spacing out feedings

JustaKidAtHeart

The boys are eating 33 oz a day spread over 5 feedings between 7am and 7pm.  So they are eating about 6.5 oz every 2.5 hrs.  If I give them more in one feeding it goes to waste.  they are screaming to eat at the 2.5 mark.  If they make it to 3 hrs then the next feeding they want to eat after 2 hrs.  when will this spread out?

pea-kay

they might be going through a growth spurt right now. hmm. the boys i think were eating every 3-4 hours at that age. can you try putting more in their bottles to see if that helps? maybe 4 8oz bottles instead? i don't know, though. i can't remember how much the boys were eating at that age. i should look at my blog.

beefsbride

B&K came home from the NICU eating every three hours and they weren''t able to space out to every 4 hours until they hit 8 months.  But the most they ever ate in a day was 30oz -- your boys are champs!   I agree with pea-kay -- sounds like it might be a growth spurt.  My two would waste formula if we tried to give them more during a feeding in an effort to space them out 90% of the time . . . we couldn't get them to go longer than 3hrs during the day until they were eating more solids. 

JustaKidAtHeart

My boys came home from the hospital eating every 3 hrs.  They pushed themselves to 4 hrs at 2 months and now they are back at 2.5.  I officially  dont like the growth spurts but at least it hasnt messed with their night time sleeping (knock on wood).

CMW

I would try encouraging them to take more in a feed.  I have started putting 9oz in our bottles and they are eating every 3.5 to 4 hours.  Typically they will eat anywhere from 7-9oz at each feed but it is helping them make it to 4 hours more frequently.  They typically end up eating about 40oz in a day.  I think mine are trying to "catch up" still because they were so under weight (they were both below the 5% mark at their last pedi appt).  From what I can tell I think they will be at least to the 25% at their 4 month appt.

mrskimmieD

I have put more formula in their bottles and knew I was wasting the formula for the most part for about two days.  After 2 - 3 days they usually started to take a little more at each feeding and were able to last a few minutes extra at each feeding.

macchiatto

Wow, our boys aren't eating much compared to some of y'all's kids ... then why are they so big?! (15 lbs., I'm a little worried about obesity based on some studies I've read!) Anyhow, mine naturally transitioned themselves to every 4ish hrs during the day, usually around 8, 12, 4, and then the last feed we try to do a little earlier, maybe after 3 hrs, so we can do an earlier bedtime (plus they are fussy by then since they don't nap much after that late afternoon bottle!). It sounds like you're doing everything you can to stretch them out and they're just needing to eat more often right now. GL and hopefully this is just a growth spurt and they'll go back to 4-hr cycles soon!