Feeding Schedule

I have a question about feeding schedules. My twins are 5 months old. They eat cereal twice a day and veggies once a day in the evening. They take between 5 1/2 and 6 oz. of formula every 3-4 hours.

My daughter is great with her solids - she eats anything I spoon into her mouth with minimal spit-out. She is very low-key about her bottles. She is happy to get them, but isn't frantic about it - she can stretch 4 hours in between bottles with no problem.

I am a little concerned about my son - he is still wanting his bottle religiously every three, sometimes 2-2 1/2, hours. He is frantic for it and gets very fussy. The only time we can go more in between feedings is if he is napping or we are in the car. As for solids - as soon as he gets in the high chair he knows it's eating time and starts fussing. Most of the time he is so fussy, he just spits his solids out. If he isn't fussing, he often pushes the food out anyhow. Then he puts his hands in his mouth and makes a mess. I have no idea how much he actually ingests!

Should I be concerned that he is still so attached to the 3 hour schedule and very bottle-focused? My nanny thinks that by this age, he should be going longer between bottles and eating solids better. It is hard not to compare him to his sister.

They are sleeping through the night most nights. We don't hear a peep out of Abby and she sleeps from about 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Parker will often get up between 2 and 4 a.m. - most of the time we need a bottle to settle him down and he does seem hungry.

By the way, they were born 2 months early, so their adjusted age is approx. 3 1/2 months.

Thanks for any advice!

Jessica

 

At 5.5 months my kids were still doing bottles every 3 hours or earlier and maybe solids once a day. Plus I really think you need to factor in the 8 weeks early (just like me). I personally dont think there is anything wrong with being attached to food (namely bottles) at that age. It is probably what soothes him. As for the night waking, both of my boys woke until they were almost 9 months old for a bottle at night. The feeding schedule sounds normal to me.

 

I was told to think of it like this (not sure if it is 100%, but it worked for me!) For the first year, most of your kids nutrition should come from formula. Anything outside of formula (ie cereal, veggies) is in addition to the formula. THey are learning to eat. With him pushing the food out is quite normal. My guys took WEEKS to get used to eating. They are almost a year old and we still have problems with some foods. Just remember.......patience is key!! This is something I lack!

 

QUOTE
By the way, they were born 2 months early, so their adjusted age is approx. 3 1/2 months.


This is the key to everything!

Essentially, your babies are 3-3.5 months old, and you'll probably have the most success if you expect them to act that age. Your nanny should be aware of that too.

It is normal for babies that age to need frequent feedings. It is also normal for them to have the tongue-thrust reflex if you try getting them to take solids. Most medical organizations recommend not starting solids until 6 months (adjusted age), and that's one of the many reasons - by then, they no longer have that reflex, or not nearly as much, so the whole process is a lot easier. Also, as a pp mentioned, at LEAST up until 9 months, most or even all of their nutrition should come from breastmilk/formula. I'd even be a little concerned about your DD being so laid back about bottles and loving solids - the solids may be taking away a bit from her formula intake.

So anyway, it is GOOD that your DS is so crazy about his bottles! That's exactly where his nutrition should be coming from right now. Smart little guy!

 

My babies were still taking bottles every 3 hours until 8 months.

 

Ditto on all previous posts - esp. that your nanny needs to know to go by their ADJUSTED age! and - if your babies are eating AND sleeping through the night at this point, rejoice in that!

my girls are 6 mos adjusted and sometimes eat, sometimes not interested. as pp said, it's really all about practice at this point, not nutrition.

 

Ditto all the pps...I didn't move to 8 oz bottles every 4 hours until two weeks about (8 months old). Until then, they still had bottles every 3 hours and ate solids for breakfast and supper. At 5 months old, mine had 4-6 oz bottles every 3 hours and only ate a little bit of cereal/veggies/fruit for supper. BTW..adjusted age, especially an 8 week adjustment, should definitely be considered for your little ones.