a 12 year old adopted daughter that I have raised since birth. They are all healthy and growing and I used my instinct more than a doctors advice on many issues.

Let us know how it goes
S. Miller

Every baby is different and I think 11 weeks it is a bit early to dro theit night feeding. You can consider yourself lucky if she only gets up once. But that is just my opinion. My baby is 11 months ols and eats very well and still gets up every once in a while asking for his "ba-ba"

Get the book Baby 411. It covers all of these situations (like night feeders who eat out of habit), how to handle it, and when (based on age) to intervene. The library might have a copy you can check out but the book is worth every penny.
It's a great book, clear and simple, with practical advice from a pediatrician. I used it for my first, and now my second, and have worn my copy out! I was living overseas and then in Alaska when my first was little, and this book saved my life so far from family and friends. Best of luck to you!

My advice is to stop the night feedings; just one at a time if you are doing more than that, but she will compensate for her need on her own during the day by gradually increasing those feedings. They know how much they need and if that is all she is eating, then it is all she needs. You shouldn't force her to eat more unless she is having weight problems because it can cause other issues. If she eats 3 oz every 3 hours, she is getting the 18-20oz per day she needs at her age, and she will pick it up as she gets older. I worried about that too, then about 7 months, she started on 7-8 oz every 4 hours or so - she knew. Enjoy your princess.

Hello
Every child is different. Some are night kids and some are day kids and some are somewhere in between. So, relax its okay. Chance are in a few week your baby will go through another growth stage and every thing changes again. Is it annoying? probably. Is it not fitting into your routine. Good chance. Hence forth that is when we mother's get stressed. If she hasn't already, by now, you should have notice how picky she eats. I had that happen on my first born. I worried myself because i felt like the kid was not eating enough. Somedays, I was lucky to get fruit roll up in him or animal cracker. I tried everything from pasta to sweets to meats to fruit and my first born just would not eat much at all. I switch over to ovaltine to ensure he got some sort of nutrition in his daily diet. The doctor and other mothers told me not to worry. Its a growth sprut. When they start eating like there is no tomorrow and the belly gets plump. Look out the next day all the cloths you just bought for her don't fit anymore. From my point of view, I would not worry about how much she is eating at night. I'd let her eat and don't be confined to only giving them 2 to 4 oz. When they are hungry let them eat. She is proably filling up the tank to sleep through the night so she won't wake up hungry during the night. She is very much still growing at an very fast pace. It's okay it sounds normal and very health. My second born, since he was able to let me know what he wants to eat, he will have days where he will not eat much at all and then days where i can not get enough in him. However, the next day i have to go buy new clothing so we buy big to account for the next two growth spruts. If it still worry you, check with your doctor.
The doctors and nurses at Dothan Pediatrics are very good at answering questions.

Your daughter sounds completely normal. Remember each baby is different. My son was on about the same schedule himself. Then he hit a growth spurt and his milk intake jumped to 4 oz and he cut back on a night feeding after that. I would not add any cereal to her milk because it doesn't sound like she needs it. You should only add cereal to your babies milk if you doctor recommends it due to reflux or problems with weight gain, which it doesn't sound like she is having. Otherwise, it has been linked to digestive problems and being overweight as she gets older since it throws off her inner hunger cues which badies need to learn to trust.

So C., not to be rude, but what I'm interpreting from your letter is that you want the infant to follow your choice for how much she should eat and when INSTEAD of allowing her to eat only until she feels full.

Infants haven't yet learned how eat beyond real need, meaning only to the point of satisfaction instead of over stuffing simply for the sake of not having to feed later! Follow her lead. She eats until she's full. There is no reason why at only 11 weeks you should be discontinuing her evening feedings. She's eating 4ozs because she needs that quantity to fill her tiny tummy. I'm sure she sleeps well feeling satisfied, not hungry. Also during the day hours she's satisfied, not hungry. You cannot force an infant or TRICK an infant into eating more simply because you don't want to feed him/her later on. Please, think of how you feel when someone insists that you eat more when you've already satisfied your hunger.

my apologies for coming across as though i am fussing. I didn't mean to be condescending towards you. It always disturbs me to hear that moms want to create problems where none existed simply to have more time for themselves for whatever reason!

The physician says her weight gain is good. She's obviously healthy. So why look for problems or create a future over-eater just free yourself from a night time feeding. Enjoy all moments you have with your infant child laying in your arms close to your heart feeling your love for her. They grow much too quickly and soon will not want that time to just "be" near to you. The time will come when friends and being close with them will become more important than sitting with you to enjoy a meal together. Make the most of time with your babies while you have it!

Good Luck.

C.-- Congrats on your new baby girl! She sounds darling. First, I'd say that if the doctor is saying that your baby is gaining weight well, I wouldn't worry about it that much. One suggestion might be to add a little cereal with her milk during the night. It might make her sleep longer and not eat so much. Just a suggetion because I know that some moms are a little hesitant with it. Good luck to you and have great week!

L.
www.stcmemoriesfriends.ning.com

11 weeks is really young to cut out night feedings. i wouldn't do that. i am assuming that since you know the oz. that you are bottle feeding. does she do ok with it? maybe try a different nipple? different type of formula? i have heard that many babies really like similac, as it is the closest to breastmilk in the way the body metabolizes it. really, if she is gaining weight and seems healthy and like she is developing on track, i wouldn't worry about it. maybe she is just not a big eater. i wouldn't think it was a gender issue though, our daughter is our big eater. i know breastfeeding is different, but both of mine ate in the middle of the night til they were 18 months or so. there arent' any charts on how to raise kids. at least not that you should pay attention to!

Trying to force your daughter onto your schedule will only make you crazy. It is not uncommon for infants to mix up their days and nights. Keep encouraging her and eventually she will get in synch. But, please don't pressure her. You could create lifelong issues with food and misery for years with you and her struggling about her eating habits.

I'd recommend reading "Baby 411" by Denise Fields for information about meals and sleep habits, or "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. I read both when my son was still a newborn, and basically your child is not physiologically capable of sleeping through the night until at least four months. Newborns eat very often, but not much at each feeding, because their tummies are still so small. Your little girl NEEDS the night feedings at this time, which is still very hard because you also really need the sleep! Like others have said, enjoy the time to cuddle, prop yourself up with baby in a recliner, and just hang in there. Expect your girl to drop one middle-of-the-night feeding around 4 months, and then to sleep even longer by six months. We sleep-trained our son at 4 months; he completely surprised us at 4.5 months by suddenly sleeping for 10 hours straight, consistently! And that gradually went up to 12 hours a night, which he still does (and that's not including the naps he gets during the day).

I'm expecting No. 2 in February, so I'm not looking forward to the sleep deprivation; but I'm praying for the best! Good luck to you!

Hi,
My pediatrician told me that most babies that age can't go all night without eating. Of course, my son also ate every night at 4 am until we stopped breastfeeding at a year. There was nothing I could do to get him to drop that feeding. I just thanked God that it breastfeeding hormones make it easier to fall back asleep! One day we saw an older fill-in pediatrician who suggested adding cereal, but that was a disaster...he didn't sleep at all because his stomach was hurting. They're just not ready for cereal before 4-5 months. Good luck!