Why is my 7 week old son so hungry?

[Nikki20]

I have a 7 week old son who is always hungry. He has been a very hungry baby since he was born. He is currently having 7oz every 4 hours. However, after his teatime feed around 5ish he is still really hungry. I'm scared to keep putting his feed up as i don't want him to become overweight.. What can i do? Someone mentioned sma white to me but im not too keen as i heard it can bung him up!!

[Vics128]

I would give him more in each feed. I definatly wouldnt worry about him getting overweight. Evan if he does get a bit bigger, if he was ever to get poorly and stop eating for a day or 2, you will be so gratefull for that extra bit of chubbliness!
Apparantly babies dont eat for indulgence either (not like us adults!) they eat cos they are hungry. He could be going through a growth spurt!
You could also ask your health visitor for advice!
Good luck

[Nikki20]

Thanks for your answer. My health visitor told me he was having a growth spurt when he was 2 weeks old. I take he is still having it. Thanks i'll speak to her again and see what she says.

[Vics128]

They have lots of growing to do!! He will prob have lots of growth spurts untill he is.. well fully grown! With my little boy I just fed him untill he didnt want any more at each feed, he would def go through mamoth eating fazes, then calm down again!

[noxlumos]

Just feed him as much as he needs, you can't overfeed a baby that age and they are supposed to be chubby so for heaven's sakes don't worry about him gaining weight. All our babies were chubby as littlies but lost it as soon as they started getting around. It's what's supposed to happen so don't stress him by not feeding him enough to keep him happy and you'll get more peace too:)

[jaq1964]

Don't start panicking about him gaining too much weight! As soon as he starts crawling around, he'll soon lose it. It also gives him a bit of protection if he were to become ill as he could afford to lose a bit of it.
Generally speaking, how much does he weigh? Babies should be fed about 1oz of milk per pound of weight (which is how my sister fed her 2, I breast fed my 2).
Speak to your midwife.

[tradey]

my daughter used to be the same,milk just never filled her up,so what i did was at 5ish i gave her 2 spoonfulls of rusk then her bottle,that worked for her made her full up and sleep better too,i was told not to by people but shes 2 now and isnt over weight just right,use you own instinct your her mum,even baby rice at tea time good luck

[Nikki20]

He is 11lb 14 oz he is gaining around 13oz a week though.

[puzzled54]

Do you give him any water to drink? He could be thirsty in this hot weather.

[Nikki20]

Ive tried to give him water but he just spits it out. its like he realises its not milk so he won't drink it. He was 7lb 2oz at birth and he is now 11lb 14oz. Last week he put on 13 oz.

[fionio]

I had twins. One of them hardly ate atall. The other always seemed to be hungry . Eventually we changed her formula.There are special bulkier versions for hungry babies- ask your health visitor. She did put on weight, but not so that it was a problem. I did worry at the time though. She lost all the puppy fat as she got older and more active, but still has a huge appetite. Also she talks a lot, so now I wonder if she was crying for food or just liked the sound of her own voice!!

[xanderma]

Not sure if it's true or a myth, but I was told that babies eat more towards the end of the day as they are 'building up' for a sleep.

I wouldn't offer rusk or baby rice yet as he is too young, but certainly give him bigger feeds if he needs it . The other replies are right, he won't eat more than he needs and you certainly shouldn't worry about him becoming overweight.

Are you weighing him regularly at the clinic? If so, you will be able to see his weight gain on his baby charts - if there are any concerns, your Health Visitor will talk to you, that's what s/he is there for.

[karenR]

Don't change his formula, it could make him ill. Feed him as much as he needs, he'll be OK. Don't give him solids yet, he is far too young & it can cause allergies when he's older. Babies grow very quickly so they need to up their intake of milk regularly. If he puts on a little too much weight, it will come off when he starts crawling & when he goes on solids you can make sure he eats sensibly then.

[tigilou]

The milk you are giving him there should be one for hungrier babies try that. He sounds fine to me just hungry bless him