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Babies: 3 - 6 Months
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4 month old eating 40-50 oz a day

naultk21naultk21 member
in Babies: 3 - 6 Months
My baby just turned 4 months old and he is huge. He weighed 8.4 lbs at birth and 16.1 lbs at his 3 month checkup, but I think he's at least a few pounds heavier now. He's always been a big eater, easily doubling the average amount per feed for basically his whole life so far, but now he's been easily polishing off a 10 oz bottle and sometimes even seeming like he wants more. He sleeps through the night (like 8.5-11 hours) so he doesn't get night feeds, but he probably eats about 4 or 5 times a day and wants a whole 10 oz bottle most of the time. When I feed him less during the day, he wants to eat even more before bed (example: yesterday he only did about 3 feeds during the day but wouldn't sleep until he had almost 14 oz (it took 2 hours to put him to bed because he wouldn't settle until he got more formula). Our doctor said to feed him as much as he needs and that he'd self regulate but I just don't think that's happening. Thoughts?

Thanks!
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Re: 4 month old eating 40-50 oz a day

  • 00kim0000kim00 member
    edited January 2023
    Not all babies self regulate, particularly with formula/bottles. What you want to look at is the baby's growth chart, which the doctor will have. They'll plot his weight and height on a graph that has several curved lines on it, representing 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, and 95 percentile for kids his age. What you want to see is that he stays on or near "his" line through time. So if he started on the 50 line, you'll want to see him on that line at his 1 month, 3 month, and 6 month checkups. If he started at 50, then moved to the 75, then to the 90, then that's a warning sign. If he's jumping to a new curve or creating his own steeper curve, I'd suggest asking for a referral to a dietician and/or gastroenterologist to explore why. It could be something like reflux where he's eating to soothe a sore throat, or it could be a condition like Prader Willi that causes constant hunger, or something else entirely. A specialist can help figure it out. If, however, he's stayed on his line, then all is good and going as expected. Getting a copy of that growth chart will be super helpful!
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