another s/o of bottles...

LauraLynneC

LO started daycare last week and is on pumped breast milk there - we're guessing on bottle size.  We started with 2oz because that's what we were doing at home (he was taking one bottle in the evening with DH to give me a "break" and get him used to bottles for daycare).

Daycare says he "wolfs" down the 2oz and seems hungry afterwards so we increased it to 2.5oz.  Now he's "wolfing" down 2.5oz but spitting up afterwards - full?  not being burped enough? eating too fast?  All possibilities...daycare is working with us to try and figure this out.  The bottles have the smallest nipple on them...

He's wetting plenty, pooping plenty, and is gaining weight. 

If you pump/bottle feed, how did you figure it out? 

blueLu25

My guess is just that he's at the age where they start spitting up tons. I wouldnt really be worried unless it seems like he's "throwing up" the whole bottle. We were feeding in a more upright position for a while, which seemed to help. 

courtney11405

I am heading back to work soon (Yikes, time has gone by so fast!) and have had to start to figure all of this out too.  From what I have read breastfed and formula fed babies are different to feed as far as how you feed them and the volume they need to consume.  The Kelly Mom website has been such a huge help.  Here are a few links that I found especially helpful:

How much breastmilk to feed:  https://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

How to feed a breastfed baby a bottle:   https://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

I have noticed when my husband is feeding Clark a bottle, he will seem starved still after 2 oz if he lets him drink it fast.  After following the tips from the link above he seems much for satisfied after 2oz.  They had a "practice" day together while I went to a work training and Clark took about  10 oz over the 9 hour time I was gone.  

clineak

I breastfeed, too, but was curious about how much DD "should" be eating if she were to have a bottle. I got a flyer, in the mail, from Similac that has a chart for tracking baby's feedings. According to that:

 Birth-1 week: 6-10 feedings/day, 2-3 oz. each

1 week-1 month: 7-8 feedings/day, 2-4 oz. each

1-3 months: 5-6 feedings/day, 4-5 oz. each

3-6 months: 4-5 feedings/day, 6-7 oz. each

6-9 months: 3-4 feedings/day, 7-8 oz. each

9-12 months: 3 feedings/day, 7-8 oz.

 

It also gives a number you can call for questions about breastfeeding: 1.800.986.8800

clineak

clineak:

I breastfeed, too, but was curious about how much DD "should" be eating if she were to have a bottle. I got a flyer, in the mail, from Similac that has a chart for tracking baby's feedings. According to that:

 Birth-1 week: 6-10 feedings/day, 2-3 oz. each

1 week-1 month: 7-8 feedings/day, 2-4 oz. each

1-3 months: 5-6 feedings/day, 4-5 oz. each

3-6 months: 4-5 feedings/day, 6-7 oz. each

6-9 months: 3-4 feedings/day, 7-8 oz. each

9-12 months: 3 feedings/day, 7-8 oz.

 

It also gives a number you can call for questions about breastfeeding: 1.800.986.8800

 

Also, like your son, my daughter is a light eater. I did bottle feed her a couple times, and she usually only does 3 or 3.5 oz./feeding. Hope this is helpful, and good luck!

Nancy_Drew

L- Can you keep with the 2.5 oz and have them stop half way to burp?   

LauraLynneC

Nancy_Drew:

L- Can you keep with the 2.5 oz and have them stop half way to burp?   

That's what we're trying now - I'm sending all 6 bottles with 2.5 oz or so and asked them to slow the feeding down, I suspect they're just feeding the whole bottle at once.  I know the other babies there, one of who is around the same age, drink a LOT more...so not burping until the end for such a "small amount" make sense to them.  I have to learn patience with all of it - it's a learning process for everyone including baby Louie.  He's the only breast fed baby there but they've had them in the past...

kaskade

K was drinking a lot more than that, and we did do burp breaks when she started to spitup more.  She was ebf at home and pumped milk at daycare for a while.  She was drinking 4 - 6 oz bottles, but she also was prone to eating more at once and going longer between feedings.  2.5 oz does seem like a tiny feeding, K would have wolfed that down.  But again, a lot of it had to do with how often she ate.  She would go 4+ hours happily.

I can't remember how old Louie is - is he sitting up or rolling or doing more stuff with his abs?  When K started being more active and sitting up she was spitting up everything, I think because of her engaging her abs more.