How much formula is too much?

[ChristinaG]

I have been giving my LO 6 x 6.5oz bottles in a 24 hour period, which seems to be going ok - he sttn and eats every 3-4 hours during the day.
However, I have read on a couple of websites that the max a baby should eat is 32oz a day.

How much formula for your baby's size

Feeding guide 4-6 months (scroll down to chart)

Is that accurate?
These same sites also say that you should feed baby 2.5oz for each pound. LO weighed 17lbs7oz at his last weigh in 3 weeks ago, which would mean he'd be drinking 42.5oz, which is a little too much for him (he spits it up)

Any ideas? Do you think hes ready for cereal? Solids?

I've tried a few times with rice cereal and he seems to like it, but I dunno if I should incorporate it daily yet? Doc is on holiday for 3 weeks, otherwise I would ask her!

 

[rhdr9193..x]

Well my baba refuses to have solids and has between 36 and 42 oz a day. (5 or 6 7oz bottles) x

 

[060509.x]

My LO has two 5oz bottles and two 6ox bottles a day (along with breakfast & dinner) so she has 22oz a day, sometimes less as she refuses.

 

[MrsKyliePaton]

Just go with his ques, if he's satisfied with what he's getting, my LO was on 4 8oz bottles 24hr period, and she's 16weeks 4days I've started her on solids yesterday as she has started waking in the night for a feed where she was sleeping 12hrs previously, he will let you know if he is still hungry or full xx

 

[ChristinaG]

My LO has two 5oz bottles and two 6ox bottles a day (along with breakfast & dinner) so she has 22oz a day, sometimes less as she refuses.

how big is your lo?

 

[060509.x]

She was 13lbs11 about 2 weeks ago. Id say shes past 14lbs now.

 

[skunkpixie]

Thats very strange it says no more than 32oz per day.....I havnt read or heard that anywhere else. In the few weeks before weaning, DD2 would have upto 42oz per day. Just feed your baby what he wants when he wants it. I would only be concerned if he was gaining lots and lots of weight or if he was having 50oz+ a day, in which case I would speak to a doctor or Health visitor. xxx

 

[ChristinaG]

Thats very strange it says no more than 32oz per day.....I havnt read or heard that anywhere else. In the few weeks before weaning, DD2 would have upto 42oz per day. Just feed your baby what he wants when he wants it. I would only be concerned if he was gaining lots and lots of weight or if he was having 50oz+ a day, in which case I would speak to a doctor or Health visitor. xxx

thats what i was thinking, but I wasn't sure. There are more sites that say no more than 32oz also. My SIL has 3 babies and her doc told her that when they start eating 32oz consistently, thats when to start foods...

 

[bigbetty]

You can't overfeed hun and start solids when you think your LO is ready - he is over 4 months now so if you think he's showing all the signs then it's totally your choice whether to give it a go or not.

At the end of the day milk is their main source of nutrition until weaning is well and truly established so just give as much as your LO wants x

 

[Dk1234]

Thats very strange it says no more than 32oz per day.....I havnt read or heard that anywhere else. In the few weeks before weaning, DD2 would have upto 42oz per day. Just feed your baby what he wants when he wants it. I would only be concerned if he was gaining lots and lots of weight or if he was having 50oz+ a day, in which case I would speak to a doctor or Health visitor. xxx

thats what i was thinking, but I wasn't sure. There are more sites that say no more than 32oz also. My SIL has 3 babies and her doc told her that when they start eating 32oz consistently, thats when to start foods...

I probably need to start my 12 week old on food then ha ha. He is bf but when he gets a bottle he takes around 5 ounces and he eats every 2/2.5 hours in the day.

 

[StaceyKor]

My LO has been on between 30-35oz a day for weeks. My HV said as long as she is satisfied its fine. She said there is no rush to wean as clearly the milk is still filling her. I am probably going to start weaning in 5 or 6 weeks at 5 months. I want to try to get my LO of of comfort milk first. As others have said, any excess milk will be spat up...and that pretty much never happens with DD hehe xx

 

[ChristinaG]

If I start cereal, do I lose some formula?

 

[bigbetty]

If I start cereal, do I lose some formula?

They drop formula by themselves hun, don't stop offering it xx

 

[sg2011]

I think a baby will take as much as they need so I wouldnt worry to much about what a guideline says (that is what my pediatrician confirmed for us). The only guideline I stick with is the recommendation to start solid foods at 6 months and no earlier.

My daughter eats 5 5.5oz bottles a day but even then she doesn't take all of every bottle . She was 13 lbs 6oz 2 weeks ago and is almost 5 months old.

 

[Jaylynne]

LO is eating about 40oz a day plus 2-3 meals now. I'm going to be starting more textures as I was just pureeing my own baby food. He scarfs it down. I'm pleased as he wasn't gaining much weight before going from 20ish ounces to this now. I'll feed him all he wants! He's not spitting it up (other than his reflux) so he can handle it. He usually has six 6 1/2 bottles and eats roughly every two hours.

 

[Irish Eyes]

I think they just eat what they need! My LO is nearly 4 months old and weighs 18lbs 4oz. He eats about 5-6oz every 2-3 hours and sttn from 6.30pm to around 5.30am. I'm not going to start food with him until 6 months so i can't offer advise on that but I'm surprised they give a limit on what they should be eating.

 

[vintage67]

I had a little guzzler too.

As others have said, they start to drink less as you introduce more solids.
We're on a nice solid little routine of 4 6oz. bottles a day, 1 bottle of juice/water and 2-3 meals and have been for a while now. My son is 10 months. (of course there is a bit of variance occassionally if he is overly tired one day, etc. This isn't my forced routine; it's his!)

When he was slowly building up his food intake, he drank considerably more.

 

[Kerri_rogers]

Well my baba refuses to have solids and has between 36 and 42 oz a day. (5 or 6 7oz bottles) x

YEP!

 

[ChristinaG]

My mom mentioned to try doing 3 meals of jsut rice cereal: using the formula he would be eating from the bottle. He just had his "lunch" which was a 4.5oz bottle and 5 tbsp of rice cereal (1 tbsp of cereal to 4 tbsp formula) and he seemed to take it ok.

LO has always finished his whole bottle, every time since he was born, so I'm not sure if he would stop drinking or not. Once, DH gave him an 8oz bottle when he was only drink 6 by mistake and he ate the whole thing: no vomiting or discomfort at all...I'm afraid to just "trust" him to stop, because I don't think he will (he comes by that honestly tho! ).

 

[bigbetty]

Don't start on 3 meals love, just start with the one and gradually increase to give his tummy time to get used to it. You can also introduce puréed fruit and root vegetables as an alternative to cereal too. We alternated milk and solids at first so she had something every couple of hours once she was on 3 meals and her milk intake gradually reduced as her solid intake increased.