Feeding / Overweight issue

ally81698 · October 2011

I don't know why, but feeding has always been very frustrating for me - from when I breastfed until now.

Ok, so we went to the pediatrician last night for our daughter's 6 month well visit. Her pedi is concerned about her weight since she is (and always has been) off the charts. She is 6.5 months and weighs 22 pounds (27 inches long). So, what he recommends is that we increase her solids and reduce her formula. This is what she currently eats:

8am - 7 oz formula

10am - 2 oz oatmeal

12pm - 7 oz formula

4pm - 7 oz formula

6pm - 1 oz veggie

8pm - 7 oz formula

He wants us to give her a solid before her formula (instead of as an in-between snack) and then cut back her formula (from 28 ounces to 19-24 ounces). So I guess my question is - how many more ounces of solids should I give her to "make up" for the formula we're taking away? Thanks for your help!

autumnmichele · October 2011

At 6 months, I think LO at 3 oz of veg or fruit at a time with some cereal mixed in. She at solids for breakfast, lunch and dinner and nursed 5 times per day. Good luck!

hispenguin · October 2011

I don't see anything wrong with what you're giving your LO. My DD eats a little bit more solids than your LO, but otherwise she's drinking the same amount (my DD is FF). My DD has always been "average" or slightly below for weight.

I didn't think we were suppose to worry about our LO's weight at this age? Maybe I'm wrong?

lauti · October 2011

That is a perfectly acceptable amount of formula and her eating habits likely have nothing to do with how much she weighs, some babies just grow faster.

DS was 22lbs at 6 months and he always ate at least 32oz of formula, sometimes more.

Once she gets mobile she'll slim down, I would totally side-eye your pedi for saying anything about her weight. As long as she's proportionate and growing along HER curve then you are fine.

ITGurl0626 · October 2011

Our babies are about the same size mine was 27.5 inches long though & not once did my pedi feel that she was overweight or she needed to go on a diet. My pedi said she simply was a big baby but overall she was weight/height proportionate. My LO eats 2 oz of solids twice a day & about the same amount of formula you feed your LO. I say take what your doctor said with a grain of salt.

LoCarb · October 2011

We have our 6 mo appt today w/ DD2 and I plan to ask this dr her opinion.

With DD1 (diffn't dr) we were told when she eats solids to decrease the amt of formula during the day. Instead of 7 oz we gave her 4 oz. She was eating an entire level 2 puree 3x/day which is almost 4 oz. DD would receive an 8 oz bottle in the morning and before bedtime. This makes sense to me. Eventually, you want your LO to only eat 3 square meals a day. By the time DD was 16 mo she no longer had her morning or evening milk. She drank it w/ her meals.

Bexxy10 · October 2011

Do you like your pedi? I would say if you're not partial to maybe see another one. Our DD is average, always in the 33% percentile on everything. We do have her on 3 solid meals a day (to help get to sleep better and deal with reflux without medication). At each one she eats around 3oz of food. We give her 5 5oz sippy cups a day. But have no problem giving her more when she wants it. Our dr told us to give her 20-25oz a day. That's the average for what she should be having around 6 months. But if she was hungry there was no harm in giving her more. It was just better to give her more in one feeding that giving her an additional feeding as to not interrupt the schedule.

CarrieLiz · October 2011

DS drinks 18-24oz of formula per day and about 3-4oz of purees 3x a day (usually about 10oz total per day.)

I would increase the amount of solids and continue offering 7oz bottles and see how much of it she drinks. When we were increasing the amount of solids we would still offer 8oz, but after a while a pattern developed where he would only drink 6oz. So now we usually offer 6oz bottles except he'll still take an 8oz bottle when he first wakes up in the AM and right before bed.

Don't stress about your pedi's advice and about feeding. You're not going to starve her and she's not going to grossly overeat. And once she gets mobile she'll be burning a lot more calories.

ally81698 · October 2011

Wow, thanks for all your quick advice.

We are super sensitive to anything regarding her being out of the "norm" since she is special needs to begin with. If there is anything we can do to prevent her from getting picked on as a child (such as her weight), we will, since we don't really know how developmentally delayed she may be.

All of your advice & encouragement is so helpful to me

CarrieLiz · October 2011

FWIW, my brother was a whopping 30lbs when he was 1 year old. And then he was 30lbs at 2 and 3 yrs old. Some babies just gain quickly in the beginning and then level out. At 27 yrs old he's still skinny as a rail.

Cristin23 · October 2011

I can't believe your pedi said something about your LO's weight.

Mine is the same weight (or was, I'm sure he's gained more). According to my pedi, he's about the size of the average 1 year old. HOWEVER, he was quick to mention that it really doesn't mean squat and that he could now stay this size for the next year. Pedi said "Yes, he'll be tall because his parents are tall, however, I've had parents that are really short and their kids are in the 90 percentile in everything. It's just how babies grow. As long as they are growing and gaining, don't be too concerned about the numbers."

On the flip side, one of my students was born at 32 weeks...he's 6'9" now.

What goes on now with your baby now does not mean that she'll be like this for the rest of her life.

So...yeah. Keep feeding! I would give a little more cereal, but my LO still drinks the same amount.

ksyknelvr73 · October 2011

My LO is also off the charts for weight - he was 21 pounds at his 6 month appt, so very similar to you.

He is now 23 pounds. But in all honesty, that's GREAT considering he is 8 1/2 months old so he's only gained about 2 pounds in 2 1/2 months which is MUCH slower than he used to be.

Here is what I do: I also have 4 7oz bottles of formula per day like you, BUT I feed solids 3 times a day. He is also close to 9 months old and I wasn't doing 3 meals until he turned 8 mos. But before this, I was feeding him 3-4 oz of baby food twice a day. You just need to increase the solids to about 3-4 oz each time you give food.

Another thing that we do: DS has a bottle every 4 hours like yours, so we offer solids about ONE hour before the next bottle instead of 2 hours before. So all in all, I guess my advice is increase the solids to 3-4 oz each time, and maybe feed the solids an hour or less before formula time.

ksyknelvr73 · October 2011

Oh, and also, I don't think you should reduce the oz of formula in each bottle. My DS has the same amount - he used to have 32 oz a day.

drpayne · October 2011

lauti:
That is a perfectly acceptable amount of formula and her eating habits likely have nothing to do with how much she weighs, some babies just grow faster.
DS was 22lbs at 6 months and he always ate at least 32oz of formula, sometimes more.
Once she gets mobile she'll slim down, I would totally side-eye your pedi for saying anything about her weight. As long as she's proportionate and growing along HER curve then you are fine.

This.