FF Mommas

RedBaramid

I'm just poking around as reference and wanted to know what worked best for you guys...

Ro is 2 months old now, and we're still getting the hang of how much formula she needs in a bottle.  My MIL said last night that she was still hungry after 4 oz of formula.. and wanted to eat every 3 hours. I noticed yesterday giving her 4 oz she was wanting to eat right at the 2 and a half hour mark.  Does that seem on target?  Would you be upping the amount you're giving if they were hungry that fast?  I'm still rotating formula feeding at one feeding and BFing at the next so I'm a little nervous as to how to proceed.  I know when she's satisfied when BFing but I'm having a hard time catching the cues at the bottle.

Suggestions?? Point me at resources??

Bella2425

If she's draining the whole bottle offer more. We just went up to 4-5 oz at almost 8 weeks. If they aren't hungry they will stop eating or spit up more, that's how you'll know. He still eats every 2.5-4 hours during the day though.

MLE_C2B

My LO takes 4every 4 and we just saw the dr who said try upping it in tiny increments to see if he can take more without spitting it all up. He seems to want more after 4 but since he stays satisfied for 4 hrs it's not a big deal to up it. He's in the normal range of 22-30 oz for his age. Add up the total and see if you're in range, if yes, no worries. Also if you want to get more hours between try a little more and see what happens. It won't hurt to try and see what works best.

jht14

LO is almost 11 weeks and is taking 5oz every 3-4 hours except through the night. We just moved up to 5oz after her 2 month check up at her doctor's suggestion.

VFelton

My LO would drink 4-5 oz every 2 hours if I let her. She has reflux issues which causes her to choke because formula comes out her nose and mouth at the same time. So Dr told us to do 2 oz every hour if we have to. The other day I mistakenly gave her 5 oz without stopping and burping and she spit up all day. So won't do that again.

Linnzi78

My LO is at 4 oz every 2.5-3.5 hours. It doesn't sound like you are too far off. If my LO is still hungry after her 4 oz she definitely lets me know. She is also 2 months.

anewadventure

MLE_C2B said:

My LO takes 4every 4 and we just saw the dr who said try upping it in tiny increments to see if he can take more without spitting it all up. He seems to want more after 4 but since he stays satisfied for 4 hrs it's not a big deal to up it. He's in the normal range of 22-30 oz for his age. Add up the total and see if you're in range, if yes, no worries. Also if you want to get more hours between try a little more and see what happens. It won't hurt to try and see what works best.

i agree RE upping in tiny increments (we'd go up a half ounce at a time, and if that caused too much spit up, try a quarter ounce at a time). especially if LO is draining the bottle or still seems hungry at the end. i also agree RE adding up your daily totals, which should be 24-32 oz according to my pedi (so, close to what PP said above).

my LO just turned two months today (has his appt tomorrow) and just hit about 5oz per bottle at every 3.5 to 4 hours during the day. i dont have experience with the part formula part breastmilk and whether that would affect the eating windows (for example, whether that would make your LO eat a little more often than if it were 100% formula)

Pinkmom19

Wow, my little guy is eating a lot more at a sitting.  We do (3) 6 oz. bottles and (2) 5oz. bottle.  With 4 oz., he was barely making it 2 1/2 hours and was mad and needed the paci at the end of every bottle. I feed (roughly) at 6,9,12, 4:15, and 7:30.  He STTN so not sure if that makes a difference.  He is 10 weeks and 12 #.

MrsLaLaBug

We are 11w and in between 4-5 oz about every three hours, sometimes four.

ConversationFear

Our little one is 2.5 months and he is on 5 oz. every 4 hours during the day. When we feed him 6 oz overnight he will eat every 5 hours. He has always been on the "# of ounces = # of hours since last feeding, minus one" diet. We had him on 4 oz every 3 hours for a while, but once he started being 4 oz. every 2-2.5 hours, we bumped his food up to 5 oz. at our doctor's suggestion.

kleigh926

DS is almost 10 weeks old, and last week we went up to 6 oz bottles. I thought it was too soon to be getting bottles that big, but he didn't seem satisfied with 5 oz and he wasn't sleeping as well anymore. He drinks 5 bottles a day, so a total of 30 oz, which is apparently on the high end of normal. During the day he eats every 3-4 hours and normally does one long stretch at night.

JanisBaby14

DS is 12w and from 8-10 weeks he was still at wanting a 4-5 oz bottle every 2.5 to 3 hours. Just at 11 weeks he started doing longer stretches at night about 5-6 hours and I've upped his bottle to 6 oz this week. Like PP said its really all what your LO wants/needs and it's literally a guessing game. When I thought he'd give me hunger cues and gave him another 2-3 oz he ended up spitting it up or half of it. I'm a FTM and just letting him run the show.

RedBaramid

You ladies are all awesome, thanks for the shares. We saw out pedi for our 2 month today and she said 5oz for her size seemed perfect.

lmimms87

My LO will be 2 months old on Thursday. She is EFF. We offer her 4 oz at every feeding and she usually finishes it. Sometimes she will only eat 3oz. She eats every 3-4 hours. As a rule of thumb, I increase the amount I offer when she is still giving hungry ques after feeding (crying, sucking hands, playing with her tongue).

debikae

Our pedi said we should be doing 5 oz, however, LO has a different opinion.  He will occasionally eat that much, but seems to prefer less more often (3-4 oz every 2-3 hours -- including night time).  He eats until he decides he's full & then he stretches.  Once he's stretched, he refuses to open his mouth for more. 

JanisBaby14

1983lindsey said:

LO is 12 weeks tomorrow and eats between 4-5 oz every 2.5-4 hours, and goes 8-9 at night. He has eaten as much as 6 oz at a time before though. The 5 oz stage annoys me because the small Dr Brown's bottles stop at 4 oz but I feel like the large ones are too big right now, so I end up making two bottles a lot of times. Think we will be switching the bigger bottles though very soon when he consistsntly eats 5-6. I just let DS eat until he won't take anymore.

I agree with the sizing of bottles being too big from the 4-5 oz to the 9-11. I wish there was a 6-8 size because I don't like making the odd numbers since the formula I use is 2-1 ratio (I think it's common for all formulas). I hate that half scoop!

DS is 12w and I can't decide if he wants 6oz yet. I feel like he gets an upset stomach because it might be too much. He seems good after a 4oz bottle still. He just eats more frequently about every 2.5-3 hours.

hadeelb

My LO (12 weeks) is drinking 2-3 oz every 2-2.5 hours. I want him to go longer in between feedings so he will take a full meal but he seems to be "snacking" all day. Any suggestions on how to stop the snacking? I've tried to extend his feedings but he gets upset if he does not eat when he wants.

kearls227

@hadeelb my LO also did the snacking thing for a few weeks and would take only 2.5-3.5 oz every 2-2.5 hrs during the day. I just followed his lead and he has seemed to stop snacking on his own and is taking larger amounts (3.5-5 oz) every 3-4hrs. I think it was just a phase and luckily he stopped on his own! He will be 12 weeks on Tuesday.