Is this normal?

Question

Ok, last week, my 3wk old baby would take 3oz every 3 to 4 hours. Now, shes taking 4 to 5oz and want to eat every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Am I feeding her enough or do babies do that? This never happen to me with my first kid!!

Answer 1

2 words honey... GROWTH SPURT!
it usually happens 4-6 weeks, 4-6 months and around 24 months, and can last from2 days to a week. The only thing you can do...make sure you have more than enough food on hand and feed feed feed!
Have fun because it will go on through the night as well :)

Answer 2

My son did that. Does your baby fall asleep after taking the 3oz every 3 to 4 hours? Because my son did that but that was because he would tired himself out when he was a newborn and eat a little bit then sleep. Then he started eating more......8 oz a full bottle every couple of hours. The doctor told me as long as my baby was healthy to allow them to drink the bottle as often as they want. However, I noticed that sometimes I substituted my finger and he would suck on that be content. He had a "sucking" thing...it wasn't necessarily the "bottle" all the time that he was craving. If your baby doesn't want the bottle, he won't take it. He's probably growing and hungry and has more strength now.

Answer 3

My youngest who is now 6 when he was a baby, the first couple of weeks your suppose do 4oz feedings every so many hours that wasnt enough for him I had to up to 8oz every so many hours at 6 he eats more then I do and hes not a heavy child he just is an extremly healthy eater since day 1. All children are diffrent

Answer 4

My baby boy did the exact same thing. He calmed down after about a week, and ate the 4 0z. bottle about every 3 hours, and by 2 months, he wanted 8 oz. every 3 hours, and he still eats that way at 7 months! Baby should have spurts at approx. 3 wks, 6 wks, 12 wks, and about every 6 wks after that. (Baby should just want to eat more often during those growth spurts after a while, and shouldn't increase the amount.)

Answer 5

This is very normal. During growth spurts they will eat more for about 5 days of so and then you will see it level off again. Expect to do this again at about 6 weeks and many other times throughout the first year. She will let you know when she is full so just make sure to feed her whenever she wants.

Answer 6

She may not be getting enough at her feedings. What I did with my babies was every time they got to the point that they were drinking all of their formula at their feedings I would begin to add an extra ounce of formula to their bottles. Then when they got to the point that they were drinking all of that I would add an extra ounce to their bottles for feeding - and so on.

So if your daughter is drinking all 5 oz. - the next bottle you give her start putting 6 oz. in it. Then when she gets to point that she is drinking all 6 oz. start giving her 7 oz.

Does that make sense? (hope I am not being to confusing)


Also here is a way to calculate how much you baby should be getting at feedings:

Formula amounts can be calculated by dividing your baby's weight (in pounds) in half to find the amount (in ounces). Example: If your baby weighs 6 pounds, he will probably drink 3 ounces per feeding.

Answer 7

Ya thats normal I think. Or if its not normal then you and I are the only people with little piggies for babies. She will probably slow down, she may be going through a growth spurt. Also, you will know if you are feeding her too much if she is spitting up a lot. I thought mine was hungry sometimes and I would feed her and she would spit it back up, turns out she wasnt hungry, she was gassy. But, other times she really was hungry

Answer 8

Yes it is normal. 3 weeks is a big growth spurt. I would not even consider adding rice cereal yet. Not only is it a choking hazard, it is a potential allergy issue. Babies have what is called an 'open gut' until they are approximately 6 months old and that allows larger proteins to pass through, which can trigger lifelong allergies.

Answer 9

Not a thing wrong there Mom. Your baby is reacting as she is designed to. Now if you notice other things such as cramping from gas more usual or other odd out of the normal realm of habits then call the ped. Have a blessed motherhood number two. Atleast you care enough to make an inquiry. So many wouldnt.
Jim

Answer 10

My son was doing a similiar thing and he was getting really bad gas becasue of eating all the time. I know they say not to give a child that young cereal in a bottle but thats the only thing that helped my son. When he was one month and 4 days he started eating cereal against my pediatricians advise but his gas was not as frequent and he ate like a normal infant. He is now three and doing just fine.