How many times a day do your babies eat?

My DD and DS were 7 weeks early so feeding has always been a priority. I pumped for 8 weeks but now they are on formula. We started at a schedule of every 3 hours. Now time has passed and they eat every three hours 6 times a day. Their last feeding is around 11pm and they sleep through the night untill 8am. They are not usually to interested in eating at their 11am bottle and are rarely finishing any of their other bottles. I give DD 100mls and DS 110mls and during the day I have to really work with them to try to get them close to finishing. They both have reflux so I do but a lot of rice cereal in their bottles so perhaps they are filling up quicker. I am just unsure of what to do. Should I feed them less times a day and give them more. They both have been gaining weight and are doing great. It is just so frustrating trying to get the to eat. How many time do you feed your babies or did you feed them when they were around this age. DD weights 11lbs6oz and DS weights 9lbs 12oz. How much did you feed them a day? It could be their reflux but they do not seem to be in pain or hungry. They just smile at me and push the bottle out with their tongs. It's like it is a game. Ahhh, frustrated and needing some suggestions. Thanks

 

I breastfeed DS and formula feed DD. They both eat every two hours. She eats 3-4 ounces. I am trying very hard to get her to go longer than 2 hours but nope she won't do it. She has really bad reflux too and I think that has something to do with it. She is happier eating every two hours though. DD wakes up 3-4 times a night from 6p-6a to eat also and DS (breastfed) will STTN(6p-6a) 4-5 times a week and the other 2-3 nights he will wake one time around 3-4 am.

 

My boys are almost four months old and they eat 6 oz of formula 5 times a day. They eat every three hours beginning at 7 a.m. and they go to bed at 7 p.m.

 

Katie eats 6 ounces with apple flavored rice cereal in it every 3 hours like clockwork.

 

Every three hours is a common schedule although some people also make it to 3.5-4 hours between feedings. I believe my girls were drinking about 4-6 oz 6-8 times a day at that age. Ainsley often ate more than Sierra. They gained weight very well. Dax was breastfed and he was still eating from both sides every 3 hours like clockwork at 3 months old. Have you tried slightly decreasing the amount in their bottles to see if they'll finish it when there is less? It sounds like they are full but it's a fine line between feeding them less and ending up with more frequent feedings. You don't want them snacking but you also don't want to make them eat when they aren't hungry. Does that make sense? Overall, it sounds to me like you are doing a wonderful job.

 

My DS eats 7.5 ounce bottles, DD 6 ounce bottles. We recently transitioned to an every 3 hour schedule (from every 2-2.5), and now that we added in rice cereal, we do 4 hours between breakfast and lunch. They typically will do bottles 5 times a day with one solids meal, it looks like this: 8:30 bottle, 11 rice cereal, 12:30 bottle, 3:30 bottle, 6/6:30 bottle then bed, 10:00 bottle. Sometimes DD will get up in the middle of the night for another 4 ounces, but that seems to be less and less since we started cereal.

 

Our girls ate waaaaay more than yours do at that point. Aubrey and Avarey were going through a gallon of formula every 20 - 24 hours at 3 months. They were eating an 8 ounce bottle or more at every feeding with no reflux! Some times they would eat every 2 hours to every 5 hours. Their times varied. I guess that I was blessed with healthy eating babies who knows, but I realized that they were eating that much and started them both on cereal which cut the formula down to half of what they were eating.

I think that I would try to stretch their feeding to every 4 hours to see if they eat the normal amount or I would put less formula in the bottle since you are ading the cereal.

I hope that you find an answer!
Lots of love!
Meshell

 

Mine were 4 weeks earlt and at 2 months, we switched them to a 4 hour schedule. It was sooooooo much better. They liked it and so did I. we started with 8-12-4 and 8. They then slept 12 hours. Every 3.5 hours did not seem to work for them, 4 did though!

The rice cereal does fill them up. DD still only takes about 24oz. a day.

About a week ago they were protesting the 12:00 feeding, so I moved it to 2:00 and droped the 4:00. Now they are only taking 3 very large bottles a day. I can actually take them to a playdate and not have to feed them. It is soooooooo nice. At this point they get solids 2 or 3 times a day and are starting on some table foods. They love pasta.

 

Mine eat every 2.5-3 hrs during the day(3-4.5oz) and go about 4-5hrs at night taking about 5oz. They were one month early.