Should I give more than the tin says?

[Curly]

My DD is now 5 months. She is on Nan and polishes off her 210mls of formula 5 times a day. That is the maximum it says on the tin - 210mls with 7 scoops.

I always follow her lead - if she only wants half a bottle sometimes, that's okay. If she wants another bottle after only a couple of hours instead of the normal 3 hours, that's okay too.

Anyway, she has been drinking this much formula since she was about 3.5/4 months old. I am wondering if I should offer her an extra 30mls...she is still sleeping well, but not QUITE as well as she did...

...plus, given that she is a big little girl and has always drunk that bit more than the recommended for her age according to the Nan tin, is there any reason why I shouldn't offer her a bit more just to see if she wants it?

I notice that more often now she is sucking on the bottle still even when it has been completely emptied - when previously there were always some dregs at the bottom. I would prefer to see leftovers to know she's had enough...or is this where you have to limit how much they drink?

[ubba82]

I would check with your health nurse. Maybe you can offer her some water out of a sippy cup, she may be thirsty rather than hungry.

[~clover~]

I used to make up an extra 30 mls when mine weren't satisfied with the max on the tin. I don't see any problem with it.

[butterfly_warrior]

Do you always stick to the recommended serving sizes on your food packaging? If she's obviously hungry, then try her with more.

It's one thing I like about the nan HA we're on - the 30mL scoops mean you can go up in small increments!

BW

[Mad Scientist]

I didn't really go by the recommended amount for Amy. If she started finishing her bottle, I'd start making a little extra for her. She'd rarely drink the extra but if she did, I thought she obviously needed it. Maybe she's going through a growth spurt. It's not like you're forcing her to drink it either. She'll drink it if she wants it and you know that if she doesn't she won't, from past experience where she's left half a bottle. I don't see any harm in offering her a little extra :-)

[danniellabella]

I've done it. As long as you are giving the correct scoop to water ratio (eg: 1 scoop per 30ml water) then it should be fine. If she's going through a growth spurt then she'll be more hungry.
Also, I know that the recommendation is generally to wait until 6 month before starting solids, but she's 5 months and she may be ready. If formula isn't satisfying her, then it might be time to start some solids. At this age though, always offer a bottle first and if she's still hungry then perhaps try some solids.

[bon]

I was told by my health nurse when I had DS that you don't necessarily have to follow what it says on the tin - the amounts stated on the tin are based on averages, and some babies will want to have more or less than it says, depending on their size. A good rule of thumb that she told me was to work out the quantity to give based on this formula: 150mls per kilo of body weight per day. So you work that out, then you can divide the total amount by the number of bottles she has each day. That might help to give you a better guide of what to give her. I would say, seeing as she has been on that amount of formula since she was 3-4 months old, she is obviously growing and needs a little bit more in her bottle, especially if she is giving signs that she is still hungry. I don't think an extra 30 ml would hurt.