Inconsistent, "snacky" eating

[u/iamchrysanthemum]

My baby is 3 months old and I still feel like I haven't gotten the hang of bottle feeding. Basically, I find it very hard to know if she is hungry, to predict when she'll be hungry, and how much she'll be hungry for.

For example, for her first bottle of the day after 9+ hours, I'll always propose 150ml but she'll often only take like 90ml. But then later in the day, when she's been fed consistently 120ml every couple of hours, she'll suddenly demand like 180ml and I have to go back and make more. Sometimes she'll go only 2 hours before screaming her head off for milk and sometimes she'll go several hours and then only lackadaisically take that bottle.

My doctor + the back of the formula box seems to suggest that by this age, babies should be pretty well-regulated to have X bottles of Y quantity per day, and I feel so far from that.

Is this normal? Part of me is telling myself that adults have varying appetites throughout the day so why should we expect babies to be robots? My concern is mostly (1) logistics—lots of making milk she doesn't eat and/or having to go back and make more (2) feeling bad that I'm maybe bad at reading her cues (3) my doctor is pushing pretty hard that I shouldn't let her "snack" and hold to at least 3 hours between bottles and push for 150ml per bottle.

[u/SavingsPrinciple172]

A baby is hungry whenever a baby wants to be hungry lol. Our 3 month old is the exact same way, but our pediatrician has never told us to hold off at least 3 hours and get an even amount every time. That sounds kind of crazy? Why would I let my baby go hungry just cause she’s hungry earlier than a set amount of time??

We always start off with 3oz and then make more if she ends up being still hungry at the end. That has definitely helped us waste less!

[u/Actual-Tangerine5686]

Honestly I think your pedestrian fell out of time… Feeding every three hours used to be a thing 50 years back… You should always be feeding your baby on demand. I also always prep 3oz and then go back and make more if demanded. You’re fine! Don’t let your doctor or the freaking back of a Formular box mess with your head!

[u/iamchrysanthemum → u/Actual-Tangerine5686]

haha thanks for this! I'm reassured by your response and this thread, my pediatrician had me feeling like I was doing something wrong and I was like, "so if my baby is screaming their head off, I'm just supposed to wait till 3 hours pass?"

[u/DumbbellDiva92]

Check out my post history for an example of a much older baby eating similarly. She was happy and healthy and it was fine. Pediatrician didn’t even ask about size per feed past the newborn stage.

[u/readersandbrew]

Oh yes, I could’ve written this myself. My first baby was EBF for the first 6 months before i added in formula and she was even like that on the boob or with pumped milk. I thought formula would be more predictable, nope! Now my second baby has been EFF since day 3 after a rocky start and he is the same way, just when I think we’re in a rhythm, he changes it up. We just roll with it and go off his cues rather than a schedule, which is really hard for my personality- but we manage haha!

[u/iamchrysanthemum → u/readersandbrew]

Glad to know it's not just a formula feeding thing! Some babies are just all over the place I guess 😅

[u/PermanentTrainDamage]

Feeding is individual, your baby can't read the formula box. If she wants 90ml for breakfast, make 90ml. Daily total matters more than bottle total, just like your daily calories matters more than how much you eat at each meal.

[u/Quick_Replacement_71]

Our pediatrician has always tolds us to feed on demand not on a schedule, that as long as she seems happy and gaining weight you we are fine. We use ready to feed so i just have to pour the milk, we start at 3 oz and then pour more if she is still hungry. If you are using powder you can always do the pitcher method were you make the formula before hand and put it in the fridge and just pour it later. You might have to just warm the milk depends on your baby's preference, my baby has no problem drinking cold formula (prefers it actually) so i dont have to worry about that.

[u/cnj131313]

Mine is 5 months and can still be snacky. She was VERY snacky at 3 months. We fed on demand, as much as she wanted. We still do, but add a dream feed at 11-12ish to attempt to avoid a 2am AND 4:30am wakeup 🙃

[u/entitledness]

mine is 3 1/2 old now and it varies. there was a day where she's fed at 120ml, then by 2hrs she's crying so i had to make 60ml, then after 2hrs she wants 120ml again. there was a time as well where she just wants to have 90ml every 3hrs 😅 as long as your LO is gaining weight, not fussy after feeds, it should be ok i guess 😅

[u/Rare-Armadillo-6716]

my 4.5 month old just started doing this like 3 or 4 days ago. Honestly just ride the wave lol. I always just go based off vibes 🤣🤣

[u/Select-Relative-6759]

Yessss this is our 12 week old also. She’s literally eating like 11 small bottles a day 🥴 it’s so time-consuming but it’s the only way we can get her over 24oz. We even wake her up at midnight and 4am when I pump to feed her. Hoping she’ll start taking larger quantities soon so we don’t have to feed so often but unfortunately this is life at the moment so we can make sure she is eating enough.

[u/Famous_Variation4729]

Pick an average and give baby that amount. Is baby eff? If so, make peace with the fact that some formula will be wasted and sometimes an extra bottle will be needed. It took some money but we solved it by getting a baby brezza, extra bottles. Both are on my nightstand, I feed baby next to it and if more is needed 2oz are ready in 30 seconds (we feed room temp, even wam will be ready in 2-3 mins tops).