My son is 7 weeks old. He weighs 17 ibs/10 oz and is 26" long. He is a very big for his age. He eats 8 oz about every 3-4 hours. We are going through formula like crazy. Can we give him some kind of cereal to supplement his diet?
2007-04-30 17:40:20 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Though your baby was born big that does not mean that his stomach is way bigger than the average babies (smaller than the size of a ping pong ball). When he was born you were probably overfeeding him and stretched out his stomach, which is a common mistake of parents bottle-feeding and no insult is intended. My son now is 8 months old and your son is eating the same size bottle as my son. His feeding will balance out as soon as he slows in growth which will happen in the next month or so, in the mean time do not keep adding oz. to his diet. Giving children anything more than formula before they are 6 months old can cause your children to have allergies and that's no joke not to mention a choking hazard if you put it in their bottle and they haven't learned to swallow very well. Consult your doctor or a childhood dietitian about how to curb your son's diet so you don't break the bank or inadvertently lead him to childhood obesity.
2007-04-30 18:00:37 · answer #1 · answered by Rasta 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That is one big baby...how much was he at birth I wonder??
Well, my daughter was 14 lbs at 2 months, now 16.3 lbs at 4 months...she was going through the formula too, but the Ped said I had to cut back,etc. So we did and it slowed the gaining process. I didn't start her on rice until 3 1/2 months. She now takes 5-6 6oz bottles a day, sleeps through the night and has 1 1/2 tbsp. of rice once a day.
You should talk to the doc. I found that I was getting into a habit of feeding her too much cause she was fussy alot. In fact, the doc. said overfeeding a baby will cause discomfort and irritability...
Good luck on this one..your son is way too young for cereal.
2007-05-01 05:55:20 · answer #2 · answered by Christine 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. He doesn't have the enzymes etc to digest it anyway and it will fill his stomach with things that he could react to with an allergy. The World Health Organization as well as the local regional health authority recommends starting solids NO earlier than 6 months old. You can still revert back to breastfeeding, which is much healthier and cheaper. If you take some Motilium or natural things like nursing teas from the health food store, this will start the milk flow up again. This would help a lot both economically and health-wise. If not, there's not much you can do. Babies cost money.
Good luck.
Sarah
2007-04-30 17:53:37 · answer #3 · answered by Sarah N 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
We gave our first son rice cereal at that age, ti helped fill him up. I would just mix a tablespoon with water(or formula) until is was as thick as sour cream. My 3 other kids didn't get rice cereal until they where 4 months old, it really didn't make much difference. The best person to ask would be your doctor. good luck
2007-04-30 17:46:15 · answer #4 · answered by pharfly1 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Even though he is a big baby, he still has the digestive system of a 7 week old so I wouldn't suggest it. Some babies do fine, while others can end up with projectile vomitting and also allergies to foods because they were introduced to early. I think it would be best to talk to your pediatrician about it though.
2007-04-30 17:44:34 · answer #5 · answered by Cori Rose 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, don't feed him solids yet - even though he's a big boy, he's not old enough.
It's normal for babies to feed every 3-4 hours - my son was the same as a baby. I found it was worse just before and during a growth spurt.
2007-04-30 17:44:36 · answer #6 · answered by Devils_Candy1 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Okay so almost everyone is going to say no and your doc will definitely say no. But I say go buy some cross cut nipples and put 2 tbs of oatmeal in his 8 ounce baba. I started giving my son oatmeal early. He was a little guy who could never get enough I didn't have a choice he was always hungry. If your lil man gets constipated just give him some water and it'll flush him right out. I would give him the first cereal ( oatmeal) as his last feeding of the day. He will sleep for a very very very long time. I also would do it in like a breakfast lunch dinner format and give him normal babas the rest of the day.
2007-04-30 20:02:23 · answer #7 · answered by SassyFras85 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
ask your doctor.
Many babies don't eat solid foods for the first year.
You can try some rice baby cereal and see how he likes it.
You might need to give him water and hold off on the bottle for four hour incriments. Or cht down the ounces to six ounces. Talk to your doctor about this.
17 pounds is big for a 7 week old.
2007-04-30 20:10:57 · answer #8 · answered by clcalifornia 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I would consult your pediatrician. Sometimes you can introduce very thinned amounts of cereal at this age. After consulting with my pediatrician I began giving my son some at 5 weeks. We had the same problem. This boy was hungry.
Talk to your pediatrician about your concerns to get the best answer for you and your baby.
2007-04-30 17:46:02 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It would depend on your son and your pediatrician. Id take him in and voice any concerns and ask. Never give a baby that young solids without consulting a doctor first. All babies are different so what worked with one may not work with another.
2007-04-30 17:51:10 · answer #10 · answered by Brutally Honest 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋