thread: Do bigger babies have bigger appetites?

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Feb 2005
    Brisbane
    388

    Do bigger babies have bigger appetites?

    Just wondering if a big baby (like my 10 pounder) has a bigger appetite than say a 6 pounder? Is it possible that this is why my daughter feed's so often? Her belly isn't big enough to hold enough milk to satisfy her appetite yet so she is hungry again in 2 hours????

    Just trying to work out how to help her feed and sleep better.

    Sorry for the stupid spelling mistake in the Title of my thread

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Dec 2005
    5,951

    Umm, I don't know. Nina was 6lb, 9oz and would feed every 3 hours, sometimes earlier when she was a baby.
    Emily was 8lb and would feed every 3 hours, sometimes later.
    Nina was definitely hungrier as a newborn. But I'm now noticing now that Emily is on solids, she's got a huge appetite, whereas Nina didn't at 8 months.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Feb 2007
    ACT
    681

    I can't realy help, I found the opposite. My littlest and first born fed 2 hr during the day and 4hr over night till about 4 months. Second and middle child feed 3-4hrs 24 seven till 6 month and then still had an 11pm feed and 3am feed till 16 months.

    My last bub at 4.155 kilos born only feed really fregquent in the first 3 weeks and at 8 weeks was sleeping atleast 8 hr streaches overnight.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Dec 2005
    In Bankworld with Barbara
    14,222

    Logic would tell you that a newborn who is physically larger, like a 10lb+ compared to a smaller baby would have a larger stomach because they are physically larger kwim? So in that respect, yes, they would be able to fit more in, but as to how how long between feeds, and the amount of feeds still depends on how they metabolise their food - some will be hungrier sooner and others will go for longer no matter what their size is. I know my 10lber was having 120ml+ at 1wk old each feed, but he could go for 5hrs between feeds at times too.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Jun 2006
    Where the sun shines brightly!
    906

    mmm... My boy was born small (6.6 oz) and he has a killer appetite. In the early days he breastfed every 2.5- 3 hours around the clock, and now he will consume a huge bowl of veggies and then protest when its all gone. Before every mouthful he opens his mouth wide like those clowns you see at the fairground. It's hilarious. DH and I call him 'bottom-less pit'!! Needless to say he is not a small boy anymore- but very healthy!!

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Dec 2008
    Brighton, Brisbane
    277

    My 1yr old cousin Jayden was 11 pounds when he was born, and he was actually a premmie.
    And i have never seen one baby eat so much!!!! He eats like a full dinner an adult would usually feel full fromthen a bowel of yoghurt, and then has a bottle before bed
    He eats more than me and i'm pregnant!!

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Mar 2008
    Nth West Melbourne
    997

    My bubs is big- born 9.5 pounds and still bigger than all the others in mothers group- and he eats less than all the others! Seriously, he has 6 bottles a day of 100-150ml. But he's a chubby, happy thing so I don't worry. But, he is proof that a big baby doesn't necessarily have a big appetite.

    OK, so I'm going mad, but what is the spelling mistake in the title....?!!!

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    hiding under my desk!
    1,432

    amber j it was BBAIES but i think it has been fixed....

    my ds was large at birth but not a huge eater.....

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    Perth
    3,299

    My DS was 7 lb born and fed every 2 hours around the clock for the first 4 months. Now he is still a small baby but is eating me out of house and home He still has 4-5 milk feed and 3 full solid meals a day. He has a huge appetite for a littlie...

  10. #10
    Registered User
    Add ~clover~ on Facebook

    Sep 2007
    travelling
    9,557

    DD1 was 7lb 5oz & from memory she fed every 4ish hours from birth.
    DD2 was 8lb 9oz & started out every 1.5 hours.
    DS was 8lb 7.5oz & has fed 2 hourly from day 1.

    The MW's did say that being bigger babies DD2 & DS would feed more often.

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Taking a ride on my grdonkey :D
    2,716

    I can't say yet because DD2 is still only half-cooked, but DD1 was born 8lb 1oz and she eats more than I do! From birth she was having feeds every hour, about 3x the amount the midwives were telling me she *should* be eating (ie, newborns usually only drink 30 - 60ml each feed every three hours, DD was drinking over 100ml every hour)... they told me at one point to just deny her feeds and give her what 'normal' babies have, but of course they weren't the ones getting no sleep and dealing with a hysterical, hungry baby...
    She was born with big fat rolls and has always been quite chubby, she's become very tall and slim since she started walking at nine months so I'm quite happy to keep feeding her. She's not anywhere near overweight, and seeing as her dad is 6'5" and I'm 5'10" it's been obvious right from the start that she's going to be a very tall girl who will need a lot of food to get through those growth spurts.
    She grazes constantly all day and if I sat down and added it up, there'd be a LOT of food, probably more than what I eat in a day myself (and I'm pregnant!).

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Jan 2005
    Down by the ocean
    6,110

    My bubs have all been between 7lb2 and 7lb10 and fed 2 hourly for the first 4 weeks or so. It could just be the bub and not necessarily the size.

  13. #13
    Registered User

    Jun 2008
    Tassie
    2,567

    oh I would say yes. By this time both the other boys who were 8 and 9 lbs babies were sleeping through to some extent (one 6 hours the other 8) yet Ash is up almost laways 3 hourly, last night 2 hourly.

  14. #14
    Registered User
    Add belfie on Facebook

    Oct 2007
    Melbourne
    2,362

    My DS was born 7lb 7oz, so not huge... but I think he THINKS he should be huge IYKWIM and went from 25th percentile at 2 weeks to 75th percentile at 8 weeks . He likes big feeds and big sleeps. I reckon it's just like adults - some are grazers.. and some are hungry bears. I reckon I baked a hungry little bear.

  15. #15
    BellyBelly Life Subscriber

    Jun 2005
    Blue Mountains
    5,086

    I had a small full term 2.7kg at 37 weeks, and a huge prem 3.5kg at 34 weeks. And they both were frequent feeders (Kayla still is.. feeds through the night still). I can't give you mls tho, coz my boobies don't have measurement lines on them LOL. But both kids have monster appetites when it comes to meals. Everyone is amazed at how much they can put away LOL.

    I would think a baby's belly is the size it should be and it would hold what that baby needs. I guess a big baby might work a bit harder initially to get your boobs to give her a full tummy, but i think regardless of the size, it's normal for a baby to feed that often. For the first couple of months you are still establishing a milk supply that suits that baby, which is why it's important to just let the baby have access whenever they want. That way you know they're getting enough from you

  16. #16
    Back2Life Guest

    This is actually a pretty good question that I hadn't stopped to ponder before. Pure logic would suggest that the bigger babies would have to eat more in order to maintain the amount of energy that they need in order to function properly. But a smaller baby might have a faster appetite and may possibly eat more in the event that they need to gain the weight.

    So looks may be deceiving in babies too.

  17. #17
    Registered User

    Dec 2006
    In the Angelic Realm
    1,675

    My son was born 3.12kg at 37.5 weeks which is norm weight but once born he was feeding a lot and was putting on like 700gms per week and turned out to be a really big baby. He still is big.

    Logic says yes, but it is not the case sometimes

  18. #18
    Registered User

    Feb 2005
    Brisbane
    388

    Thanks for all your posts. It looks like there is now 'normal' when it come's to a little one's appetite. I guess I just have a DD with a good appetite and a fast metabolism.

    THANKS