Change in bubs eating habits

[Bean of Love]

Now I call on all of you who are old hands with babies.

Josh is generally a very good baby, and he eats and sleeps quite well.

I have noticed that in the last week he has started to skip a bottle a day. I am not overly concerned, but I'd rather ask the question.

He has been eating 5oz every 3 hours or so, without skipping a beat, but since Monday this pattern has changed. He now sleeps/plays for much longer in between bottles, this eliminating a bottle in the process.

He goes to bed between 8 - 9pm and then only wakes up at about 2 -3 am for his bottle. In the morning, he has a bottle at abour 7am and from there it is anything between 4 - 6 hours before he has a bottle and then again 4 - 6 hours before he asks for the next one....

Is it normal for babies to start eating/drinking less?

PS: He is 3 1/2 months now, and I haven't given him any solids yet... should I?

[Venus]

How much milk is Josh drinking per day? Is Josh draining each bottle? Does he still have plenty of wet nappies? Have you noticed a drop in his weight? I seem to remember that they should be drinking about 30oz a day.
Babies usually have a growth spurt at about 3 months so it is usual for their eating patterns to change a bit. But it's best to ask your health visitor if you have any concerns. Babycentre.co.uk offers some excellent advice about babies & toddlers. I still use them a lot.

It's not recommended that you start weaning them until they're between 4 - 6 months old, according to all the NHS baby guides I read. However, I think Danny was about the same age as Josh when I started giving him a bit of very runny porridge & fromage frais.

[Bean of Love]

How much milk is Josh drinking per day? Is Josh draining each bottle? Does he still have plenty of wet nappies? Have you noticed a drop in his weight? I seem to remember that they should be drinking about 30oz a day.
Babies usually have a growth spurt at about 3 months so it is usual for their eating patterns to change a bit. But it's best to ask your health visitor if you have any concerns. Babycentre.co.uk offers some excellent advice about babies & toddlers. I still use them a lot.

It's not recommended that you start weaning them until they're between 4 - 6 months old, according to all the NHS baby guides I read. However, I think Danny was about the same age as Josh when I started giving him a bit of very runny porridge & fromage frais.

Hi Venus

Josh used to drink about 30oz a day...but he had his injections last week Monday, and then he went through a sleepy phase, and ate like an animal, but in the last few days he is not draining his bottle anymore, and he is skipping one now as well... so all in all he is probably getting around 24oz a day. He was born 3 weeks too early, but he is already on the 75th percentile for weight gain and on the 98th for length. He was such a tiny baby at 6lb14 but he is now already around 16lb.

I have noticed specifically today that he is very fussy when he drinks his bottle... hence he didn't sleep very well today either...

[Venus]

Shame, those injections can really knock them. Danny always got a very high fever, went off his food & became quite ill after his innoculations. It sounds as if Josh isn't feeling very well. Are you giving him any Calpol? If you are feeling very worried about him during the night or over the weekend, I suggest you give NHS Direct a ring on 0845 4647, they're available 24 hours a day & I've always found them to be very helpful. If he's not any better by Monday, give your health visitor a ring.

It's horrid when our little ones get sick & I can't tell you how often Danny has got sick over a weekend or public holiday. :wall: I hope you all get some sleep tonight. :hug:

[dudette]

Hi there Beanie

I would use his weight chart as a guide ... if he is gaining weight satifactorily, I would not worry too much. Perhaps with the heat he is a little thirsty? At around 3 months they do start getting more alert, so I would feel better giving my health visitor a visit and see what she says.

On the other hand, he might be going through a growth spurt ... they usually have that period of feeding furiously before one, and then seem to lose it while the body is concentrating on growing!

I would be cautious of introducing solids before he's 4 months, especially as he seems less hungry rather than more.

I'm sure it is just one of those many stages they go through, giving us moms endless grey hairs, and within a week you'll be wondering what you were worrying about! :haha:

[Ameniatha]

He sounds a bit like my son Andreas, who is now 9 months...

I would say that it is normal for him to want to lay and be awake more. Andreas was like this too, and he has a very healthy appetite normally. I was giving breast though. We started him on solids when he was about the same age as Josh, those porridges for babies of 4 months..try with the fruity ones first though, cause bubs will like the sweet taste...

We had done this with Andreas' evening meal, then still breastfeeding inbetween like normal. By the time he was 5 months, he was ready for breakfast and dinner solids. Now he eats three meals a day, he eats what we eat pretty much, and he gets ca. 750 ml normal cows milk/supplement a day plus a snack between brekkie and lunch, and lunch and dinner...

The reason we introduced him to solids was because he seemed to not be satisfied with the quantity of milk, it was not making him full enough. Our nurse said it was fine to introduce him to solids at 3½ months...provided he still had a major intake of milk...

I think you must go with what your heart says, follow your own maternal instincts on this one. All babies are different. I am sure Josh will let you know if he is hungry...