When do you use hungry baby milk?

[jacs]

Hi,

Evan is now drinking 7oz about half the time (night feeds tend to be 3-6oz). By the time I add the formula, there is 8oz in the bottle, which doesn't hold much beyond 90z!
I don't know much about hungry baby milk - how do you know to use it? (I am worried about Evan becoming constipated).
Also, if you switch, do you still prepare the same amount?
Thanks for any advice, Jac x

 

[aimee-lou]

I would like to know this too as Earl is less than 2 months and draining 6oz bottles about 3 out of 4 times, even at night. I am going to have to up him in another week or so I reckon.

I thought it was that hungry baby milk filled them up for longer so they wentlonger between feeds, so you still give the same amount, just less frequently....I may be wrong.

 

[dom85]

Although it says from birth on the tin my HV said its not recommended until they're at least 8 weeks old as it can make them constipate. My HV said that it' designed to delay weaning and that the guides on the back of the tins about how much they're supposed to drink at however many weeks is unrealistic and it's ok for them to have how much they want even if it seems like a lot.

My friends little girl went on to the hunngry baby milk because at 3 months she was having a bottle and then demanding more 15 minutes later and was chewing her fists all the time so she went on to hungry baby until 4 months when she could have solids.

 

[aimee-lou]

Thanks dom - my HV was very anti-hungry baby milk across the board but I've sort of mentally said that once Earl is draining 8oz bottles I may have little choice. (had to trial 7oz bottles today as he was up twice in the night and drained 6oz each time He's just eaten about 6.5oz in one go so I think it's a good move lol.) I think it will be about a month before we need to go shopping for different milk so he'll be bearly 3 months then.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I started Ruby on half hungry baby milk and half normal milk at 6 weeks I think. She immediately started sleeping longer at night and going 3 hours in the day instead of 2 and stopped wanting like 3 bottles in the space of 4 hours in the evening!
At 4 months I was worried she was getting hungrier again so I started only giving hungry milk. It still satisfies her completely at 22lb and 7.5 months, she is BLW so only eating the tiniest bits of solids.

Never had any problems with it, no constipation or anything.

 

[aimee-lou]

Thanks for that. Interesting about the half and half. May give this a go first once we get to 8oz. Glad to hear it's still working at 7plus months. I'm hoping to BLW with Earl and this was worrying me but your experience sounds like it works

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

It worried me too, we didn't even consider BLW until about 5 months when we realised we were going to 'make it' to 6 months!

 

[jacs]

Thanks, thinking I might introduce the hungry milk in only some of his bottles - don't know 'til I try I guess!

 

[Natalie Flynn]

Alfie is on the hungry baby milk (he is 7 weeks) HV advised me to put him on it at 5 weeks because he was so hungry all the time. He hasn't had any problems at all with constipation or anything x

 

[tinkabells]

hollie has been on hungry baby since she was 3-4 weeks old, she just wasnt satistfied with the normal milk and we havent looked back, she never had constipation or colic xxx

 

[aimee-lou]

Thanks ladies... we're going to put him onto it (at half and half) once he reaches 8 weeks. He's 8 weeks on Monday so I'll play it by ear from then. Glad to hear that it's working for people.

Next question: What brand? Do you just use the same brand they were on bfore? We're on SMA so I'm assuming I just buy that.

 

[tinkabells]

Hollie's has always been on cow and gate, so were on C&G hungry baby xxx

 

[aimee-lou]

I've bought 2 cartons of SMA Blue top (Extra Hungry) to test run in his bedtime bottle. I'm going to just introduce it then (at half and half) to start with I think as during the day he seems happy enough but he's so tired as he's not sleeping much more than 4 hours in a go at night (he used to go 6 hours absolute minimum up til 1 week ago) so he needs his beauty sleep lol. If this works for him we're going to put him on half and half - I just feel really sorry for him as he's constantly hungry at the moment. It may well be a growth spurt but 3 days is a long time for a growth spurt (especially as Earl doesn't really 'do' growth spurts) and even it is, he was on 6oz every 2.5hours anyway before this jump in apetite.

The new food routine will start on Monday at 8 weeks if his sleep continues to be disturbed and this 'growth spurt' continues.

 

[dom85]

I've bought 2 cartons of SMA Blue top (Extra Hungry) to test run in his bedtime bottle. I'm going to just introduce it then (at half and half) to start with I think as during the day he seems happy enough but he's so tired as he's not sleeping much more than 4 hours in a go at night (he used to go 6 hours absolute minimum up til 1 week ago) so he needs his beauty sleep lol. If this works for him we're going to put him on half and half - I just feel really sorry for him as he's constantly hungry at the moment. It may well be a growth spurt but 3 days is a long time for a growth spurt (especially as Earl doesn't really 'do' growth spurts) and even it is, he was on 6oz every 2.5hours anyway before this jump in apetite.

The new food routine will start on Monday at 8 weeks if his sleep continues to be disturbed and this 'growth spurt' continues.

Sounds like a plan Is Earl really 8 weeks on Monday? Cant beleive how quickly its all going

 

[Kte]

Chloe has not had constipation or colic with it either, she did have probs on the normal milk tho and had green dirty nappies. I used to feed her on 150ml of normal but she sometimes took up to 200ml, now with hungry baby milk we could do either 120ml or 180ml. I usually make up 180ml and sometimes she takes it all, other times she drinks less. I'd just rather she had enough in the bottle than run out. She goes much longer at night and usually during the day, with the exception of a growth spurt day.

She is so much happier now However she does fart and burp a lot more now too and they can really hum!

Thanks ladies... we're going to put him onto it (at half and half) once he reaches 8 weeks. He's 8 weeks on Monday so I'll play it by ear from then. Glad to hear that it's working for people.

Next question: What brand? Do you just use the same brand they were on bfore? We're on SMA so I'm assuming I just buy that.

Yeah keep the same. We were on Hipp but moved to Cow and Gate because Hipp don't as yet do hungry baby food (its out Jan 2010 so a tad too late for Chloe to have to wait lol) We put here on Cow and Gate as we fed her the cartons when she got out of hosp and we were staying at OH's parents house so we knew she was okay on that too.

 

[baby.love]

Sienna went onto hungry baby milk yesterday and she slept really well last night!! Coincidence or satisfied?? only time will tell i suppose.

We put her on it as she couldnt finish her bottles(6oz) but within 2-3 hours was screaming really badly for a bottle. So it seemed the right thing to do. x

 

[aimee-lou]

Confession time ladies....I gave in and gave him a 5oz:2oz bottle at bedtime. Even that small amount of difference meant he slept from 8pm (took some time to settle) til 2am (so his normal 6 hours). I also noticed that he wasn't screaming for the bottle or getting anywhere near as upset - (so much so that he was so relaxed that he wanted to play at 2am and took another hour to convince that sleep was the way forward lol.) This only started a couple of eeks ago and I just thought that he was getting older and more demanding - but at 2am I just gave him his normal food....he then slept til 6.30 but when he woke up he was absolutely screaming, really cranky and so upset. Not in his normal good mood at all (he used to wake up all smiles). I'm off out to get the veggies for christmas today so I'm going to give in and just get him the milk. I couldn't believe the difference and I feel really bad that I've been making him suffer because my HV scared me off trusting my instinct and getting him some earlier in the week!

 

[aimee-lou]

Sounds like a plan Is Earl really 8 weeks on Monday? Cant beleive how quickly its all going

Yep - It's scary how fast it's going. He's 2 months old on Boxing day

 

[Kte]

I'm so glad he seems much more happier in himself Don't feel bad at all either, you noticed a change in him and have sorted it ~ feel proud!!

Its amazing how many babies I know that have gone onto hungry baby food (Chloe included), makes me wonder what's lacking in the normal stuff, maybe the manufacturers should make hungry normal!

 

[DizzyMoo]

Glad i've read this, Jax has been on formula for 2wks now & has just started taking 4oz but as yet there just isn't a routine, If we're home he seems to want feeding every 2/3 hrs , but if we've been out in pram he'll sleep 4 or 5 hours & he wakes for periods of the day making it better at nights, but if we dont go out he's just all over place, Earlier he took 4oz then nearly 2 hrs later wanted 2oz, he now wants more & its only hour n half since he had the 2oz. Night times he seems to wake every 2hrs , most of the time i sit up & rock him back to sleep where he sleeps another hour before wanting more food.

He's on sma gold at mo & i bought hungry baby to try him at nights so we'll see what happens x