Forum home Babies Baby

Hungry baby milk?????

How do you know if your baby is a hungrier baby and that this would be suitable? Also how is it different to normal milk?
My lo is only 5 weeks old and loves his milk. We have just increased him to 5oz but have been advised not to give any more as he's too young to take it. He always drains every bottle, and has since birth and is very annoyed when its gone! He was feeding every 4 hours but now its every 3, and in the evening maybe only 2 1/2 hours.
He only has one night feed but has started waking earlier for it, and then waking earlier in the morning. I have thought about using the hungry baby milk, even if its only at night but have been hesitant in case its not right for him.

Replies

  • Well if your baby is draining his bottles then I would say increase his milk by another ounce. If your baby has too much then he will be sick! I just think they advise (i assume it was your hv) not to give baby "too much" cos they are worried by obesity etc, but if your baby is hungry then why shouldn't you be able to feed him more.

    I use SMA gold but use SMA White for her bed-time feed.
    Gold is a whey based milk and White is a curd based milk. I assume it;s thicker and fills them for longer.

    Go by your own instincts. The hv can only give you advice but that's not always based on the individuals needs. He's your baby so do what you feel is right!
  • Omg mumdonna, lol first we have our babies on the same day then they follow the exact same pattern lol. Gabriel drains 5-6oz bottles every 3 hours during the day. The only difference is he doesnt feed much in the night - usually wakes at 4-ish, sometimes sleeps thru till 5/6...I think its a bit young to use hungry baby milk as it can make them constipated apparently? Just up the bottle...He will posset up any extra! x
  • Just to let you guys know - i moved my lo on to hungry baby c & g milk at about 8 weeks but friends did at 4 weeks as were feeding every 2.5 to 3 hours and draining 5/6oz bottles... i was always told never to let the bottle be drained always ensure that there is a little bit left then you know they've had enough so would always up an oz when was drained!!!

    my lo never suffered with consipation and on day 2 of using it as every feed went to feeding every 4 hours (sometimes perhaps would have gone bit longer) and being sooo content in between!!! (well as much as a baby can be lol)

    i also got told not to do in progressivly meaning one bottle a day of it then 2 and so on as thats what i was going to to get him used to it hv and doc and friends just said no just do straight swap!
    i did go buy the next teat size so the hole was bigger as the formula is slightly thicker... it apprently has no more calaories just is thicker so takes slightly longer to digest meaning they stay fuller for longer!!!

    It up to you as mummy but i found it worked but others may not - you've got nothing really to looose if you try it and she's bunged up then offer cooled boiled water and give it a few days and if still not taken to it then just leave it at least yopu know youve tried!!!
    xxx
  • i agree totally withh ccbmommy! with my first, he was having more than the back of the bloody box recommended, but when i told her, she said i would kill him with the extra volume!!
    so i worried for days, really upset when he wanted feeding..blah blah....
    at 6 weeks, i had to see a paediatrician about him for something else, so whilst there, i asked him his thoughts!!
    "if he wants it, let him have it"!!! was the answer.
    it is recommended to hold off the next stage milk until they are about 8 weeks (ie C&G premium to plus, SMA gold to white) because of the contents, but what do they want you to do? starve your baby?
    as long as they have balanced diet when weaning, surely it's not that bad now!!
  • I had a similar problem. At 8 weeks I went onto SMA white for am and bedtime feeds and it has filled him up more. My HV advised against it but it helped us. He has been going through the night from 12 weeks. He takes 8oz bottles every 3 1/2 - 4 hrs and is 13wks old. Since birth he has drained every bottle and it was a constant battle to keep him full and content. He has not suffered with constipation at all. Give it a try for sure...
  • Personally I think if your baby is hungry then he needs to eat. My HV always told me that if Neve drains the bottle then to offer another oz. She also told me that (apart from extreme cases) it is impossible to overfeed a baby as they would just throw it up. I would definately try offering him 6oz on his next feed and seeing how he gets on.
  • not sure if it's the same for all brands but Cow and Gate Hungry Baby milk is suitable from birth and I know babies that have used it very early on as draining 9oz bottles every couple of hours. I can see no reason not to increase the amount you give at each feed, in my experience with my lo who will be 6 months next week (where did the time go?!) if he takes too much he brings it back up.
    I spent far too much time hanging onto every word the HV said when they tell the same advice to everyone so it's not based on how different every baby is.
    hth,
    Debbie and Joshua x
  • Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advice. I havent moved on to hungry baby milk but did increase the OZs in the bottle. Nathan has gone from 9lb 5oz to 10lb 14oz in 2 weeks!!! Obviously was having a growth spurt as he has now gone back to feeding every 4 hours and also drinking less milk too!! I hadnt realised that a growth spurt can actually last for a couple of weeks, thought it was just a few days so had ruled this out but he is definetly more content again now.
    Thanks Again!
  • My baby is nearly 5 weeks old and is a very good eater. He eats around very 3hrs and  has 5oz bottles he eats it all and goes to sleep but then wants another feed 2hrs later.I got told that with formular milk i am only allowed to give him what is said on the tin and should not feed him inbetween feeds! He is only meant to have 6 bottles a day and he usually has 8 or 9 ! I can't up his dosige because he has enough in one sitting and doesnt want anymore! Can i carry on feeding him like this or is there a real danger of over feeding him with formular?

  • As your kid is not having any indigestion problem after taking milk 5 times this means he is not having any problem in taking this and his digestive system might be very active. So, there is no need to decrease the quantity rather if possible you can increase it. If any indigestion problem will arise then you can decrease the quantity.

  • I have a similar problem my lo is 5 weeks old and is draining 8 oz bottles pretty much every feed being topped up with water and is still not content. He then takes ages to go to sleep and only sleeps for about 30 mins to an hour if that. At night he wants feeding every 2 1/2 to 3 hrs and still does not sleep as he still seems hungry. I was thinking of changing to hungry milk at night to see if this fulfills him more but he is on comfort milk at the moment as he suffered from bad wind which is now a lot better, but have been told the hungry milk might makes his stomach bad if he has suffered with wind. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as he always seems so unsettled and is not getting enough rest 

  • hi all my son is 7 weeks old and was born 8lb 9 and is now over 12lb hes after feeds all the time and is on sma gold, i really want to change him to sma white but dont wwant to make him ill and its on my mind constant any advice pleaseeeeee

  • m son is not even 3 weeks old yet, was born 10lbs 5ozs and is now 10lbs 15ozs, he is on hungry baby feed and is draining 7ozs and still not settling afterwards... reallystuggling to fill him ......any advice on what to do??

Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions