New To Formula Feeding... Help Please!

[LKAK]

Hi Girls

I'm after some advice on formula feeding please! My daughter is 7 weeks today and I breastfed her for 5 weeks, I then got a kidney infection and struggled with feeding so moved her onto Aptamil. She has taken to it with no problems at all except any sort of routine has gone out the window!

When she was breastfed she was quite grouchy and wanted to feed constantly during the day but would sleep for 5 hours at night without a feed. Since going on the bottle she is a happier, more content baby but she seems to want to feed more, especially during the night!

I'm worried I am overfeeding her and the guidelines on the tub of formula says 5 x 5oz a day, but my HV said still to feed on demand!

Should I stick to the 5 feeds a day in the hope it gets her into a routine? I don't want to overfeed her and made her unwell but I also hate the thought of her being hungry!

Thanks in advance, Laura x

 

[Eve]

Haven't done formula in a while, but I would think feeding on demand would be better? I mean if she was eating loads and loads I would see if she wanted something else before offering a feed. Maybe she is thirsty? I know you shouldn't give water to a BF baby usually until solids are started but my son was FF and I gave him water from like a week onwards. I would see what others say though, as I haven't FF in 8 years, and a lot can change I know feeding on demand works for me, but I am BFing... good luck

 

[aliss]

Feed on demand.. she will be happier which in turn will make you happier! Guidelines on the tub are just guidelines, babies grow at different rates. If you overfeed her by accident, she will vomit it up. If she drinks and keeps it down, it's because she is growing.

 

[rihanna]

i was wondering this too as my baby is nearly 13lb but only 6 weeks not the 12 weeks that the box says a 6week old weighs. I am going to see how LO goes and follow his lead x

 

[claralouize]

I'd definately say feed on demand. I was worried at first that my LO was taking too much. At about 3 weeks she was taking 5oz 6 times a day , she then went up to 6oz and dropped her night feed so took 5 bottles a day (at about 5 weeks) she is now 12 weeks and taking 7oz's 5 times a day.

It does tend to even out natuarlly so just follow their lead, also you can't overfeed as baby as any extra they take they will just bring back up.

 

[Eala]

I agree with the other ladies, feeding on demand is better all round The guidelines on the side of the box are only approximations, as every single baby is different. My LO NEVER fitted in with the recommended amount by age, and very rarely matched up with the amount by weight either.

The way I always did it was that I'd make up a bottle which was 1oz more than the amount she'd been taking. So if she was draining a 5oz bottle, next time I'd make 6oz, and so on. That way I always knew she was having as much as she wanted throughout the day

 

[LKAK]

Thank you everyone, I feel much better about it now! Can I ask did your babies sleep through when feeding on demand?

x

 

[aliss]

Thank you everyone, I feel much better about it now! Can I ask did your babies sleep through when feeding on demand?

x

At about 7-8 weeks, Alex started sleeping 8:30pm-1am (quick feed), 1am-4am (quick feed), 4am-6am. So 2 night wakings.

A few times now he has dropped the 1am feeding.

Last night he went 8:30pm-4:30am (OMG) and then quick feed, then 4:45-6:50am!

That's pretty good for around 9-10 weeks.

You may here a lot of FF moms saying their baby "sleeps through" but it's really not as common (the whole FF babies sleep better than BF babies is not entirely accurate, it is more baby personality).

There are sleep trainers that say to feed 4-5x per day (including letting hungry baby fuss) and baby will sleep a lot at night (10-12 hours) but the majority of pediatricians will say that this is unnatural and not good for development (unless of course the baby does it naturally).

All I know is that a happy baby during the day will sleep better at night!

 

[Nats21]

My baby tends to wake 4 hourly at night, hes 8 weeks today, I feed on demand during the day but he does tend to feed every 2.5 to 3 hours and then 4 hourly at night xx

 

[x__Hannah__x]

Wow, Amelia's nearly 7 weeks old and is has 5oz about every 4-5 hours and has 6oz to go to bed usually about 11-12 and sleeps until 6 or 7 sometimes 8
xx