How often do your babies feed

[1timemum]

Just wondering how often other babies feed. Our DS is 15 weeks old and feeds roughly every 2 hours. I'm trying to stretch him to 2 1/2 - 3 hour feeds. Finding it hard. Do you just persevere or do some babies just need to be fed more often?

[kmh]

hi 1timemum, some babies do need to feed more oftern Charlotte was a 2 hr feeder up till about 3 1/2- 4 months of age and now she will go about 3-4 hours, one MCHN said that i should strech it, but Charlotte would just cry for a feed.
It will get beeter over time, just listen to what your baby wants.

[johT]

babies need to be fed when they need to
sounds like you are doing a fab job!

in your other thread you mentioned you ds being a quick feeder.
you can try things like burping him gently, tickeling feet, changing nappy - all to wake him up if he is falling asleep during his quick feed. then it may encourage him to feed more after all that.
but i wouldnt worry if those ideas dont work, his tummy is still so tiny. he will soon get older and start to slowly feed a little less on his own

[ShootingStar]

Jesse's 13 weeks today and fed every 3.5 - 4 hours.. but he is bottlefed so it lasts in his tummy longer. I know my sister was breastfeeding every 2 hours for the first year of my niece's life... really dont know how she did it.

[mrsmac]

I have found that just feeding them and not stressing too much about the clock works for me! But that could be just me.

[Anna**]

Alexander feeds really often too, I don't really watch the clock, but at a guess he would feed 1.5 - 2.5 hourly (sometimes less, sometimes more often) - and he feeds non stop for about an hour before he goes to bed, but as he now sleeps through I cannot complain.

I did have a CHN tell me to stretch his feeds, which we tried, but wound up with a miserable screaming baby (and an upset mum!) and he slept less to to make up the feed time...

[Cee_Cee99]

It is good to remember that when you are exclusivly BF you are their source of water as well as food. So on a hot day, you may find your baby a tad more thirsty and want to drink more... When you think of how often you have a drink of water on a hot day, every 2 hours does not sound like a lot. I personally think that 2 hours in Summer time is fine, maybe in winter you could try to stretch it out, but I would not try in Summer... (Just my personal opinion). Good luck with it.. In a few more weeks you will probably find the feeds stretch out anyway... mine did!

[Mum2boy]

My son used to feed every 3 to 4 hours up until about 12 weeks, and now he feeds every 2 hours or so, if he is only cat napping during the day, which usually is about 45 minutes.

Lately he is having at least one longer sleep during the day, and that can go for about 3 hours.

When he started to feed every 2 hours during the day, it was when he was sleeping for 11 or 12 hours during the night without a feed. Now I just keep it simple - if he's hungry, he's hungry! I put it down to the fact that he needs about 6-8 feed in a 24 hour period, and seeing as he sleeps so long during the night, he makes up for it the next day!

Don't be too concerned though, his routine will change, and once you start feeding solids, it won't be an issue.

Hope that helps!

[Nelle]

I agree with two things said here (well two in particular - I haven't read anything I don't agree with really ) - don't worry about the clock, and go by your baby's cues.

I've got the opposite with mine, he's feeding approximately 4 - 5 hours apart! (Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer.) Which I at times worry about, til I realise that if he's hungry, he knows how to get my attention :P

If you want to stretch between feeds, how about stretching for just a few minutes more each time? Like stretch for 5 or 10 mins more til they're used to that and then add another 5-10 mins.

All the best with whatever you do.

[Rouge]

My son has always been a 2 hr feeder. Still is My daughter was a comfortable 4 hr feeder... they are all different you just have to go with the flow

*hugs*
Cailin

[Naomi]

Macauley is Bf and since he came home he has been a 4hr feeder during the day and can go as long as 6 1/2 overnight, i used to worry that he didn't feed enough, but my midwife assured me that if he was hungry i would know about it
He has started feeding a little more often this week though due to the hot weather, but not much

[lilprecious75]

My son has always been a 2 hr feeder. Still is My daughter was a comfortable 4 hr feeder... they are all different you just have to go with the flow

*hugs*
Cailin

Hi Cailin -
Your son is only a bit younger than my DS so thought I would direct my question to you. James will be 10 months old on Wednesday and he feeds 3-4 times during the day (and is having 3 solid meals a day as well) and also drinks at least 1 cup of water out of his sippy cup in the daytime. At night though he is feeding MUCH more frequently again - should I be worried that something is wrong and take him to the dr to have him checked out? He seems to want to feed every 2-3 hours at night - am I not feeding him enough during the day? Is he not drinking enough water maybe? Or is it really just a comfort thing? I have been starting him in his cot when he falls asleep at night, then bring him in to bed with me at his first waking. If I try to re-settle him without offering a b/f he gets very upset and just cries. What are your thoughts??? He got his top front teeth the beginning of November and his top side teeth the beginning of December which brings him to a total of six teeth and I'm not sure but what the bottom side teeth could be coming in as well. But aside from teething I'm not sure what the problem/issue could be!

[SSmiles]

My little man also feeds about every 2 hours during the day...he's just over 3 months old. At night though he goes for 5 - 8 hours without a feed which is lovely. I've asked this same question as you a few times now and always got the same response...feed him as often as he likes as long as you're both happy. Good luck! Hopefully he'll start stretching himself out soon (and same goes for my little fella)...

[Tobily]

I too think they're all different so just go with it.
My DD fed every 4 hours during the day and would go 5-6 hours at night from birth.
DS feeds every 3 hours around the clock, even though he is a bigger baby than she ever was. He does have a six hour stretch in the early evening but other than that, every three hours on the nose. He's 9 weeks old.

[1timemum]

Thanks everyone for your replies. He seems much happier when I feed him on cue rather than making him wait. Good point about the hot weather.

[Mel09]

Kiara tends to feed 3-4 hourly during the day, and sometimes goes a bit longer if its hot... (I wake her or make her feed if she goes more than 4.5 hours)

At night she has a bottle at 9 or 10 and usually wakes at either 4 or 7!

[Annika's Mummy]

Annika is 2 1/2 weeks old, is formula fed, and will want to eat every 3 1/2 hours during the day. At night time she will go a little longer.