FertilityZone

Right, I've just had a look on my tin and it says 2 months 5oz 5 times per day. So I'm thinking that it will be just under 5 oz. So from what you say it sounds about right that he can comfortably take 4oz. What I would do be to make up 5oz, then if he wants it its there if not he doesn't have to.

What I did was feed on demand (like bf'ing). Sometimes she took the full lot sometimes not as much and wanted more sooner. It does eventually start to even out and get more routinely, so he will start to go 3 hours and then 4 and then for us it seemed to go back down again to 3 and then 2.5!!

Also when she was having a growth spurt she would really really eat. Every ccouple of hours, little and often!

But the best thing is to feed on demand as if bf'ing. My HV said that this is the best way as they learn to regulate their hunger. Also I think if you are feeding on demand he will only take what he wants. He'll realise that a bottle isn't a boob and eventually realise that it is for food.

Also sounds like he's having a growth spurt too!!!

And yes, some babies do feed more. O was on 7oz at 3 months and was literally taking the full bottle!!! I've got a thread on here cos I was pancking that I was overfeeding her!!

I would say to just go with it. He's gonna have to get used to it and he will and you will too chick!!

Hi BGE,

My two were feeding much more often than the formula tub recommended too as I was demand feeding. The amounts they took varied from feed to feed - G was always a hungry baby and used to drink all her formula, M was fed on G's demand and not being half as hungry just took a few ounces each feed! G went through a phase around 18weeks of drinking up to 9oz per feed, but this didn't last long. Generally they were both snackers, taking little and often. It did feel like I spent all day feeding them! Through discussions with various people I wondered if I was feeding them too much or too often, or indeed if I was feeding them each time they grizzled to keep them happy...I did try them with water to try and eke out time, but it made little or no difference. It took us almost 6 months to get into a 4 hourly milk routine and we only achieved that because I started to introduce solids!

Each baby is different, I have always been told it's not possible to overfeed a young baby. It will vary I'm sure - your LO will dictate what he needs

Hi there Greeny

Quoted from "biggreeneyes"

Do some babies just need more food than others? Help!

Yes! At least I certainly found that with my two!

I'm a bit pro routine-feeding, whether that's because of having twins or for the simple reason of knowing what times they 'should' be feeding I'm not sure but it certainly helped me keep relatively sane and it helped structure the day.

I don't know which brand of formula you're using but don't get too het up about the amounts! I used to think it hilarious that on Aptamil boxes the no. of feeds in a 24 hour period dropped from 6 to 5 at the young age of 2-4 weeks!! i.e. basically suggesting they were sleeping through! As if! :

Although formula fed babies 'theoretically' should go four hourly, it certainly didn't happen with my babies in the early weeks. They would have a feed around 6.30, 9.30, 12.30, 4 and 7 with a dream feed around 10-10.30 and one middle of the night feed. So they had 7 feeds in a day. When you read the formula box guidelines you do tend to panic about the quantities!

Mine had a mixture of EBM and formula for many weeks and as you're probably aware breast milk is digested quicker than formula so I had to factor this in and not give EBM late at night or in the middle of the night, in the hope they could sleep a little longer.

if your baby has only recently changed to formula, it will take his tummy a little time to get used to it so he may still be following feeding patterns of when you were breast feeding. I would suggest that a minimum of 3 hourly feeds should be very doable within a short space of time. I know when I went from three to four hourly feeds, I had to stretch out the time between feeds by going for a walk/using dummies/going in the car or doing whatever to help get them through that extra hour, you'll probably find, as I did, that they start to drink more and therefore can naturally go longer until the next feed which is what I wanted and ultimately was helping mature their tummies into feeling full for longer. It really didn't take very long at all, perhaps 2/3 days of adapting. It took me a wee while to learn the babies different cries but over time it became obvious which were genuine hunger cries and if that happened earlier than a planned feed (i.e. if they were having a growth spurt) then I would feed them a smaller amount and give them a top up at the normal time.

Feeding at regular intervals has really helped me; it's not for everyone and you need to work out what suits you and your LO. Nearly 6 months on, the twins have milk 7, 11, 3 and 6.30. Knowing these times helps me plan when I go out and whether i need to factor in a feed or not, but also helps in knowing when they're likely to snooze and over time these have become as regular as the feeds as well!

Just to summarise (!) feeding 10/12 bottles a day will quite possibly drive you bonkers! so I would try and get him to go a little longer, hopefully he'll take a bit more and therefore not need feeding as often. I'm sure you're making up the formula correctly but do just check the powder/water ratio. I only know Aptamil quantities which are 30ml (1fl oz) per level scoop. Just thought it's worth asking in case!!

Hope this helps

x