He comfort eats

Since we started FF him i was given a guideline to follow, so how many mls he should be having and so fourth. At his age and going by the tin he should be having six 90ml bottles in a 24 hour period, i make the bottles up at 100mls which every few feeds he drinks all of but hes averaging the 90mls every 4 hours. But i am finding sometimes between feeds he gets really unsettled, really worked up and distressed. I one night couldn't handle the crying anymore so made up a bottle of 30mls just to see if he was hungry and he had maybe 15mls and fell asleep and was asleep for close to 5 hours. Since then i've found he settles with a little bit of milk, we offer dummies and there is one he will sometimes take but its a bottle and 10-15mls that really settles him.

Is it normal for a FF baby to comfort feed? I read somewhere that i shouldn't be offering him more than he's supposed to have.

He can have anywhere between 150 and 180 mils per kilo per day. How much does he weigh? All bubs are different and yours might just need a bit more. I don't think snacking is a good habit though... it might be a rod for your own back later on.

Hi,

Babies are still babies, regardless of how they are fed. They don't *know* they are to be formula fed and so in the eyes of the adult world (and the side of the formula tin) they are to drink what the tin says and no more!) Sucking is everything for a baby. When they suck their release hormones like CCK which help them to relax and sleep, and endorphins which make them feel happy and content.
As Marushke says, all babies are different. Boy babies drink more (generally speaking) than girls - they grow fast that girls (that's why there are 2 sets of growth charts) and so they eat more to sustain this grown

So, yes, it's normal for bottle fed babies to comfort feed.

His last weigh in he was 3480g but hes being weighed again on wednesday.

DP had suggested i increase his bottles but since he isnt finishing off every bottle only every second or there abouts and i dont want to feed him too much. I really do also want to break the snacking habit so yes i don't have any issues later.

He sleeps well during the night, his last bottle is usually 11 then hes up at 3:30 and not again until around 8.

You can make up a spare cup of formula and leave it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Then if he finishes a bottle, just pour another 10-20 mils in and top him up. It helps to reduce the waste and makes it faster to top them up :).

Some people prefer fewer, larger meals, some people prefer more, smaller meals. And we all tend to snack/drink between meals. So it's probably all good :)

Thank you :) I feel so much better now.

Maruschke, thats a really good idea! I will try that.

My DD2 was a bigger baby & always had a little more than the 'guide' told me to give her. She was a chubby baby, but is not a chubby child at all. She still eats quite alot for her age, but she burns it of pretty well.

Babies are babies. Do what feels right, a breastfed baby will just continue to feed. The bottle never runs out. They snack. They could be having twice their daily recommended amount for all we know.

If it works, do it.

Your little man is still so tiny that I really wouldn't be even considering it as snacking at this point. Its a comfy cuddle with mum/dad and some sucking. There's no way that anyone would tell you not to give a breast fed baby a comfort feed (I've been giving them to my sick baby all day), so I don't see why at such a young age formula is any different. DDs 1 and 2 were both formula fed and if they needed an in between feed they got it. No snacking or weight problems here

My 3 formula fed babies all fed at different times, and different amounts.

I'd say it's pretty normal :)

Thanks again.

Still getting used to a boy baby! :lol: hes completely the opposite to DD so feel like a new mother all over again!