Author Topic: Can 6 month old baby overfeed with solids? (Read 30555 times)

Brischit · « **on:** September 25, 2009, 00:09:12 am »

Hi,
My little girl is 6 months and has been on solids for about 5 weeks. She still has 4-5 bf a day and is feeding well.

I give her rice cereal with fruit for dinner and I am just amazed at how much she can eat. She has about 2 tbsp cereal plus 2tbsp fruit or veggies plus formula mixed with it. And she gulps it down like nothing. She does the same thing in the morning. Is that too much and should I give her less? Or just be happy that she eats well and STTN (Has started to sleep from 7.30pm to 6am after started with solids)

Thanks for the advice.
Bri

nelliestar · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2009, 10:11:10 am »

As long as she seems happy and is not being too sick I would just thank your lucky stars you have a great eater!!

Nell xxx

Brischit · « **Reply #2 on:** September 25, 2009, 20:48:42 pm »

I'll take your word and stop worrying!!!

Cheers xx

nelliestar · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2009, 19:20:40 pm »

Also is she still taking pretty much the same amount of milk as before she started solids? I would only cut back on the solids if your lo reduced her milk intake as milk is more important than solids at this age.

Nell xxx

Shiv52 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 27, 2009, 21:20:55 pm »

Just want to agree with Nell, its fine to encourage solids, just not at the expense of milk at this stage.

Brischit · « **Reply #5 on:** September 28, 2009, 00:10:25 am »

No, she has always been bf and by what I can tell, her milk supply hasn't suffered at all. She is still taking full feeds 4 times a day. Ie for her morning feed she drains both breasts and usually spits quite a bit after that. I have the feeling that she doesn't stop eating when she is full but keeps going and then overeats which leads to regurgitation. And that's why my original question came from cause if she really likes the solids (especially fruits) she doesn't seem to know when to stop... Do they figure it out eventually?

I also noticed that she has changed her bf pattern. Previously she would feed 10 min max for a full feed so quite efficient eater. Now she is really 'hanging out' on the breast for about 30 min (for both sides together).

x Bri

Shiv52 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 28, 2009, 11:30:47 am »

I'd monitor how much she's eating. I remember thinking my LO would just keep eating until she exploded as she would just eat and eat and never seem full. And still bf as normal. So I limited solids to whatever the recommendation was at the time for that age and then increased as she got older. She eventually did start refusing food when she was full but was on solids a good bit before that happened.

Brischit · « **Reply #7 on:** September 29, 2009, 05:45:34 am »

Thanks for that advice... Is there any recommendation for the amount of ie a 6 month old. I only come accross 'baby will stop eating when full'?
Ta

firsttimemummy · « **Reply #8 on:** September 29, 2009, 14:51:00 pm »

My DS used to eat tonnes - so much more than all his friends the same age. He was never sick so I figured he wasn't overeating. He is always on the go and doesn't sit still for a second so I think that is why he needs so much food! He has gained weight as expected and is fit and healthy. He is also breastfed so never sure how much he took. In the past (when I was a baby, I am 29 now) it was recommended to reduce milk when starting weaning at 4 months and I lived to tell the tale!! I know guidelines change over time and as long as they are still having milk it should be fine ... my DS is gradually reducing the amount of milk he takes so I am going with that.

Shiv52 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 29, 2009, 22:42:28 pm »

We dropped a pm bf about 8 months once my LO was on 3 meals a day.

In terms of portion, its so hard to know. I can only find guidelines for toddlers on daily intake.

At that age, she probably would have eaten one ice cube of solids per meal and quickly two. They were large ice cubes too. I'd say just monitor it and make sure your LO isn't going off their milk and it shouldn't be an issue. By 10 months my LO would have had a bowl of cereal with an ice cube of fruit plus a pancake for breakfast and thats probably a lot but she loves her grub!!

sis500 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 20, 2009, 19:31:09 pm »

Hi

I have a similar problem with my baby, and would love your thoughts/advice please?!

He has just turned 6months and been on solids for 3 weeks. He is a very big baby (very tall and was 9lb 9oz at birth, then continued to pack on the pounds - breastfed only - to the point that he is now 19lb 3oz at 6 months). He is now on 3 meals a day and I have started to give him formula feeds because I suddenly started to get paranoid about not knowing how much he was getting and it has given me more flexibility, and seems to have helped with him sleeping through. I still give him a breastfeed at about 5am (10 mins), and then he has 4 bottles during the day at approx 9am (5oz), 1pm (5oz), 4.30pm (5oz) and 7pm (7oz).

My concern is that I give him about 2 or 3 tablespoons of food at each of his meals, but he always wants more. He just loves it and it disappears so quickly! Everything on the net seems to say I should feed until he stops, but I think he would just eat and eat until he popped! He also always seems to want more from his daytime bottles. He cries when it's finished, but does forget about it quickly when I pick him up and then he seems ok and not hungry.

Now, I would just feed him more and be done with it, BUT he is always sick. He always has been, right from birth, and i don't know if it's just the way he is or if he's getting too much? or maybe he's not getting enough because he always wants more!! arghhh! There just seems to be a never ending barrage of sick to deal with. I did give him more, about 5 tablespoons, of solids one day to see if he would lose interest but he still ate it all and then puked more than ever!

Having read some of the other posts on this forum, I am now thinking that I should offer his milk before his solids which I haven't been doing. Then maybe he won't want so much solid food. And maybe I should offer 6 or 7 oz if he seems to want it?? Does it matter that he will keep throwing up even more?! (I don't think it's reflux because it doesn't bother him at all. In fact, when he has his solids he sucks his thumb to help swallow it and when he throws up he sticks his thumb in and swallows some of it back down! he he, yummy seconds!! That really is greedy!)

thanks for your thoughts :0)

Adaias mom · « **Reply #11 on:** October 20, 2009, 19:45:15 pm »

Hi Ladies,

Try quadrupling what your lo eats and thats what my little girl eats at every sitting! And she is a little thing, only 16lb at nearlly 7 months, and has actually recently dropped off her line.

She has 3 milk feeds, usually between 5 & 7 oz depending on time of day, and as said 3 meals.

Babies have a natural ability to know when they are full and stop eating. Eating too much only becomes a problem if you encourage your lo to carry on eating when they show full signs, i.e. turning head away, spitting food out, getting upset when you offer the spoon, as they are almost 'taught' to ignore their full feeling and carry on eating. But if your baby overeats they will be sick so i wouldn't worry.

The only time to start worrying is if your lo starts gaining rapid weight or drops milk, otherwise enjoy your lo eating!

HTH xxx

Mimi 2 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 21, 2009, 02:52:22 am »

Quote from: sis500 on October 20, 2009, 19:31:09 pm

Now, I would just feed him more and be done with it, BUT he is always sick. He always has been, right from birth, and i don't know if it's just the way he is or if he's getting too much? or maybe he's not getting enough because he always wants more!! arghhh! There just seems to be a never ending barrage of sick to deal with. I did give him more, about 5 tablespoons, of solids one day to see if he would lose interest but he still ate it all and then puked more than ever!

Having read some of the other posts on this forum, I am now thinking that I should offer his milk before his solids which I haven't been doing. Then maybe he won't want so much solid food. And maybe I should offer 6 or 7 oz if he seems to want it?? Does it matter that he will keep throwing up even more?! (I don't think it's reflux because it doesn't bother him at all. In fact, when he has his solids he sucks his thumb to help swallow it and when he throws up he sticks his thumb in and swallows some of it back down! he he, yummy seconds!! That really is greedy!)

thanks for your thoughts :0)

Welcome to BW

Regarding the throwing up, have you mentioned this to your dr?

firsttimemummy · « **Reply #13 on:** October 21, 2009, 08:22:27 am »

My DS eats twice what any of his friends of a similiar size eat ... but he doesn't sit still for a second (sure he would crawl around/stand in his sleep if he could!!!) so he obviously needs the calories as he is a good weight, etc

sis500 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 21, 2009, 08:40:49 am »

Quote from: Mimi 2 on October 20, 2009, 23:52:22 pm

Welcome to BW

Regarding the throwing up, have you mentioned this to your dr?

Thanks,

No I haven't. I did mention it before to midwives and health visitors early on, and they just said some babies are like that and not to worry if he was gaining weight so I've always just assumed it's ok. But now he's on solids and it's not just milk he brings up, it feels more alarming! Perhaps I will go to docs...

koe2moe · « **Reply #15 on:** October 21, 2009, 09:04:45 am »

I would also think not to worry at all. I have asked the health nurses about the same question. They say as long as LOs are happy. We decide what kind of foods they eat, like no added salt and sugar, LOs can decide how much they want. DS was eating and is still eating more than the milk he has dropped (I used the conversion of 1oz milk/formular = 25g solids). DS was gaining massive weight before, really chubby and now even eating more solids and he's slimming down due to his high activities.

Just enjoy having a good eater! Lots of mama's would be very jealous

Mimi 2 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 21, 2009, 17:47:01 pm »

sis500, I would talk to your dr about the vomiting. It is not normal for los to regurgitate their food. In the meantime maybe decrease the amount so that he would not bring up the solids.

Update us on what your dr says.

sis500 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 22, 2009, 15:53:10 pm »

Thanks for the replies.

I guess I should be grateful that he eats so well! I seem to have turned him the opposite way now!

Yesterday I decided to give him 6oz bottles at lunch and tea instead of 5oz, and i gave these before solids instead of after. Then he only ate a fraction of what he normally would at his solid meals. And the same today after having a 7oz bottle at lunch. But I guess this is good because it means he's still getting his main nutrition from the milk and he can stop when full up after all, he won't just keep going til he pops which I had started to think!! The result of the last two days has been that he has definitely been sick a lot less than before which is good.....

Mimi 2 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 27, 2009, 14:32:46 pm »

sis, good to hear that he is not getting sick from the solids. Continue with the bottles before solids until he is much older.

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Author Topic: Can 6 month old baby overfeed with solids? (Read 30555 times)