How Much Do Your 4-Month-Olds Eat?

My boys turned 4 months today! Yay! Just for reference, they were 3 weeks early.

I mostly breast feed my boys, but I give them one bottle at night time. I think they feed about 7 times in a 24 hour period on average. I bottle (formula) feed them only for their bedtime feed (one gets only a bottle, the other gets part bottle/ part breast due to each having a distinct preference) or if I am away from them and someone else needs to feed.

Jackson gets the bottle and I swear he is a bottomless pit! He will drink all of whatever he is given, up to 8.5 ounces! He weighs about 16 lbs (I am guessing based on his last measurement-- our next appt is on Tuesday). We were giving him 6.5 ounces, but tonight he was still throwing an incessant fit after inhaling that. So, out of sheer frustration, I gave him 2 more ounces an hour later and he now seems much more content (and might have even gone to sleep-- I am rocking him in his bouncy now). He doesn't spit up much after bottle feeds. Is this normal? Or am I overfeeding him? He's a very intense/ emotional kid, so I don't want to be fueling a comfort feeding habit in him. But I also don't want to starve him!!

Of course, as all twin moms do, I can't help but compare him to his brother, who only eats 4 ounces at a time from the bottle. 8.5 oz just seems obscene in comparison.

Please help me know what's normal and how I should approach this situation.

Thanks!!

 

My boys are 3 and a half months now, and I have somewhat the same issue...one twin eats more than the other (not by much but the smaller spits up ALOT), and is noticeably bigger already. I too worry that he is developing some sort of emotional"habit" for wanting the bottle...and here I thought I was being neurotic about it, good to see somebody understands! Maybe they're all going through some sort of growth spurt???? Ya think?

 

There is typically a growth spurt around 4 months - maybe you're in the thick of that!

Does your bottomless pit baby also want to nurse more often during the day?

 

Hi there. Sounds like your son is a really efficient breast feeder and you must have a great supply - nice work!

My babies have been exclusively bottle fed since they were about a month old. They have always been big eaters. I think most doctors agree that 8 oz. is the max you should give your baby by bottle at a time. My boys are 7 months old and have been drinking 8 oz. bottles since they were just over 4 months. I suspect your son is used to working hard to get milk from you and the ease of the bottle makes him just keep going (he would be tired of sucking if he were breast feeding). I'd probably cap him at 8 oz. max since his tummy is likely about the same size as his fist and you don't want to cause digestive issues by overfeeding. Some babies always cry at the end of a bottle, even if they're full, just because they're sad the experience is over! A better test to see if he's had enough is how long he can go before getting hungry after the bottle. If he's only going 1.5 or 2 hours after say 5 oz., he likely didn't get enough. If he's going arond 3 hours (during the day) or 4 hours (at night) he probably got enough but was just sad to stop sucking.

 

mine eat totally different amounts too - try not to worry - I'm sure they're both fine - they grow at different paces.

 

My twin boys are 4.5 months (3 months corrected) and huge eaters. Marco, the bigger one, weighs in at over 20 pounds, his brother about 18 pounds (but they are not fat babies, just big in weight and height). If either boy is still hungry at the end of the day, before they sleep, I give them more milk (formula). My boys won't settle unless their tummies are full - they'll scream. A few nights ago, I fed Marco 11-12 ounces (but over a period of 2 hours as they are slow eaters sometimes too).

 

There is a 3 pound weight difference in my girls. The bigger one has always been a good eater and never spits up. The little one doesn't eat as much and is my spitter, though she has gotten better now that she has outgrown the reflux. HOWEVER just in this last week, the little one is eating much more. I was getting nervous because she was only taking 3-4oz every 4 hours. Now she's taking 6...and last night before bed she had 8!! The other one I give 8oz for the first feeding and at bedtime...otherwise I give her 6.

I am also starting them on cereal. I was trying to give it in between feedings, but that wasn't working. Today I tried something different. I gave them their bottles and then halfway through that, I put them in their bumbos for some cereal. The little one did great at sucking it off the spoon, while Breena just rolls it around and then spits it back out. After about 15 minutes, they got frustrated so I gave them the rest of their bottles. This worked great for me.

I wouldn't have thought of trying the cereal so soon, but the doctor recommended it at their 4-month appointment. I'm guessing your doctor will probably recommend the same for you on Tuesday.

 

My twins are 4.5mos. Jack is a great eater and can be counted on for 6-7oz. pretty much every 3hrs. I have noticed that he will eat whatever is offered to him either before bed or when tired. He weighed in at 13lbs. 14oz. at his 4mos. appt. Feeding Lily gives me chest pains...she will only take up to 4oz. at a time every 3-4hrs. and just does not have an appetite or interest in eating. She, unlike her brother, is interested in solids and does really well with cereal and sweet potatoes but really can't get much of it down. She only weighed 12lbs. at their 4mos. appt. The doctor said she just eats "like a bird" and not to bugger with her too much about it ...Yeah, right!!

They are both on AXID for reflux.

*On a side note, they are both recently transfixed with the television remote control. It has gotten so bad with Lily that I have to hold the remote above her head for her to focus on while eating or she will only eat 3 ounces.

Amy

 

Mine are a little over 3 months and my son eats 7.5 oz. per feeding with 9 tsp. of rice cereal in it. My daughter drinks about 5 with 5 tsp. of rice cereal. They both eat 4 times a day at 8-12-4 and 8. My son would take more but when he does he seems to spot a lot more.

They both have reflux and I want to actually feed them less more often, but my son will not hear of it.

I am hoping we can start some solids in a few weeks. Both babies love watching me eat. I figure they already eat so much cereal it should be ok to try cereal on a spoon.

I wouldn't worry about one eating less than the other. The day mine we born Elizabeth would take 15 CC and Thomas 60 CC. The Doctor was never concerned. It has alwyas been that way. He is a chunk and she is petite!

 

Henry takes 8oz 4 times a day, and Ellie takes from 5oz-8oz 4 times a day. She is much more finicky than he is, and she is on Prevacid for reflux. They are getting solids once a day.

I think Henry would eat whatever we put in front of him whenever, whereas Ellie is just all around a tougher gal to feed!! They have always been at least 1 1/2 lbs - 2lbs apart. She's right around 14lbs right now, and he is closer to 17lbs.

HTH, Suzi