Can an infant be overfed?

psychdoc12

I was lurking on another board and reading about the wide variety of ounces that babies take in terms of formula or expressed BM is what sparked this question. Some babies of the same age took in 30oz and some took in 50oz+. Do needs really vary that widely, or are babies being overfed? Is that even possible?

muffyvonmuff

If DS gets too much he pukes a ton.  So he will in theory take 7oz (damn you nanny) but only needs 4oz per serving.  Anything more and its puke-a-palooza

PixiesDust

50+ oz?!  That seems like WAY too much.  But then again, DD only takes 20-24 oz a day.  Much more than that usually results in projectile spitting up of pretty much the entire bottle.  

psychdoc12

There were babies in this thread in S13 that were taking 8-10oz bottles.

huntjul

DH was overfeeding LO while I was at work.  I had to explain that no, 20 oz was not an appropriate amount of milk for 8 hrs.  He thought that as baby grew, she needed more.  He didn't know the milk would increase in calories.  However, on the days he fed her too much, then she'd eat less after I got home from work.  But she was still packing on the pounds those weeks of overfeeding during the day.

psychdoc12

I do wonder if there could be a risk for childhood obesity with overfeeding - a Google search reveals that this is a controversial issue and the studies I can find on the issue are tiny. Interesting to think about.

ETA: I do wonder if my brother's GF is overfeeding my nephew, who is 2 months old and in 9 month old clothing. She's so proud that he is a "big, chunky boy." Or maybe he was just meant to be a larger baby. That said, I would never, ever bring it up to her.

PixiesDust

I mean, i don't know.  DD is honestly so easy and predictable.  She eats about every 2 hours (except during the night 7:30PM-7isAM).  When she fusses and it's been about 2 hours, i know she's likely hungry.  It's also easier for me to gauge her intake because I EP.  I sometimes think people are really quick to feed a baby who's fussing when really they're tired, bored, uncomfortable, etc.  Feeding her is usually the last thing I try unless I know it's been awhile.  Usually all she wants is to be picked up, put to sleep, given a different toy, changed, etc. That being said, if it's been 20 minutes, an hour or however long since she last ate, and she truly is hungry, I will absolutely feed her .   

TXswissmiss

From what I've read bottle-fed babies can easily be over fed (be it breast milk or formula). Normally at the breast a child will remove themselves when full but with a bottle it doesn't work quite the same way? Question mark as there is no certainty in this comment, lol!

JLW0504

I feed my LO 6oz every 3-4 hours but she has a weight gain issue and I've talked to her pedi about this.

deedee1017

I asked my pediatrician this because I didn't want to be overfeeding LO when she still seemed hungry.  I was told it was not really a concern until after 6 months.  Prior to that, babies only eat to feel satisfied and will not want more because of taste or anything like that. 

DD takes about 6 ounces every 3-4 hours.  Maybe BF babies don't increase their intake amount, but my FF baby does.  I didn't know that BF babies did not increase their ounces until I read it on here.  It's very interesting.  I guess that's one of the "down sides" to formula is that it does not change to what baby needs as breast milk does.

ballygirl

My pedi told me not to worry about overfeeding and that they would just spit it up if it was too much.  They do tend to spit up on days when we may have gone overboard.  DH thinks every time they cry they are hungry and tends to shove bottles down their throats like a foie gras goose.  Then, he hands them off to me so they can spit up all over me.

kimbo1216

It's my understanding the BF babies at the boob cannot be overfed, but bottle-fed (formula or bm) can be.

There will most certainly be a difference in formula ounces vs expressed bm ounces for babies of the same age.  A 6m old ff baby should take more ounces than a 6m old EP'd baby (for example) as bm changes with time and formula is stagnant.

kablooie123

Mine also throws up if she's overfed. I am always trying to get her to eat more, but I learned to read her cues and stop if she's acting full. She's BF.

All my kids have been on the small side, though they are all healthy. Small kids just run in the family. With my first, I had a new doctor diagnose him incorrectly with failure to thrive. It was really stressful at the time and has made me paranoid ever since. So, I'm always worrying about how much food they are getting and how big they are, even though I know I shouldn't.

psychdoc12

kimbo1216 said:

It's my understanding the BF babies at the boob cannot be overfed, but bottle-fed (formula or bm) can be.

There will most certainly be a difference in formula ounces vs expressed bm ounces for babies of the same age.  A 6m old ff baby should take more ounces than a 6m old EP'd baby (for example) as bm changes with time and formula is stagnant.

One of the posters that was feeding 50oz+ was an EPer. That shocked me.

Chrisanna0508

kimbo1216 said:

It's my understanding the BF babies at the boob cannot be overfed, but bottle-fed (formula or bm) can be.

There will most certainly be a difference in formula ounces vs expressed bm ounces for babies of the same age.  A 6m old ff baby should take more ounces than a 6m old EP'd baby (for example) as bm changes with time and formula is stagnant.

Agreed. I was worried when DS was super chunky at 2 months, but one of my nurse friends who is also a mom assured me that you can't over feed a breastfed baby (on the boob of course). DS only occasionally gets a bottle from DH so I never worried about it again.

Gatorsgirl731

psychdoc12 said:

I do wonder if there could be a risk for childhood obesity with overfeeding - a Google search reveals that this is a controversial issue and the studies I can find on the issue are tiny. Interesting to think about.

ETA: I do wonder if my brother's GF is overfeeding my nephew, who is 2 months old and in 9 month old clothing. She's so proud that he is a "big, chunky boy." Or maybe he was just meant to be a larger baby. That said, I would never, ever bring it up to her.

I think genetics play into this as well. My BFF's youngest was/is a big baby. At 6mo he was easily fitting into 12mo and now at 12mo he is outgrowing 18mo. She is on the tall side, but dad is a very big man. Very big, not fat.

It is also my understanding a baby won't take too much more than they need. But over time you can stretch their tummy?

psychdoc12

Gatorsgirl731 said:

I do wonder if there could be a risk for childhood obesity with overfeeding - a Google search reveals that this is a controversial issue and the studies I can find on the issue are tiny. Interesting to think about.

ETA: I do wonder if my brother's GF is overfeeding my nephew, who is 2 months old and in 9 month old clothing. She's so proud that he is a "big, chunky boy." Or maybe he was just meant to be a larger baby. That said, I would never, ever bring it up to her.

I think genetics play into this as well. My BFF's youngest was/is a big baby. At 6mo he was easily fitting into 12mo and now at 12mo he is outgrowing 18mo. She is on the tall side, but dad is a very big man. Very big, not fat. It is also my understanding a baby won't take too much more than they need. But over time you can stretch their tummy?

True, and my brother is tall. I worry about the tummy stretching. But I'm sure it'll all work out.

BlessUrHeart29

My brother was breastfed, and he was enormous as a baby. It's pretty hilarious to look at pictures. Biggest kid I've ever seen in real life. But he dropped all of that weight as soon as he started moving.

brooklynnerdymama

Does anyone know how using stored freezer BM comes into play then if the content changes? I have bags I'm rotating in from 2 months ago from the freezer stash for day care, so should I be making bigger bottles for them or am I just overthinking this?

psychdoc12

gingerbin said:

Does anyone know how using stored freezer BM comes into play then if the content changes? I have bags I'm rotating in from 2 months ago from the freezer stash for day care, so should I be making bigger bottles for them or am I just overthinking this?

I worry about that, but I think it all evens out. I use frozen BM on Mondays and just make the same size bottles as the other days of the week. I figure if she gets fewer calories at daycare on Mondays, she'll make up for it by nursing more that evening. I've never gotten any reports that she seems unsatisfied on Mondays.

LucyGoose8710

DS takes 8-10 oz bottles at daycare. I didnt believe it at first, but he will definitely let you know if he is still hungry; likewise, will push away if finished early. I was worried about overfeeding him but have been able to pump that amount, so I guess that's what he eats when nursing too. No increase in spit up when he gets a bottle either. Pedi says not common but wasn't concerned.

Lesley0228

psychdoc12 said:

I do wonder if there could be a risk for childhood obesity with overfeeding - a Google search reveals that this is a controversial issue and the studies I can find on the issue are tiny. Interesting to think about.

ETA: I do wonder if my brother's GF is overfeeding my nephew, who is 2 months old and in 9 month old clothing. She's so proud that he is a "big, chunky boy." Or maybe he was just meant to be a larger baby. That said, I would never, ever bring it up to her.

My 3 1/2 mo old is 20 lbs and going into 12 mo clothing. I BF on demand at home and when I'm at work he takes 5 oz every 3 hours. I don't think anyone would call that over feeding. He's never had anything but BM. Of course I'm proud of my big, chunky boy, who isn't proud of their baby? Some babies are just big. My DD was chubby too, but had slimmed down by 2 yo. They really thin out once they get mobile.

sweettooth87

psychdoc12 said:

Gatorsgirl731 said:

psychdoc12 said:

I do wonder if there could be a risk for childhood obesity with overfeeding - a Google search reveals that this is a controversial issue and the studies I can find on the issue are tiny. Interesting to think about.

ETA: I do wonder if my brother's GF is overfeeding my nephew, who is 2 months old and in 9 month old clothing. She's so proud that he is a "big, chunky boy." Or maybe he was just meant to be a larger baby. That said, I would never, ever bring it up to her.

I think genetics play into this as well. My BFF's youngest was/is a big baby. At 6mo he was easily fitting into 12mo and now at 12mo he is outgrowing 18mo. She is on the tall side, but dad is a very big man. Very big, not fat.

It is also my understanding a baby won't take too much more than they need. But over time you can stretch their tummy?

True, and my brother is tall. I worry about the tummy stretching. But I'm sure it'll all work out.

My guy is really big. He fit into nine months clothes easily at 3 months. Until I started back at work (16 weeks) he was EBF. He only had two bottles prior to me starting back at work. I was a really chunky baby, so I think a lot is genetics. I know ppl think I overfeed him, which sucks. I love his chunk.

#chunkyisthenewhunky.

sleepy33

LucyGoose8710 said:

DS takes 8-10 oz bottles at daycare. I didnt believe it at first, but he will definitely let you know if he is still hungry; likewise, will push away if finished early. I was worried about overfeeding him but have been able to pump that amount, so I guess that's what he eats when nursing too. No increase in spit up when he gets a bottle either. Pedi says not common but wasn't concerned.

I did a weighted feeding when my baby was like 3 weeks old, and he got 8 oz of BM. I have rarely pumped that much, and I am sure he is generally not getting that much, but I bet most first feedings of the day are at least 6 oz. I pump enough for him to have three 4.5 ounce bottles during the day while I'm gone at work.

sooner1981

I believe absolutely that babies can be overfed, even breastfed babies.

If you have ever suffered from over active letdown/oversupply and talk to others who have dealt with this, you will see that many, many of these babies are chunks! (Some, paradoxically, are tiny because they learn to just pull off the boob rather than deal with the crazy volume). But many babies who deal with oversupply just stretch their stomachs to be able to handle the volume and get big.

I think the reason people say that "you can't overfeed a baby" is because they don't want parents trying to self-regulate a baby's weight and to worry about baby rolls at 4 months old. That said, there are studies coming out that suggest that the number of babies under 6 months old who are "overweight" increased from 10 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2001. Clearly, genes are not responsible for that increase. Also, many more parents are delaying solids these days compared to 1980. So, that suggests some babies these days are just getting too much milk.

That said, we all know stories of babies who were super chunks who slimmed down as they became mobile. And obviously chunky is better than malnourished, especially if a tiny baby were to get sick. But I think @paychdoc's question last week was whether babies really are getting bigger, and studies say that is definitely happening.

hartsl01

DS takes 2 6oz bottles at daycare. I nurse him around 6:15, 8:30 and then he gets a bottle at 11:30 and 3:30 at daycare. I nurse him when I get home at 6:30 and then at 7:45 before bed. Some nights he'll nurse the whole time between 6:30 and 7:45, but I think it's more of a comfort thing with him.

acethebase

I was told by a Lactation Consultant that if you over feed a baby, they will just throw up what can't fit into their stomachs. So yes I believe this completely! Especially since with DS1 I knew nothing about this so right off the bat I would feed him 4oz. and he would projectile vomit every time I fed him. Here I was thinking he had a problem, but nope I was just over feeding him, poor baby.

sooner1981

acethebase said:

I was told by a Lactation Consultant that if you over feed a baby, they will just throw up what can't fit into their stomachs. So yes I believe this completely! Especially since with DS1 I knew nothing about this so right off the bat I would feed him 4oz. and he would projectile vomit every time I fed him. Here I was thinking he had a problem, but nope I was just over feeding him, poor baby.

They will initially spit up--but eventually their stomachs will stretch to accommodate more food at a time. Half of all posts on the breast feeding board concern how to pace bottle feedings to avoid baby's stomach from stretching and needing more ounces to satisfy them.

carawasa

psychdoc12 said:

kimbo1216 said:

It's my understanding the BF babies at the boob cannot be overfed, but bottle-fed (formula or bm) can be.

There will most certainly be a difference in formula ounces vs expressed bm ounces for babies of the same age.  A 6m old ff baby should take more ounces than a 6m old EP'd baby (for example) as bm changes with time and formula is stagnant.

One of the posters that was feeding 50oz+ was an EPer. That shocked me.

50oz? A day? That's absurd!!? We JUST upped her oz to 8 but she only eats 4x a day. Usually only 3 8oz and then 1 7oz. She was taking 6oz for a good 2 months so I'm hoping this 8oz will last until she starts solids.

Marinowski

I bf with bottles while i work. Asked my pedi this and a LC. Breast milk changes as baby gets older so they should continue to take the same volume. Mine takes between 3.5-5oz every 3ish hours. Formula cant change calories so you must keep increasing volume to give enough nutrition. Pedi said it is absolutely possible to overfeed from breast or bottle if you offer food everytime they fuss.

Teresa1489

TXswissmiss said:

From what I've read bottle-fed babies can easily be over fed (be it breast milk or formula). Normally at the breast a child will remove themselves when full but with a bottle it doesn't work quite the same way? Question mark as there is no certainty in this comment, lol!

From what it sounds like my DD eats on the higher end of the spectrum, 30-32 oz a day.. She's 12 lbs 7 oz and just turned 4 months yesterday.. The dr is very happy with her weight so I guess either my milk isn't as high in calories or she just burns through it but she will always turn her head away or push the bottle out with her tongue. I EP as well so it is pretty easy for me to track but it seems to be working out well

Wino0920

50+? I know for formula, 32oz is the max that should be given in a 24 hour period. Those babies might have some tummy issues.

psychdoc12

Wino0920 said:

50+? I know for formula, 32oz is the max that should be given in a 24 hour period. Those babies might have some tummy issues.

There was a fair amount of disagreement on the thread over whether there should be a "max" daily amount of formula or if babies should be fed however much it takes to satisfy their hunger.

SnoopyLuv

gingerbin said:

Does anyone know how using stored freezer BM comes into play then if the content changes? I have bags I'm rotating in from 2 months ago from the freezer stash for day care, so should I be making bigger bottles for them or am I just overthinking this?

I do two fresh bottles and one frozen bottle because of this. I purposefully mix all the milk together and then ration out one bottle to freeze.

Wino0920

@psychdoc12

I disagree with them on the no max thing. I've read and was told, by my doctor, there absolutely is a max.

psychdoc12

Wino0920 said:

@psychdoc12 I disagree with them on the no max thing. I've read and was told, by my doctor, there absolutely is a max.

Did your doctor give a reason? 

Kittymom6

Wino0920 said:

@psychdoc12

I disagree with them on the no max thing. I've read and was told, by my doctor, there absolutely is a max.

The AAP book mentions the 32 oz max in the 0-3 month chapter. I asked my pedi about it yesterday at DD's 4 month appt because DD is currently getting around 30-32 oz of formula. My pedi said there is no max limit, and that some babies her age get as much as 40-44 oz/day. FWIW, DD is 14.5 lbs at 4 months (75th percentile).

Wino0920

It's milk based and that is bad for their stomachs and digestive system. It's the same as having too much cows milk when older.

Phalaenopsis

Now I'm confused as all hell how much my girl should be taking since bm changes in calories. On my off weeks I feed at the breast and supplement at the breast, on my on weeks she gets formula and pumped bm in a bottle. #sonofabitch. For example, I did a weighed feeding and she got 2.5 ounces from me, seemed satisfied, but she takes 4 oz from the nanny. I have no clue if the caloric difference is why, if my supply is too low or if nanny is over feeding. #sonofabitchagain