Can you feed a baby too much?

Our LO's are eating between 4-5oz every 3 hours. In the past couple of days, they sometimes eat 5oz. and then act like they still want more formula so I will make them another ounce. They are both about 9lbs., just wanted to know if I should continue to feed them this much or hold out until the next bottle? They seem to be eating alot for their age.

 

I think you can from my personal experience but I only say that because a pattern developed with mine. If I "overfed" it would come right back up within a few minutes. If they took it without a big spit up I let them. I found the balance eventually. I wouldn't deny hungry babies food but sometimes with the bottle I noticed mine would just keep drinking. Also, you never know when it is a growth spurt.

 

I agree with PP about the growth spurt - I think there is supposed to be one around 6 weeks, which it looks like you are close to. As long as they act hungry, I would think you could feed them. If your gut tells you it might be too much, then try other things, like a pacifier, or swinging, singing to them, something to distract them. I think they'll let you know if they really are still hungry.

 

I overfed one of mine. I was breastfeeding, and thought my supply was low, so I was giving some bottles. Anyways my supply was only about 20-30% low, not 50% low like I thought. One of my boys started gulping down 6-8 ounce bottles at 1 month old and he was breastfeeding. Thank goodness the LC came because he gained over a pound in a week, which was way too much weight gain. I fixed the problem by breastfeeding them more, and cutting the bottles to twice a day (1 bottle of breastmilk and one bottle of formula)no more than 4 ounces (occasionally 5 or 6 if they seemed really hungry).

Now if I was exclusively formula feeding, I think I'd look for spitting up as a sign (although my overfed son never spit up), and I'd look to see if they just want to suck. Babies will suck on anything, so I'd try a pacifier or your pinky finger and see if the baby wants to suck or eat. It's so easy at that age to think every cry means hunger, and in the case of my guys most of the time it was hunger, but I was just putting too much in bottles.

All that said, it's entirely possible they are having a growth spurt.

BTW--I think it's pretty normal to want to eat that often. My boys ate every 3-4 hours until they were 8 months old, which is longer than most, but at 1 or 2 months old almost all babies eat around the clock.

 

Mine also were eating every 3 hours up to 8-9 months old, so I think at that age it's natural to want to eat that frequently. I would also agree that they might be going through a growth spurt right now.

 

My DH's aunt is a peds nurse and she told us if the girls wanted over 32oz in a 24hour period to tell the dr. I was concerned during the 6 week growth spurt that my one girl was always hungry and wanting to eat so much and that's when she said as long as she's not wanting more then 32oz then she's ok. If she wanted more then 32oz of formula then to let my doc know and maybe add cereal.

 

My girls are 9 weeks now - but around that 6 week mark, I was amazed. They went from 4 oz. to 6 oz in less than two weeks. I couldn't believe how much they were eating. I just went to the ped yesterday and he said that 24-30 oz a day is normal and just started them on cereal. They are now eating cereal two times a day, and 6 oz in each bottle every 4-5 hours. I think that if they are keeping down the formula that you are giving them it should be fine - just watch for spitting up.