Advice urgent: 8 month old eating 40+ oz per day plus 3 meals!!!???
2 answers /
Last post: 16/04/2023 at 10:58 am
Can someone please tell me if this is normal or not.
My 8 month old son is 2ft 6, 22lbs and eating constantly. He is teething at the moment (bottom two teeth are already through, but top two front teeth are just coming in/about to bud in).
He's drink 40+ oz bottles of formula as well as having 3home cooked meals per day about 4-5tbsp of food per meal + snacks after each meal, is there something wrong?
At first I just thought he was having a growth spurt, or due to his teething, but he doesn't seem to be having more than 5 wet nappies a day, his pee is more pale yellow than yellow and I'm getting concerned that he might be unwell or dehydrated or something.
I've checked his temperature, I've check his body for rashes, I dont put salt in his food and I check all ingredients before cooking his food so theres no added salt or sugar.
Is he just a hungry baby like everyone keeps saying to me or am I missing something?
I don't want to take him the GP if this is normal but I'm concerned that he seems to have all of a sudden started chugging formula like its as if he's just spent 4hrs in the Savannah heat.
This morning he drank 390mls in one sitting, just downed one 240ml bottle and then screamed for another and then chugged the majority of that one.This only started happening 4 days ago, please advise!
Hi Sophie,
I’m Kayleigh, one of the parent supporters at Netmums. I’m sorry to hear you’re concerned about your little one’s hydration. You are noticing a significant increase in his formula intake and you want to make sure he is okay.
There are some signs to look out for that indicate dehydration here: https://www.nct.org.uk/baby-toddler/your-babys-health/what-watch-out-for/dehydration-children-what-watch-for
If your little one does have any of these signs, I would encourage you to seek further advice from 111.
You mentioned he is doing really well with his solids, is he having sips of water at meal times too? You can try to encourage him to try some more water if you are worried he may be thirsty
You are right that teething could be a factor impacting his feeding. You could speak with your pharmacist about pain relief options for him that may help with this. Sometimes babies may feed for comfort when they are hurting. Netmums have some teething product recommendations here too: https://www.netmums.com/reviews/buying-guides/how-to-buy-baby-teething-products
As this has only been happening over a few days, you may find that he settles back into his normal routine soon, but don’t hesitate to seek some advice from your GP or your health visitor
Wishing you all the best,
Kayleigh