my 4 month old "Fat"?

Question

i have a 4 month old daughter, she is 23.5 inches tall and 23 pounds. everyone is telling me she is over fed. i was only feeding her 4 ounces every 3 hours during the day and 6-8 hours at night. so about 4 ounces 6 times a day= 24ounces in 1 day. now i have been giving her 5 ounces every 3 hours and 6-8 at night. so 6 feeding of 5 ounces= 30 ounces in 1 day. i heard it wasnt over feedint till 36 ounces. i am 16 years old n very inexperienced with babies, so i dont kno if there is something i am doing wrong. starting recently she has been getting 4 maybe 5 ounces of formula, a little bit of cereal, and some baby fruit... but not a lot and not everyday. i dont want to starve her but i never thought i would be over feeding her. someone please HELP!!!

i have a 4 month old daughter, she is 23.5 inches tall and 23 pounds. everyone is telling me she is over fed. i was only feeding her 4 ounces every 3 hours during the day and 6-8 hours at night. so about 4 ounces 6 times a day= 24ounces in 1 day. now i have been giving her 5 ounces every 3 hours and 6-8 at night. so 6 feeding of 5 ounces= 30 ounces in 1 day. i heard it wasnt over feedint till 36 ounces. i am 16 years old n very inexperienced with babies, so i dont kno if there is something i am doing wrong. starting recently she has been getting 4 maybe 5 ounces of formula, a little bit of cereal, and some baby fruit... but not a lot and not everyday. i dont want to starve her but i never thought i would be over feeding her. it also couldnt be inherited because i am 105 pounds and her father is also very skinny. i have talked to her doctor but they will never tell me she is fat. go ahead n criticize me because im young but i am more worried about my daughter, not ur opinion on me

Answer 1

I have a 3 month old daughter, and she's probably 16 1/2 pounds now. I feed my daughter 7 ounces every 5 hours, and at night I give her cereal before going to bed. Maybe what you could do is give her more formula at one time, but spread out the time between feedings. When I started doing the 7 oz every 5 hours, she started to level out with her weight. I read somewhere that a baby should eat 1.5 ounces per pound of body weight. So if you're baby is 23 pounds, then take 23 x 1.5 which equals 34.5 oz a day of formula. Now, that doesn't mean you have to feed her that much. If you're really concerned about her weight, call you're doctor and see what he has to say. Congrats and good luck!

Answer 2

You need not listen to anyone's opinion about your baby's weight except her doctor's. You are bringing her to a doctor for check-ups and immunisations, aren't you? If your doctor says your baby is fine and healthy, good. Otherwise, if your doctor thinks there is some concern about her weight, he/she will tell you what to do.
Babies are fat and formula-fed babies especially so. One of the disadvantages of formula-feeding is that it makes babies gain too much weight quickly (no, this does not mean you should cut back on her feedings, you feed her when she's hungry).
Another reason for people to say that your baby is fat could be that in the arms of a 100-pound 16-yr-old, a 23-pound baby looks very big indeed. Just learn to ignore other people's opinions and unwanted advice.

Answer 3

The formula is fine, I never started my baby on regular food until 6 months, but the amount of formula seems right on target. I mean 23 pounds is more than my daughter weighs right now at 9 months, but if your pediatrician says she is okay then I suppose she is. Hopefully you are keeping up with your visits, because that is the opinion I would personally go by.

Answer 4

what did the doctor say?
People have an average of everything so 36 ounces might be over feeding for the average child but who knows what it might be for your child. My daughter is two years old and she's only 23 pounds. So stop feeding the baby every time it cries and don't put a baby on a schedule. Sometimes just try putting a pacifier in her mouth if she spits it out then she's hungry. And a half a teaspoon of cereal is enough and jar food isn't really necessary for a couple of months.

Answer 5

babies under 12 months won't starve as long as they get breastmilk or formula. If your Dr is overweight then now isn't the time to start cereals or fruits. At 4-6 months is the ok time to start them but you only start with cereal for the first few weeks and introduce veggies next then fruits but with a baby that is overweight it is usually recommed that cereals wait until 6 months. If you are worried about her size please discuss it with your pediatrician and be honest about the cereal and fruits. Some babies are just big, some over eat and some have health problems like cushions disease and thyroid problems that cause the weight gain but you won't know if you don't talk to the Dr about it.

Answer 6

People are never happy with a baby fat or thin. You smile and be pleasant and ask your doctor. Let your baby decide when it is hungry and fed her. If she is sleeping thru the night and not waking up. Then you are doing fine. Milk will fatten the baby a little but she will thin out once she get to the age that table food gets introduced but that will be in a few months. Let your baby be your guide not the nice people telling you. If you have questions ask Mom or the Doctor or another trusted person. God bless and good luck.

Answer 7

MYou need to take her to her Doctor my son is 9 1/2 months old and weighs 20 pounds but them I met some one whos baby was about 23 pounds and like 5 months and the baby didnt look big you really need to see the doctor dont panic people always say stuff Im always told my son is thin but the Doctor said hes actually right where he should be

Answer 8

At 4 months she should not be eating solid food - ie: cereal or fruit. There is no nutritional need for that yet. She should be getting breastmilk or formula til she is a year and after 6 months (but no rush) then you can add foods so she gets used to the texture/feel of it.

That is a rather large baby buit some kids are made larger then others, but I would probably sit down with her doc at the next appt and ask what they suggest. She should be still seenig the doc every 2 months until she is 6 months, so you should have just had an appt or have one coming up. If not, be sure to call and ask.

Good luck.

Answer 9

no two babies are alike. you are doing just fine. if you were overfeeding her she would be spitting up or throwing up alot when you feed her. if she is getting satisfied then shes eating what she needs. you will find people ready to criticise because you are young over look it. as long as you always do as you are by doing whats in the best interst of your daughter. if you are ever in any doubt about anything contact her pediatrician at any time. if its after hours their office can get ahold of the doctor and have the doctor call you back. i was less than one month from my 21st birthday when i had my first. it doesn't matter how how you are when you have that first baby you will face alot of anxieties. it is only normal. good luck and best wishes.

Answer 10

by all means honey no your not over feeding her!!! dont worry about what everyone else says. you cant not feed her if she is hungry!!!! You are trying and even though your young you can still be a good mom!!! You continue doing what your doing until the doctor says different!!! but what you can do is get some books. they have a lot of great knowledge on raising babies. and even if you dont read them they are great to skim through and have as a reference!!!!
keep my info if you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email for some advice. its not easy but you can do it!!!! And I am more than willing to try and help I have two of my own and it gets hard some time. Even more so when people always have something to say!!! So keep in touch and good luck and I hope to hear from you!!! God bless you and your daughter.