my baby is 4 months old what do i feed him if the formula isnt filling him?

Answer 1

You need to feed him more formula. Babies shouldn't have solids until at LEAST 6 months.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

Answer 2

give him more formula.

either increase the frequency of feeds, or the volume per feeding... 3-4 months is a growth spurt time... he just may be hungrier...but that does not mean he's ready for cereal or any other solids yet.

NEVER put cereal in a bottle (no pediatric association on the planet recommends this as a method of satisfying a child's hunger) ... not only the short term hazard of choking, but long term issues like over eating, diabetes... look at this: ""Babies are born with a wonderful mechanism for knowing how much food they need. During the early months, they take their cues from the volume of what they drink. Adding cereal derails this mechanism. It forces them to take in deceptively large amounts of calories. It teaches them to overeat.

By starting with a spoon, resting between bites, and stopping when your child lets you know he’s full, you will be laying an excellent foundation for good eating habits throughout his life.

A major study looking for the causes of obesity found that short-circuiting young children’s self-regulation of how much they eat is a major cause of later obesity.1 Cereal in the bottle does just that.

Babies that are fed this way may appear to be unaffected – but those few weeks of added convenience may result in a lifetime of struggles with weight. This common practice may have contributed to our being the most obese generation in history"" -- click here for the whole article: http://www.drgreene.com/21_861.html

Answer 3

More formula. Firstly 4 months is the usual age for a growth spurt so you might find the appetite returns to normal after a week or two. Secondly even for formula-fed infant there are risks to starting solids before 6 months, and no benefits.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4117080
Until six months, your baby has needed only breastmilk
or infant formula milk. From about six months your baby
has developed so that he or she is able to eat solid foods.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html
Health experts and breastfeeding experts agree that it's best to wait until your baby is around six months old before offering solid foods. There has been a large amount of research on this in the recent past, and most health organizations have updated their recommendations to agree with current research. Unfortunately, many health care providers are not up to date in what they're telling parents, and many, many books are not up to date.

The following organizations recommend that all babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or any other foods) for the first 6 months of life (not the first 4-6 months):

* World Health Organization
* UNICEF
* US Department of Health & Human Services
* American Academy of Pediatrics
* American Academy of Family Physicians
* American Dietetic Association
* Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
* Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
* Health Canada

Most babies will become developmentally and physiologically ready to eat solids by 6-9 months of age. For some babies, delaying solids longer than six months can be a good thing; for example, some doctors may recommend delaying solids for 12 months if there is a family history of allergies.

Answer 4

Babies needs only breastmilk and/or formula for the first 6 months. Rice cereal and baby foods do not have the calories that the milk does, so you shouldn't start them until at least 6 months old. Give your baby more formula if he's hungry.

Answer 5

How do you know the formula isn't filling him? What exactly is he doing that tells you he isn't getting enough to eat? Is he growing okay?

The problem with feeding other things is that his body may not be able to process the nutrients---so it would be just passing through and not giving him anything.

Is he going through a growth spurt and he needs all those extra calories, fat, protein and vitamins?

I would make sure he was growing okay and this isn't the prelude to a growth spurt before feeding him something...BTW babies who are breastfed start asking for more food BEFORE a growth spurt so the mom's milk production increases. They want to nurse for longer....you son's body may be asking for more food because it wants to "prime the pump" for more milk production---it doesn't "get" that it is formula.

Answer 6

I am a mother of 3....my middle child (a boy) was drinking an 8oz bottle every 3 hours when he came home from the hospital after being born. The nurses at the hospital couldn't belive he was drinking so much..lol.He didn't spit any of it up and he had no gas problems. I know the Doctors tell no no food til such and such age....BUT I started putting cereal in his bottle when he was 2 weeks old...At 1 month he was eating about 3 jars of the stage 1 baby food (mainly applesauce) ever day. He drank his formula also.Didn't hurt him a bit. He slept through the night and was satisfied! He was never over weight. He went from sitting up to walking at 6 1/2 months....skipped right over crawling. He is 16 now and tall and thin.

Answer 7

Rice cereal, it's the next step in feeding a baby. It's mixed with formula in a bowl and fed like regular cereal. If he bowl/spoon concept doesn't work out you can mix a little into the bottle and make the nipple hole bigger. Usually at about 4-5 months babies are ready to make the transition from just formula to foods and formula. Introduce the cereal and veggies first, then after you have gone through all the veggies start fruits. If you start fruits first, you will have a hard time getting him to eat the veggies because they aren't sweet! Good Luck!

Answer 8

If you are using powder, try switching to the ready to use or concentrate. They are less watery than the powder mix.
You may want to ask your pediatrician if it's ok to put cereal in the bottle, but usually they start cereals at 6 months.
Else try to increase the amount of milk given per day, milk is good.

Answer 9

I would listen to what the last person said and try to put a scoopful in his bottle. I did and my kids both slept longer and went longer between feedings. Also, at 4 months, he might be able to start on stage 1 bananas. I would ask his Dr first to see if he is able to. Both my kids were eating bananas at 4 months because formula wasn't doing it for them!

Answer 10

Boys are hunger monsters from day one! Here's what I did: I put some rice cereal (the baby kind) in his bottle twice a day, before morning nap and at bed time. I fed him normally the rest of the day and gave him some water in between feedings.