feeding problems

hi,

4 months old baby and im having problems feeding her, she used to finish her milk 10 to 20 mins but now shes 4 month it takes forever and ending up wasting 1 to 2 ounces of milk, she seems to be very keen of us eating, is that means she's ready for semi solid foods?


thnx.

hi there,


sorry, i have to disagree about starting solids just because baby is not drinking up her milk.


please refer to your child's doctor or do some research on the major signs that your baby is ready for solids. there is a long checklist before baby is ready for solids.


4 months is still very young, the general recommendation now is 6 months because any younger, the baby's digestive system is not quite ready for solids. you will tax their poor little tummies.


babies don't always drink the same amounts and as they get older, they are obviously more interested in the world - interested to watch people eat and they get more distracted by other stuff while feeding.


missing 1 or 2 ounces during a feed will not affect a child. you need to look at how much a child is drinking overall in a day and what is her weight gain like and if she is sleeping well enough at night without waking up hungry (not comfort).


i introduced solids at 5 months - i was very reluctant to but because he was drinking very little (and i don't mean missing 1 or 2 oz), i consulted a well-baby clinic, doctor and waited until 5 months before we introduced solids. even then, it was a very, very slow introduction-at that stage, they are only getting a taste of what food tastes like, it is by no means a milk replacement until they are older.


UNLESS your doctor says baby is not gaining weight or whatever, there is NO RUSH to introduce solids at 4 months.

thnx for the advice

why not try to change the milk formula brand if she's on it? it worked for my little girl, from Dumex & S-26 she's now having Similac, she was wasting ounces of milk as well when she was 4months. Started solids at 5.5 months, now at almost 7, she eats 3 small meals a day, so far she's doing well.

Older babies are very much aware of the world around them and become easily distracted at this age. Try feeding in a quiet dark enviornment with few distractions.



Four- to five-month-old babies are sometimes very eager to participate at mealtime, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are ready to eat solids - more often it's just the normal developmental urge to do what everyone else is doing. Research studies tell us that there are many health advantages to delaying solids for about 6 months for all babies, not just the babies who are not yet interested in mealtime.

There are a number of things you can do to let baby participate in mealtimes without starting solids:


Let baby sit with the family at mealtime - in a lap, booster seat or high chair.

Give baby a cup of water or expressed milk. Your baby can entertain himself at mealtime while learning to use a cup. 1-3 ounces of water in the cup should be plenty (often for the entire day). Many moms choose to use only water or a small amount of breastmilk to avoid wasting the "liquid gold" while baby learns to use the cup.

Offer baby sips of water from your cup or straw. Even if baby hasn't figured out how to use a straw yet, you can put your straw in water, block the top end of the straw with your finger to trap a little water in the straw, then let baby drink the water from the lower end of the straw (unblock the top end once it's in baby's mouth).

Offer baby spoons, cups, bowls and other baby-safe eating utensils to play with during mealtime.

Give baby an ice cube (if it's a baby-safe size & shape) or ice chips to play with.

Offer baby a momsicle (popsicle made from breastmilk) or slushy frozen breastmilk to eat with a spoon.

Take from

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html



Matilda International Hospital

Well Baby Clinic 2849 1500

http://www.matilda.org