Is 40-46 oz of formula a day too much?

Question

my son is 4 months old. he's so tall that he is not even on the growth chart for height for his age. but he is low for his weight-to-length.

he's showing signs of being ready for solids, i am just wondering if he would get enough iron if i gave him some rice cereal or oatmeal.

should he have the solids in addition to the 40-46 oz or should the solids replace a small portion of the formula?

I would like my son to gain some weight. But I do not want the carbs to fill him up if they are not as nutritious.

His pediatrician wouldn't give me direct answers, he just kept saying everything is my decision on when to start solids.

Answer 1

Hey hun, i have a 15 month son, i started him on baby rice when he was 12 weeks old. i know its very early, but he was draining a 9oz bottle every 4 hours, and still wanting more! what can you do? i couldnt give him 2 bottles per feed!

I asked my health visitor, and they didnt help either (they're not very helpful and some havent even had children!)

I gave him one portion of rice at "lunch time" then his full bottle, and for a week or so, that satisfied him, then i uped the portion.

My advice is try him on some, h**l show you if he doesnt want it, but the main hing is be very patient!! my son sapt it every where for a couple of weeks, sometimes only wanting a spoonful, and then turned away, You'll soon get in a routine,and he'll be eating everything in site! my son then went on to eating  fruit or veg puree, and thats when it gets fun...planning their meals, i loved it. he now eats whatever we have. your son wont miss out on any nutrients, i was worried about that, but the cereals have added vitamins, and the carbohydrates help fill them up...which will help him sleep better too!hope this is a help, feel free to email me.. [e-mail] id love to hear from any other mums with babies/toddlers

Answer 2

I can't comment on whether its too much as your son seems to be very tall. Your pediatrician would let you know re that i suppose. but as for the solids, you can't hold off giving them incase they don't fill your son up or provide nutrients. to start weaning you carry on with the milk as normal but introduce rice cereal, (but not oatmeal as until 6 months he cannot have gluten). look for 4+months cereals and porridges, once the weaning is a couple of weeks underway. He will gradually cut down on his milk intake as the solid meals get larger but usually not until he is onto three meals a day. You simply follow his lead in this. he will not lose out on iron as his body will have enough stored to last until 6 months, and if you begin weaning now by that time he will be on a wide a varied diet and be getting plenty of iron from that.

The milk is enough at first but once he begins to show signs of wanting solids he is telling you that it is not enough any more and that he needs solid food to stay healthy. Please do not force him to wait as it could be very detremental to him. especially if he is so tall but not as heavy as he should be.

please get a good book also as it really helps you! I use this one,  

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weaning-Which-In...

Answer 3

Honestly, the best thing you can do is what your heart tells you to do for your son. Worse case scenario is that he isn't ready and won't eat what you offer, or he does eat it and his tummy doesn't tolerate it very well. I offered my daughter solids at 4 months because she is very advanced and weighed in at about 19lbs. Unfortunately her weight didn't help her to digest the rice cereal I gave her, maybe she wasn't as advanced as I thought. I ended up waiting until she was 6 months before trying again. About the amount of formula to feed, I'm obviously not a doctor, but my first was under weight as well and I used to put a tsp. of rice cereal in every bottle. It worked very well with getting her to put on a little extra weight.

Good Luck to you

Answer 4

Start the rice cereal ASAP. The rule of thumb with all babies transitioning for milk to solids goes like this.

At this age, breast milk or formula is the only food that your baby needs and he should be taking 4-6 feedings each day (24-32 ounces), but you can start to familiarize your baby with the feel of a spoon and introduce solid foods. Cereal is the first solid you should give your baby and you can mix it with breast milk, formula or water and feed it to your baby with a spoon (not in a bottle). Start by feeding one tablespoon of an iron-fortified Rice cereal at one feeding and then slowly increase the amount to 3-4 tablespoons one or two times each day.

You want to watch for allergies that may pop up.

At Six to Seven Months:

While continuing to give 4-5 feedings of breast milk or formula (24-32 ounces) and 4 or more tablespoons of cereal each day, you can now start to give well-cooked, strained, or mashed vegetables or commercially prepared baby foods. Start with one tablespoon of a mild tasting vegetable, such as green beans, peas, squash or carrots and gradually increase to 4-5 tablespoons one or two times each day.

Start fruits about a month after starting vegetables and again, gradually increase to 4-5 tablespoons one or two times each day. You can use peeled, cooked, or canned fruits

You can also begin to offer 2-4 ounces of 100% fruit juices. Start by mixing one part juice with two parts of water and offer it in a cup.

Answer 5

If he's taking that much formula throughout the day and he's four months old, I'd sat definitely start him on cereal.