Ugh, cousin in law....(vent)

"m just a little annoyed at how people can be so dense. Just a vent to get this off my mind. so my cousin in law had her twins (b/g) a few months ago, i belive that they're three months now. Anyways, since birth, she has been giving them cereal in every single bottle. Okay i'll give her that ours got it in their night bottles at a month old for reflux and they still do. But hers dont ahve reflux. When she puts the cereal in, she doesnt measure it or anything, just dumps some in. Okay, we were supposed to watch them the other day. My MIL was over and was helping to feed them. She noticed that Kayleigh was gagging and choking on the milk and alot was just coming out of her mouth. Ovbious that the bottle nipple hole was too big. In further examination of the nipple, the hole had been ripped bigger and was just streaming milk out of it. The baby is three months, i dont think my boys could handle it spraying out the it did and they're 8 months. we had to change bottles to our boys' cereal bottle and then she drank the whole thing and was happy. Anyways, then my SIL just informed me that at 3 months, she's starting them on baby food b/c she thinks that they're just not getting enough to fill them up. They're drinking 6 or 7 oz. in their bottles (the high calorie preemie formula) and she says that they cry cause they're hungry. Ours would cry after an hour but we werent goign to feed them after 7 oz and an hour.... we gave thems omething else to do, played with them, or got their mind off of it...stretched it out or something. At 3 months, the boy is 18 lbs. he looks like a little sumo wrestler. She's going against what her doctor says as well. I"m just a little worreid that the babies are goign to have health problems or something from their weight. If you try and tell her something she gets mad and upset b/c she has a 3yr old daughter that she raised just fine. Would anybody else be worried? It's just on my mind....
amanda

 

There isn't really much you can do if she won't even listen to her doctor, but I can understand how you feel. One of our friends has a baby that is 10 mths old now and at 6 months she was giving him the craziest table food like tortilla chips (when he had no teeth and would gag on them). I couldn't eat with this family because it seriously stressed me out that he was going to choke.

 

Amanda, unfortunately there's not much you can do about it unless you want a fight and hurt feelings on your hands.

It sounds to me like they are eating TOO Much and that's why they are crying!!!

 

Oh goodness...I often wonder where parents get their ideas

 

There's probably not much you can say to change her mind. But it sounds like they were preemies, and now 18 pounds at 3 months old!! I think they are eating way too much! My 11 month old preemies are only about 18.5 pounds.

 

Ugh, I'm sorry! I know you want to shake some sense into her, but there's (sadly enough) nothing you can do!

 

I'd be worried too, but it looks like you've done all you can. She doesn't sound open to any more discussion. Maybe you can be a positive influence on the twins when they are older, like taking them for walks/active play, etc. that might help with their health.