Do you think my 5 month old?

Question

Ok I posted this question the other day and I didn't get very many responses so I am posting it again. My daughter is 5 months old but she is about the size of a 12 month old(20lbs, 29 1/2 in) I am worried that she isn't getting enough to eat. She is growing but she acts hungry all the time. Her doctor told me to feed her 24oz of formula a day and cereal at bedtime(which my doctor said is all a 5 month old needs). However I feel since she is bigger she needs more to eat than a normal 5 month old. So my question is since she is the size of a 12 month old shouldn't she be eating the amount of food that a 12 month old eats(not the same food just the same amount of food ex: stage 1 foods or more cereal)? Thanks in advance and I hope my question wasn't confusing.

She is starting to crawl already and she rolls every where. I don't feed her everytime she cries and when she is full she will either spit out her bottle or if I am feeding her cereal she will just quit opening her mouth. The doctor isn't concerned about her weight because she is the right weight for her height.

Just to mention that she is holding her own bottle and when she doesn't want it she puts it down or if she wants it she will pick it up and put it in her own mouth. As for a pacifier she will not take them anymore she pretty much has weaned herself from it.

Answer 1

My son is also 5 months old and a pretty big boy. He weighs almost 20 lbs and last check was about 28 inches long. He eats a 6-8 oz bottle of formula about every 3-4 hrs. He gets cereal mixed w/fruit in the morning at his day care center and then in the evening he has a container of stage1 babyfood around 6:30 then he has another 6oz bottle before bed at about 8:30. He isn't a fat baby by any means he is just going to be a big kid. His dad was a pretty big guy. Not all babies are the same and they need to eat more than other kids to keep their little bodies going. also if she is very active like my son is, they need more food to keep them going.

Answer 2

Your Dr is probably trying to avoid your child being over weight. I have a 9 month old and she weighs about 18 lbs. She eats food three times a day, at meal times just like you or I would. She has baby cereal for breakfast, then a fruit for lunch and a dinner of some sort at supper time. Of course its baby food she eats. By the time she was 5 months old she was eating cereal in the morning for bfast and at night before bed. She was also eating fruit everyday for lunch in the stage 1 foods. I think you should give her some fruit in the stage 1 baby foods to see if that helps her hunger during the day. Food will stay in her system longer than just formula. I should also mention that my daughter was 1 month pre mature and was still eating this amount of food during the day. Giving your daughter some fruit is worth a try. Or try giving her cereal in the morning, that will help the hunger also.

Answer 3

Hi, No your question is not confusing.
Here is what I think. Yes your doctor may tell you what the average 5 month old will eat. But Hey, Every baby is different and if she is hungry then feed her. I wouldnt give her food or extra food when she doesnt request it, but I would give her portion controlled food. I wouldnt want her to eat so much that she is unhealthy. Babies could develop problems if they gain to much weight since their bodies might not be able to handle all that weight. The extra weight might make it hard for her later on to start crawling or even trying to stand up. So, be carefull what you feed her in the months to come and only give her food in moderation. Just because she might grow faster than another 5 month old doesnt neccesarily mean that she has the appetite like a 12 month old baby.
You are her mother and you should feed her as you see fit - not a standard that is the average for 5 month olds. Be carefull though.
Good luck!

Answer 4

My daughter had the same concern with her son, so she approached the doctor with the same question. Her solution was to keep the formula amount the same, but to add cereal to the formula at lunch time so the child feels full. Not too much, just enough to satisfy the baby. This worked well, solved the problem ,and the baby didn't gain weight or anything else. He's in the 95% bracket for his age and weight, same as your baby. It made baby satisfied without over eating, and lets mom get some peace of mind.(and peace and quiet) Good luck

Answer 5

No I wouldn't give your child the amount of food a 12 month old eats just because shes that size, what I would do is feed her cereal in the morning, bottles of formula all day and some cereal at night. I do that with my 4 month old, shes been eating cereal since 3 months. It satisfies her more when she has cereal in the morning as well. I wouldn't introduce any other foods as she only needs formula and rice cereal now, at 6 months you can start to give her vegtables.

Answer 6

My niece was just over 20 pounds at 5 months and the doctor never told my sister to only feed her 24 ounces of formula a day. She was eating cereal in the morning and at night plus baby food at lunch and supper times. She would only drink about 3-4 5 ounce bottles a day though.

Answer 7

You can start your baby on cereal, fruits and veggies at 4 months old. If she's hungry feed her. My doctor was pretty tough about it to, but I just followed my instincts. I'm sure other people will tell you the same. To be honest I just never really moentioned it to my doctor. They are really concerned about obesity in children but if your baby is hungry feed her. That doesnt mean over feed her but some fruit and veggies won't hurt her. You can mix a little fruit with her cereal. and maybe just one veggie for lunch. Throw in a little snack of fruit in the afternoon and then some veggie and cereal for dinner. It's only a teaspoon or so, so it's not like your over feeding them.

Answer 8

My daughter is very big too. She was 10 pounds at birth and 22.5 inches long. I feed her until she is satisfied, she is very long now and not at all fat. I give her cereal to help fill her up and a little applesauce. Every doctor believes in something different. Try putting a little rice cereal in the formula and add water to dilute a bit. This helps my daughter a lot because she is always hungry and I practically have to feed her all day long. My daughter is the same age and the same length as yours but 17 lbs. She looks lean to me so there is no way I would just feed her what your doctor said. Your the mother and you know best.

Answer 9

I would stick with what your doctor says. There is an epidemic of overweight babies out there. It isn't that they're worried about obesity or anything yet its the psychological development they're worried about. If she's too big she won't be able to scoot and crawl and sit when she's supposed to and these things help the brain develop. She obviously loves to eat and finds great satisfaction in doing it the whole food thing is quite fun Try to teacher her other interesting things to do too. You can sit her in her high chair and start to encourage her to have fun with the spoon and the cereal by herself. That way it takes longer and might recognize that she's full faster. Of course they make a huge mess but her brain will be learning! She is at an age where she needs to be down on the floor starting to scoot places and trying to get to interesting toys that are hard to reach. This is hard to watch them struggle with I know but it really is the best thing for them. You can get right down there with her and try to reach the toy too. All those arching leg and arm lifts are great for regaining that prepregnancy shape. If she is doing all of those things well--the sitting up, scooting, rolling over stuff I might seek a 2nd opinion.

Answer 10

A 12 mos old has more ENERGY requirements than a 5 mos old so the 12 mos old will need more calories/food than 5 mos old, reguardless of what they weigh. (A 5 mos old probably isn't even crawling yet while a 12 mos old is crawling and maybe walking already!)

Feed the child until she doesn't seem hungry any more. Follow her lead and don't obsess about amounts. She knows how much she needs and will refuse to eat when she is full.