Which kind of feeding is better for a baby?

Question

Do you think it's better to feed your baby smaller amounts more often? Or larger amounts less often? My four-month-old will only eat 3-4 ounces at a time, so then I have to feed her every 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Is this OK? I talk to other people whose kids (same age) are eating 8 ounces every four hours.

Also, do you think this feeding schedule is nature or nurture? Is she physically programmed to eat this way? Or am I "feeding" (no pun intended) into this because I'm letting her keep to her newborn eating schedule when I should be demanding she wait longer between meals?

Am I a bad parent??? :)

Answer 1

smaller amounts you don't want to stretch her little tummy or make her throw up
every child is different don't base your little one on what other children are doing
my daughter never took 8 oz until she was 8 months old

Answer 2

First off - you're not a bad parent. The fact that you have questions means you're a good parent. Bad parents don't care enough about their kids to care if they're doing what's best for them.

Secondly - don't get sucked into comparing your child to someone else's. What my son's pediatrician always tells me is that every child is different. It all depends on the child's weight and digestive maturity. If you're worried, talk to your daughter's pediatrician.

Lastly - I think it's both nature and nurture. As a newborn, she was naturally programmed to eat this way because her stomach was so small. Over time, though, she's kept the pattern because that's what she's used to.

Are you sure she's really hungry when you're feeding her? Or is she just eating because it's being offered and she likes to suck? Do you try a pacifier after nothing else works, and then a bottle if the pacifier doesn't calm her? I ask because sometimes babies aren't really hungry and just need something to suck on.

Answer 3

Firstly, let me assure you....from the very fact that you're asking this question, you're NOT a bad parent.

For a newborn, allow your baby to have her own feeding schedule, as she herself will know best when she's hungry and when she's not. So yes, follow your daughter's cues as to when she needs a feed.

Babies require different amounts of feed, and amounts do vary between babies. So you have no need to worry that your daughter isn't getting enough by not drinking as much as other babies you may have come across. Just allow your baby to suckle till she falls asleep and stops suckling after facial stimulation....that's usually a good indicator that she's had her fill for the feed. For newborns up to 6 months old, it is very normal for the infant to feed every 2-4 hours, depending on the formula (breast milk is usually more easily digested than formula milk). Again, feeding schedules depend on individual infants.

On hindsight, you may also want to check to make sure that you're mixing the formula (if you're feeding her formula) in correct concentrations of water and formula...as formulas that are mixed too diluted (once again, you need to follow specific mixing instructions, which are usually available behind the formula containers) can mean that your baby gets hungry earlier. The amount of feed she can take at any one time is not indicative of how well she can digest the feed.

Hope this has been informative to you.

Good luck!

Answer 4

At four months, there is still a huge difference in the size and physical needs of babies, so you can't really compare your daughter to another baby.

If your baby really will not take more than that amount, it is probably because she cannot handle more than that at any one time. As long as she is gaining weight and healthy, I would allow her to set her own feeding schedule. She knows when she is hungry and full and she will start eating more when she is ready. My son is four months old and breastfed, but he just started to go 3 hours between daytime feedings. Up until a few weeks ago, he just needed smaller amounts more frequently. He's gaining weight like a champ! You're not a bad parent!

Answer 5

Your baby has her own way of doing things. Every baby is unique and as a parent, you really have to just watch their ques and learn to work with them. Yes, you could probably force your baby to eat like you want her to or think she should, but why? If she is eating that way and staying healthy then I'd say stick with it. Some babies have higher metabolisms so they burn through food faster. My little girl breast fed, so I really don't know a fluid amount, but she ate every hour and a half for months. We finally worked up to two and three hours as she grew and her stomach held more. Also, some babies will eat until they are about to pop, others I don't think like the overly full feeling. Maybe your daughter just likes her stomach comfortably full and not completely full. If you are really worried about it then mention it to her doctor, if he dismisses it as fine then you know it is. Now personally, you aren't a bad parent if you genuinely do everything you can and try. A bad parent wouldn't worry about it or would simply enforce whatever they want upon their child without ever thinking of if it's best. You are concerned and trying to get advice from other people, which means you care, you try, and you want what's best. I think bad parents are the ones that never ask if they are bad parents, cause everyone I know asks that at some point.

Answer 6

my daughter(4 1/2 month old) is the same way, she nurses just until she is happy, then stops. Sometimes I am nursing her every hour. Try burping her after a few ounces then starting over again. It would be cruel to deny the baby food just to space out the feedings. She does not know any better. Once you start her on solids, she will eat less often, so don't worry. As long as your baby is happy, you are not a bad parent. Bad parents wouldn't care.

Answer 7

Not a bad parent. Noone should be forced to scream in hunger for hours because it is not "time" for them to eat. Babies have been around a lot longer than clocks!-)

Babies should be allowed to set their own eating schedule. Forcing an infant onto an arbitrary regimen teaches them to ignore their hunger cues. This can lead to all sorts of problems as they will be out of touch with the signals their bodies are sending. They may eat too much, as if storing up for a famine, and then spit up a ton because their stomachs are the size of their fists.

If children don't learn their hunger signals they may become obese later on. They don't know when to stop eating because they don't have a concept of when food will come around again.

Think about it, would you like someone to tell you when you can eat, even if your stomach is growling and you feel light headed? No! You would chow down like crazy as soon as you got to some food.

Answer 8

Your babies stomach SHOULD BE the size of her fist to a little larger, so really babies shouldn't be eating huge amounts necessarily. However some babies do.

I see no reason she shoudn't eat more often. Smaller more frequent meals are used to treat GERD and colic.

Breastfed babies eat VERY frequently, and breastfeeding is obviously the norm for babies. "families from Washington, DC, the Ba’Aka hunter-gatherers and the Ngandu farmers, both of the Central African Republic. They found that the Ba’Aka babies nursed 4.02 times per hour, the Ngandu babies nursed 2.01 times per hour and the American babies nursed 1.6 times per hour. Certainly the American babies nursed less often than the two African groups, but they nursed more frequently than many new parents expect."

So remember if your baby was breastfed chances are she would be eating MORE than once an hour, or at least once every 90 minutes. *lol*

Also every study I have ever seen says feeding on demand -formula or breastmilk - is best for babies.

Answer 9

I have a reflux baby (well, she is now a reflux toddler) but she ate no more than 6oz at a time ever until she was 9 or 10 months. Now she is 11 months and gets an 8oz in the morning and one at night. But she was on 6oz (or less) until she started the three meals a day eating. then she had 8oz bottles as snacks.
mine also ate every few hours. and as she got older, the bottles were replaced with baby food at meal times, then the bottles were replaced with snacks.
you are a great mom and your baby will do very well on the shedule you are using.

Answer 10

Last question-- NO!

First question-- all babies are different. If your baby is small/petite, or if she was born a little early, or a number of other factors, she may just not be ready for larger feedings. Babies know when they are hungry and when they are full. If we allow them to eat according to their own signals, they will regulate their feedings automatically according to their needs.

If your baby is taking in at least the minimum amount for her age in a 24-hr. period, I wouldn't worry too much. She will start to eat more and stretch her feedings out a bit when her body is ready for it.

Answer 11

I think you should listen to your baby. My daughter is breastfed. She has always eaten only from one side for like 10 minutes when a lot of my reading says that she should nurse for a lot longer and from both sides. She has gained plenty of weight. I listen to what my baby wants. I don't think letting a baby go hungry is the way to go, just to keep to a schedule. Do what is best for you and your baby. Obviously you care about your baby or you probably wouldn't be asking.