Feedings - do you think he is getting enough

[Tanker Chic]

Jacob goes in and out of phases where he eats really good... I consider a good feeding 5 - 7oz but mostly he drinks about 4oz per bottle.

If he only has 5 - 6 bottles a day and only 4oz a bottle, is that enough?  Jacob is 5.5 months old?  Does anybody else have a baby around this age that still only drinks a 4 oz bottle?  He even has some feedings where he only wants 3oz and I have to keep offering and offering the bottle to get one more oz i him.

He isn't showing any other symptoms of being sick or uncomfortable... I have seen him rub in the area of his ear a couple of times, but I don't know if it was on purpose or not... he is still very uncoordinated... I thought he may have been aiming for his eyes... he hasn't been fussy at all but he usually isn't...  

[nursekim]

My first baby (6 years ago) was very much like that.  He never was a very aggressive eater.  He would have his spurts where he would eat really well, but most of the time it seemed as he only "snacked".  The pediatrician was ok with it since he was always gaining.  His eating habits in infancy have followed him into childhood.  He is 6 and a half and has just hit 45 pounds.  He will eat one decent meal and snack all day long.

[kjbutcher]

AJ is almost 11 months and still does not take more than 5 oz per bottle.  The doctor said he probably has a small stomach (unlike his mother!).  Jacob is getting plenty of forumula.  Usually 20-30 oz per day is what is recommended and it looks like he is getting just that.  As long as he is gaining weight he is fine.  AJ is on the small side.  I dont think he is going to hit the 20 lbs on his 1st birthday, but they keep telling me he is perfectly healthy.  He sure acts healthy!  It looks like you should be going to the doctor in the next few weeks.  I'd talk to the doctor but I think you will end up being told it is just his preference.  

[Tanker Chic]

Knowing your stories makes me feel better, but his eating was terrible today and it just wears me down.. For most of the day, he was eating more like 2 oz at a time.. of course I was offering it pretty regularly just to get the oz in him...

This is what he ate today

6:30    4.25 oz
8:30    2.0 oz
10:45  3.0 oz, some cereal and a little sweet potatoe
1:45    3.0 oz
2:30    2.0 oz
5:30    2.0 oz
7:15 - 8:30 6 oz    

I know he hit the 20 oz mark, but it took so much effort.. all day, him stopping after 2oz and then I feel like I'm almost force feeding him after that... I put it in his mouth and he turns away... I put it back, he s ucks for a couple of secs and then turns away.. i put it back, he s ucks for a couple of secs and then turns away... we do that over and over and over.. until he finally stops completely.. it is so frustrating.. and he has been doing this since friday...

[pertykitty]

if he is gaining weight and not filling up on foods then i wouldnt worry about it.   i know some kids that just dont eat much and others that are total grazers all day long.  if you are concerned have some weight check appts at your peds office.  they offered to do that for addy when i was concerned about her weight.  

some days addy cant get enough, and other days she turns at the boob.  

[kjbutcher]

that looks exactly like what AJ did at that point.  Up until right after his 9 mo appointment I was still giving him bottles that he would only drink 2 oz of.  Three was his average and I was very very lucky if he took four.  This was the way it was until he turned 8 months and everything went up .5oz.  It wasnt until after his 9 month drs appointment that he started drinking 5oz at a time and 3was his least and 4-4.5 was the average.  He is healthy and probably not gaining a ton of weight but he is gaining weight and the doctors dont see any problems with this.  As it turns out he is quite the little piggy when it comes to real food though.  

[kjbutcher]

what happened to 7oz 3x per day???   AMAZING
Keep keeping track of this stuff if you plan to do anything about that situation.

[konstance_ann]

just because your baby does not eat a whole lot does not nessessarly mean there is something wrong ... as long he is healthy and gaining weight like a baby should he is just fine ok... i would take him to your family doctor just to be safe thou. to make sure there is nothing wrong for example if your baby is coming down with something or sick or an upset tummy.. they are more likely to eat less that they normaly do.. but if this is how it's been for 5 1/2 mo you have nothing to worry about your baby is just going to be a small slender individual

[mami1323]

Jayden is this way as well.  When he was younger he used to drink so much more ounces in a day.  Now that he's older he eats a few ounces here a few ounces there.  Never consistent.  I wouldn't worry unless he's not gaining weight.  They go through growth spurts and times where they want to eat a ton and times when they don't.  Sometimes now he doesn't want to stop playing to eat.  He's more distracted.  I think your son is just find but just keep an eye on it.

[Tanker Chic]

kj - Exactly.. I knew she was full of it, but no matter how many times I said something to her about it, she acted like I was nuts for thinking he would take anything less... I also wondered if maybe he didn't want the bottle because now he is used to getting cereal..

mami - I think you are right about the distractions.. that does seem to be a big part of it..once he is done he will start babbling and making sounds with his mouth... He even starts blowing air back into the bottle..

Everyone- thanks for your comments and stories.. it really does make me feel so much better.. I'm a worrier... I am going to take him by the dr when I get off of work, just to make sure he doesn't have an ear infection... he had one before and he did rub his ear a couple of times... and then last night be was all over the crib and making lots of noise all night.. very restlesss.

[kjbutcher]

I think if he were hungry, he would eat it whether it had cereal or not.  I have not tasted it myself, but I think that maybe rice doesnt change the taste much because AJ seems to have no idea when I do or dont put the rice in the bottle.  Sometimes if I dont put it in there, the only change i see is that he gulps it down faster, but doesnt drink any extra because of it.  This is in a 4oz bottle by the way.  I think if she was making a 6 oz bottle and putting the 1tbsp in it he would probably not notice.  I wonder how much cereal she was putting in though to have to cut the nipple.  (maybe you were sending size 1or 2) I have never had to cut a nipple but i generally use size 3.  This may be a circumstance when you will have to take him again in two weeks or a month for another weight check because if his weight is low it could be because he was getting so much rice and not enough forumla.  It may not be because he eats such a small amount at one sitting.  You may have to compare the weight today to the weight in two weeks on the REAL feeding that he gets.  I hope this makes sense.  

[mami1323]

Yeah, my son does that also.  He drinks and then eventually starts chewing on the nipple and babbling.  He justs wants to play so I feed him what he wants and when he wants.  He's doing just fine.  I do think that the day care has set you back a little by putting the cereal in the bottle.  Although, don't worry too much about that, you can always get him back on track.