Should a 4.5 month old still be eating every 2.5-3 hours?
LO is 4.5 months. I BF as much as possible and pump for daycare. I recently increased his bottles from 4 oz to 5 oz for daycare and he appears to be satisfied with that amount. A lot of the time he just plays with the last ounce until it's gone.
I'm starting to get concerned that maybe I'm not making enough milk when I BF since he's still eating every 2.5 - 3 hours (although this is regardless of BF or bottle). I thought that babies would start to go longer stretches inbetween as they got older.
The reason I am asking is because from about 7 weeks until 3 months LO was STTN. Since 3 months though he's been up 1x per night, and for the last month or so has been waking up 2x per night. He is going for approximately 4-5 hour stretches, so I feed him each time he wakes up. But should I? Or should he be able to go through the night without eating? I have had people tell me that it's just habit and I shouldn't be feeding him, but I can't stand the thought of starving the poor little guy if he really is hungry.
Re: Should a 4.5 month old still be eating every 2.5-3 hours?
((still visiting for the ToD post...my LO is a bit older))
DS STTN from about 7 weeks until 4 months. He went through a rough period from 4 to 6 months when he woke up and wanted a bottle. I seriously debated major sleep training, but literally right before I was ready to do it, 4 teeth popped out and he went back to sleeping again. Was he "hungry"? Probably not. But he still wanted and needed his mommy, and that's enough of a reason for me. I knew that sleep deprivation was part of the deal when we decided to have kids, and we found ways to adjust so it didn't make us miserable.
I've stopped giving a sh!t what other people say my son "should" be doing. We go with our gut; we know our baby better than all the books, friends, and well-meaning relatives.
You might want to stop feeding him and see if you can get him back to sleep without nursing him - rocking, bouncing, cuddling etc. Listen to him - you know him. If he's just having a hard time breaking a nurse-to-sleep habit, you can check out Elizabeth Pantley's site and books for helpful info. If he's hungry...feed him.
HTH!
I could have written your post, but I am not worried that DD isn't getting enough. Breastmilk can be digested very quickly, so I am not concerned that she eats often.
I read this article and it made me feel better about nursing through the night since I was also not sure if she was hungry or just accustomed to eating.
https://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/4mo-sleep.html
The two men in my life. Oh, and I have a husband too...
My LO is almost 6 months and is BF and still eats that frequently. I worry too that I won't be able to produce enough for when he needs 6 or more ounces a feeding, but maybe he'll just be the type to eat less more frequently. I'm okay with that.
My thought too is that your LO may be ready to try solids.
I feel the exact same way about it. I knew we'd be sleep deprived and, to be honest, I really don't mind getting up with him at night. I like to see him.
The doctor told us that we could start introducing solids, and I'm considering doing that just to see if it helps him go a little longer. I know that for some babies it does and for some it doesn't.
I think I will also try to get him back to sleep without feeding and see what happens. I could always whip it out if rocking just wasn't cutting it.
Noah is the same way. I just follow his cues and do what I feel is best.
Thank you for this article! It is exactly what I needed to hear.
We are going to be 4 months old tomorrow. We are EBF as well. DD is still eating about every 2-3 hours, and sleeps about 8-9 hours at night. Until last week anyway! She started waking up at about 3am again and was/is fussing at the breast a little bit. From my reading and researching it sounds like the 4 month wakeful period. LOs tend to get distracted by their environment at this age, and might not be eating as much per feeding, so they need to eat at night to make up for it. She does tend to eat her 4oz bottles better, but she is able to look around while doing so.
Agree with PP about not giving a crap about what other people say/think. You have to do what is best for you and your baby. This sounds perfectly normal to me, but I am about 2 weeks behind you and am by no means an expert! I also agree with PP about checking out www.kellymom.com for tons of info. Its saved my sanity a time or two. Good luck!!
This! I've had a lot of people tell me what DD should be doing, but it doesn't bother me to wake up to feed her or comfort her at night because she is away from me for 10 hours during the day and I was home with her for 3 months so I know she just misses me and uses this time to be close to me. Aside from that, she is teething pretty bad and anything I can do to alleviate that whether it's cuddle time or waking up to give her teething pellets or Baby Orajel is fine by me.
To answer your question about whether or not this is normal, I would say that it is because E is still eating every 2.5 to 3 hours as well. Since you said that your LO appears to be eating well and is satisfied with his feedings then your are doing fine.
Thank you for all of your responses! It's nice to know that this is "normal" or as close to it as babies get.
I'm actually not worried that he's not getting enough milk. He always pulls off and is happy as a clam when he's done. It's just hard not to question myself when people (*cough* MIL *cough*) are asking questions about why he's eating so often. I was under the impression it was typical, but figured it couldn't hurt to ask, just in case I was doing something wrong.
I actually consider myself lucky to only be getting up 1-2 x per night. It could be so much worse.....
I'm going to reiterate what a lot of people have said here...
DS eats every ~2 hours (sometimes a bit less, often closer to 2.5, rarely every 3). He wakes up at least 3 times a night to eat. I mostly nurse him, but give one bottle of formula at night (or DH gives him a bottle of bm or formula I am out). Even with formula, he eats every 2-3 hours. This also hasn't changed in the past two weeks that he has started eating solids 1-2 times a day.
People - (including my first pediatrician who I left for comments like this) said at 3 months that he *should* only be eating every 3 hours.
Others have said that he isn't really hungry at night. Well I have tried putting the pacifier back into his mouth, holding him, rocking him, playing with him, shushing and patting him, and giving him water - and nothing gets him back to sleep except feeding! It also doesn't matter if I go in there and breastfeed, if I go in with a bottle of bm or formula, or if my husband goes in. He doesn't open his eyes, doesn't want to be cuddled or touched, he wants to eat. He won't eat a full bottle, but when he nurses he nurses for just as long and just as voraciously as he does in the day.
I should add that he was born at 8 lb 12 oz and is now about 19 pounds - so in the 95th % of height and weight...
In any case, DH and I have stopped listening to what anyone says and have just submitted to the FACT that we will never sleep again, and that our son is a very hungry and healthy boy!
I love this! Thank you!
I know, right? Someone here happened to link to it at the exact moment I needed it; total coincidence and it made my day.