Can You Overfeed an Infant?

We were always told no, babies don't overeat. If they only want to suck and you offer food, then they won't take it. If you think he might not be hungry and he wants to suck for soothing, offer him a pacifier first. If he wants to eat, he'll spit the pacifier out and keep crying to be fed. As for the spit up, try what you suggested, feeding less more often. Also try feeding him in a more upright position. One of mine would spit up something fierce if he was laying down. If we propped him up, then the problem was solved. We were told spit up tends to be more of a laundry problem than a medical issue if the baby seems fine. One of ours spit up for months but he was otherwise healthy and happy. In contrast a friend of ours had a little baby who was fussy all the time in addition to the spitting up. She needed medications for the problem. Sometimes it seems like you can really shovel food down little ones and then in the next moment they are existing on air alone. Good luck. Babies are so much fun. :)

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We were always told no, babies don't overeat. If they only want to suck and you offer food, then they won't take it. If you think he might not be hungry and he wants to suck for soothing, offer him a pacifier first. If he wants to eat, he'll spit the pacifier out and keep crying to be fed. As for the spit up, try what you suggested, feeding less more often. Also try feeding him in a more upright position. One of mine would spit up something fierce if he was laying down. If we propped him up, then the problem was solved. We were told spit up tends to be more of a laundry problem than a medical issue if the baby seems fine. One of ours spit up for months but he was otherwise healthy and happy. In contrast a friend of ours had a little baby who was fussy all the time in addition to the spitting up. She needed medications for the problem. Sometimes it seems like you can really shovel food down little ones and then in the next moment they are existing on air alone. Good luck. Babies are so much fun. :)

It's possible, but that's something you don't need to consider unless he's also spitting up a lot or crying after feeding. If he's happy and satisfied, then he probably really was hungry.

He's probably headed for a growth spurt. Babies will eat a lot right before a growth spurt. I remember being exhausted and wondering if I was ever going to do anything besides sit on the couch with my boobs hanging out. I was very lucky that my sister had kids and was able to tell me that this was totally normal. It really only lasted a few days (I think) before he began eating less often.

Totally normal!

Cluster feeding. Totally normal - you can google it :)

If he acts content after eating 4 oz, I would leave the quantity alone. But feed as often as he is hungry.

Also, the spit up does suggest reflux. And the typical suggestion for reflux is exactly what you said above - feed less per feeding, but more often. So for example, instead of 6 oz every 4 hours, feed 3 oz every 2 hours to help keep his tummy from getting too full, and then it all comes back up.

Yes they can be overfed. If you feed him and then he purges immediately, his tummy is too small to take 4 ounces or 5 ounces or whatever it is at a time. I would space out the feedings to every two hours and give him smaller amounts during those feedings. Remember... you said he's adjusted to 2 weeks old. Going four hours for a baby that small and young is a very long time. His tummy is only the size of his fist.

Because he does spit up quite a bit, I would get a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. He needs an evaluation to make sure that he doesn't have GERD, especially since he was born so early, or have other gut problems. A good pediatric GI should work in tandem with a good pediatric nutritionist that can help you with formula issues, in case he needs to have his formula adjusted to a different or specialty one or if he's lactose intolerant or something.

Yes, and no. . . . Not every cry is a cry of hunger, babies do go through growth spurts, and cluster feeding is real. Nonetheless, I think we made the mistake of feeding too often. I was b/f though which further complicates things because you can never be certain of just how much the kid is taking in.

Feeding the baby, too often, can result in a bad cycle. baby cries, he is fed, but doesn't eat much because he ate too recently. He falls asleep mid feeding, doesn't get his gas up/ out b/c he fell asleep. He doesn't sleep well or soundly because he hasn't eaten enough and is gassy, and wakes up crying and uncomfortable and gets offered food again, which he eats, but poorly. Exhausting for all concerned.

Best,
F. B.

I'd try to figure out if he wants a bottle or will just take a bottle. Follow? If you offer him a pacifier and he's happy, maybe that's all he wanted.

Remember that the urge to suck does not necessarily mean they need to eat. And yes, they can over feed and then you're dealing with reflux.

the only problem that can arise that I'm aware of is gird. When mom's breast milk has very fast flow, sometime babies get too much. I do know my SIL was limited to 7 min per breast by her pediatrician to ease gird symptoms, her babies were gaining rapidly and making themselves sick because they were not registering full because the milk was coming out so fast. If he does not struggle with gird, then feed on demand as much as he wants. Perhaps a smaller nipple would encourage him to take it slower so he would not spit up so much. Seems he's playing catch up which seems is exactly what he should be doing.

I think you feed them until they are satisfied - they will stop when they are full. I think the spit-up problem means you should feed a little, then burp him, then offer more until he stops on his own. He's not going to be constantly starving. He's growing so his intake will increase per feeding, but the older they get, the longer they can go between feedings. So I'd give him more at each feeding but with a few burp breaks. If he seems to really guzzle it quickly, give him a break, because all that air intake can affect the burping and the general comfort, but I'm talking about a few minutes. I'm sure the pedi will tell you that, especially with preemies, you feed them when they want it and need it. The little ones need a lot of feedings but he'll grow out of that gradually - so you're really going to have to play it by ear. Assuming his development is sufficient that his "I'm full" signal is operating, he'll be fine!

Yes. They can and do.

Our GI guy who diagnosed our grandson with reflux said that about 80% of the moms that bring infants in to get tested are doing nothing more than overfeeding them and their tummy's are not big enough for the food so it comes back up. Not a reflex and reflux but a tummy that is stretched to it's limits where it simply cannot hold it and it comes back up due to having no where to go.

If the baby is digesting the food and not regurgitating it then I'd say he's eating it and doing okay.

He is growing and may be using every tiny bit of food he's getting. When he gets older and starts foods he'll still need to have a bottle first. Formula is his main source of vitamins and nutrients. Baby food and other supplements do not supply even a tiny portion of the nutrients they need. He'll need his bottle first every single time.

I would be a little worried that his "sign for hunger" is actually his tummy hurting, and he's trying to soothe himself.

My babies took between 4 and 6 ounces of formula at 6-8 weeks of age, every 3 hours. (I don't know how much they were drinking when they were nursing because I could not pump.) I pretty much tried to hold it at 3 hours and used a pacifier to get them to 3 hours. Sometimes they really just want to suck and the pacifier satisfies that need.

I do think that you can feed a baby too much. I've seen moms who just stick a bottle or tit in a baby's mouth everytime they cry and the babies have rolls and rolls of fat. Until you've been around babies whose moms do that, you just don't know. After seeing that enough, I'm just not buying that you can't over feed a baby, sorry...

My opinion is no you cannot overfeed a baby. If you do, it just comes right back up :)