Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

Lee Posted: Nov 11, 2003 02:16 PM

Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

I know that unlike adults babies are good at stopping themselves when they are full. It just seems that my son -- who, granted, is a big boy at almost 20 pounds and only 6 months old -- can be a bottomless pit. Sometimes I feel like is taking the formula or the food even though he doesn't really want it...is that possible?? I worry that he is just eating too much and ignoring his own signals to stop...

Stacey1403 Posted: Nov 11, 2003 02:22 PM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

I worry about this too, Damien nurses so often sometimes I wonder if it is too much.

Elizabeth Posted: Nov 11, 2003 03:54 PM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

I dont think you can, they dont have the curse of overeating at this age. I just had this conversation 15 minutes ago with my SIL.

Kathi Posted: Nov 11, 2003 10:21 PM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

I don't think you can, either. I used to think that w/ Sean since he, too is a bigg'un but, he's always stuck to the '2 oz/per pound' rule (he's 18 pounds now and takes about 35 ounces)...give or take a spit up!

NIHA Posted: Nov 11, 2003 10:30 PM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

I don't think you can this early either.

Stacey, I know for sure that you cannot overfeed while breastfeeding. A baby will take what he/she needs, thus the supply-demand relationship.

natasha Posted: Nov 12, 2003 09:54 AM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

I think you can. My SIL is proof of that. She is breastfeeding and the baby is overweight. The pediatrician has already put her on a diet at 6 months old.

NIHA Posted: Nov 12, 2003 10:02 AM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

Really Natasha, and she's only breastfeeding? That's surprising, I've always heard differently. Do you know anything else that the Ped. said about it?

natasha Posted: Nov 12, 2003 10:10 AM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

I was surprised too. The baby was over 9 pounds when she was born. According to my other SIL, she would breastfeed the baby everytime it cries, instead of when she was hungry.

I was over at their house, and the 6 month old had a chicken leg in her hands. I was appalled.

The pediatrician said she can't have certain things until a certain age.

NIHA Posted: Nov 12, 2003 11:20 AM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

I nurse Lyla ALOT too, on demand (still every hour or so at times). She wants to nurse a lot, whether or not she's hungry, she nurses a lot for comfort. And yes, she nurses to sleep too and in the middle of the night! But, she's in the 50th percentile for weight and height. Now that we're starting solids, we'll see how it changes things.

So, it sounds like it's not the breastfeeding that's causing your niece to gain weight, it's the other stuff!

Lee Posted: Nov 12, 2003 01:40 PM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

Well, here's an example - last night for dinner Ryan ate 5 tablespoons of cereal and an entire stage 2 fruit. An hour and a half later we're getting ready for bed. I always offer an 8 oz. bottle at bedtime to 'tank' him up for the night. But you would think any infant after that big dinner would cut himself off after a few ounces cause he's full, right? Well, my boy keeps on grabbing the bottle and sucking it down even though I just know he can't possibly be that hungry! I try to pull it away and he cries and grabs for it, but he keeps popping himself off and then back on. Sure enough he loads up on the ENTIRE 8 oz. and not 2 minutes later proceeds to yuke up what seems like the entire bottle all over himself and me!! Now, what is that all about?? Shouldn't he have been able to stop himself after a few ounces when he felt full? I worry he doesn't know when he's full.

My ped wants solid food to start edging out formula at this point, e.g. - if he's hungry after a Stage 1 veggie at lunch, give him some more, etc. But still, how can I be sure he's eating cause he's actually hungry? The ped says it would be very rare for a baby to overfeed but after last night's example, I'm just not sure...

Stacey1403 Posted: Nov 12, 2003 02:13 PM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

Do you burp him a lot while he is drinking his bottle? I find that if I don't burp Damien a lot during each feeding he will spit-up a lot. Some times it seems like all his feeding if I don't get a good burp.

Lee Posted: Nov 12, 2003 03:08 PM

Re: Do you think you can overfeed a baby?

The burping has always been an issue with my guy - since he was born!! You pull him off to burp him and he screams and cries so much that it turns into him just swallowing more and more air into his belly - defeating the purpose. And, more often than not, post feeding burpings get nowhere, but 2 hours later, he's burping...he's a difficult child!!