cereal/fruit help

after our morning bottle, i give the LO's cereal (oatmeal) and fruit (pears.) one of the LO's really cant be bothered with it, lol but the other want can devour so much food its ridiculous. i am not sure how much to give him since i make my own food. i spoon a few spoonfuls out and then spit it between the two kids. i dont really measure anything. the doctor said 1/4 of a jar of fruit but i dont even know what that is, lol.

any thoughts?

 

My little ones are little munchers too, i just keep offering it until they clump their mouths shut

 

Maybe if you try another fruit like banana for instance he might like it more, though pears are delicious. Or could br he's not yet ready for food. I started giving my boys food at 5.5 months. one baby ate lot more than the other. but now it's the opposite. so be patient.

Why not try mixing the fruit with oatmeal??

 

I agree let them eat! Unless it's cutting down their nursing/formula intake, another spoonful of food won't hurt.

Use your instincts too hun, there's no hard and fast rules about all this feeding stuff. If your LO's don't like something, try something else, if one isn't enjoying the food, keep trying but don't push. If they want more, go for it! They really will tell you when they aren't liking something or aren't enjoying it!

I'm glad one seems to be taking to eating good! I have 4 good eaters and it's a relief not to have to fight to get them to eat!

 

As long as they are still getting the same amount of formula/breastmilk, I would let them eat until they are full.

 

My thoughts exactly!

 

well how do i know if they are ready to move up to more formula/BM?

one LO eats anywhere between 6-8 oz.
the other - my God. he can eat anywhere between 6 - 10 oz.

 

Offer them more on a consistent basis and if they take it, then you are on your way!

 

If they are consistently finishing a 6 oz bottle, try a 7 oz bottle. If they are consistently finishing that, try an 8 oz bottle.

I personally don't give more than 8, but that's just what I do. I buy the cheap bottle liners that only go to 8 oz. That gets them through about 3 hrs between feedings, and I think that's plenty long enough Again, that's just my opinion

 

ok so if i only offer 8 and the kid takes more and doesnt spit it up, i didnt over feed him right?
he just eats and eats and eats. i dont want to turn him into a fatty either, lol.

 

I would pay attention to the weight gain and not necessary how many ounces they are eating. Babies up to 6 months should be gaining 4-8 ounces a week. After 6 months, it starts to taper off and weight gain is less. I weighed my babies weekly on a scale so I knew they were getting enough.

 

they are 4 1/2 months and almost weigh 15 lbs. they were born around 5 lbs.

 

Sounds like they are gaining well. Is your pedi happy with their weight gain?

 

At 4 months I don't think he needs to take more than 8 oz of formula at a time. You have to look at the overall daily intake as well. 24-32 oz of formula is what my ped likes to see them eat. My oldest dd was taking 34-36 and I had to cut her back and add more solids in, because she was eating too much fatty formula. It's much easier to overfeed a bottle fed baby than it is a breastfed baby. At the twins highest point I was making 70 oz of formula a day, and that only lasted through their 4 month growth spurt and then they settled back to 60 oz a day combined.

You want them to eat until they are sated, but not overfull. Yes spitting up indicates they are overfull but also an upset tummy, gas issues, or trouble sleeping can all indicate they are getting too much at one time. Also ideally you don't want them going 5-6 hrs between feeds at this age, a comfortable 3-4 hours is more than enough.

You aren't just feeding your baby you are teaching them how to read their own hunger cues at the same time. You want them to learn when they feel full now, so as they get older they won't fall into the pattern of overeating.

In my opinion and experience, at 4 months old they should get around 30 oz of formula a day, whether that's 5 6oz bottles a day, or 4 8oz bottles, or 8 4oz bottles...whatever

 

at dinner tonight instead of giving his as much milk as he wanted i cut him off at 6 oz and gave him more fruit/cereal.
i hope this works!!! there was no screaming, lol so thank god - i think it did!