how can I get my kid to eat more?

sjuncfan

DS is almost 7 months. Maybe he's getting enough but it doesn't seem like it to me. Here's his usual schedule:

- wake up and nurse at 7 am - usually takes almost nothing, just looks around, talks, etc.

 - rice cereal at daycare around 8:30 - probably a couple tablespoons

 - 8-12 oz BM during daycare (I send 12-14 oz. He didn't eat anything the first couple weeks so this is an improvement. He's not on a real schedule there but usually ends up taking 4-6 oz around noon and 4-6 oz around 3. They do offer more frequently but he usually refuses.

 - sometimes nurses when we get home around 5:30 (doesn't seem to take much)

 - solids (usually 1 cube of carrots and maybe half a jar of prunes) around 6

 - nurses before bedtime (usually pretty good session)

 - up 2x to nurse at night - these are his best nursing times, he's drowsy and hungry and it's dark. He slept through the night from 4 months until he started daycare about a month ago, but I know there's a little bit of reverse cycling going on.

I have trouble making it add up to ~25 oz, but I don't know how much he's getting when he nurses. He's still very distractable and on and off the boob. He gained about 1.5 lbs between 4-6 months, dropped from 27th percentile to 11th. (I attributed that to him not eating much the first two weeks of daycare - and probably sleeping through the night when he should have been getting up and eating!). He did gain 7 oz in the last two weeks, so hopefully he's back on track. He probably has 5-6 wet diapers and 1 poop a day. The ped didn't seem too worried but did want us to jump wholeheartedly into solids - we only started them right at 6 months.  

Thoughts? Suggestions on how to get him to eat more at daycare and less overnight?? TIA.

mnewlee

Have you tried nursing him in a dark quiet room other than in the middle of the night?

 

Maybe try taking him to his room right after day care and nurse. Hopefully less distractions will equal better nursing.

 

 

rosiemomma

If I were you I would stick to what you are doing. If  the daycare gets him to drink more from the bottle you will have to pump more, he could begin to prefer the bottle and fight the breast. If you spend a little time on this board you will see so many woman trying to 'keep' up with their baby getting lots of milk while separate from mom, this is difficult on mom because her body isn't meant to be nursed on by a pump and baby nursing less stimulates less.... while every situation is different you should be very happy your baby prefers you!  Encouraging him to eat more when he doesn't want to will only set up you and him for problems!

sjuncfan

AmyG*:

He sounds perfect to me!

He's nursing about 7 times a day, 6-8 times is normal.

in 5 minutes flat a breastfed baby can drain a boob that may take you 20 minutes or more to empty with a pump and get more milk than the pump.  if baby is taking 3 oz 5 times a day(when with you), plus 8-12 oz at daycare that's 23-27 oz, right at the normal range, and I'll bet he may be getting more than 3 oz when he nurses at the breast, even though you think maybe he's not.

 

thanks, this makes me feel better. I guess i was most worried about the fact that he eats so little first thing in the morning (literally just a couple gulps)... it just feels like he should be hungrier. But... he typically eats around 4 am so maybe by 7 he's just not hungry yet.

I'd say he really only has 3 quality nursing sessions (before bed and two overnight), but I'd bet he's getting at least 4-5 oz at each of those so maybe he is in the range.