Feeding FAQ: 3-4 months – Other

I’m advised to wean my son, even though he is only three months old

Osian weighed 10lb 2oz at birth, is gaining 6-7oz per week, and has been following the routine since day one. He is now three months old. He has always been difficult at feeding time. I believe he suffered from colic and have used Omneo Comfort and Colief. I went away for three weeks and the symptoms went away. I carried on using Omneo but he was very hungry. I therefore gave him a milk for hungry baby (Novalac Satiete) and he fed very well – 5 bottles of 7oz sometimes 8-9oz at 6.15pm feed.
He then started to reduce his daily amount of milk. I was not worried and let him take what he needed. I carried on feeding him but he would then refuse to drink at the 7am feed. I changed the milk and put him on SMA Gold as I thought the milk was too rich, but he is still refusing to drink. He always took 30-45 minutes to drink a bottle but he now stops at 2oz and waits 15 minutes before taking another 2oz. He is still very windy but I don’t think that it is the problem as before he wanted to feed but was in pain and now he pushes the teat with his tongue. He can drink a bottle in 10 minutes as he has done last night and still wake up at 6am, so I don’t know what the problem could be.
My health advisor thinks that he doesn’t like milk and I should wean him as he always chews his hands and cries for food before it is time – to take only 4oz.

The present Department of Health guidelines (2003) recommend that babies are fed with either breast of formula milk exclusively for six months. Previously the advice was to wean between 4 and 6 months. Solids should not be given before 4 months (17 weeks) as a baby’s kidneys are not mature enough to cope.

In your son’s case it would seem that he isn’t always very hungry and therefore takes these breaks whilst feeding. Is he easily distracted when he is feeding? As a baby grows he often is more interested in what is going on around him and stops drinking. Try to keep feeding times calm and quiet, possibly in a room on your own with him so he concentrates on the bottle.

Have you tried different sized teats as this can also be a problem if the flow is too slow? A Variflo may help as your son can then drink at his own speed. As your son still suffers from wind it is worth trying different sizes to see which suits him best.

I would let him stay with the formula he is now on as changing brands can cause a baby to become unsettled if it happens too often. Even if Osian does drink a full bottle at his last feed at night, if he is cutting back during the day he will begin to wake early as he is just not drinking enough to satisfy his daily needs. If you can try to encourage him to drink more by letting him have short breaks whilst feeding things may improve.