r/FormulaFeeders • u/WholeNo9404 • 9h ago

Advice / Question 💡 Worried about overfeeding

My baby is 4 weeks old. She was born 37+3 and weighed 5lb 7. She now weighs almost 7lb.

She currently drinks 3oz of formula every 3 hours. Based on the (2.5oz x weight) she should be eating 17.5oz but she is eating more like 24oz.

Everyone has said you can’t overfeed a baby but she will keep eating and eating. Even after 3oz she is sometimes looking for more. I am hesitant to move her to 4oz as I don’t want to cause damage to her tiny tummy.

I know every baby is different and 3-4 oz is recommended for her age but it seems like a lot for a tiny baby.

I was just looking for some reassurance or how much does your baby eat.

She is a little sicky but only tiny amounts sometimes.

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

2

u/DraftLegitimate8338 8h ago

My baby is 8 weeks now and he drinks a minimum 5.5 ounces a feed and has been doing so since his one month appt . If he’s hungry he can drink up to 8 these days .  My Dr commented that it was more than usual but it was fine because his growth is normal . He is a bigger boy though , weighs 14 pounds currently 

1

u/audubonpark 4h ago

r/bigbabiesandkids is a great resource if you’re ever concerned about your baby being larger than average, it’s a group for people with tall or chunky babies that are usually otherwise “healthy” by their pediatrician’s standards, just on a growth curve above the usual.

1

u/ttwwiirrll 3h ago

Stomachs of all ages are elastic. What potential damage are you concerned about? When babies don't want more food, they won't take it.

1

u/WholeNo9404 3h ago

No idea FTM worried about everything but i know how i feel when i eat too much 😂

1

u/ttwwiirrll 2h ago

That's temporary discomfort at most, not permanent damage.

Those volume guidelines are just statistical averages. They don't tell you what your individual baby needs or prefers.

If she's taking more, she's probably still hungry. Babies are blunt communicators. They don't filter anything. 😂

What you might find as you feed her more is that the time between feeds stretches out. This is fine. Feeding more during the day often fuels them to sleep longer stretches at night. Also fine if it doesn't. They'll do their own thing.

The more useful number to monitor is the total volume she eats in a day. It might be anywhere from 24oz to 40+oz . A ballpark estimate is fine. We just subtracted how much was missing from the day's pitcher, with a mental note if any had been discarded.

0

u/FeelingInside3941 6h ago

My understanding is that the “you can’t overfeed a baby” only applies to breastmilk and you actually can overfeed with formula. That being said every baby is different and some will drink a little more and some less. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. My baby is 14 weeks old and I would say he is eating under the recommendation but still gaining weight well. We give him the Hipp formula and the only thing his doctor mentioned was to stick with the 1 even when he hits 6 months as the 2 has extra calories that babies don’t need and can lead to excessive weight gain.